Unwind
at a tranquil oceanfront cottage
Islesboro, Maine
2013 Rates & Availability
Photos of House & Vicinity
Chart of Penobscot Bay (showing rough location of our
house with an arrow)
Floor Plan of the House
Charter our Friendship Sloop
(moored off the house)
Our home
("Crosswinds") sits on a narrow peninsula jutting out from the
eastern shore (marked with black dot in aerial photo below). The house has
oceanfront on the front and the back.
The front faces Sabbathday Harbor and Ryder's Cove,
around which cottages such as this one were built around the turn of the
century (1900) by families coming down for the summer from Bangor on the
steamboats that in those days made regular stops at Ryder's Cove.
Surprisingly little has
changed since 1900. The cottage has been extensively updated in terms of
electricity and plumbing, but it retains its original character, e.g.,
weathered gray shingles, exposed interior beams. Neighboring
cottages, some of which are visible but without intruding on privacy are also
from the turn of the century.
A sandy beach, very rare in
these parts, is literally steps away (10 feet) from a long porch (40 feet)
extending the full width of the front of the house. At high tide, only the
sandy beach is above water. At low tide, there are rocks, seaweed, and mussels
beyond the sand. Further out on the narrow peninsula there is a rocky
promontory from which still other ocean views can be had. The whole area has a
magic that words cannot describe.
The
house sleeps 6-10 persons. There are four bedrooms and one and one-half baths.
Three bedrooms and a full bath are on the second floor; there is a queen-size
bed in one bedroom (new in 2008), two single beds in another, and one full and
two single beds (new in 2008) in the third.
There is also a bedroom/office on the first floor, where there is a sofa
that folds out to a full size bed. There is a half bath on the first floor, in which the
washer/dryer is located. The first floor has a large open area for living and
dining, an enclosed porch, and a kitchen. There are many windows on the first
floor, particularly on the glassed-in sun porch, which has an especially light
and airy feel to it. The furnishings are in keeping with the age of the home.
The kitchen is fully
equipped, including a microwave, but it, too, is rustic (you will not find any
Formica or modern cabinetry). A wood stove is available in the living room, to
give heat on those cool, Maine evenings. The house is not winterized, and is
completely shut down from November 1 to April 15. A high-output (40,000 BTU/hr) Rinnai propane heater was installed in September 2006,
making the house much more comfortable in the shoulder seasons (late May into
June and late September into October). Foundation and other major restoration/structural work (see below)
was completed over the winters of 2007/2008 and 2008/2009. There are no televisions, but you are welcome
to bring your own. There is a telephone, and we simply ask that you charge all
calls except those to the local exchanges (236 and 734). There is a CD/tape
music system in the living room. We
must insist on no pets and no smoking.
There is now a very high-speed Internet connection at the house (with
wireless router).
Islesboro is a
quiet island of incredible beauty. There are about 600 year-round and 1,000
summer residents. There is a real feeling of community, shared by year-round
and summer residents alike. We have few security concerns about our house, as
year-round neighbors keep a close eye on it. Islesboro
is a place that people go to for long vacations, as opposed to day trips.
Because of this there are not many shops or restaurants on the island, itself,
though a great many are to be found in Camden, just a few miles south of the
ferry landing. The automobile ferry that connects the island to the mainland at
Lincolnville operates every hour from 8 AM to 5 PM (except 12 Noon).
If you are used to glittery, fast-paced
places, it may take you a while to get used to the simpler and slower-paced
life on Islesboro, but we have found it far
preferable. Once you have been on the island long enough to unwind and slow
down, you will find it very difficult to leave. Take a week or two, and unwind
at our home on Islesboro. Consider coming in
September. It is probably the nicest
time of the year to be there, as the days are clear and warm.
The house was built in approximately 1907/1908. One hundred years later, major restoration of the house was completed over the winters of 2007/2008 and 2008/2009, including installation of foundation piers, restoration of some of the original porch at the southwestern corner of the house, interior structural improvements (e.g., stiffening of second floor), new roofing, removal of modern sheetrock in one bedroom, changes to second floor dormer windows to make them impervious to weather, small changes to kitchen, new hardwood floor on over all of first floor, new roof and some siding shingles, restoration of inoperable doors and windows, removal of thick/peeling old paint on trim and repainting. All of the work is being done with an eye to maintaining or restoring the original character of the house. In 2010 and 2011, we restored the fourth bedroom on the second floor (by dividing the third bedroom – the largest -- into two rooms, as it was originally configured). These two “new” rooms each have two twin beds. The west bedroom, the largest, has a queen bed, as does the north bedroom. The office on the first floor has a full-size sofa bed.
Best way to contact us is by E-mail, at grogerlee@gmail.com
Roger Lee
26 Park St.
Belfast, Maine 04915
(207) 522-8007
rental; for rent; lease; Maine; Penobscot Bay; house; summer