Back Up to 70 Degrees
August 7, 2013
We left Boothbay today heading west and as of this point, we are now above 70 degrees. That is not a reference to temperature but to longitude. As we move west and south, the longitude will increase and the latitude will decrease. It is of coincidence that the temperatures will also increase. Like Northeast Harbor, Boothbay is a very picturesque and inviting place. It was hard to leave though we are looking forward to seeing places we missed on the way east.
Yesterday was one of those days to fix boat problems. We had a visit from an osprey that will wind up costing us about $300. That bird broke off our anemometer on the masthead. They are beautiful birds that make one wonder how they taste. Anyway, we went to the masthead yesterday only to learn that bird broke two screws that hold the instrument transducer. Now, I get to spend another day fixing the thing. We wish a heavy case of lice on that bird.
Boothbay to Portland is a nice sail past many rocky islands and inlets. One very spectacular section took us between an island and a large rock separated by a hundred yards or so. The island, about a half mile wide had a high cliff upon which sits a classic New England lighthouse. Guessing here that the climb with provisions must have been quite taxing since the steps are steep and about a quarter mile long. We saw seals nearby and think they live on the rock. The depth between the two was over a hundred feet.
The approach to Portland is more of the same scattered islands with rocky shores. A half dozen or so large islands and several small ones that have old forts to protect the harbor. Fort Georges sits in the middle of the harbor and is an island to itself. We will provision here and do some repairs not including the osprey-induced one.
8/8/13- We rented a car for the day and did some serious provisioning. It tuned into a great deal of walking since the slip we occupy is about a quarter mile from shore. Of course, Scurv enjoys the trip to grass since it gives him some opportunity to meet other dogs and boaters along the way. Stops like this gives us the opportunity to wash the boat, our clothes and relax a bit with shore power.
There is a major junior competition this week which we are told is a world competition. There are over 300 young sailors competiting . What a sight it is to see that many small boats in a race.