Our next destination was Jewell Island, Maine, and we arrived around 4:00pm on Saturday afternoon. Our engine worked well, and we even saw some more whales! Since it was the 4th of July weekend, the anchorage was extremely crowded; it took us about an hour to find a spot and set the anchor. Jewell Island is a state-owned island that is only a mile long and no more than a quarter-mile wide, and it is a popular spot for campers and boaters. It is rumored to be one of Captain Kidd’s or Blackbeard’s secret lairs.
Once we anchored the boat, we took the dingy ashore to do some exploring. Our first stop was a place called the Punchbowl. At low tides, ledges completely encircle the beach to form a shallow body of water.
After allowing Morgan to swim (of course) in the Punchbowl, we took a path to the ruins of the World War II buildings, towers, and tunnels. We climbed up the eight-story tower that was once used to search for enemy ships and submarines. The sign above the tower states, “Danger! Enter at your own risk. This military structure may contain poorly lighted or hazardous area. Use of a flashlight is strongly advised.” This tower was extremely creepy with rotted hand railings, missing windows, and broken light bulbs, but the view from the top was wonderful. Needless to say, I wouldn’t be visiting this area at night!
We also saw many crumpling concrete structures throughout the island. Some of these lead to underground bunkers with rusting doors and branching tunnels. People used to be able to explore these tunnels, but the state recently sealed them off. This was probably a good idea because I didn’t exactly want to explore them.
After a couple hours of hiking, we came back to the boat for dinner and spend a nice, quiet night on the anchorage.
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