One of the delights of summer is to deliver a willing young sailor to the Southport Yacht Club (SYC) for sailing lessons. I wonder if I recognize my age cohort best or whether it is true that more grandparents deliver young grandchildren in the mornings than was true in the years when our own children were sailing. Whatever the case, joy is standing near the dock on a warm sunny morning watching children and instructors collect for another day on the water.

Various families have been collecting in joyous reunions around the island this month.  Two I know about are the Charlesworth family who gathered at Dick and Ann’s home on Dogfish Head to celebrate Dick’s 90th birthday, July 8.

Three of their four daughters were present with family members: Susan Haried, her husband and one daughter from Boulder, Colo., and one son from Manhattan; Mary George and her husband, Eric with daughter, Libby from Cumberland; Holly Casner and her three children, Charlie from Winter Park, Fla., and his son, the only great-grandson, daughter Lisa from Portland, and Charlotte from Burlington, Vt. Daughter Jenny had to miss the party since as a nurse, she had to work. Together the family made a lively party with much singing and a cake decorated with orange and black frosting, for Dick’s Alma mater, Princeton University.

Another family coming together from many parts of the country is the Daniels family of Paradise Lane on Dogfish Head.  Peter Daniels and his wife, Joan, welcomed their older son Christopher from Colorado who is here until July 23 with his wife Shannon, their son Brendan, and his sister-in-law, Katie. In addition, Christopher's sister, Katherine, from Portland, Ore., arrived on Friday, July 12, and Christopher’s brother Michael with his wife Liz arrived on Tuesday, July 16 from Boston, Mass. Christopher was an avid SYC sailor and would love to see any friends from those days during his visit. The Daniels family and the Hawley family will join forces (Jean Hawley and Peter Daniels are siblings) Saturday for a family lobster bake.  All three of the Hawley sons, Peter, Rob and John will be there with their families.

A perfect evening last Saturday drew many people to the SYC for the annual Commodores’ Lobster Bake. Next everyone is invited to gather at the Junior Building of the SYC Thursday evening, July 18 at 7 p.m. to feast on ice cream and toppings. Those people contributing toppings should remember not to include nuts.

Another Cozy Harbor note: Harbor Master Jim Gagnon reminds us that the Southport Harbor ordinance requires that during the months of July and August outboard motors and inboards/outboard motors on boats in Cozy Harbor must be in the down position (in the water) unless the lower unit is protected by a heavy canvas bag or something of similar material.  Disregarding this provision places your mooring permit in jeopardy. If you have questions, you can call the harbor master at 207-350-9724.

Life is especially busy and challenging for Peter Smith and his family who are staying in family quarters on Pratts Island Road.  Peter has accepted the position of Chief Academic Officer of the U. S. Performance Academy, USPA, a new school being formed for serious young sailors, offering them high achieving academics along with high performance sailing. More later when Pete and I have a chance to talk.

I understand there was a small fire or at least heat enough to set off the sprinkler system at Oliver’s on Friday morning that disrupted serving of the lunch crowd.  From activity since then I am sure all is back to normal.  

With over 60 signatures, the petition that asks the town of Southport to take the steps needed to allow town residents continued use of the Hendricks Head Beach when the Ruth Gardener property is sold has been presented to the selectmen. I understand they are seriously considering the request.

Currently the beach and the small offshore island are part of the property up for sale. In talking with a friend in St. George who has been involved in similar quests to save public access to beaches acquired as private property, I learned that continued public use over extended periods of time does not constitute a legal argument for future public use.  

The Southport Town Hall was full last Monday evening for an excellent talk with illustrative slides on the geology of Midcoast Maine. Dr. Dykstra Eusden from Bates College spent the day touring Southport looking at our specific rocks, so he was able to make particular with pictures the rock under our feet. Two slides fascinating to me were one showing the splitting apart of the land mass to form the continents. (“Oh, Grandma,” says my grandson, “you can find that picture on the Internet.”)

The other was a map of Maine showing where earthquakes had occurred, which Dr. Eusden pointed out showed no particular pattern, leading to the conclusion that we do not have a major fault line running through Maine.

On the calendar remember that Friday, July 26 can be a busy day with the House and Garden Tour sponsored by the Boothbay Harbor Garden Club featuring three Southport houses, the Coulombe house on Pratts Island and the Leonards and Woods houses on Dogfish Head.  Then that evening you can enjoy “Once on this Island” at the Boothbay Playhouse when a portion of the ticket sales will be returned to the Southport Island Association (SIA).  The play begins at 8 p.m.