Before moving to Maine, cruising along the down east coast consisted of two to three week interludes, as vacation schedules would permit. A cruise with time limitations rarely permits one to fully experience the course less taken. In July 2000 this was to change as we had blocked out three months, dedicated to an extended exploration of the Maine coast from Penobscot Bay to Nova Scotia and Cape Breton. An overnight trip from Provincetown had us abeam of Matinicus Rock by 10 a.m. the following day, sailing to Long Cove on the southwestern side of Vinalhaven for a protected evening anchorage. After a brief few days in Penobscot Bay, we sailed down Eggemoggin Reach into Northeast Harbor on Mt. Desert Island.
From MDI we jumped off for an overnight passage, arriving in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia by midnight the following day. For the following month we enjoyed the rugged scenery of Nova Scotia's coastline and the calm and protected beauty of the Bras D'Or Lake region of Cape Breton. Baddeck was our turnaround port, at which point, we reversed direction and visited ports bypassed on the northeast- bound leg. We were fortunate in selecting a good year for this trip, a summer with less than average fog. Consequently, we were able to view scenery often missed by cruisers in the area. Visits to Halifax and Shelburne offered a change of pace from the more secluded and private anchorages in isolated coves along the rockbound coastline.
By September we were back in Maine waters. It was on this trip that we seriously started contemplating a permanent move to the area. With the sailing we had done thus far, we were both in full agreement that these waters held some of the most enjoyable cruising memories we had collected. While anchored in Rockland Harbor, Peter experienced his second bout with atrial fibrillation, and we had the opportunity to experience the excellent care of the Penobscot Bay Medical Center. While he was taking it easy following his hospital stay, we spent the time with real estate agents, looking at houses in the area.
Our house in Newport went on the market the day after we returned in late September. The house sold quickly and by December of the same year, we had become residents of Thomaston, Maine, living in a sea captain's house built in the 1830's, overlooking the St George River. It all happened that quickly.