One nearby cruising ground that we had never really visited is the group of islands between Deer Isle and Isle Au Haut. Known as the islands of Merchants Row these are as beautiful a cruising area as you can find anywhere.So this past Saturday we headed south from Castine in perfect weather. In 3 1/2 hours we dropped anchor near the northern shore of McGlathery Island and rowed ashore to a sandy beach for some dog play, then a hike across the island.
After a calm night at anchor, we did a much longer hike about 3/4 around the perimeter of the island. Then at mid-day we made a short run over to St. Helena Island for more exploring. We anchored near the NE tip of the island (where the nifty cairn was - see below) and had to bushwhack some before we found trails that lead to an old abandoned granite quarry.
By 3 pm we were pulling anchor for the return to Castine. This is a great area to visit and we will definitely be returning.
