Yesterday (Thursday)we woke in Pulpit Harbor expecting high winds and driving rain. Instead, we had light cloud and flat calm. So while Jeannie got breakfast, I went on deck to prepare to get underway. When we came in, we picked up one of the (many) empty moorings. There was one other boat next to us, Fox Fire, but we saw no one, so assumed it was just moored. But as I got ready its owner rowed over and chatted. He was an early cruiser returning to Rockland after a short cruise. So we chatted about the weather and good anchorages. We both agreed to take the weather and make a run for it, him heading back to Rockland and us for Mount Desert Island. As we headed out, Fox Fire motored out behind us and headed south-west across Penobscott Bay to Rockland. We headed out motoring around the northern tip of North Haven, and as we got to the top, hoisted the main to catch the rising breeze. Around the northern tip, we headed south-east across East Penobscott Bay to pass south of Deer Island through the Deer Island Thoroughfare, passing through the archipelago that makes up Merchant Row, with some of our favorite anchorages. Weaving through the lobster pots, the wind died and we began to motor-sail coming out into Jericho Bay, crossing it to enter Casco Passage, a small and intricate passage that separates Jericho and Blue Hill Bays. It is less than 1/2 mile long, and I counted 21 buoys, each one of which must be heeded if you want to avoid the rocky shoals in the area. Here we passed the tiny, and empty Buckle Harbor, another anchorage that is always busy in summer. Then the hills of Mount Desert Island came into view. In Maine, visibility can be anywhere from 20 feet to 20 miles, and today, in spite of high cloud, it was 20 miles. So we could pick out some of the many peaks we have hiked on over the years. Acadia National Park, on Mt Desert Island, is the US's second busiest national park, after Yellowstone, and has some beautiful hikes and trails. One thing I had forgotten about Maine were the tides and the tidal currents. And as we pushed through Casco Passage into Blue Hill Bay, I now remembered them,as they run particularly strongly through that area. But we got through and headed across the bottom of the bay to pass Bass Harbor on Mount Desert Island then around and into North-East Harbor. We picked up the only mooring that was ready, as the others were still being readied, and walked into the town to Haynes Garage where we had stored our car last fall. At Haynes, we walked in, gave our names, and were given the keys. No paperwork, no ID, nothing. Away we went, ready to begin the job of closing the boat. But project number one was to buy something for dinner. With the luxury of transportation, we ran over to a small but excellent fish shop where we got a piece of halibut for dinner. Back at the boat, as the fish cooked on the BBQ, we began the task of organizing the boat, and with the boat in total chaos, we headed for bed for the last night of our cruise. This morning, Jeannie took the car and headed for South-West Harbor to do a couple of jobs, and I took the boat from North-East Harbor around to the boatyard on Somes Sound, about 5 miles. We were expected at the boatyard, and as I pulled up to the dock, willing hands were ready to take the lines. After getting settled, we reviewed a list of jobs for the yard, then we began the unloading and packing tasks. By evening, although the untrained eye might doubt it, we had made significant progress, and were ready for dinner and bed. Tomorrow morning we will head for PEI, and on Monday, the boat will come out of the water and go into storage for the summer. So this will be my last entry until Fall. With a better internet connection at home, I will be posting photos in the next week or so. It is difficult to believe that we have been living aboard for the last 9 months, and the memories are fantastic, but it will also be good to be home for a while. We're already talking about next fall, only 3 months away, but not sure of our destination. Options include the Bahamas again, Cuba and Belize, or a combination of all three. Time will tell...