Irene Arrives in Maine

Hurricane Irene – now known as Tropical Storm Irene – has in the past couple of hours arrived in Maine, packing less of a punch than many feared just a day or two ago. Nonetheless, those boats who did not head to a hurricane hole or get hauled onto dry land are experiencing a bit of a bumpy ride on the hook, and we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed for them as the evening progresses.

At 3 p.m., the West Penobscot Bay buoy was reporting 25 knots of southeasterlies with gusts to 31 knots. Having just moments ago returned from a trip around the area, we’d hazard to guess that the breeze is still continuing to build, judging by how difficult it was to stay upright in certain exposed locations.

Here’s a selection of scenes from our journey around Camden and Rockport.