Down East Maine Sailing Escape from Pandemics and Hurricanes

Maine has always been an escape from the summer swelter of Boston, New York and Philadelphia. This year it’s also a Down East sailing escape for Stan and Sally Honey, who revised their Bermuda Race plans to cruise the coast of Maine, and for the Milum family of Mill Valley who, as the islands closed down, cut short their Caribbean cruising to head north. You can read about the Milums in Latitude 38’s August issue. Other Californians recently arriving on the Maine Coast include Greg and Debbie Dorland aboard their Catana 52 Escapade and Paolo Sheaffer aboard his Catana 471 Carlota’s Promise.

We learned to sail on the coast of Maine and have managed to make it an annual summer escape ever since. Typically our Maine journey is filled with large family reunions and afternoon daysails. This year it’s just sailing. It reminds us why sailing anywhere is always a great escape, and of the unique character of sailing in Maine.

Given Maine’s recognition as a home to so many classic boats. it could be easy to forget that it is also a hub of high-tech boatbuilding. Hodgdon Yachts built Comanche in East Boothbay, ME, and Brooklin Boatyard built Harvey Jones’ Botin-designed Outlier, written up in our June issue in Brooklin, ME.

High-tech or low-tech, East Coast or West, hoisting sails on a bay anywhere is always a welcome relief.