real estate DreamDon’t just get away, maroon yourself on the private Islands paradise of your choice. It’s your home, after all. 6 4 p o r t l a n d monthly magaz I n e Don’t just get away, maroon yourself on the private paradise of your choice. It’s your home, after all. after home, your It’s choice. your of paradise private the on yourself maroon away, get just Don’t oak islanD ImageS courteSy FreD Dodd/ abIgaIl Douris real Estate group/ RE/MAX realty one W $275,000 to $7.995 million. $7.995 to $275,000 than 27 islands for sale this summer, priced from Step lightly across the gangplank to visit no fewer fewer no visit to gangplank the across lightly Step detachment than to buy an island off the coast coast the off island Maine? an of buy to than detachment of sense your in luxuriate to way better hat Dream Islands by donna stuart S u m m e r g u id e 2 0 1 2 6 5 real estate Oak Island views of Camden, the full sweep of Penob- north Haven, $1.795M scot Bay, and neighboring North Haven Is- “I don’t believe any place this beautiful land. Inside, a cushioned bench doubles as a should have a ‘No Trespassing’ sign. In- bed and runs under the windows so you can stead, my sign reads, ‘Take only pictures; wake to the magnificent view. leave only footprints,’” Fred Dodd, owner of If you have the gift of gab, you can arrange Oak Island, says. for transportation out here in Barney’s Most of this Shangri-La is open fields with Lobster Boat, departing from Camden or here, quite a flap: oak trees, beach roses, wild cherry trees, and a North Haven. To take a leap like this, of “We get the arctic birds when they come few stoic clumps of spruce. course, you’d first have to convince yourself. south and the southern birds when they “I also own an island in Belize, where I 20 acres, taxes $5,153. migrate north. Great blue herons, plovers, lead educational ecology tours,” so he consid- and loons are frequent visitors, and pelagic ers it his obligation to maintain a series of Outer Goose & birds including puffins aren’t far away. trails that guide visitors to Oak Island’s fresh- Goose nubble Islands “The cove between the two islands has a water pond and five beaches, including Skip addison, $565,000 beach glittering with sea glass–and last sum- Rock Beach, “covered with flat, round stones” “It’s a two-beer ride out to the islands,” own- mer my son found an arrowhead. Mussels perfect for that purpose. er Gary Chard says. “It’s pretty wild out here. and clams are plentiful. For lobster, just hail a “I’m simply the caretaker of this absolute- From the wharf, we watch baby eagles take passing lobster boat if you don’t want to put ly magical island, along with the seals, por- flight. Last summer, when the remains of a out your own pots. poises, sea birds, and bald eagles” who feel whale washed up, we saw them feed on it. “We’ve seen 13 sets of fireworks at a time the same way about the place. The area’s lousy with eagles; they nest over on the fourth of July from the towns and A modest one-room cottage perches on a on Inner Goose, which is state-owned and a other islands.” 60-foot knoll. With windows on all sides and designated eagle habitat.” A timber framer whose work has been a wrap-around deck, it affords spectacular In fact, it’s an avian convergence zone out featured in Old House Journal, Chard built 6 6 p o r t l a n d monthly magaz I n e An Affordable Indulgence Camden has been visited by a king, a U.S. President, many fabled screen stars and sports heroes, a supermodel, a legendary TV anchorman, plus more than a few world renowned singer-songwriters. They all stayed at the Whitehall Inn... before we added Frette® sheets and towels, white goose down pillows and comforters, and Stearns & Foster® mattresses. 