July 6                              Southwest Harbor, Maine

We waved good-bye to Blake and Amanda and promised to see them in five hours at Southwest Harbor.  We could not believe our good fortune as the weather was perfect.  We quickly exited Rockland Harbor and began again to dodge the lobster pots.  The scenery was spectacular as we cruised around the islands with their thick forests of tall trees and granite cliffs against the blue silhouettes of mountains in the distance.  We went through Western Way, a small passage between the ocean and Southwest Harbor.  Careful to avoid areas with submerged rocks, we had no difficulty and were delighted to realize our marina lay just ahead

Dysart’s Great Harbor Marina is a small facility but was highly recommended by our friends, Phil and Linda Hardberger.  We made reservations here in April to assure dockage.  The Hardberger’s boat, Aimless was tied up nearby and within a few moments after arrival, Phil was on board and soon was joined by Linda.  It was great to visit again with them and to introduce them to the kids.  We made plans to have dinner together on Sunday.

Blake and Amanda had experienced the chaos of Bar Harbor on their trip and were pleased to join us in the relative serenity of Southwest Harbor.  This was their last evening before departing for home.  We opted to dine onboard.  I made a pot of pasta with sausage, capers, and mushrooms in a spicy tomato sauce and a large tossed salad.  Blake and Amanda earlier had walked to the nearby kitchen of a small local bakery operation and returned with freshly made rosemary focaccia and a magnificent Maine blueberry pie.  We had a wonderful dinner on the aft deck looking out at the beautiful view and enjoying the cool, fresh air. The pie was an incredible creation of thickly packed blueberries in a sweetened flaky crust.  The blueberries were tiny and delicious.  We ate the entire pie. 

We loved having a week with Blake and Amanda on the boat and sharing with them some of the experiences we have in cruising.  They are delightful guests, always cooperative, pleasant, and helpful.  Both are generous and are constantly showering us with gifts.  They have great taste and we are always happy recipients of their largess.  We regret that future trips with them will probably be distant as the impending birth of their first child will preclude such travel for awhile.