Another Rendezvous

We met up with another 70 boats in beautiful Gilkey harbor, which is in Islesboro Maine for the 18th Annual Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA) Downeast Rendezvous. Although most members are sailors, there were several other trawlers there and we were welcomed as long time members. Friday afternoon found seventy dingys all tied together in the harbor passing plates of hors d’oeuvres around as a floating cocktail party.

There were plates of shrimp, warm crab dips, several more traditional treats and Emily found a few kids her age to talk to. She was later interviewed by some of the Cruising World magazine staff for an upcoming article in that magazine. The next day, we all went to Dick and Kathy de Grasse's cottage on Islesboro Island for a similar pot luck lunch and were entertained by several speakers and met several new friends who invited us to visit them as we move down the east coast later this year. Emily renewed friendships with the same bunch of kids she had met the day before and was well worn out by days end from running around the small island.

The rain held off for the entire two day event but has returned with a vengeance ever since. We have not seen a sunny face in the 10-day weather forecast for the past 10 days and have given the generator a workout to make up for the lack of solar power from above. But dear reader, let me assure you, that a rainy day on the boat still beats the heck out of a sunny day at work! Kim has been baking deserts in the oven to warm up the boat and we’ve been pouring over the charts at such exotic places as Eggemoggin Reach, Frenchboro, Isle au Haut and Somes Sound that are begging to be explored.

Tom