NoNewsFromHere: OH, MONHEGAN

Marshall Point lighthouse, Port Clyde, ME

On the ferry/mail boat to Monhegan, Ben and Audrey at the bow

The sea was rough at times, thunderstorms raked the area at night, and another day dawned bereft of wind accompanied by dense fog, this after three perfect days. Not great conditions for sailing from Camden to Monhegan Island. The Monhegan Island race was over and we anxiously awaited the arrival of the ‘Zube’ (short for the star Zubenelgenube) at Monhegan. The race takes off every year at the Portland, Maine, Yacht Club. Boats in the race used to sail from Portland, circle Monhegan which lies about 50 miles away, and return––an all day, all night effort. Last year was the first year the course was altered to end at Camden. Last year we met the Zube in Camden, but decided this year we would meet the boat well after the race (and deliver non-crew family Audrey, Ben and Carly) at Monhegan where the racing crew (daughters Leah and Lesley, husbands Cliff and Chris and grandsons Olin and Hans–Hans a sailing instructor this summer) would be mooring overnight.

Seals, en route to Monhegan

The Zube arrives!

A shout-out to the crew from the harbor dock

Ben, who had been swimming, is decked out by Audrey to greet the Zube crew.

It was the perfect place to be. (But the chronology was such that the sunny days had turned into heavy sea fog by the time the Zube arrived.)

Monhegan harbor; the woman at right is searching for sea glass.

The harbor

There’s something about an island. It has an ambiance, a salty tang in this case, that you feel most strongly when your actual home is way back from the sea, behind several ranges of mountains–the mountains of Maine, the Whites of New Hampshire, and the Greens of Vermont. And this island feels special.

Here’s how the current Visitors Guide describes it:

“Monhegan is a small rocky island ten miles from the nearest mainland and scarcely a square mile in area. It is accessible only by boat and there are no cars or paved roads on the island. Since long before the explorer John Smith visited it in 1614, it was known to Native Americans as a prime fishing area, and today its economy is still ruled by those who make their living from the sea, fishing and lobstering. The year-round population has seldom exceeded 65 in recent times.”

On Fish 'Street' with Carly, Audrey and Ben

Reality is never quite so simple.

Although explorer John Smith is credited on a plaque attached to a rock hard by the schoolhouse, actual early visitors, as related on Wikipedia, were more plentiful. Several European explorers stopped by: one Martin Pring in 1603, Samuel de Champlain (think of the eponymous Lake Champlain) in 1604, a George Weymouth in 1605 and the aforementioned Captain John Smith a couple of years later in 1614. The island was a British fishing camp even before the settlement of the Plymouth Colony. They harvested cod from the then-rich fishing grounds of the Gulf of Maine, and shipped the dried cod back to Europe. Throughout the 1600’s and into the 1700’s the island was alternately settled and abandoned, but remained throughout a stopover destination for ships. The original lighthouse was built in 1824, the bell rung during foggy conditions. It was replaced after storm damage in 1850 by the present granite tower.

The lighthouse; summer repairs going on at left

As for cars, there are some vehicles. A variety of mostly battered pickups meet the ferry and circulate on the few dirt roads in the village area to carry heavy loads–transporting everything from building materials to visitor baggage. The only other transport is golf carts, used mostly by people who live on hilly terrain. Everyone walks.

One of the local not-so-battered pickups, and a stack of lobster traps

About the fish. Only Monhegan fishermen may set traps around the island (thanks to the Monhegan Lobster Conservation Zone). The state legislature also granted the island a special winter lobstering season, the only winter season in the state of Maine. (This accounts for the many idle traps in what would otherwise be prime lobstering season.) Nevertheless the economics of fishing are not what they were. The ocean is warmer these days and the behavior of fish and lobster has been changing, most notably the timing of the lobster molt, and species are arriving at odd times of the year. Some families no doubt have permanent homes on the mainland while keeping a foot in Monhegan to fish as well.

The year-round population, sadly, has decreased steadily over the years. The 65 people count of “recent times” (a number that was 75 in 2000) has dwindled to 40, according to a May 2014 article in Downeast magazine. The schoolhouse teaches Kindergarten through eighth grade. High schoolers have to go to the mainland. Around 2005 there were five students. That number is now more like two or three. “Monhegan Island remains a magical place for all who visit. But is the island in danger of losing its soul?” asked the writer.

The schoolhouse, looking the same as it did 100 years ago

The “magic” is many things. It is the intimidating 160-foot cliffs of Black Head and White Head that jut into the churning sea, views that have been painted many times.

Black Head, Rockwell Kent, 1950

Black Head, Edward Hopper, 1916-1919

Black Head, Frances Kornbluth, 1985

I'd like to have painted this: the fog-dusted village, from lighthouse hill

Artists have been coming to Monhegan since the mid-1800’s. This was the time of the popularity of the Hudson River School, one Monhegan artist (but from New York City) told me. It was a time when the aesthetic was romantic landscapes inspired by view of the Catskills, the Adirondacks and the Hudson River Valley. Many of these artists expanded this vision with visits to Monhegan. Today art is everywhere on the island. Our hotel, the Monhegan House, is full of paintings. Galleries and open studios abound. Easels are set up all around.

An artist at Port Clyde near the ferry dock. Do you think he'll include the power lines?

On the trail to Lobster Cove, Monhegan, another artist

Carly does her artwork while Ken appears to lurk behind a tree.

But the “magic” is more than the ubiquity of art. It is also in the absence of keys. No room in our hotel has a key. Doors are often left open. Nor is there TV. (But yes, there is internet. And mobile phone service.) And there is excellent food and plenty of very fresh fish. After just a few days faces become familiar. Many artists and others have been coming here every summer for many years and there are reunions everywhere. It is virtually a non-smoking island. (Smoking is prohibited anywhere outside of the town because of fire danger.) What does Monhegan lack? It has no bar, no club. Hence, no one looking for a hot time either.

On the porch, Monhegan House

The “magic” is everywhere in the landscape that inspired and inspires all manner of art. The many miles of hiking trails–some 16 miles of trail on only 480 acres–neatly maintained with discreet signs (“Trail #7”) lead through deep forests of tall trees, through shrubs and small trees, to ferns, beach roses and rocky heights, each trail having a flavor of its own. On the backside of the island looking out on the open Atlantic the interface of sea and rock is daunting. Kayakers are discouraged from circling the island because of the lack of landing sites and the possibility of sudden ocean swells unless they’re highly experienced in self-rescue. To enter the surf almost anywhere but the harbor is risky, if not foolhardy. Swimming is safe only at the harbor beach.