Most of the time, my family sails together on Pacem, our Camper Nicholson 39 ketch. My wife, Janet, and I sail with sons Ben, 12, and Brad, 10, along for entertainment and muscle for the sail raising and handling. The family cruises are a big part of our lives, but once in a while a change in crew is nice.

	Photo by x
	Pacem makes a perfect platform for a family reunion as she reaches across Penobscot Bay.

That's why every year I have a "guys' weekend" on the boat and Janet has a "gals' weekend." A censored recounting of some of these weekend cruises would certainly be entertaining, but it is a cruise with my brother that stands out in my memory.

Mac and I spent our childhood summers on Nantucket Island, where our Dad now lives year round. As kids we were active in the sailboat-racing scene, and Mac won a number of race pennants and was a very accomplished sailboard rider. This all ended when he hitchhiked across the country and saw the mountains. He was never the same and has not since lived close to sea level. Idaho is now home, and he skis and mountain bikes instead of sailing.

But when the snow is off the mountain, Mac will venture down here and join us for a sail. He is a fine uncle to our boys, and we love to go sailing all together, but we also try to get some time alone, just brothers together.

So it was that the two of us took a long September weekend cruise, leaving Rockland, Maine one Thursday morning in a northwest wind of s10 knots and heading up Penobscot Bay with plenty of beer and chips. Who needs more? As we headed for the islands and rocks that stretch south from Islesboro, it occurred to me that one of the advantages of being a local in Penobscot Bay is that weekly sailing enables us to get to know the waters well. We sometimes take courses through tight spots that folks "from away" might want to avoid.

On this day, we cut between the rocks around Robinson Rock and south of Mark Island then north of Saddle, Goose, and Mouse Islands. The wind picked up a bit and we had a fine reach south of Horsehead and Beach Islands, east of Pond Island and all the way to Bucks Harbor. We motored around looking at the boats in the harbor then settled into nearby Orcutt Harbor for the night. Steaks and salad led to Grand Marnier on deck under a spectacular sunset shining copper gold on the underside of clouds overhead.

The next morning, after a breakfast of eggs and pork products, we motored down Eggemoggin Reach to the WoodenBoat School campus in Brooklin. This is a fun place to visit or to study. They run courses on seamanship, boatbuilding, woodworking, and related crafts. They have beautiful boats to sail, and great people to teach their courses.

Back aboard Pacem after checking out the woodshops and the WoodenBoat library, we set the mainsail, sailed off the WoodenBoat mooring, then set the drifter, mizzen staysail, and the mizzen. In a rising southwest breeze we reached down Eggemoggin Reach, across the north end of Jericho Bay to Casco Passage.

Closely following the buoys through the passage, we traversed Blue Hill Bay for Bass Harbor. We had intended to stop there, but with wind and sails humming we just couldn't quit, so we crossed the bar, jibed into Western Way, and barreled into Northeast Harbor. Getting a mooring for the night, Mac mentioned that he had an old school friend who lives on the island, so we decided to call him.

Matt Gerald is a farmer on Mt. Desert and sells his produce at Sweet Pea's Farm Store near Salisbury Cove. (He produces beautifully grown fruits, vegetables, eggs, and flowers and will bring fresh produce and fresh cut flowers to your boat if you call him at 207-288-3907.)

Matt met us for dinner ashore and then brought a box of veggies and eggs to the boat. We talked and toasted until late at night before putting him ashore with great thanks and promises between the school buddies that they would not wait another 20 years to get together again.

Rising early the next morning, we left the harbor on a flat, mirror-finished sea. On we motored with the automatic pilot at the helm, Mac on watch with a cup of coffee, and me in the galley making an enormous omelet out of Matt's veggies and eggs. We cruised 13 miles south out of Western Way and east of Long Island, knowing that our usual southwest wind would kick in at 10 or 10:30.

Soon we were raising sails and fell off on a port tack back towards Penobscot Bay. From Long Island we sailed up to the east shore of Isle au Haut, then picked our way through the maze of islands that is Merchants Row and into East Penobscot Bay. We sailed north of North Haven, across to Islesboro, through Bracketts Channel into Gilkey Harbor and dropped anchor in Cradle Cove on the east side of Seven Hundred Acre Island. We figured that we had sailed 32 miles, wiggling through the islands, and all on one tack!

In the morning we made muffins with Matt's blueberries and motored home to Rockland in flat calm. It was a fine weekend with my brother, with lots of time for discussion about family, life and futures.

For many of us, sailing is a passion. We love the wind, the water and the special places that we visit. We appreciate the people we meet along the way. In the end, however, it is the time that we set aside for our families that is most important, for they are the lasting joys in our lives.

For more information on the WoodenBoat School, visit www.woodenboat.com.

Ansley Sawyer is a frequent contributor to Points East. He lives in Auburn, Maine, and sails out of Rockland.

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