Cliff Island, ME

On August 1, we left our pleasant stay in Portsmouth by 7:30 and stayed close to the coast as we passed Portland head and began our cruise along the Maine coast.  We entered a thicket of lobster pots which required constant attention to carefully navigate.  We cruised  along the Maine coastline to the Canso Islands with Glory Days and Seaquil way ahead of us because they are faster.

Seven hours later we grabbed a mooring in a bay by Cliff Island which was recommended by Roy who was accompanying us on Seaquil.  It was high tide when we came in and was quite a beautiful setting. There was a sandy beach with rocky outcroppings of shale nearby which we dinghied to with Archie who loved it! There were only four people on the entire beach. It was a beautiful setting. Jonny was thinking about bringing Zendo in closer to shore but it’s a good thing we didn’t because we discovered that there were nine foot tides.  When the tide went out, a number of pretty big rocks emerged which we could have easily hit!

Later that afternoon Pat and Joe hosted an early happy hour on Glory Days. We got a chance to begin spending some time with Roy and Marie Bouchon, friends of Pat and Joe’s who wanted to join us on the Maine cruise. Roy and Marie have cruised the coast of Maine for many years so they have lots of knowledge of cool places to visit which will be very helpful.

That night, back on Zendo, we had lamb chops and mashed cauliflower for dinner.  Our plan was to stay here for one night and head out to Boothbay Harbor the next day.

Portsmouth, NH

We had a wonderful cruise along Cape Ann as we left Gloucester on Thursday, July 30 bound for Portsmouth, NH. I had wanted to stop there on our way back from the Down East Loop several years ago but we didn’t.  We left at 8 a.m. for the five and a half hour cruise. The Cape Ann coastline is just gorgeous with rocky cliffs and beautiful homes interspersed along the way. The light and views  along the sea and shoreline are so captivating that it’s no wonder that so many artists have made their homes on this peninsula.

We encountered a wicked current as we passed the lighthouse, entered the channel to Portsmouth and cruised up the Piscataqua River. We took a mooring ball at the Portsmouth Yacht Club which took a little while to tie up at due to the raging current.

As soon as we were settled we ate lunch on board and then took an Uber into Portsmouth with Joe and Pat. We walked all around this beautiful city with its stately red brick architecture, attractive storefronts, and flower-filled parks and squares.  The city seems to be thriving. Everything is beautifully maintained and even the newer buildings are in keeping with the traditional look and feel of the city’s historical past.

That evening we ate on board and as night fell the rocking and rolling that we were experiencing due to the current and fast moving boats calmed down somewhat. But the next two mornings we were awakened by the current and the wakes of passing boats both of which were stronger than most anything like it that we had encountered before. Clearly we won’t be staying at this mooring field in the future!  The yacht club has a launch that we used sometimes to go into shore but because it served such a big area, it was often slow to arrive so we used our dinghy as well.  Getting on and off the launch and the dinghy was tricky and sometimes dangerous due to that raging current.  While waiting for the launch, this fishing boat tied up to get fuel. I got a kick out of its name!

On Sunday morning, we took Archie into shore to walk around the tiny town of New Castle, the smallest town in New Hampshire. It may be small (population 1000) but it is quite prosperous as is evident from all the beautiful and tastefully appointed historic homes lining the shore and charming by-ways. We had breakfast at the cute little Island Café where I had my first Dutch Baby for breakfast. Yum! We walked all around this charming hamlet and chatted with some of the homeowners who were very friendly and informative. One of the homes had a very old  section that had been lovingly restored to its 1724 look including replicas of the original nailheads used!

Later that afternoon we had a visit from Rachel, who had been Jonny’s sister Lynn’s best friend for years and years before Lynn passed away. We hadn’t seen Rachel for 20 years when she last visited us in Miami Beach.  She had been living in Portsmouth for many years and just moved over the border into Maine. We had a wonderful time catching up on each other’s lives. Later on she drove us into Portsmouth where we had an early dinner at the Oar House overlooking the water. We highly recommend the Oar House Delight with shrimp, scallops, and haddock in a sherried lobster sauce. It was delicious!

Afterwards we had a quiet evening on board celebrating the decision that Stephanie and Ryan made in finding their wedding venue and securing a date  - October 28, 2023. It is a venue reflecting Stephanie’s dream wedding since she was a young girl!

We will be starting our cruise up the coast of Maine the next day. First stop will be an anchorage near Cliff Island in the Casco Bay Islands northeast of Portland. 

Gloucester, MA

The seas were like glass when we made our way from Plymouth to Gloucester on Thursday, July 28. We left early at 6:30 after Jonny took Archie for a long walk all the way over to Plymouth Rock. It was a beautiful day to travel - sunny, warm and perfect. Glory Days travels at a faster speed than us so they pulled out ahead.

