Part I: The 19th- and early 20th-century granite mining operations in Maine’s Penobscot Bay were the hooks for this trailer-boat cruise to Hurricane Island, Tenants Harbor, and the Muscle Ridge Channel.

A perfect summer day on the outer Cranberry Isles – with boat and bicycles – confirmed to us that this combination is ideal for scratching the surface of these islands.

A leisurely ramble, east to west along Maine’s Eggemoggin Reach in wet, windless and buggy conditions still delights the skipper of the 22-foot, engineless catboat Penelope.

While Middle America puts on a pretty face for those who pass by on the highway, the view from the Intracoastal Waterway is of a different stripe, perhaps a more accurate display of what America is all about.

Between Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound are the pristine Elizabeth Islands, from which it’s a short hop to Martha’s Vineyard. A pleasant, relaxing week of true cruising can be had in and around them.

For us, this meant fiberglass. Our old wood yawl was not as bulletproof as she was beautiful, and we wanted a monocoque hull to keep the water out. The transition wasn’t that easy.

After five years of roaming the seas, the Martin family has found a spot of land on which to live, at least for now.