We awoke after a bouncy night. After last night’s distant thunder the wind had soddenly changed direction 180° which caused the waves to come directly into our previously protected harbor.

Since the wind was still coming from the north Bryan chose a destination with with a harbor entrance facing south and with a long and storied history. Damariscove is a tiny natural harbor known to fishermen for some 400 years. The Mayflower stopped there to resupply with cod on their way to Plymouth. Later they sent a ship back for food when the Pilgrims were starving. The residents refused any payment and resupplied them. There is also a legend of the headless Captain Pattishall who roams the island at night searching for his dog.

The island is now run by the nature conservancy and only ruins of the original dwellings plus a cabin, the restored lifesaving station and the caretakers residence remain. The caretakers were very friendly and told us about the island. We took the pond trail around the island, and enjoyed the sheer beauty and variety of surroundings, nourishing ourselves with ripe wild raspberries as we went. We saw many varieties of birds and the island hosts the primary nesting spot in the country for eiders, an unusual duck species. We noticed some clouds quickly closing in, and because I wanted to see just around the next bend before heading back we didn’t quite make it back to the dinghy dock. We found shelter under the canopy of the info sign. It was a good thing because the shower was short and it gave us a beautiful rainbow.

We rewarded ourselves by hiking further. The large pond separated from the ocean by a narrow strip of land also means lots of mosquitoes, so there was much swatting going on late into the evening.