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Return to the Maine home page |
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Casco Bay Islands:
The Goslings and Jewell Island |
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The Goslings – Sunday Aug 24
On Sunday, we left the Portland Yacht Club just after noon heading for The Goslings, two small, privately-owned islands about 10 miles north and east of Portland. They are uninhabited and the owners welcome visitors, as long as you respect their property. We put the dingy in the water and headed over to the islands to do some exploring. It was low tide so we landed on the shell beach and found the water to be pleasant at around 68 degrees. We waded in and walked the beach. On the north side, the beach is full of shells and predictable, in walking around to the south end, we found a very different topography, a rocky coast with huge granite boulders jetting out of the sea with the waves crashing around them. It is hard to imagine how this island fares in the rough winter months. |
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Monica on at the RockyCoast |
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Jewell Island – Monday and Tuesday, Aug 25 & 26
We left The Goslings early Monday morning and headed for Jewell Island, about seven which lies on the outer fringes of Casco Bay. It is a mile long and 221 acres with hiking trails leading off to sandy beaches, craggy bluffs, and remnants of World War II fortifications. We arrived around 10:00 a.m. (a short two hour sail from The Goslings). We set the anchor and went in to explore the island. |
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Jewell Island Harbor |
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Although the island is a “real jewel” in Casco Bay, it was named for its original owner, George Jewell of Saco, ME who bought it from the Indians in 1637 for a bottle of rum and some baubles. Over the years, the island attracted settlers who attempted to base farming and fishing operations on the island. During WWII, the military decided that the fortifications protecting Portland Harbor were inadequate. Jewell, being one of the outermost islands, was an important strategic location for defense. For a brief period during WWII, Jewell housed 400 troops who maintained two observation towers, a searchlight, two six-inch guns (capable of firing 100-pound shells 17 miles), and four 90-mm anti-aircraft guns. In the early 1970’s, Maine’s Bureau of Parks and Recreation acquired Jewell Island to serve as a park as part of Maine’s Island Trail program. |
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Views from the WWII observation towers |
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| The island was gorgeous. Its beauty was breathtaking. We decided to spend an extra day hiking the quiet footpaths which were dense with spruce and balsam fir trees. When you hike directly across the narrow island on the northern end, you arrive at a “punchbowl” on the eastern side, where at low tide, ledges completely encircle a broad crescent beach, and the shallow body of water creates a wading pool. A longer hike around the island took us up to the WWII installment ruins, an eight story concrete observation tower that offered great views of Casco Bay. |
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Jewell Island hiking trails |
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The rocky coast of Jewell Island |
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Monday began Monica’s home schooling program. She adapted to it very well and is doing great at being self directed in her studies. She’s motivated to keep a disciplined schedule and spends about five hours a day pursuing her studies. Anne teaches Algebra, and English, (which includes, Literature, Grammar, and Spelling) and Tony is responsible for Science and History. Spanish will be handled free form, allowing Monica to apply her Spanish by writing letters in Spanish and memorizing and translating Spanish songs. |
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Return to the Maine home page |
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