Boothbay Harbor, ME

We awoke to a very foggy morning on Tuesday, August 2. Jonny walked Archie very early because we planned to leave for Boothbay Harbor first thing, but we held off a bit because of the fog. By 7:45 it seemed to start clearing up so Glory Days and we headed out.  But as we left the harbor the fog became heavier and we turned back to our mooring to wait awhile.

By 10:30 it was lifting and we all took off for the four hour trip to Boothbay Harbor. By the time we were halfway there, the fog had completely lifted and the day improved considerably. Fortunately we didn’t encounter a lot of lobster pots during the foggy time. The coast line is beautiful here and we saw loads of boats.

By 2:20 we tied up to a mooring in Boothbay Harbor, a very pretty and more touristy town.  I needed to mail some birthday gifts so we headed into shore and to the post office to get that done first thing. We walked around town a bit but had to head back to Zendo because we were hosting cocktails on board that afternoon.  Afterwards Jonny made us a spinach omelet for dinner.

The next day Joe came on board to help Jonny diagnose the problem behind our water and holding tank gauges that aren’t working. In the meantime, Pat and I got a ride in to do some retail therapy.  We both ended up buying a pair of the same sandals that were on sale!

After lunch we all took the local trolley to do some grocery shopping.  The trolley driver gave us an unexpected and extended tour of the town which was both fun and informative. As we rode and walked through Boothbay Harbor we saw a number of quirky sights as well as many beautiful vistas.  We got our grocery shopping done and headed back to Zendo.  After unpacking our groceries we headed out again to give Archie a walk and stopped by a great second hand book store where of course we bought a couple of books. Jonny and I had wanted to visit the botanical gardens on the outskirts of town but we didn’t have time during this stay - maybe next time.

It was Roy and Marie’s turn to host cocktails so we all gathered there for drinks before going back into town for our first lobster dinner of the trip. We ate at Kaler’s Restaurant, a casual and delicious dinner of steamers, lobster, corn on the cob and blueberry pie all for a very acceptable price!

That evening I went down the rabbit hole researching wedding dresses for Stephanie.  I’m sure there will be many, many hours of mindless and sometimes productive efforts to plan for Stephanie’s wedding next year!  The plan for tomorrow’s cruise is to head for Rockland, Maine.

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.