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This past May we completed America's Great Loop, and we were looking forward to spending the summer back here in Maine, which was home to us for many decades. On The Loop, we experienced a wide variety of marinas and boat yards, and this 5-week "HQ" we chose here in Maine turned out to match up and even overcome the best of any of them. First, its former name was Great Harbor Boatyard. So, its genesis is a full service boat yard, with lots of indoor and outdoor storage, and a seasoned well-run Service Department from our direct experience. e.g. We had a full preventative maintenance regimen done to our genset, and this crew handled it all very well, including a heat exchanger rehab, making it look like NEW. There is a large ramp that we saw (with the help of Maine's tides) could accommodate any draft vessel, and a crane to handle any size mast. However this boat yard is now completing the installation of a brand new travel lift, which will make the Service Department less dependent upon the tide clock. As the other reviews point out, this is also a very polished marina operation. Nice new hardwood docks were installed this spring that should last for decades, BBQ grills are found up on a deck overlooking the dock system with chairs and tables. The rest rooms and showers are very clean and appear to be new. There is a nice 'business center' in the post & beam office building with cathedral ceilings. The WiFi Internet there is very good, and it has been very good out here on the docks as well. This gave my [full bars] Verizon data plan a welcomed break for the month we were here. (FYI: Our other data plan, T-Mobile is non-existent here.) Geographically we are 3-hour [slow] trawler ride from either Boothbay Harbor to the east, and Portland to the west. So, we took in Windjammer Days in Boothbay; there are also the famed Harpswell Lobster Boat Races to take in. Lots to see by water. Kristen and her staff are just authentically interested in making everyone satisfied with their total experience... "Being there for you on VHF-09" during normal business hours... catching lines often bring us down our packages; this is a place we will certainly come back to. They have moorings too, and plenty of room at the docks for dinghies. While I don't *think* they have "launch service" per se, I'm sure these guys would shuttle us in in a pinch if we asked. The customers / dock mates are fun and friendly bunch too. Ashore: Bowdoin College and the Maine State Music Theatre is a short drive away, as is a full range of fine restaurants, as is typically found in good college towns. German, Indian, Italian, just about any type of food one could imagine can be found here (we know cuz we used to be locals!). Heck, I'm sure you could even find some seafood and Maine Lobster if you looked around hard enough! Two miles away, the small local seafood market, Gurnet Trading Company, had Maine Lobsters for $4/pound while we were here (July-Aug 2022). When I asked for oysters, they asked me which local island's oysters I prefer; fortunately, they helped me make my choice! Uber, Lift, InstaCart, all work here. It is a 5 mile ride to "Cooks Corner" shopping area with just about everything you can imagine. Big box groceries, WalMart, Lowes, etc. Johnson's Sporting Goods will fill your SCUBA tanks while you wait; they are a fully stocked fishing and dive shop. (They can fill your odd propane tanks too... they are not just a tank-exchange type place). Less than a mile past Cooks Corner, you will find an excellent [independent] Midcoast Marine Supply, that will have everything you need for supplies, F/G repair projects or improvements. They keep all the local commercial fishermen going for their needs too. No BS: SHGI is a fine gemstone that is set into a perfect Midcoast Region which has some of the best cruising / boating in the world. PS: Great Island is a lot easier to spell and pronounce than Sebascodegan Island, which is how it appears on NOAA charts. <grin>

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