Our final stop north on the Sheepscot River was the town of Wiscasset, with a population of about 4000. Wiscasset is as far up the river as you can go with a sailboat. While there are mooring balls available from either the town Harbormaster or from the Wiscasset Yacht Club, we chose to anchor across the river from Wiscasset at Davis Island, where the holding was excellent, and there was plenty of room.
On the main corner in Wiscasset is a little shack called Red’s that sells lobster rolls. It’s right on the highway, (US Highway 1), and is apparently quite famous. People would begin lining up an hour before they opened, and would stand in line for an hour or two for the privilege of handing the proprietor a pretty big chunk of cash in return for a lobster roll. (As I recall they only take cash.) Now, I’m sure that Red’s makes a good lobster roll, but I’ve just never understood the willingness of people to stand in line for a long time for the privilege of handing over a wad of cash for a sandwich. I feel like it must be one of those tourist checkboxes that the Maine tourist guidebook they’re reading said “just must be checked off.”
Keep in mind that a lobster roll is really nothing but chunked lobster salad—kinda like tuna salad—on a bun. Not sure for sure what the price was, but I’m sure it was north of $20. The lobster fishermen are about 50’ away, and will happily sell you a lobster for $5 or $10. The whole lobster.
We didn’t eat at Red’s, but I’m sure it’s good. We did eat at Sarah’s Cafe and Twin Schooners Pub across the street, and it was both wonderful and reasonably priced. We ate there twice in fact. We also at at the Water Street Kitchen and Bar, which is upscale and pricier, and also outstanding food. However, the absolute highlight of our dining in Wiscasset was across the bridge on Davis Island. There’s a resort right there at the east end of the bridge called Sheepscot Harbor Village Resort, and their restaurant is called Water’s Edge Restaurant and Bar. As I understand it, as of recently the resort and restaurant are now owned and managed by the same company that owns and manages Linekin Bay Resort. We discovered this after we had eaten a couple meals there, and were thoroughly impressed. We had clam something twice, and both times it was to write home about.
Clam things (like steamed clams) have always been iffy to me. I love seafood generally, but too often clams are just not that good. In Maine, I’ve learned that clams aren’t something you just boil like lobster—there’s a significant bit of knowledge, art, and science to making sure you’re using the right clams, that they’re fresh enough, that you prepare them for cooking properly, that you cook them properly, and that you serve them well. It’s not something I’m likely to learn, but I’ll sure enjoy them whenever someone else does it well for me.
As it turns out, our visit to the town of Wiscasset coincided with a Schooner Fest they were hosting, so we were able to spend time around a couple wonderful old schooners. If you cruise in Maine, you discover that old schooners are not just museum pieces, but are often wonderful sailing vessels lovingly cared for, maintained, and sailed by those who take care of them. It turns on that one of these old schooners—Sycamore—we had spent time around earlier in the summer, when we were moored next to her and got to know her owner Fred Bowers just a little bit. Wiscasset is home to Fred and to Sycamore.
Walking in Wiscasset isn’t excellent, but it’s good. We enjoyed a decent walk of 2—5 miles each day. One of our favorite walks was to follow the railroad tracks SW from the town landing for a couple miles, then turn right on one of the crossing roads to get up to the highway where some stores were located.
Each time we made this walk, it made me feel like a little boy again, wandering down old RR tracks, exploring and having a little adventure. It also reminded me of just how differently we all live a cruising lifestyle. Christine and I have learned that we like to immerse ourselves into a town, not as “yachties”, but as a couple nomads grateful for the local hospitality and eager to participate in the daily goings-on. Walking down an old railroad track and through parts of town that aren’t featured in the mansion tour section of the guides roots you in a different flavor of local culture—one that I fond comfort in.
We’d never been part of a yacht club before. The whole notion seemed a bit too “yachty” for a couple of Kansas folks like us. However, during our week in Wiscasset, we found ourselves interacting with and enjoying folks there at the Wiscasset Yacht Club so much that we ended up joining their club. We now proudly fly their burgee wherever we go, happy to be part of such a wonderful group of sailors.