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Published: August 11th 2015
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From Marblehead we sailed to Christmas Cove, ME, then to Portland, ME and from there to our final destination by boat - Rockland. We did some side trips by car to Camden, to Acadia with its Cadillac Mountain and to Bar Harbor. Maine's motto is "The way life should be" and it isn't at all a misrepresentation. One gets a feeling of stepping back in time. The rhythm is slower, the cars are older, the air is cleaner and there're less people and less traffic. A lot of houses are just summer residences for the snow birds and vacationers. Rutherford island with its popular Christmas cove is a typical town that gets deserted in winter and springs alive in summer. There are many art galleries - Maine has been a magnet for many great artists such as Wyeth's, Hopper, Rockwell Kent. The coast line is nothing but a maze of inlets and scattered islands - the result of the ice age and receding glaciers. But sailing these waters is threading your line through a mine field of lobster pots - thousands and thousands of them effectively making the harbors one big lobster farm! The lobstermen are waging an all out war
on the critter! An article in a local newspaper informed us of the self-imposed regulations on lobstermen dating from 1980th and on, thanks to which the lobster population is on the rise today. Portland is a pretty red- brick working harbor town somehow resembling its namesake in Oregon. Plenty of coffee shops, small restaurants with live music. We saw (just like in Portland, OR) plenty of young bearded men and non-bearded women panhandling on the corners and wandering the streets, reportedly making good money while the state supports the habit. Maine has a soft spot for its homeless. In Portland we met a great couple - Gin and Joane. They are living aboard their PS40 while renovating their waterfront condo. They showed us around the town and we had a great time sharing stories and meals on our boats and ashore. Three days later we sailed to Rockland. The town proudly bares the title of the U.S.' Lobster Capital and while there we saw The Lobsta Festival in full swing - an old-fashioned county fair with many vendors, lobster galore, visiting Navy ship, beauty pageantry, amusement rides etc. One could enjoy a lobster roll for $11, lobster dinner - $15,
beer - $3, ice cream - $3, music - free and so were smiles! Life cannot be bad when you are anchored out in a beautiful harbor, the weather is fair, cool and breezy and the days ashore are busy and fun! The road trip north brought us to a small town of Rockport where we came upon a bronze statue of Andrew the Seal. A group of locals shared some stories with us about the amazing creature who chose to become a family's pet and was readily adopted. The town of Camden looked a bit too touristy with the rows of souvenir shops and pubs. It has a small and nice Opera House that was to host a story-sharing reunion of people who remembered Andrew the Seal!😊 Our next destination was Mount Desert. On the way there we took a tour of Hinckley boat yard - one of the oldest and most revered boat yards ever. It was a first production boat yards for us and we were pleasantly surprised to be given one on one tour by their busy production manager. Off to Acadia park we drove, up the Cadillac Mountain, parked the car and climbed to the
top. Lo, what a view! It takes one's breath away! After sitting there, taking account of the clouds scattered below and the rocks and island beneath in the harbor we went wandering down the slops, taking in the dramatic seascapes while gathering wild blueberries of which there was an abundance. They were small but sweet and expeditiously delicious😊!
We came back the next day to see Bar Harbor and to do some shopping but returned to Cadillac Mountain again on a beautiful clear afternoon. We hiked one of its trails through the blueberries one more time before saying goodbye. That evening marked the end of the northbound leg of our trip and the turning point. The next day we cast off southbound! We enjoyed it more than we have ever expected, we saw beautiful places and met great folks along the way! We took care of Odessa and she took a good care of us! We are ready to sail home having been missing our cat Zima whose affection we hope to win again, no matter how many cans of tuna it might take😊!
The photos will be posted next week.
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