{"id":10776,"date":"2015-07-23T11:00:58","date_gmt":"2015-07-23T15:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=10776"},"modified":"2015-08-04T18:25:34","modified_gmt":"2015-08-04T22:25:34","slug":"the-prisoners-of-cranberry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/the-prisoners-of-cranberry\/","title":{"rendered":"The Prisoners of Cranberry"},"content":{"rendered":"

July\/August 2015 | view this story as a .pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

Rules are everywhere\u2013no matter how far you go into the Atlantic.<\/h3>\n

By Colin W. Sargent<\/b><\/p>\n

\"JA15-Cranberry\"<\/a>Ever dream of getting away from it all? \u201cFrom the air, Fish Point looks like an Eric Hopkins painting,\u201d says Story Litchfield of her unusual $1.595M listing, a 30-minute ferry ride southwest of Mt. Desert. What\u2019s so unusual about it? It\u2019s what you can and can\u2019t do here as you enjoy the isolation of this .9-acre remote lot near the extreme sandy hook on the wild end of Great Cranberry Island.<\/p>\n

Feel like swimming? Because shallow water warms the beach around this remarkable peninsula, it amazes in shades of indigo, green, and turquoise. Feel like looking up at the stars? The in-ground hot tub will make you and yours feel like the lords of the isle. Would you like to toast some s\u2019mores in front of the popple-stone fireplace? But of course.<\/p>\n

Now, brace yourself. Feel like cracking open a beer with the friendly lobstermen, shop owners, island librarians, yachtspeople, and Yankees-fan rusticators on the other side of \u201cThe Pool,\u201d a sheltered cove that separates you from the nearby community where the local color congregates? It\u2019s not going to happen. You\u2019ll only be welcome<\/em> if you get there by boat<\/em>. Stranger than strange, this property is an island within an island.<\/p>\n

Say there\u2019s a community presentation of Almost, Maine<\/em> at the historical society and you walk in. Would someone whisper guardedly as you took your seat, \u201cGreat to see you folks. Finestkind. By the way, where\u2019d you tie up?\u201d<\/p>\n

Would eyebrows be raised at a Ladies Aid meeting, in Whale\u2019s Rib Gifts & Gallery, or at Hitty\u2019s or Sea Wich Cafe? We\u2019re guessing yes.<\/p>\n

True or no, this explains why the nimbly written rental description of this truly majestic Fish Point property (for $2,200 to $3,200 per week) reads, \u201cCranberry Island\u2019s general store, gift shop, lunch cafe, and other attractions are just a<\/em> boat ride<\/em> away.\u201d (Italics ours.)<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be clear, though. You are forewarned. Story Litchfield, responsible and straightforward, makes this unusual situation understood up front. \u201cThe property surrounding the lot is in conservation with Maine Coast Heritage Trust [with a further private lot blocking the final approach across a natural causeway to town], so that\u2019s what sort of makes this like an island, because you can\u2019t really drive through there, so your access is going to be by boat. Just like it would be if you were on an island.\u201d During the construction phase, \u201cthey [sellers Chris and Bonnie Nash] used the road, and they had to drive trucks over what\u2019s basically a berm, but now they don\u2019t have permission\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

During a telephone interview, neighbor Robert Murch, the industrial exec and venture capitalist who owns the land they\u2019d have to cross to get to town, says permission was never given. \u201cNash came to us when he wanted to buy it and asked for permission to cross over\u2026we said no. He asked Bangor Hydro to run power; we told them no. In our absence during the winter, Nash just kind of went through with heavy equipment and made it more of a roadway. So then we took it to court and both the county court in Ellsworth and the Supreme Court of the State of Maine ruled he did not have access to where the main road was to Greater Cranberry.\u201d<\/p>\n

But what if new buyers found themselves innocently touring the protected wilderness\u2026and then made a break for it?<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have permission to go over the whole Maine Coast Heritage Trust area,\u201d Litchfield says. \u201cBut they do not have permission to go across that causeway-like lot. That\u2019s what prevents them from going to town by golf cart or something.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf a new owner makes friends with [Mr. Murch], who has the lot at the bottleneck, it would be a different situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

So just how strong are your persuasion skills? Because in spite of the obstacles, this house is worth the trouble\u2013a rare prize. \u201cThe front on the water side is classic; there\u2019s more of a sense of unusual angles and gables on the sides.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe view keeps going round and round. That sandy point, Fish Point, it\u2019s like a sea berm that\u2019s all stone and sand. Over the years, it was created by wave action.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2001 structure, with knotty-pine built-ins and casually opulent interiors, has Deer Isle granite counters in the kitchen, and a stainless Viking range.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe dock is 150 feet long. We have to be a little bit careful because it\u2019s very shallow there. It\u2019s a three bedroom house, but there\u2019s a sleeping porch and loft spaces. The seller said it\u2019s four bedrooms, but I asked, \u2018Is your septic system for four bedrooms,\u2019 and he said \u2018No,\u2019 so it\u2019s a three-bedroom house.\u201d On an island, on an island.<\/p>\n

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July\/August 2015
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