Sunday Sept 16 - Monday morning Sept 17: Portsmouth and Kathy comes home

Sunday we left Rockport for the easy trip to Portsmouth, NH where we had planned to meet up with friends we'd met earlier this summer in Camden, ME.  Dan listed himself as Captain of the Port for Penobscot Bay and we were contacted in early June by a couple from Minnesota who had left their Monk 36 Adirondack in Rockland for the winter.  They were looking for a mooring and other information.  They've been cruising these waters before (they've cruised all over, having done both the Down East Circle and the Great Loop) but any and all knowledge sharing and chit chat with kindred souls among cruisers is always welcome.  Dan offered them our mooring in Camden for as long as they needed it and they invited us to cruise here for a weekend in June, then offered the boat to us to use while they spent time in upstate New York with family.  Their boat, Adirondack, was exactly the kind of vessel we'd been looking for and we jumped at the chance to use it, but only managed a quick overnight ourselves due to our own crazy schedules this summer.

Jeff and Sally had secured marina sites for both our boats at Badger's Island Marina on the Kittery side of the Piscataqua river, the river that is the border between Maine and New Hampshire.  Again we ended up on a side dock, this time broadside to the river with its very, very busy traffic, most of whom completely ignored the 'no wake' zone.  To escape our bouncing vessels, we walked to the market for some supper items and took advantage of the marina's grill and patio area for a nice cook out and a lengthy chat about our respective adventures this summer.  The meal was great and the company was outstanding.

Adirondack rounds Whaleback Light into the mouth of the Piscataqua.

Monday morning Adirondack departed for Boston and points South.  I gathered my things together to jump ship.  It's been a wonderful month of cruising, but I have commitments I can't ignore, even for a few more days.  A good friend of ours, Bill Page, drove down to join Dan for the last leg of bringing Wille Dawes home and kindly let me drive his truck back to Camden.  Dan will finish this blog when he is home, probably Thursday or Friday, weather depending.