In the summer of 2001, SHIBUMI wandered through the islands between Portland and Mount Desert Island, Maine.  She absorbed the culture of the hard-working, honest people that populate the coast:  lobstermen, shop-keepers, restaurateurs, museum volunteers, steel-band musicians, and, of course, sailors.  And her crew learned how to vocalize the local word of many meanings:  "ay-yup."

Life at sea at 44º north latitude and 68º west longitude is different from the Caribbean:  wide tide ranges, occasional fog as the temperature of the water and air clash, multitudes of lobster pots clogging normal water channels, really "cool" water, and what we call "dark light" which is the result of clear cool air producing the deep colors that photographers crave.  The whites are whiter and the brights are brighter than anywhere else we have traveled.  At least until the fog arrives.

Mount Desert Island can be reached by flying into Boston, MA, or Bangor, ME, and hiring a taxi to one of the many villages on the island.  Each village is equipped to welcome the droves of tourists which attend the many festivals and hike the designated trails around the island.

Southwest Harbor on Mt. Desert Island is the home of Hinkley Yachts, a historic reason to visit by itself.  The village caters to the up-scale market of vacationers from the mainland with good choices of restaurants and shops.

Spend the morning ashore at Wooden Boats surveying their unique operation.  Then back aboard to sail through the northwest run of Eggemoggin Reach as we head for Castine.

We may stop at Bucks Harbor if Flame, the local steel band with a heritage of generations of local musicians, orchestrate their elaborate evening performance.

After a quick breakfast aboard, sail with us to Searsport where you can visit their famous seamen's museum.  Learn about the history of the yachts and seamen from Maine, a rich tradition which continues to this day.  Be sure to view the film documenting the day to day life as one of  Maine's tall ships sails around Cape Horn in a series of gales.

After lunch, meander with us south through the inlets around Isleboro Island on our way to the major commercial center of Camden.  Here you will find up-scale shops, restaurants, and bakeries.  This is quintessential Maine.

East of Camden you will find some of the most exquisite scenery on the out-islands of Maine.  After a leisurely sail through the Fox Islands Thoroughfare, we anchor in either Perry Creek or Broom Island across from North Haven.

Ashore in the village of North Haven, you will discover an artist community and "down-home" seafood restaurants which display local catches.  North Haven is also the home of marble quarries which have outfitted many monuments and buildings in Washington DC and New York City.

Since we have visited many towns and villages during our excursion, we raise the anchor and move east to an isolated, rugged, wild cove where few venture.  Here we lower the dinghy, grab our buckets and nets to search out the mud flats containing tonight's dinner:  fresh mussels.  We will ask you to remain on board the dinghy since you will be sucked into the muck if you put a foot overboard!

After sailing out of Winter Harbor, we move east to the small village of Frenchboro to join a local church social to help  fund maintenance.  As the local population swells from 50 to 500, local folks from many other islands appear to purchase a plate of lobster, vegetables, and homemade desserts.

Use the walking tour of the island to minimize the effects of a big lunch!   Bring good shoes, though.  Captain Chris hiked the trails in boat shoes, and regretted it later.

After we return to SHIBUMI, we head north around Cranberry Island and Northeast Harbor to one of the largest fjords in New England.   We anchor at the northeastern tip of the fjord to land ashore in the dinghy at Somersville to spend your last hours together enjoying the pristine beauty of Maine's majestic granite and fir portraits.