CRUISING HEAVEN

All of Maine’s coast is spectacular, but Penobscot Bay is considered one of boating’s Holy Grails. If a boater makes it this far Downeast—and all boaters should—just keep going to Mount Desert Island and cruise up Somes Sound. Maine may have occasional fog, rocks and cold water, but in the summer and early fall, Penobscot Bay’s marine life, deep-blue skies, cool nights, ever-changing-scenery and picturesque harbors make it a boater’s paradise.

Just ask Dave and Deb Ludlow, who run Hiram Blake Camp on Penobscot Bay’s Cape Rosier. They use their Eastern 20 to explore the bay and its many ports and islands. “For 10 to 12 weeks a year,’ Dave says, “this is the best place in the world.”

CAMDEN

Boats fit inside Camden’s inner harbor like sardines inside a can. Things get tight in high season, but for dining, shopping and roaming through a beautiful town, Camden is the place to be. In July and August, it may be tricky to get a dock or mooring inside the naturally protected harbor, but the outer harbor is huge and almost everything is within walking distance of the docks.

The town has grand 19th-century homes, a beautiful public