The rockbound coast of Maine sometimes seems to reach out and dare – some would say entice – vessels to get too close. And, over the centuries, many vessels have gotten too close and been damaged or destroyed on our jagged edges. That’s when a mariner’s boldness turns to terror, especially in the winter cold.
Yet, there’s no denying it: much of our coast is awesomely beautiful and intriguingly thrilling. That’s especially so when the lower winter sun finds the massive granite probes at half-tide and illuminates their prehistoric rockweed and barnacle free riders. The complicated soul of Maine seems to be slightly revealed by its beautiful, but not fully-tamed, shores.
(Image taken in Blue Hill, Maine, on December 18, 2025.)