BAR HARBOR — Winds gusting to more than 60 mph drove four boats ashore here overnight and toppled trees, prompting the closure of Route 3 for more than five hours. 

Dawn’s light on Wednesday revealed a sailboat, a fishing boat and Eddie “Diver Ed” Monet’s dive boat, the Seal, hard aground on Bar Island, apparently ripped from their moorings by strong southeast winds. Recovery efforts were under way at 8 a.m. on Wednesday for the Seal, which fetched up against the retaining wall near the old dock pilings on Bar Island.

Another work boat was driven aground overnight, but was recovered before daylight.

The highest gust recorded by Rainwise in Bar Harbor was 62 mph at 11:40 p.m. Sustained winds were in the 40s. Total rainfall here as of 6:30 a.m. was 1.39 inches, bringing the total for the month to 5.6 inches.

Crews closed Route 3 in Bar Harbor from Norway Drive to the head of Mount Desert Island after two trees fell across high voltage power lines. Crews reopened the road by 8 a.m.

Trees were reported down in all Mount Desert Island towns, and thousands of people around Hancock County were still without power on Wednesday morning.

The basement of the Union Trust bank in Town Hill flooded. One Otter Creek resident discovered a giant inflatable whale had blown into her yard during the night. A Salisbury Cove resident reported two canoes were blown more than 500 feet from where they were stored, upside down, in the lee of a building. Early versions of this story appeared on mdislander.com early Wednesday morning.

A group of volunteers helps salvage equipment from the Seal, which was driven aground during the storm that raged Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.—MELINDA RICE PHOTO

This story was last updated November 28, 2008 at 11:41 a.m.