It was almost a week before we could finally tear ourselves away from the fleshpots of South West Harbor, Maine.  But we were lobstered out and needed to return to the simple life!

26^th August .  On our way south. Glorious sailing to Harrrington Bay and then on to Bucks Harbor, a lovely anchorage off the village where we went ashore and found a superb restaurant tucked out of the way behind the village store.  To digress – one of the least expected aspects of our travels in the U.S. so far has been the high quality of restaurant food. I am excluding fast food joints although oddly there seem to be fewer of them per square mile of town in New England than in the UK.  This won’t do; I must find something to criticise.

Now that I am off course, as it were, I should say something about spelling – not that I am an authority on the subject.  However, you may have noticed that the word “Harbor” has been  popping up all over.  Of course the place where you take a ship for a rest is a “Harbour” but after prolonged debate we concluded that in referring to places whose names appear on charts it would be proper to reproduce the name accurately (even though it’s wrong!).

Madeleine has a thing about fireworks so when we received an email from Doug and Dale Bruce (see previous blog) advising us that the Schooner festival was in Camden that weekend accompanied by fireworks we were off! Never mind the fireworks, the schooners were out in force on Friday as we sailed down Penobscott Bay and into Camden. Canvas was hauled, up down and round, the fleet manoeuvred for battle and the guns were fired.  Sailing history in action.  Of course because we were the last to join the party we had to pick up a mooring buoy furthest out in the harbour. But, guess what – we were moored closest to the fireworks barge for a ringside seat.  And to cap it all a lively, entertaining dinner at D and Ds house above the bay!

Finally managed to drag ourselves away from Camden on Wednesday 3^rd September but of course we had been delayed by thick fog. Camden provides everything, even the excuses!

And so to a quiet anchorage down the coast at Linekin Bay. Three days of R and R and one failed attempt to leave –fog.  I mean real pea soup fog! You will doubtless recall the famous headline, “ Fog in the Channel, Europe cut off.” Sitting in Linekin Bay, it would have read “Fog in the bay, America cut off.”  What? Criticise the weather in New England? Me, never! Now the carpet of lobster pots; don’t get me started……………………