I didn't dig into it, but making our way in, it seems pretty clear the place likely got its name because it is a maze of narrow, winding channels in a minefield of ship-killing rocks. Even with GPS, radar, and accurate charts on a modern chartplotter, the approach is anxiety inducing, for the consequences of a small misstep could be dire. Add in strong currents and thick, unpredictable fog and it's easy to see how the first surveyors would think of the name.
That same rocky, bouldery, twisty aspect of the place are also the very things that make it so beautiful to behold, as pine-topped islands and smooth granite rocks of various sizes recede into the distance, often while whisps or whole rivers of fog flow over and between them.
Hells Half Acre has two free public moorings. As expected, they were both occupied, but there was plenty of room nearby for us to anchor as the third boat. One of the other boats was quintessential Maine sailing itself, with graceful lines, golden, gleaming varnish, and polished brass fittings. The thing that killed me was that, trailing behind it on a long painter was not an equally golden-varnished lapstrake rowing dory. Instead, there was a beat-up, grey, not-fully-inflated, run-of-the-mill, we've-seen-six-hundred-this-week zodiacs. It was jarring. I understand the unmistakeable utility of such a thing, but how could someone put so much love and energy into the big boat and then drag behind the cheapest thing they could find at Target? It was is if someone had moved into Mount Vernon and then put one of those temporary car ports in front of it.
Anyway, we got over that and rowed our own funny-looking dinghy ashore for a walk as there are not one, but two public islands within reach. This is where the Half Acre part came in. It was nice to stretch our legs and get a few more angles on the scenery, but our "walks" could not be made long enough to count as real exercise.
A couple of days of cold wind and rain had us hunkering down, watching the tempest outside. Maine has so any faces, from crisp blue sunshine to slashing drizzle to pea-soup fog. Every beautiful vista looks completely different in each so that even while staying in the same place, there's no end of things to see.
We loved the wilderness of the islands and a sunny day
Bald Eagles and Merlins were easy to spot
Anchorage location >> On google maps
If you are planning to visit the islands of Maine, it is well worth the membership of the Maine Island Trail Association where you can find details of trails and anchorage in the area and support a good cause.
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