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Safe Harbor Marina - Rockland, Maine

Rockland Harbor - a hundred boats at marinas and on moorings



We arrived in Rockland on July 4 after a three-day road trip on a holiday weekend. Though it seemed counter-intuitive to us, Frank and Pat gave us great advice on traveling to Maine on a holiday weekend. There was less traffic and no road construction delays. By the time we were driving into Maine, the “Vacationland” crowd was heading home in the opposite direction. Easy-peasy!




We have the same slip in the Safe Harbor Rockland Marina that we had last year, closest to the breakwater on an inside dock. A little dicey to get the boat in and out of, but doable, and dockhands are on-call for assistance.The new owner, Safe Harbor, a growing mega marina enterprise, has taken over and are making improvements to what was already a premiere operation. They even installed a custom welcome mat for us at our berth!





While spending a few days at the dock, provisioning and prepping the boat filled our time. Between walking the pleasant community, enjoying a musician’s circle at the local maritime museum, and installing new hatches and mattress, our days were filled. 


Lee supervising the mechanic -
tight engine room under the deck.


We’ve been killing time waiting on Journeys End Marina, where we store AQUAVIT for winters, to get parts and schedule repair of our Westerbeke generator. They serviced it during last year's storage but, when they recommissioned our boat this spring, they thoroughly checked all systems and found it wasn’t generating electricity. We are impressed with their capability and professionalism. But as the saying goes, “you get what you pay for.”   Well, mostly.






Our powerboat, unlike our sailboat, depends on AC electricity for cooking and the air conditioner. We can go for much longer without being at a dock (and shore power) on Bay Breeze, but AQUAVIT needs AC - either the generator or plugged in to 30 amp shore power. 












 

 

We were thrilled to spend a day with Pat and Judy who drove down from their compound in East Blue Hill, Maine to join in a visit to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay Harbor. We hadn’t visited there since 2019 and enjoyed seeing the continuing expansion and addition of some giant troll sculptures. Slats from wooden pallets and other recycled materials were used by Danish artist Thomas Dambo to create the whimsical art installation.





 
 




With the generator mechanic hard at work on AQUAVIT we travelled to Camden. This lovely town, about a half hour drive from Rockland, has some wonderful vintage sailboats offering tours, great restaurants and shops, and scenic architecture. 

Camden Public Landing


Camden is between Rockland and Belfast 
 




  
 








Small Wonder Art Gallery - Camden, Maine

We are delighted that Small Wonder Art Gallery has accepted Marvin’s paintings to display and sell. The owners and staff were very accommodating and helpful in selecting frames and pricing the work. This small gallery is perfectly situated at the Camden Public Landing which is waterfront yet centrally located to the shops and restaurants along the harbor. They represent many esteemed Maine artists. As a summer Maine resident on our boat and boosted by the several generations of Mainers in his family tree, Marvin qualifies. We are excited that his landscapes will be displayed and might find a home with the gallery’s clients.

Flake Island, Isle Au Haut


Birch woods trail

McHeard Cove, East Blue Hill
 
Askew Skiff, Rockland
 
Moosehorn trail

 
 



















Cutler, Maine





We look forward to getting away from the dock soon to cruise the coast again. We don’t have specific plans but there are so many interesting places to visit from the islands in Penobscot Bay to the Bay of Fundy - 200 miles of distance but claim to have over 5,000 miles of coastline. Our first trip will be to Matinicus Rock to visit the Atlantic puffin breeding population about 30 miles offshore. 




Thanks for reading and we hope to have something more exciting to report soon.

07.14.2022

Meanwhile: Bay Breeze is tied up and prepped waiting at our dock in Florida.




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