Coastal Maine in the summer is full of tourists. The population of the entire state is just over 1 million people, but as many as 25 million visitors descend in the summer.
Because of these numbers, we’ve heard that native Mainers have a mixed relationship with tourists. The economy, especially in many places along the coast, is dependent on tourism. But tourists can also be really annoying – they add to traffic, can make it difficult to park, can make scenic spots crowded, and aren’t always up to speed on local customs. So, we were warned that some native folk might not always be fully welcoming to us.
After having such a great time around Portland, we sailed to the far east side of Casco Bay and dropped the anchor in Ridley Cove, just behind the small village of Cundy’s Harbor. We’d been anchored all of 10 minutes when someone rowed up to our boat in a beautiful, hand-built wooden sculling shell. After chatting a bit, we learned that Pete lived at the head of the cove.
Despite the warnings we’d heard, Pete invited us to beach our dinghy in his yard so that we could access the restaurant and small store in the village. He then explained that he was going to be out of town for a couple of weeks, but that we should use his yard anyway while he was gone. And if we needed any water, we should just help ourselves from his taps.
So much for our warning…
