Camden, the Lobster Festival, and a "gam"

We decided to take a day trip to Camden, as the fog and rain finally lifted! Camden is only 7 miles from Rockport, so that is only 1 hours worth of sailing. The entrance to Camden is yet another cute lighthouse

Here's the crowded harbor, seen from a slight uphill advantage. Camden actually has mountains! We are anchored out in the far left corner, not visible in this shot.

One of Camden's claims to fame is their schooners. There are several of them that work out of Camden, and it is not unusual to see them sailing gracefully down the Penobscot, full sails, full of paying customers for either hour or week sails.

We met folks we recognized from the Bahamas, Francie and Bob, and had a nice lunch with them. Books from the used book store, ice cream, and a little browsing, and we headed back to Rockland for the Maine Lobster Festival.

While we were anchoring in Camden, we met Cheryl and John, Canadians who will be headed out in a few weeks for a 2 year world tour. They joined us in Rockland for the Festival.

First, the Lobster eating tent! Rockland has a huge lobster cooking set up that cooks 1600 lobsters each 15 minutes!

Luke and John getting ready to chow down on their lobsters. That's mine, waiting ! Cheryl was off to get us a bloomin' onion to share. yum!

The festival was like any small town fair, full of tents of junk or beautiful artwork. We bought a couple of small matted photos, tee shirts, and of course, ice cream.

Leaving Rockland Harbor, the Rockland Breakwater Light HouseNext, to Gilkey Harbor, just northwest of Camden, for the Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA) "gam". A gam is just a social gathering. This association has several each year, the northern one being in the Penobscot. We anticipate about 65 boats to participate. There are around 30 here already. Anyway, Warren Island Park is in Gilkey Harbor. It's a cute, small island, with nice walking trails. Who could resist this in the heat of summer?

The trail ambles to the bay, with a nice view of the mountains of Camden.The rocks here are interesting -- they stand up, jagged, in the water's edge.On Friday evening a group of early arrival boaters had an informal dinghy raft-up. Basically, about 12 boaters tied their dinghies together, brought snacks and drinks, and socialized until a sudden, short thunderstorm hit. That send everyone scattering in all directions. It was a great way to get to know everyone.Tonight, July 31, is the opening dinghy raft up, with around 65 boats. Tomorrow is the formal meeting/party. We're looking forward to meeting everyone.