In just four hours we cruised from Kennebunkport to Portland, Maine. The winds were light and we encountered only a light sprinkle. Along the way we saw a puffin, seals, dolphins and loons.
Portland Yacht Services is an Active Captain sponsor with glowing reviews. We decided to have them look at our inverter situation. The two batteries on the inverter bank were fine. However some of the wiring (thanks Dog River) needed to be corrected. We don't understand it all but something about daisy chain wiring and wiring on the wrong side of the shunt. It took eight hours for the electrician to figure out the system first of all and then to fix what he could that day. He labeled the wires, moved the chart plotter wiring to the other side of the shunt, and corrected the fridge wiring. The inverter reads correctly now. For the first time, we have a really good idea what battery powers what device and how to properly charge the systems. There is one wire that he was unable to identify and suggested we leave it be until the mystery is solved. Our wish list now includes an amp monitor for the house and starter batteries and a common ground bar.
We also had the teak cap rail repaired while we were there. It is not perfect but maybe with a few more coats of Cetol no one will notice.
All in all, we were there for five nights, two on the mooring ball and three tied to the floating dock. It was the worst rolling we have experienced - over 15 degrees each way. In fact it was so bad, the boat had to be held off the dock with a line to a mooring ball amidships. How bad you ask? While sitting down for dinner, the fingers of my left hand grasped the dinner plate, stretched to secure the wine glass, and my thumb held onto the condiment basket.
Portland was a foodie delight. Within walking distance were coffee houses, bakeries, Italian delis, veggie/fruit market, and Whole Foods. The winding and hilly sidewalks were paved with red bricks and I thought we could be in Europe. Not related was another observation: a large number of people who looked like they might be homeless, or a bit out of it. We learned that the police had a relaxed policy regarding the use of marijuana. Later we heard on the news that a law was being proposed to permit recreational use of weed to go with the city ordinance banning all cigar smoking on the streets!
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| Incredible croissants and rolls at 6:30 am |
There was a narrow gauge railroad museum next to Portland Yacht Services. The narrow gauge railroad lines served the outlying areas and feed off the regular gauge railroad lines.
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Outside view of narrow gauge rail car
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| Bench seating - 3rd class? |
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| Comfortable leather seats - 2nd class? |
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| Posh seats - lst class? |
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| Morse code |
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| Tool to pass written messages |
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| The tool in action - train did not have to slow down. |
Gigi was groomed by Zoe, a gal with great Google reviews, who works out of her home. Gigi looks like a million bucks and while she had a makeover, I discovered a fabulous coffee house around the corner, Yordprom Coffee on Congress. The best!
Oh yes, almost forgot, the crown on a my tooth that got patched in Port Jefferson developed a fissure (Rusty's words). So a referral to a referral to a referral took me to Alpen Dental Clinic, where I was told there were no appointments to be had, but I could come in and wait for an opening. I had no choice. Rusty encouraged me to take a taxi but when I did the calculations it would have been over $20 each way and I could not stomach that so I took the bus. As I was waiting at the bus stop, not far from the dock, I realized I had not brought my retainers. I know that without retainers the dentist is limited in what he can do but at that point I was (1) hoping the crown could be glued together and (2) afraid to miss the next bus. Long and short of it, my wait at the dentist was less than an hour, the crown could not be repaired, and a new crown could be fitted and a temporary crown put in that day, within 1.5 hours. Each bus trip would take 45 minutes but that would not leave enough time to walk from the bus to the boat to get the retainer. A phone call to Rusty and he agreed to be at the bus stop by the dock to hand me the retainer. As the bus rolled to the stop, the door opened, my arm went out, his arm went in, and the transfer was made. I made it back with five minutes to spare. We will be back in Portland in a few weeks and the permanent crown will be installed.
On Friday afternoon, July 12, we left Portland headed for an anchorage in Potts Harbor but changed our mind along the way when we read the reviews about Jewell Island. What a gorgeous and protected cove it turned out to be. The next day we went ashore at low tide and collected mussels for our lunch. Gigi went off the leash and had a ball. It was so peaceful we decided to spent another night.
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| Gorgeous colors on the rocks early morning |
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| Rusty looking for mussels |
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| Jewell Island anchorage at low tide |
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| Rusty preparing broth for mussels |
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| Mussels offered some pearls |
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| A little too close for comfort |
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| Tight anchorage |
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| Gotta watch those tides! |
Quahog Harbor was our next destination and it too was peaceful and beautiful. Maine is getting to us. It is so much like the North Channel.
Monday, July 15, we headed up the Kennebec River to the Bath Maritime Museum where mooring balls and docking space is offered to the visiting boater. On the way we had to wait for the current to reverse and thought we could explore Sequin Island but the remaining mooring ball was too close to shore and there was no dock or place to anchor so we left. Disappointing, as the Active Captain reviews were complimentary of the lighthouse and tour.
The Maritime Museum is wonderful and many of the tours are offered by competent, "elderly" volunteers. We left with a good sense of the wood boat building industry and the different steps required during a typical 8 month building cycle for a ship.
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| Depiction of the size of the Wyoming ship |
The following pictures are of the fishing schooner Edward Zwicker, docked at the Museum. It was built in Lunenberg, Nova Scotia in 1942. Currently owned by an individual in Booth Bay who allows the Museum to give tours and use it for educational purposes.
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| Photo of the fishing schooner Edward Zwicker in early 1940's |
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| The fishing hold |
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| Officer bunks |
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| Captain's state room |
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| The men slept here. Wives would provide curtains. |
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| The galley |
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| Worn stairs |
Tuesday afternoon, July 16, we cruised 1.5 miles to dock at the complimentary City of Bath town docks. Great location. Nice waterfront park. IGA. Dot's Ice Cream Shop. Local donut shop that opens at 4 am. The best kitchen supply store we have ever visited "Now You're Cooking", friendly townspeople. Enjoyed the stop.
It has been five days without being hooked up to shore power. The batteries and inverter are humming along.
We were going to head to Boothbay Harbor next but read about Richmond, further up the Kennebec River, and so we made a detour. Richmond provides a dock, power, and water to visiting boaters. It's warm (90 degrees) and we are grateful to be able to turn on the air conditioner without starting the generator. As we pulled up to the dock, an emergency worker came over and helped us tie up. Nice welcome! We will stay a couple days to get up to date on the blog, paperwork, etc. etc. Richmond is a small town and is perfect for a bit of R&R.
We are thinking of leaving the boat in Maine and maybe going over to Nova Scotia next year. We are concerned, though, with the harsh winters in Maine and the effect on the boat. We also need to research Nova Scotia cruising. The passage across at the narrowest point is only 45 miles, but...
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