1-800-789-6565 207-236-3391 52 High St., Camden, ME 04843 Historic Inn Since 1901 Watch the sun rise over Deer Isle and Stonington from the deck of Oak Island’s cottage in East Penobscot Bay. Check availability and rates or book online at www.whitehall-inn.com On Oak Island, the busiest you’ll be is when perfecting your stone skipping from its beaches. Penobscot Island Air Knox County Regional Airport • Owls Head, Maine 207-596-7500 • www.penobscotislandair.net “Modern aircraft, old fashion service” the island’s 1,300 square-foot, three-bedroom post and beam home with wrap-around deck himself. “I used a reclaimed 1840s barn, recut the frame, and used ships’ knees to support the timbers.” Everything shows this wood- worker’s skill, from the hardwood plank flooring to the wide pine countertops. Still, Chard refers to the experience as “deluxe camping,” since the only power is from a generator. If it feels like rainwater when you’re washing, it’s because it is rain- water. And for those too metropolitan for the outhouse, there’s a composting toilet. “When I got here, there was a hen- house, wharf, and outhouse. There used “We are excited to announce our new amphibious to be lobster camps on a lot of islands out service to and from your lake or oceanside dock.” here. Norman Chandler told me his family S u m m e r g u id e 2 0 1 2 6 7 r e a l e s t a t e At low tide in Wohoa Bay, Outer Goose & Goose Nubble islands are joined by a private land bridge. used to head out to Goose the day school was out in June, and they’d stay there until David rockefeller, Jr.’s Foster school started up again in the fall. They’d fish for lobster and bring them to Beals once Island in narraguagus bay is three- a week to sell. After his family left, someone else leased the island, but when the owners quarters the size of Monaco. $1.65m. didn’t renew his lease, he floated his house off and took it to another island.” you can kick over a stump and find a boat- A 36-foot lobster boat, as well as deeded builder there,” and Mariner, nicknamed parking and a mooring on the waterfront “Love,” was one of the best. in Beals, all convey. “It’s a sweet boat, built 2.9 acres, taxes $2,390. right near where it’s moored by Mariner Beal, a well-known wooden boat builder, HarbOr Island in 1964.” As the saying goes, “If you want bucks Harbor, brooksville $3.95M a lobster boat, go to Beals Island, because From the air, heart-shaped Harbor Island looks like a valentine to Bucks Harbor. “From the southern side of the island where the cot- tage is, you can watch schooners, yachts, and windjammers heading in to anchor in Bucks Harbor, a favorite stopping point between the mid-coast and Mt. Desert Island,” LandVest’s Terry Sortwell says. “While the island’s just a quick skiff’s row across a protected cove to the deepwater dock and float, it’s utterly private, very beautiful, and teaming with wildlife–ospreys, bald ea- gles, fish hawks, harbor seals, porpoises, and deer.” Its 4,800 feet of shoreline runs the gamut from granite ledges to tidal pools and a pebble beach. Dating to 1957, the shingled cottage here is simple but comfortable, with a propane Harbor Island’s deep-water dock is the generator for power and a wood stove. magic carpet to your island vacation. 25 ± acres, taxes $9,194.56. 6 8 p o r t l a n d monthly magaz I n e Davidson Realty Kris Davidson, Broker/Owner 207.863.2200 Vinalhaven • North Haven Promoting and Celebrating Maine Island Living maineislandliving.com Fox Islands Thorofare. Spectacular 4.9 acre building lot. 700' of deep water. New granite pier. Breathtaking views. $845,000 The raM Island and scraggle Point saint George $1.35M Wilson Ailing had never set foot on Ram Is- land when he bought it more than 30 years Tidewater ago. He had, however, seen it from the air, “a spectacular piece of property…fully wooded with a safe mooring, southern exposure to the Motel open ocean, and even a small, sandy beach.” Originally, Ailing dreamed of building a Vinalhaven Island, Maine grand summer ‘cottage’ but soon concluded a tiny constellation of buildings would pro- vide privacy as well as support each other for single-season construction. The resulting compound of four low-slung, solar-powered structures connected by wooden walkways disappears into the landscape, yet all have wonderful water views. t (2) S ve “Have you seen the work of Andy D Goldsworthy, the contemporary artist of Twice a day all the water in the Atlantic heads for the ephemeral? This whole island is like his this fine waterfront lodging and meeting facility. sculpture,” Ailing says. “It changes and grows ealty (2); lan r You should too. a whether I like it or not. Trees blow down, we di clear them out, and a new vista is revealed ca You’ll be glad you did. a that in five years may disappear. New ferns spring up, the raspberries are always spread- [email protected] • 207-863-4618 • tidewatermotel.com rom top: F ing, the shoreline drifts.