Brooklin's Finest

With a heavenly late summer breeze whipping off the Eggemoggin Reach, a sultry stream of white clouds raced across the sky, as another picture prefect August afternoon began to turn to dusk in the sleepy little town of Brooklin. Way down at the end of the Blue Hill Peninsula, where the cool waters of the Eggemoggin Reach flow into eastern Penobscot Bay, one can find what has to be one the greatest collections of wooden sailboats in the world. Home to the world renowned Wooden Boat School, Brooklin is a boat builders dream. Center Harbor, the towns cozy central inlet, is the grand gallery where all these wooden beauties are displayed, their gorgeous lines and sturdy masts casting shadows in the late day sun. Concordia, Hinckley, and Morris, all the big names are here. Look out across the water, and you will see what amounts to a vast catalogue of almost every wooden boat design from the last hundred years. I walked the wooden docks of Brooklin Boat yard yesterday, my faithful Nikon at the ready. My senses were overcome with the smell of the sea, and the steady sound of the wind. The majestic fir trees on Harbor Island swayed in the distance, their branches flopping back and forth as the salty sea breeze sprayed the jagged rocks on the island's rugged shore. The day was perfect! It was one of the late summer days in Maine when you feel as if you are living in a dream, that this lovely blend of sea, pines and boats cannot be real. It is just to beautiful to be real! This is no dream though, this is the downeast coast of Maine, and this is the sacred month of August, where the days are warm and the nights are cool. Fall will arrive shortly, but for now, summer holds sway. On the drive home, I sped down the winding back roads of Blue Hill, before heading back to Camden on Route one. As I came into town, the sun began to fade over Penobscot Bay. The sky turned pink and the light of another summer day slowly began to fade. It put on a sweater and walked down to the beach, my mind at ease, and my soul at peace. What a beautiful time of year. What a beautiful place to be. What a beautiful place to hang my hat.