[0]Photo by Jamie Bloomquist. See more photos in the galleries below [0]

The 2007 Maine Boats Homes & Harbors Show began with a snap and a bang and ended with thousands of people wishing they had just a little more time to see it all.

On the Tuesday evening before the show began, the combination of a powerful storm and a high-sided cruise ship snapped the pilings at the Rockland city docks and buckled one of the main floats. Without the efforts of the City of Rockland, Harbormaster Ed Glaser, and his crew, and the skillful speed of the construction team from Prock Marine, the 2007 show might not have happened. It was not until 3:30 on Thursday afternoon, the day before the show’s gates opened, that the docks were back in business. Thanks, guys for all you did.

Some of the boats at this year's show [0]

Once the more than 70 boats in the water were in place, complemented by another 30 on land, there was a boat for every taste. One of the newest boats in the show was the 16’ Herreshoff sloop from Artisan Boatworks that had its launch party hours before the show opened. Also debuting was the new pulling boat for Outward Bound [0]. On the powerboat side, Journey's End Marina had some of their freshly built Mitchell Cove hulls on display and sold three on the spot. Redfern boat sold two boats on the very first day of the show.

Saturday morning, as the gates opened, the Rockland windjammer fleet sailed by the waterfront with all sails set and pulling—it was a remarkable reminder of the heritage that underlines the show, where functional traditionalism is the guiding design element among the boats on display.

In a fast-forward to modern thinking, boatbuilding expertise and alternative energy solutions were combined in a display by Lyman-Morse, the yacht builder from Thomaston. Cabot Lyman and his son Zach promoted the plug-in capability of their new mobile solar-power unit. This is a prime example of the exciting possibilities that arise when you get so many of Maine’s creative companies together in one spot for a long weekend.

View a gallery of 2007 Show images [0]

The name is the Maine Boats, Homes and Harbors Show and the home side was alive too, with an eclectic assortment of furniture, art, books, antiques, home design, and alternative energy applications. One show wag said you could get everything for your new house at this show right down to the kitchen sink—including biscuits for the dog.

Speaking of dogs, the Fifth Annual World Championship Boatyard Dog® Trials drew the usual big crowd onto the grounds early on Sunday morning. The winner, Kylie the border collie, is a true Boatyard Dog [0]—she holds down a day job at Journey’s End Marina.

In addition to all the great exhibits, the show grounds seemed to vibrate with good feelings—maybe some were from the steel drum band that wowed the crowd on Friday, or the brass quintet that roamed the grounds on Saturday and Sunday. The smiles were contagious, and the yummy ice cream and fine food certainly helped.

After a rocky start, everything went smoothly. People arrived by car, bicycle, train, and boat; downtown Rockland was hopping; the harbor was full. As we cleaned up on Monday afternoon, another visitor from away headed home: the topsail schooner Pride of Baltimore II set sail and beat out along the Owls Head shore, ending what was, for me, the best Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors Show ever. Until next year, that is.

View a gallery of images showing some of the boats from the 2007 Maine Boats, Homes and Harbors Show below.

View a gallery of images from the 2007 Maine Boats, Homes and Harbors Show below.