CRUISES (Day 7 - part 1)

In spite of our late night, we had to grab a super early breakfast and be out the door by 6:45 am. We repeated the plan from yesterday... drive to the visitor center, catch the free shuttle and get off at Village Green. This time, however, it wasn't crowded at all.

Walking down Main Street

We boarded the boat early but still chose spots in the front.

The Friendship V ... our seats

Heading out...

The weather was sunny and nice but the boat definitely added a breeze.

Once again, we visited Egg Rock. Birds were everywhere!

Gulls and cormorants

Gulls ... A juvenile bald eagle

Again, seals line the rocky shores. These are Harbor Seals, averaging about 6 feet long.

We continued our journey, eventually arriving at the island of Petit Manan.

The first Petit Manan lighthouse was built in 1816. It was rebuilt in 1855 with a 119-foot-tall tower, making it the second tallest lighthouse in Maine. Following its electrification in 1938, it became the second brightest light in Maine. It became automated in 1972, and in 1974, the Coast Guard ceded the island to the Fish and Wildlife Service in order to protect the island's seabird population.

Robert Leighton (who was the lighthouse keeper from 1825 - 1832) took the boat one day to go the mainland and didn't come back. For a year! So his wife, Jane, took over. She was officially the first woman paid to do these duties. When he returned, he died several months later. So his wife, now having lots of experience caring for the lighthouse, applied for the keepership, but her petition was eventually denied.

Indoors ... where our naturalist guide, Hugo, told us all sorts of interesting facts.

(left) In 2001, the light was converted to solar power.

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