We made it to Gloucester by 12:50 and tied up to a mooring ball in the busy harbor. We had a never been to Gloucester and we wanted to check it out. It is very much a working harbor, like New Bedford but not as large.   We moored next to some  industrial style boats, not the prettiest location from one direction but quite acceptable from another.

We hung out on board that afternoon except for taking Archie for a short walk.

That evening Mary and Scott Coles, who we know from MTOA and who live in the area, joined us onboard Joe and Pat’s Glory Days for cocktails. We had asked to get together with them so they could share their local knowledge about cruising the Maine coast.  Also, they will be going with our group on the cruise to the San Juan Islands in Washington.  Afterwards, we all went to a local Portuguese restaurant called Azorian. It was an enjoyable evening.  We learned that there are a lot of Portuguese and Italians in Gloucester and it just so happens Mary’s background reflects that. (We didn’t realize that we had been photo-bombed until much later!)

The next morning was filled with boat chores and then we joined Joe and Pat to explore the city of Gloucester. We took the dinghy to a different dinghy dock to tie up for the afternoon. We walked along the coastline where there was a narrow beach and a long attractive parkland with beautiful beds of color coordinated flowers. Across the street and facing the shoreline are beautiful old homes all of which were well maintained.

We visited the famous Fisherman’s Memorial which commemorates the lives of the fishermen who lost their lives to the sea.  Further down was another monument, this one honoring the women who were left behind.

As we walked up the hill into town we were getting hungry and unfortunately chose the first place we came to. It was a very casual place that advertised lobster rolls but once inside we thought better of it and ordered something else. The food was not good!  Joe and I actually had to send back the fish from our fish and chips because it was so dry. We will be much more careful about where we eat in the future!

After lunch we walked through a lovely historic district.  There was a statue of a Loch Ness type creature that purportedly lives in the harbor! We also visited the Cape Ann Museum which was very interesting. It had a large collection of art from the Cape Ann peninsula which has a long history of being an artists community.  In addition, there were exhibits about Gloucester’s fishing industry. We spent a couple of hours there and quite enjoyed it.

By then we were all ready to be back on board our respective boats. We spent the rest of the afternoon reading and relaxing and having a light dinner. The next day we were bound for our first visit to Portsmouth, NH.

Plymouth, MA

We got a particularly early start on Wednesday, July 27 leaving at 6 a.m. bound for historic Plymouth.  Joe and Pat, whose boat is faster than ours, led the way. We traveled against the strong current in Wood’s Hole that slowed us down to 3 knots. Then we crossed Buzzard’s Bay to the Cape Cod Canal. The weather was spectacular!

Archie was very happy with the calm seas which didn’t disturb his sleep! We had a favorable current up until the last mile where we proceeded along the south shore to the long channel that leads to Plymouth Harbor.

We arrived by 1:30 and tied up to a mooring. The moorings in this part of the world are not inexpensive ($67.50 a night) but that includes a launch and a pump-out. What was unusual for us was that we didn’t need to be onboard when the pump-out boat came by. We had already had lunch while underway, so as soon as we tied up to the mooring we called the launch to go in and start exploring the town.  Neither of us had ever been to Plymouth so we wanted to see the key sights including Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower. The town is very old (obviously) and quaint, but it is more touristy than any of the other towns we’ve visited thus far.

As we strolled through town we met up with Joe, Pat, and Pat’s college roommate, Jan, who just happened to be in town.  Pat and Jan are retired teachers and were quite knowledgeable about the history of the area so we traipsed along with them soaking up the lore. We visited Plymouth Rock which is less than impressive. It was surrounded by a structure with columns that look like a Greek temple. I couldn’t even get a good photo of it because of the light reflecting off of the glass.  We then walked through the site of the Pilgrims’ first encampment and the nearby river which is a now a lovely park. An old grist mill was next to the river as was a local pub where we stopped for a beer.

After that, Jonny, Archie and I walked over to tour the restored Mayflower II which was very interesting.  The ship was staffed by knowledgeable sailors who explained to us what life must have been like for those who made that fateful journey. One hundred and three people and 25 crew members traveled for 66 days on this 106 foot ship in the North Atlantic in anything but comfortable conditions. It was amazing that only two people died during the journey. They first landed in what is now Provincetown but after a couple of months found their way to the more protected harbor of Plymouth.  Unfortunately by the next winter, half of the Pilgims had fallen ill and died. It was quite an informative visit.

We took the launch back to Zendo where we had a quiet night with a simple dinner of salmon with zucchini and red peppers.  Jonny was exhausted and went to bed early and I did my usual combo of watching yet another episode of Grey’s Anatomy and reading my current book, The Glass Castle.  The next day we are headed for Gloucester.