Much of our time on our New England trip was spent visiting the many small fishing villages on the coast of Maine. We enjoyed these towns, the nearby islands and the rocky beaches. We started this coastal trip up in Calais and completed our journey at the southwest tip of Maine near Salisbury Beach.
The Fishing Villages of Maine
We often fall in love with each part of the country that we visit. In the places that we really love, we talk about moving there, the type of house we would buy and what our lifestyle would look like. Even though we know nothing about lobster fishing, we now dream of moving to a little Maine fishing village, buying a Lobster boat, and living on the water.
We could spend a lifetime exploring and visiting all the little inlets, quaint towns, islands, parks, and bays along the coast of Maine. We generally followed Highway 1 south but exited the highway often to explore. Each day we decided which coastal peninsula or island we wanted to visit.
Some of the communities we have visited, to name a few, are:
- Calais
- Lubec
- Jonesport and Beals
- Schoodic Point
- Stonington
- Spruce Head Island
- Pemaquid Point
Hard working lobster fisherman and their families live in these towns and we could feel the community spirit as we traveled through. Fishing is a passed down family profession and unique way of life for them.
We learned many stories along the way:
- One woman grew up South of Beals on Great Wass Island. Her husband is now the 4th generation lobster fisherman. She works at the local lobster co-op.
- Another woman was telling us about her grand-father, father and husband. They now take the 6-year-old daughter out with them on the weekends. She loves getting up very early and going along.
- A crew we watched unload their lobster catch for the day had been out for 14 hours. (4 AM till 6 PM) They checked and restocked 500 lobster traps that day! That was an exceptional day.
- When we bought our fresh lobster on different piers, some of the guys talked in a dialect that was hard to understand.
- We learned about and smelled the lobster bait that lined the piers (pig eyes, pig fat, fish byproducts, etc).
- The water is covered in decorative buoys. This is how the fishermen track their lobster cages. The buoy markings are different for each fisherman.
- Buoys and lobster cages are used for yard decorations.
- The bays and inlets are covered with lobster and sails boats. It is a beautiful view. By the end of October the ports will be empty. The boats will be out of the water for winter and sitting in yards waiting for next spring.
Many of these lovely villages also have historic homes. The history is amazing and the architecture along the coast was charming. We loved all the views on and off the water in these small fishing villages on the coast of Maine.
For other stories related to our New England region trip go to:
Each Step on Watkins Glen Gorge Trail is Stunning
Hiking the Beehive at Acadia National Park
I think the falling in love bit and the visualization of what life in another place would be is one of the most fun parts of travel.
Stonington will forever hold a piece of my heart. Visited there many moons ago on a solo trip through the East Coast. Maine to Newfoundland to be exact. Many little fishing community treasure are tucked in every nook and cranny. This post brought back many vivid memories and I thank you for your excellent write up.
Stonington was one of our favorite fishing villages too! We bought our first fresh lobster off the pier and had an incredible lunch that day! Thanks for sharing your memories