Two storms hit coastal Maine this week. Each brought unprecedented high water that devastated our coastline. This picture shows the river at the base of our road, almost cresting the bridge and road at high tide.

We watched the news and heard the stories from friends with shorefront businesses. Many wharves are gone. Boats washed up on the rocks. Lobster traps washed away. Beach shacks swept to sea. Coastal roads in shambles. We’ve never seen anything like it.

Hannah and I stopped by the beach for a winter walk yesterday. We arrived at high tide to find the waves breaking over the bluffs, stair access destroyed and damaged. Where there was once a wide swath of Rosa Rugosa (beach rose) on the bluffs separating the beach from the road, fill has been brought in to repair what has been washed away and to protect the road.

This latest storm, while one of the highest tides of the month, wasn’t even a king tide which brings unusually high water near a full or new moon. With these trends, Paul best finish that boat he’s building in the backyard!

Here’s a snippet of video we took at the beach.

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