The Captain's House in Rockport

The Captain's House

 Elegant, sunny 1850’s townhouse in a fabulous location in downtown Rockport Village, overlooking Rockport Harbor, offered at a bargain "summer stimulus" rate! The owner’s recent interior restoration of this captain’s house is true to its history and “sense of place” but offers a clean, modern style with sunny colors and a striking combination of mid-century, vintage furniture and secondhand finds, and antique pumpkin pine flooring throughout. The townhouse’s height affords excellent views of the Harbor, which is less than 200 yards from the house.

 The house’s front door and foyer are located at the top of a flight of exterior stairs (above a daylight cellar). A large living room affords access to the expansive outside deck with an ocean view, for al fresco dining and sunbathing. The second floor also features a separate dining room, a cheerful sunny kitchen, a powder room (half bath) and front and rear staircases to the 3rd floor.

 The house features three ocean-facing bedrooms (all of which offer ocean views), one with a queen bed and two with twins. A rear-facing back bedroom/den also has a twin bed. The large bathroom offers a shower and bathtub combination. A laundry room with stackable washer and dryer and linen storage also are located on this floor.

  Between the four bedrooms, the house sleeps 5 people.

The house has wireless access for guests who bring their own laptops, desktop computer access for checking e-mail and basic cable (TV in back bedroom/den). The house is fully furnished including a washer/dryer and all linens and towels, dishes, and utensils are included. The townhouse's interior only recently was renovated (the exterior is weathered and still awaiting fresh paint) so the backyard has not yet been landscaped and does not yet have on-site parking, but the owner rents a dedicated parking space for guests, about 50 feet from the house.

Rockport Marine Park, an astonishingly beautiful park with a sandy, sheltered beach (adjacent to the modern Harbormaster’s facilities, which include bathrooms, showers and a soda machine) and an  expansive green lawn for games, barbecues and picnics serves as the townhouse’s “Central Park”. The Rockport Boat Club is located in the park and two beautiful day sail schooners dock there, while an assortment of beautiful sailboats and working lobster boats are moored in the inner harbor. Guests can rent sailboats and kayaks nearby. Families with small children can walk to playgrounds at the Rockport Elementary School or Walker Park, a lovely oceanfront park.

 The townhouse also is located just two blocks from Beauchamp Point, a stunning 3 mile loop that is popular with walkers, joggers, cyclists and swimmers  for its ocean and woodland views and gorgeous oceanfront estates. Take a refreshing ocean dip off the rocks, which afford stunning views of the sailboats in the inner harbor and of nearby islands, and then bask on the sun-heated rocks afterwards. Walk or bicycle Beauchamp Point or the bike trail on Union Street which offers direct access to the Penobscot Bay YMCA, one of the best Y’s in the country, and the most direct route to nearby Camden, which offers many stores, restaurants, two waterfront parks and cultural offerings.

 In addition to immediate ocean access, the townhouse’s excellent location in Rockport Village’s small, quiet and incredibly scenic downtown is perfect for "foodies" as all of the following locations are located within one to four blocks. Walk to The Corner Shop (featuring Chef Patrick Cazemajou) for breakfast or lunch or enjoy a drink or dinner at Shepherd's Pie (featuring Chef Brian Hill of Francine's Bistro in Camden) or prepare your own meal from Graffam Brothers' Fish Store; Rayr (a gorgeous wine shop which also offers cappucino and pastries);  or buy delicious gourmet take-out breads, pastries and prepared food at the Market Basket, or just further down Route 1 at Farmer's Fare.

 "Culture vultures" also will delight in immediate access (two blocks or less) to Tim Phelan’s Photographic Bookshop (nationally known for its offering of fine photographic prints and photo books); the Maine Media  Workshop Gallery (where guests can view photographic exhibits and attend lectures by prominent visiting photographers and filmmakers), the Rockport Opera House (where guests can attend Bay Chamber’s exquisite Summer Concert Series),  the Center for Maine Contemporary Art (where guests can browse two floors of exhibits by artists who work in Maine, and shop for one-of-a-kind gifts in the beautiful gift shop), and the Rockport Public Library.

$1200/weekly plus 7% Maine sales tax and $150 security deposit, Saturday to Saturday rental, check in at 4PM, check out at 10AM.