Friday was a “work” day for us with cleaning, food shopping and laundry. We also visited our dock neighbors, Jody and Kevin, on their Hylas 56, Glass Slipper, which was just listed for sale. Glass Slipper is a custom luxury yacht. It truly is a summer house on the water with two full baths, a gourmet kitchen with convection oven, induction stove and trash compactor. There’s an onboard washer/dryer and all the latest technology. It also included lots of storage, which we were very jealous of. It’s too much boat for Lake Ontario, but would be a very nice summer “home” in Maine. Something to think about!
While at the marina, we had the opportunity to talk with some of our neighbors. Both of the couples we met are retired, and are part of an informal club that lives in Maine on their beautiful boats in the summer and in a house in Florida in the winter. They enjoy boating to and from Florida as much as they enjoy the destinations. The couples we met both lived this lifestyle for several years, and recently decided to change. Kevin and Jody, as mentioned, decided to sell their boat and spend more time traveling the world. Roger and Mindy decided to stay in Maine year round. When we first planned this trip, we thought our retirement strategy of boating through New England during the summer months was unique. But as we travelled, we found it is quite common. In fact, we are discovering that there are many ways to spend retirement, and it can be fun to try a few of them over time.
A highlight of the stay in Boothbay was connecting with Dan’s friend Bob, from their early GE days. Bob and his wife Heidi boated over from their year-round home in Southport, just around the corner, and took us to Robinson’s Wharf for lunch and to catch up after nearly 40 years! They showed us their beautiful house. When they dropped us off back at the marina, the Saturday “docktail” party was in full swing, hosted by marina owners Kim and Chris. We chatted with other boaters and some local residents who didn’t seem to have boats in the marina, but were regulars at this very nice weekly event. One interesting gentleman was Nick, who is the town’s fire marshal, police chief, mediator, and several other roles!
The day was capped off by a delicious dinner at Ports of Italy.
Tomorrow we leave “civilization” for a final night at anchor before heading on into Portland. We’re keeping an eye on Hurricane Lee, brewing northeast of Puerto Rico, before making its way up to New England in about a week. We should be tucked in to our winter boatyard, which is well up the Royal River in Yarmouth, ME, by the time it becomes a factor.
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