Members’ logbook: Owner Ira Levenshon on cruising Maine aboard 28m yacht Satori

Every month, superyacht owners share their recent voyages with BOAT. Owner Ira Levenshon reflects on 15 summers cruising to Maine aboard the 28.2-metre Horizon yacht Satori, slow days anchored near Southwest Harbor, hikes up Cadillac Mountain and plotting a winter course for the Florida Keys and the Bahamas.

Ira Levenshon

Yacht: Satori
Length: 28.2m
Year: 2016
Location: Saint Augustine, Florida

You’re on your way back to Miami from Maine?
Yes, we’ve been going to Maine for 15 or 16 years. The first time, just my wife and I took the boat – I think we had a 77-footer (23.5m) then – and we made a zillion stops, in every little anchorage and town. Each year since we dropped more and more anchorages and villages, and this year we spent a little over three months in Southwest Harbor, which is down east, near Bar Harbor.

What’s it like there?
The weather was just glorious. And people are very kind in general. Years ago, I made the mistake of asking a Maine resident, “How’s it going?” – a common greeting that we say when we don’t really want to know how you’re doing. And he told me for 20 minutes, so I don’t do that anymore.

What did you do?
We used our chase boat to run around. My wife and I are very active; we used to run up mountains, now we walk up them. We hike daily, usually for an hour or two. The views are fabulous. We have lobster every other day and a lot of fresh fish, scallops and oysters. At least three times a week, we picnic on our chase boat, picking up a mooring or anchor somewhere. It’s just a beautiful place to be.

What’s your one don’t-miss recommendation?
There’s Cadillac Mountain, which I think is the tallest mountain in the east on the water. Watching the sunrise from there is absolutely fabulous. And, of course, the lobster. The lobster we eat was in the water that morning. We don’t eat it anywhere else. My wife makes a great lobster fra diavolo.

Where to next?
We have a trip planned to the Florida Keys at the end of December; then in January or February we’ll go to the Bahamas. We’re constantly going places in our boats.

First published in the January 2025 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.