Close by lay an island, Seguin, but our plan was to head east in open ocean for Da­mariscove Island. That sliver of rock was used seasonally by European fishermen before such early explorers as Champlain, Weymouth, Popham, or John Smith reached these waters. When Pilgrims at Plymouth ran short of food, it was those fishermen who provided. The Nature Conservancy, largest private holder of Maine islands, manages deserted Damariscove as a preserve.

Chance continued to pitch and roll badly. Seas were running at least ten feet. The weather was deteriorating, not yet “thick-o­fog,” but closing in, and not yet “blowing like stink,” but coming on. Damariscove seemed to recede as we studied the chart. There, off the island’s only good harbor—a wind funnel in a southwest breeze—was a keel-ripper of a ledge called the Motions.

When in the Navy, Bill Rich had once steamed into “a storm with 105-mile-an­hour winds. It wasn’t a hurricane but a colli­sion of two fronts. It was like falling off a cliff.” He had directed his ship to answer dis­tress calls, one to locate an oyster boat. “We found her deckhouse, floating.”

If Rich thought we should alter course, we would, and like “the prudent mariner,” that character to whom nautical charts direct their cautionary messages, we turned up the Sheepscot River, down through Townsend Gut, and into Boothbay Harbor, arriving to the flash, crack, and drench of a thunder-squall. We went ashore, and after supper Bill Rich had to say good-bye.

THE NEXT DAY we left a ledge known as the Hypocrites to starboard on our way up to East Boothbay, where new crewman Philip Conkling came aboard. After passing through the Gut at South Bristol (as perfect a small village as any itinerant artist might find to paint in Maine), we entered Johns Bay, turned to roughly parallel a channel called the Thread of Life, and ran down to Pemaquid Point.

That point reaches into the ocean like a deeply veined stone paw whose limb stretch­es back into forest and a crouching granite beast. Its lighthouse is among Maine’s most famous, and despite fog we made out small forms clambering over the great paw as we sailed into foamy outwash from breakers.

It was, as Conkling said, “a bold shore.” Conkling had come to Maine to work as a timber cruiser, been an instructor for the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, written a thoughtful book on Maine islands, Islands in Time, and had recently become executive director of the newly formed Is­land Institute, a division of the school and started his policy with consolidating loans. For more information check online at http://citrusnorth.com/payday-loan-consolidation

The institute was founded to help revive the sense of community among islands and islanders that had been strong from early settlement and into the present century. While 3,000 may seem like islands enough for everyone, various interests are in at least potential conflict. Developers, private own­ers, conservation groups, government agen­cies, cruising boaters, and day-trippers have stakes in the islands’ future. As do, above all, year-round islanders.

Conkling said that in the past two centu­ries many Maine islands were well populat­ed and used for farms, timbering, quarrying granite, boatbuilding, fish ports, fish pro­cessing, or other trades of self-sufficiency.

Some still are. Yet as communication and trade by water gave way to the railroads and roads of the mainland, the old island-to­ island culture spiraled into decline.

These days the papaya, mango and passion fruit nestle quite happily amongst apples, pears and plums on the fruit stalls.

Gradually we are finding out what treats lie behind the strange wrinkled skins on these wonderful delicious fruits. If you are un­certain of the names of all you see en the stalls, or indeed what they taste like, just read on and find out what’s in store for you!

MANGO

This is a large seed-shaped fruit with a smooth skin ranging in colour from green and yellow to red. The flash is pinkish-gold and smooth but rather difficult to remove from around the large central stone. The best way is to peel off the skin thinly and cut off the flash in chunks over a bowl to catch the juices. The flavor is a cross between a peach and apricot and there is a very distinct “perfume” as well. Add raw to fruit salad or make into ice cream.

KUMQUATS

These fruits, like miniature orange: originated in Japan and China. The skin is soft and edible but it has a slightly bitter taste, just like the skin of most citrus fruits. It can be added to fruit salads or preserved in sugar syrup and served alone as a dessert. Canned kumquats are sold in Chinese supermarkets and you’ll find the fruit mentioned on most Chinese menus. They are also delicious as an accompaniment to roast duck, either raw or baked.

LYCHEES

Perhaps one of the more familiar fruits, it’s small and round with a pinky-brown knobby shell. The shell is quite brittle and beneath is juicy white flash and a large, smooth, shiny stone. Lychees are delicious added to fruit salads as they have a perfume similar to Muscat grapes. Also a native of China, they can be bought in cans, but the flavor is not the same.

RAMBUTAN

This looks more like something from the sea than a fruit! It’s very similar to the lychee and when the hairy shell is removed the flash below is white and very juicy. Both the butane and the lychee should be avoided if they look shriveled as this means that they are not fresh and the delicate flavor will be lost.

KIWI FRUIT

This is also known as Chinese gooseberries. It came originally from China but it was introduced into New Zealand in 1906 and there its name was changed. It looks like a brown hairy egg but, when cut; it reveals beautiful vivid green flash and an attractive pattern of edible seeds. It can be cut in half and the flesh scooped out with a spoon, or thinly peeled and sliced. Its sweet taste is difficult to describe, but there is a hint of strawberry or melon flavor to it. Kiwi fruit will keep longer than most other fruits if kept in the fridge, and makes a lovely and colourful addition to fruit salads; or serve with ice cream, or use to decorate paviovas for extra colour.

PASSION FRUIT

The other name for this fruit is granadilla and it looks rather like a plum with a hard purple skin, which becomes more wrinkled as the flesh ripens. Inside, the flesh is yellow to orange in colour with tinges of red and there are lots of seeds which are inseparable from the fibrous flesh. There is not much of chips fruit to actually eat, but it does have quite a strong aroma which is lovely when added to fruit salads. You can also use it to make exotic tasting ice creams or sorbets.

PAPAYA

Yet another fruit with another name! It’s also known as pawpaw and it can be cooked as a vegetable when it’s unripe. In this country we usually see the ripe ones which Range in colour from green to golden. The flesh is an orange colour with black shiny seeds which are removed. The fruit is cut up like a melon. It has a sweet, subtle flavor which blends well with other fruits so it is perfect in fruit salads.

MANGOSTEENS

These fruits have smooth, shiny purple skins which are quite hard so they need to be peeled. The flesh inside is soft and white and it’s sectioned in a way that is similar to an ordinary orange, but the texture is quite different. In fact it’s rather like the juicy white flesh of the lychee. The taste is different again —rather like that of a pineapple and this original mixture of taste and texture make it a refreshing fruit to eat, alone or in salad.

HOME AND AWAY

Because all these slightly unusual looking fruits grow in hot climates they are more suitable for eating cold, raw, peeled and sliced, or added to other fruits in a salad. Their favors are general/y delicate so they are not really suitable for using in traditional British recipes. However, as our eating habits change and we choose lighter desserts and fresh fruit instead of heavy puddings and pies, there are more chances to try these different tasting fruits when they are available. Just be sure to have the right refrigerator to keep them fresh. So choose the perfect refrigerator water filters. Less doubtful that you will find a huge selection of them at one time, and more likely that the less unusual varieties will be the only ones you spot on the fruit stalls.

However, gradually, the super­market chains are selling more and hopefully the smaller greengrocers will follow suit. Why not show these pictures to your local green­grocer and maybe he’ll enjoy experiment with exotic fruit, too!