All too many cruisers intent on heading Downeast to more remote destinations or directly west on their way home make the mistake of not taking the time to detour north and explore all that Blue Hill Bay has to offer. The bay is open to the Gulf of Maine at the southern end, defined by the Bass Harbor light on the east, and by (outer) Long Island, Swan’s Island, and the Flye Island Light on the west. It is divided into two roughly equal halves by (inner) Long and Tinker’s Islands. As one progresses about ten miles north from the Flye Island light, the bay tapers towards the iconic entrance to Blue Hill Harbor and the charming town of Blue Hill — all presided over by the eponymous Blue Hill Mountain. (With a peak at just 940 feet above sea level, it is technically not quite a mountain). The town was initially settled in the mid-1700s, with early industries including lumber, granite (some was used to build the Brooklyn Bridge and New York Stock Exchange), and shipbuilding.