We arrived in Pulpit Harbor today. We have never seen it this empty. We do get the impression that there are not as many boats out cruising this year. Presumably this is due to the economy. We love this little harbor which is truly one of those special places. This time we found an open Thayer’s Boat Yard mooring and took advantage of that. If we can use a mooring for a few bucks a night we do so, even though there is plenty of room to anchor here. Maine’s sticky mud is great for good holding but is a pain to clean up when it’s time to go - it usually takes us at least half an hour to clean off the chain as it comes up. We called the boat yard to see how to go about paying for the mooring and they were amazed we bothered to call, telling us that most people do not and therefore do not pay either. In fact we see this a lot - people coming into harbors and just grabbing any mooring that lies empty. We even heard of one disgruntled boat owner complaining about having to pay for a mooring at Northeast Harbor. He gave the mooring guy such a hard time that the poor guy came over to check on what we had found in other harbors and were we used to paying?!. Our philosophy is that moorings are NOT free, there is a cost associated with owning and maintaining a mooring and we are happy to pay to hang on a secure, well maintained mooring without worrying about anchors dragging in the night or other boats anchoring too close. If too many people poach moorings and use them without paying, this facility will disappear to everyone’s disadvantage - just my viewpoint! Anyway, we are happy to be here and enjoying the sunset over the Camden hills from our vantage point.