In 1985, my friend and I booked a five-day voyage on the Victory Chimes out of Rockland.
We made ports of call in Castine, Northeast Harbor, Little Cranberry Island, Brooksville and sailed by many more coastal locations. It was one of the best weeks of my life.

We met many local residents and, along with our fellow travelers, found all to be friendly and down-to-earth folk. I found Mainers to be hard-working and sensible people, which begs my question as to what would cause many of them to ever gravitate to and support a man such as Graham Platner, a troubled soul harboring a deep hatred for our country.

The Mainers I encountered on my 1985 trip were not the people I saw on TV standing behind Platner holding signs in support. Surely to God, don’t those people realize what Platner’s wishes are for our nation? Are these people just “malcontents” or politically ignorant?

I fell in love with Maine, the lighthouses, the islands, the sea, the people. I returned in 1987 with my children and stayed overnight on Monhegan and continued northward to Campobello Island.

I really do hope that most Mainers are unlike those people waving Platner signs because I want to return with my wife so that she can experience the splendor I was fortunate to have had those years ago. I’ll caution any plans to return to Maine until I see if the people of Maine have maintained their sensibilities — or lost their minds.

Michael Holsclaw
Indianapolis, Ind.