We’ve lost track of the number of place names that include the word Seal. Every island seems to have a Seal Bay, Seal Cove, or Seal Harbor. Must be nice to be a seal in Maine, but they must find our naming conventions boring. Our destination was Seal Bay on Vinalhaven Island. Arriving by boat, this is the kind of place where you follow someone who knows the route well. In our case, Hank and Seale on s/v Flash led the way. It was their 18th visit to Seal Bay.
We went in at low tide because most of the hazardous rocks are exposed. The green areas on the chart show rock ledges that are covered by a 9 foot tidal change. The * symbol represents rocks exposed at low tide but they can be underwater at high tide. Since a GPS position can be off by 50 feet, you have to go slowly and be alert.
Seal Bay was well worth the journey. We had beautiful weather, so the seals were hauled out on the rocks, somehow keeping both their heads and tails in the air. We enjoyed our stand-up paddle boards. Kel put on a wetsuit and went for a swim. A curious seal kept popping up right behind her. Unfortunately, red tide stopped us from eating the mussels that were everywhere. Hank and Seale said there was something magical about this place. We agree.
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| Two Lookouts - one for rocks, one for seals |
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| Seal Bay, VinalHaven Island |
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| Salty Dawgs at Seal Bay |
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