Sun, Sand, and Lobster Boats

My vacation is in full swing and we are living large here in Camp Ellis, Maine. Our rental beach house is sitting at the ocean's edge with only a wall of rock buffering us from the open sea. We spend our days and up until bedtime lounging on the porch staring out at the Atlantic, dreaming of buying the place next door.

Today my dad and I joined up with the crew of Lucky Catch Cruises and headed out into the Casco Bay in seek of Maine's pride and joy: lobster.

Lucky Catch is run by Captain Tom, a seasoned lobsterman who clearly is comfortable showing lay people around a lobster boat. Assisted by two young women, Captain Tom escorted a gang of about 10 passengers out into the waters and showed us how to bait, pull, and release lobster traps. We donned aprons and gloves and got into the fun of measuring the lobsters and deciding if they were destined to become dinner, or head back to sea for another season.

Lucky Catch runs about 5 cruises per day, each lasting ninety minutes, pulling about 8 traps per trip. Tom says that a good lobster run will pull one keeper per trap, and we managed to pull 6, so not a bad run, and buying them at boat cost at the end of the cruise was well worth it.

My skin is taut from the sun and my hair feels like golden straw tonight as I sip my cocktail on the porch and think about the boat gliding over the waves on this sunny morning. Happy vacation indeed.