The well-known town of Boothbay Harbor is a destination for many road tourists. It also holds some interest for those arriving by boat. The above image is the eastern shore of the outer harbor at dusk.
The bright spot on the shore above is the Catholic Church.
One of the interesting aspects of the church is that it was built by the local shipwrights, resulting in its construction techniques differing from traditional methods of the time.
One of the traditional features are the many stained-glass windows.
Cruise ships, albeit small ones, cruise the Maine coast. Boothbay is one of their stops. In this image, American Glory lies at anchor in the outer harbor while the passengers tour the town. American Glory cruises the east coast, finding some of the same waters as Last Dance. In 2013, American Glory and Last Dance passed while traveling in opposite directions at St. Augustine, Florida, and Albany, New York. Paths crossed multiple times in the summer of 2015 - here in Boothbay and also in Belfast and Castine.
Boothbay Harbor has multiple harbors. One of the inner harbors is surrounded by the commercial parts of town with hotels, restaurants, shops, marinas, and moorings.
A second inner harbor, lying to the west, is surrounded by a combination of homes and commercial docks. The dock on the far side has an old schooner undergoing a restoration process and a new 120+ foot sailing yacht. Since there are no 65' bridges to have to navigate, many sailboats with masts over 100 feet tall ply the waters here.
Many interesting boats can be viewed in Boothbay. From antique wooden sailboats like this one, to . . .
. . . over 100 detailed scale models at the Rocktide Inn and Restaurant. Boothbay has been and continues to be a place where boats and those who enjoy or work on them gather.
The 2015 cruise of the Maine coast has been one of seeing old friends and making new ones. Shannon is an interesting young entrepreneur with a new business in downtown Boothbay. Like the crew of Last Dance, she is an educator, a Head Start teacher during the school year. She found a couple parking places for lease and began the idea of starting a restaurant for a summer job. After putting together a detailed business plan, winding her way through all the governmental agencies and permit/licensing processes, finding building materials on Craig's List and enlisting help from friends for construction, she opened Shannon's Unshelled. Her menu is simple - lobster rolls. Her lobster roll is made with the New England top-split bun, grilled on the sides, and filled with butter-coated lobster. While many argue the appropriate makeup of a true Maine lobster roll, Shannon's is ample and delicious. Shannon's helper for the day was her mom.
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