Down to Portland N43:39 W70:15
Millybrown
Mark Hillmann
Mon 4 May 2009 22:02
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We drove down to Portland and
Lorna caught the bus to Boston for her flight back. The hire car
was returned and I used a borrowed motel car to get back.
Borrowing cars is much easier here than
England: Is it that the Americans are more honest and friendly?
In New England they are, with houses and boats
are left unlocked in a way not usual at home. Their insurance is for the car not the driver, so there is less problem
lending them.
Then it was down to the boat, the last few jobs and
off down the river with Bob Vitalis and Jeff Longcope, a couple of local
boat owners as guides down the river. It is a muddy twisting channel, but
on a rising tide we soon floated odd again after checking the channel with
the keel. We had started by motoring down but a breeze got up so we used
the stop to hoist the sails and had a good sail down the rest of the
way.
The wind was ahead and we beat down through the
islands in sunshine but a cool breeze. Enough wind for me to look at
reefing a couple of times, but then as we got to Portland it dropped enough to
allow neat berthing in a tight space. Why is it always a surprise when you
get it right?
 Here we are parked at Dimillo's floating
restaurant. Seafood and beer made a good end to the day, as we waited for
Bob and Jeff's wives to come and fetch them.
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