Whenever you see a Boothbay town crew pickup with plow attached, heading around Ocean Point in April, when it is 50F and sunny, you can be pretty certain that it’s not for accumulating snow. However, it is entirely probable that there has been a seaweed invasion somewhere along Shore Road, most notably in the vicinity of Ocean Point Inn where portable traffic barriers have been assembled to help deflect ocean waters laden with all varieties of waterborne adventures. A generous helping of seaweed is often freely dispersed across the road mixed with sea gravel, sand and maybe even chunks of flotsam. Other areas along the shore also receive gifts, depending upon, in some part, the direction from which a storm has come. The stretch of road from the Ocean Point Chapel along Shore Road toward the remains of “Three Trees” also is often the recipient of much ocean delivery service.

Last week we had a pretty good one come at us from the Southeast. With our peninsulas oriented north to south, a strike from the Southeast can be pretty rough. It is a broadside to many shoreline properties in the region. East facing landmarks come well within reachable contact of ocean waves that find their way through offshore islands. The mouth of the Damariscotta River for example, can turn into a real mess! I have seen waves breaking up along the edges of “Indian Island/Reed Island,” aggressively crossing into the center of that reasonable spit of land. The recent storm was no exception. There were big waves crashing against that shore. I hope the building survived OK, although I guess it has survived similar attacks over the years.

Now, I am the first to admit that I am nautically challenged. I’m not the person you should call for a leisurely scenic boat ride along our coast. Please call Mark Stover. He is my go-to person for said events. But even he would have remained ashore during our recent visit from King Neptune! But I was not alone in my reluctance to paddle out to Damariscove. I overheard several conversations, and read online, about the “nasty,” or often referred to as “snotty,” conditions of our adjacent ocean. Boats remained at docks and on moorings.

One of my favorite vessels, the carrier Jacob Pike, moored out between Tumbler Island and DMR, was my bellwether check-in regarding waterfront safety. Clearly, a seaworthy piece of equipment, properly “parked” to ride out the choppy seas. Even the Pike had its tap shoes on!

The photo shared today was made at Ocean Point looking east in a Monhegan-ish direction. This is a common view for ocean observations as noted by many who head over to the Point to watch the surf. Plenty to see. Offshore, toward White Island, you could see huge waves breaking over the ledges and onto the rocky shore. It was quite a show which, happily, I observed from a safe distance.