York To Portland

We departed York at 0730 on the ebb tide. We traveled through the Gulf of Maine which is a feeding ground for whales. Dwayne saw what appeared to be a whale a great distance away but we did not head in that direction to investigate further. We did come across a large pod of about 30 dolphins a short while later several miles off Cape Porpoise. They crossed our bow and stern moving at a fast pace. We suspect they were feeding on fish. We later saw a couple of harbor seals. They would pop their heads up to check us out and didn't seem to care about our passing. We turned back to try to get a picture of one. However, he apparently was a bit shy. He dove and disappeared once he realized we were coming back in his direction. They are cute creatures with big shiny, black eyes.



Once again, two engineering features stood out as we entered Portland harbor. The first to appear is the lighthouse which can be seen from miles out and guides you into the harbor. Then the forts appear. Like many of the ports we have entered, Portland was heavily fortified to protect the city from attack by sea. Here granite was used to build several fortified positions on the mainland shore and islands which make up this large port. Most of these fortresses where built in response to the need to protect the coastal cities from attack by sea when the United States had a small navy. The British ability to enter harbors and land forces to march inland during the War of 1812 stimulated the demand for robust coastal defenses and a major construction effort ensued.

Spring Point Light and Fort Preble

Fort Gorges on Diamond Island

We took a mooring at the Centerboard Yacht Club in Portland. The club members were very welcoming. The clubhouse is a rather simple building which reminded us of many of the yacht clubs we visited while racing our scow in the Midwest. Carla did make use of the laundry facilities which were a pleasant surprise. Getting the laundry done is always a chore and more so when you have to haul the clothes from the boat to shore rather than just down the stairs at home.

We visited with club members while waiting for the laundry to be done. There was only one nearby restaurant and it came highly recommended. So, we went to the Saltwater Grill for dinner. Carla ordered the lobster bisque. Dwayne had the haddock and clam chowder. We split a lobster pizza. It was a delicious light meal. The restaurant was up-scale and had a wonderful view of the harbor. It was a very relaxing way to end the day.