17 Sep 2008

Wednesday

Portland Maine


Woke up early this morning to Barb giving me my birthday presents and hustling me off the boat with Peri for his walk so that she could make me breakfast (Happy Birthday to me!). I wasn't expecting any more presents as she had already given me mine earlier as they we going to be used on the cruise, but she came up with a couple of cards that had me rolling in the aisles. If we bump into you ask me to show them to you.

I took Peri ashore in the morning twilight, well before anyone got up other than the cooking staff in the inn by the dock. What a view from the public dock! This was one of many occasions that I really wish that I had my camera with me. I am going to start to have to make like a tourist and have it festooned about my neck like a garland of digital technology or else I am going to continue to miss some great moments. I caught a couple of the hotel staff running down the road, holding hands and giggling - I guess they we doing what comes naturally.

Back at the boat I had a superb breakfast of sausage and poached eggs on English muffins and a HUGE cup of coffee - yummy! No lunch for Mike today, I think.

We then took off onto the planned course which was essentially one major leg of 39 miles and then the turn into the harbour. Setting aside the fact that there were fewer lobster traps that in around Mount Desert Island, there were still enough that with two people aboard, there was no "off watch" time. I had no sooner started to get into a book that I was reading, than out of the corner of my eye I would see a lobster buoy pass by. This is not the time to rely solely on Able Seaman Otto. Good thing too, as this was the day that we saw whales. Tow of 'em. Both Minkes or one normal Minke and one large Minke or a dwarf Finn.

We managed to pretty much outrun a fog bank that was chasing us all the way to Portland, plus we had some reasonable wind for much of the trip, so we had a beautifully sunshiny sail and motor sail arriving at the harbour at 1400.

Once here, Barb decided that we needed to splurge and since the dockside prices were down to $1.75/ft we tied up alongside for tonight.

We tied up acroiss the dock from an 85' cutter and talk about boat length envy! Our mast came up to their second set of spreaders and when you take into account the fact that they had four sets before you get to the top of the mast - well! I'm just glad that I don't have to ride the Bos'n chair up there. Directly in front of us is an Aluminum Open 60 owned by a fellow Canadian from somewhere in Quebec. Must be nice to be rich!

Portland Yacht Services (PYS) is a nice place albeit a bit bumpy when the commercial traffic goes by. Barb is doing a laundry as I write this and tonight we will have a porterhouse roast, sometimes known as a brontosaurus steak for dinner.

Take care all.

Tomorrow - Isle of Shoals.

Note from Barb - we went for a couple of mile walk before supper - looking for the Whole foods - didn't need much but had a poke around the HUGE grocery+ store - shock to the eyes after all of the small places we have been in since we left home - Mike will have birthday pecan pie too to go with that "roast" I bought while in southwest Harbor - gotta love that freezer we bought from the Binnacle... we are having supper surrounded by drying laundry - I did not have the patience to leave the wash in the dryer until it was completed - semed so tedious when there was a new place to explore - so, the wash is festooned around the salon and will be dry by tomorrow I hope.