We've been quite busy crossing some lines. Quite literally !! State lines might I add...
We were actually a little sad to leave gorgeous Maine, but happy to be on the "road" again !! A jump across another large "bay" and we entered New Hampshire and are now in Massachusetts. Wow...
But first, we left Portland and motored down the coast and into the the mouth of the Piscataqua River, where we anchored in Dave's ole stomping grounds... well, not really. He grew up on Pepperell Street (Halifax,N.S.) and we anchored in Pepperell Cove (Maine). Kinda cute really, the little Harbour has a state line that crosses bang smack right down the line, so depending on your tack you could be in one state, or another... go figure !!
We had our morning coffee motoring up the Piscataqua River, past the now deserted Naval Prison (occupied from 1908 to 1974). Sad really that they can't renovate that into something the populace could use... kind of spookily reminded me of Alcatraz.
Banyan fought with the incoming tides and rapid currents, led us into some churning times...
Saw a sub in the Naval Portsmouth Shipyard (which brought back memories of our pre-sailing a.k.a. working days. How long ago that seems, yet feels just like yesterday ?)
Went for a look-see at Wentworth by the Sea Marina in Little Harbour (NH) and as gorgeous as it was, at almost $4.00 per foot per night, courtesy cars, pool etc, we turned around and crossed the state line again and picked up a mooring back in Pepperell Cove.
Portsmouth's Yacht Club tender came and picked us up and got us a cab so we could tour around Portsmouth, where the first order of business was FOOD and we enjoyed a lupper of ocean perch with a side of most excellent fries at the Portsmouth Brewery (AKA Smuttynose's Pub), a local beer brewing company, with Hops, it's seal mascot, where Dave enjoyed himself not one, but two Dirty Blondes !
We were told that there's no tax on liquor in New Hampshire (on the already "cheap" booze down here) but the store was ways-a-way out of town, so we lucked out on getting even cheaper than cheap stuff. Oh well.
But made us wonder sometimes at city architects and the order of business... why do grocery stores and or liquor stores (and in our case, cell phone stores) not exist anywhere when you need them ?? (and not have a car to get you on the outskirts of town). Just like the Customs people when we called in to register, absolutely "require" us to call them back with a cell phone number. Um, we don't have one (at the moment). The agent on the other end of the line did not find that acceptable. What did we do pre-cell-phone days ?
But just so you know we're not only about food and all that, here's where President George Washington was received by the town of Portsmouth, making a speech from the state house balcony, back in 1789.
And you could just smell the history in the this town, beautiful buildings (most of them circa 1600's), with very, very narrow streets (pre-car days).
and just gorgeous !!
And when we left New Hampshire, we sailed past Smuttynose Island in the Isle of Shoals, crossed Bigelow Bight and rounded Cape Anne, what's that we see off in the distance ?
Looks like Boston to me !
Some mighty interesting things in and on the water on the journey, like the lobster pot marker that we just narrowly missed by the skin of our nose... and as we both looked down into the water as the marker barley glided by our stern without touching,, what do we see ? A gorgeous seal looking up at us ... a split second in time that seemed to last forever !! Might've been HOPS, who knows ??
And things like this sticking up out of the water...
and now we're anchored in Gloucester, made famous in the movie "The Perfect Storm" (however famous long before then, I would think, due to the fishing industry) and founded in the early 1600's by the Dorchester Co (from Dorset, England). It was one of the first English Settlements and predates both Salem and Boston !!
Maine was gorgeous and I will remember it for its rugged coastline and "down east" feel of fishing villages (and lobster pots)... New Hampshire was a coastline of beaches and beaches and beaches...
Anyhow, time to go explore, methinks !!
Oh and did I mention that Dave is now famous ?? He helped the Portsmouth Yacht Club bring back a run-a-way boat. My Hero. Hops would be proud !!
PS: More pictures (as if you need more ?!?!) up on Banyan's Facebook page :)