ISLANDS

ONCE YOU DISCOVER YOUR FAVORITE, YOU MAY NEVER WANT TO LEAVE…

When we board an island-bound ferry on the coast of Maine, we sense that a different way of life awaits—one where vigilance toward weather and tides and even ferry schedules cannot be taken lightly. Miles out to sea, nature, not man, is in charge.

Where once there were dozens of year-round island communities off Maine’s coast, only 15 remain. But the beauty of the sea, pine-lined paths, meadows, and sweet cottages on bluffs has never ceased inspiring us. Come summer, like clockwork, day-trippers descend with backpacks and vacationers with suitcases.

Here, summer cottages of the famous and wealthy that have been in the family for generations lie tucked behind lush garden hedges and winding dirt driveways. These islands are where they find normalcy, where fishermen and boatbuilders and carpenters have known them and their children simply as neighbors, even if for only a few months a year.

This was the landscape, both physical and social, that photographers Winky Lewis and Mark Fleming explored last summer on visits to five Maine islands, each one proud of its individual identity, its particular hold on the imagination.

On a fine summer day, when the ferry docks at Peaks Island —only 20 minutes from the bustle of downtown Portland—hundreds of people spill out. You can bike its perimeter in 40 minutes, and that includes pausing to sun yourself on boulders and to buy a jar of honey on the honor system from a tiny roadside stand.

A dozen miles out in Muscongus Bay lies Monhegan , which for more than a century has been an inspiration for artists ranging from Rockwell Kent to Jamie Wyeth. Cliffs tower over the sea, and paths lead to meadows where hundreds of varieties of wildflowers grow.

The two Fox Islands— North Haven and Vinalhaven —are separated by only a narrow thoroughfare, yet they have distinct personalities that reflect divergent histories. North Haven has long been home to the bluest of New England’s blue bloods, as well as artists and writers, while Vinalhaven once teemed with quarry workers, who carved out massive chunks of rock used in the grandest buildings in the land. Today, Vinalhaven’s lobstering fleet is one of the largest on the Atlantic seaboard.

The wildest and most rugged part of Acadia National Park can be found on Isle au Haut, which rewards intrepid hikers with miles of trails and countless indelible views.

In the following pages you’ll discover portraits of these five islands, each described by a longtime resident. The islanders’ words reflect a deep-seated pride and love for their unique slice of Maine—and the moments that Winky and Mark framed with their cameras show why. —Mel Allen

Online Bonus

For even more inspiration for a Maine island getaway, you can find additional photos by Mark Fleming and Winky Lewis at: newengland.com/maineislands-gallery