Camp Sharktooth - Wells, Maine - Perkins Cove, Lobsters and More

Our time in Wells, Maine was winding down, but on Monday, July 19, 2021, we made sure to get a taste of the "real" Maine by visiting the pink granite, rocky shore of Perkins Cove and going out on a lobster boat to see how they lobster Down'east.   We made our lobster boat reservation for mid-morning, but drove over to Perkins Cove early to have breakfast at Cove Cafe, which served up scrumptious food despite suffering from the same debilitating staffing shortages that most in the hospitality industry have been facing since Covid arrived.

After breakfast, we filled our time waiting for the lobster boat by taking The Marginal Way along the rocky shoreline for a mile or two.  Here, we looked back at Perkins Cove:

The shoreline is mainly pink granite, but regularly, in spots, the cracked granite had given way to extrusions of black lava in more recent millenia.  It made for a blocky, colorful seascape:

We set out to look for tidepools.  Here, Kathy and William are exploring tidepools for life --

-- and they found it!  Two crabs, one green and one orange-red:

David joined in the search --

-- and helped William find the tallest rock to climb, with a "victorious" view of Perkins Cove:

It was time for lobstering, so we walked back into Perkins Cove and our boat, moored at the dock on the right in the photo below:

The boat was large enough to accommodate perhaps 30 people, but small enough to be intimate and to let us here our tour leaders talk about lobstering:

Your Happy Family eagerly awaited getting under way:

Eventually, our boat reached its lobster line, and our captain pulled up a trap:

He and his first mate showed us the lobster, demonstrating how to distinguish males and females.  Females with eggs must be thrown back, as must females with "V" notches cut in their tales by other lobstermen.  Lobsters that are smaller than 3.25" on the carapace or larger than 5" must also be thrown back.

William even got to hold a lobster, and complained about having to hold it "for 20 minutes!"

Back on dry land, Kathy demonstrated how to catch a real "live one":

Perkins Cove boasts a pedestrian drawbridge over the water, connecting two parts of town.  William and YeYe climbed up on the footbridge and waved:

NaiNai joined them and we all got a surprise!  We watched the footbridge raise and a tall-masted sailboat cruised under it!

One more adventure awaited us in Wells.  Stay tuned!