The yachts are different and tend to be more ‘old fashioned’ in styling and not surprisingly Hinckleys are very common. During our 7 weeks in Maine we saw 1 Jeanneau , 3 Beneteau and no Bavarias! Most yachts seem to fly a masthead burgee and probably 40% tow a solid dinghy rather than use an inflatable--- all very different from home.

The weather was much hotter than I anticipated and even on the rare “dreich” days it was not cold.  44 degrees North though is the same latitude as the North coast of Spain but by all accounts Maine has a long cold winter but much drier than the West Coast of Scotland! Fog was not as prevalent as we had feared.

The popular harbours such as North East Harbour were all busy but not full and it was easy to find a quiet anchorage away from the “hotspots”.

Ashore the service in shops and restaurants is excellent and a ‘foreign’ yacht is made very welcome with the usual offers of a lift to the supermarket or even car keys!

Lobster floats are frustratingly numerous and we now have a vicious hook knife for dealing with a severe entanglement.

Flies and mosquitos are in evidence and the little black flies which look just like a housefly have a sharp sting so screens and bug repellent are often in use.

All in all a superb cruising ground – we may even go back next year!