Blog Archives
Gloucester, Mass
Gloucester, Mass.
Friday morning arrived with a bright orange glow at the horizon. It lasted just for a moment or two and then the sun hid behind the outstretched clouds over the horizon. It was the day of our departure from Portland and the sooner we leave the better chance we have to avoid the afternoon winds that usually come by. Today we have a 60 mile run to our destination of Gloucester, Mass and it should take us a good 6 hours to get there.
Some beautiful sights along the shores of Portland including several lighthouses and magnificent homes sitting upon these rocky shores are a delight to see. We also passed by a beautiful old schooner with all of its sails up gliding along the a bit choppy waters against a pretty horizon mixed with clouds and sunlight breaking through. Here and there we see a single sailboat or a lobster boat but mostly we are on our own. Big swells and somewhat choppy seas caused by a 10 KN SSW wind is our steady companion as we ride some 3 – 5 mile distance from shore. Our 60 NM run turned easily into a 80 NM run since our calculations initially did not include out and around reefs and then up the river, under a low draw bridge, through a very narrow but busy channel named Blynman Canal, up to a busy marina of Cape Ann’s Marina Resort. Here we were greeted and assisted by a lovely young woman named Ali and her boss Christian. Since we do have connection with the outer world, phone calls are made; arrangements for dockage throughout this holiday weekend are hard to come by and so one has to be persistent in making it all happen.
One thing I do have to mention that the mine fields of lobster pods are less and less to come by and if there are any they are a couple at a time. It has been a long day and most of it out on open water with big rolling swells and an increase in chop as the day progressed. Finally and after several peninsulas, and rocky shores we have turned the corner and almost reached our destination of Gloucester. It is a busy harbor and many boats are out and about and our small channel to the marina is nowhere in sight. Almost at the city beach is a rock pile which hides the entrance to this very, very narrow channel leading under a low bridge that needs to open up for us to pass. No to forget it is dead low tide as well making things look even more scary, small and shallow. Thank God we make it safely to the other side and find our way through the continuation of this narrow channel amongst numerous boats of all sizes and brands. Our dock is a face dock and easy to get to yet so much traffic is passing by us as if it was a highway on water.
The usual routine: secure the boat, wash and shimmy it down, fill the water tank and open all hatches to air out the boat. Ali, the young woman tending to our dockage helps us out and the boat is squared away before you know it. We also learn that Ali’s father recently lost his life while diving under a bridge over a river in New Hampshire which is considered the third fastest current in the world to retrieve his lobster pods that were cut by a large vessel passing by. He was a good diver but that day the river called his name and he never returned to his family. Ali was there in a boat looking for him, when his body surfaced a day later. God bless them all with the knowing that he has returned to a place we all call home.
We also learned from Ali that this area is the well known area where they film the”Wicked Tuna Catch” show at the Stellwagen Bank and they are actually filming today. We came to rest for the night and continue on our journey the following morning but we will remember Ali and her story for a long time to come.
Visit to Peaks Island, MA
Portland, Peaks Island, MA
Second day of our visit to Portland started with a spectacular sunrise yet quickly was transformed into a total fog soup, as they call it here. Everything was covered with this heavy blanket of impenetrable gray mass yet so light that it could not be held or contained in any form or shape. It was a living and moving thing of its own kind, to me simply mystical and open to any minds imagination. I always saw fairies and beautiful forest spirits dancing their dance of joy in it, for now no one could see or disturb them and they were free to frolic and do their enchantments to their hearts content. Others reported ghost ships or headless men riding on horses of which there are many stories written. I still prefer my version of beauty and joy.
As we prepare to visit our friends who live on Peaks Island which is only some 12 miles away by boat our dear friends Laurie and Troy from Staniel Cay arrive to say hello and reminisce a bit on things we and they have been up to since our last encounter. They live about one hour or so inland from here on a beautiful lake, as they describe it in a small town called Gardiner. It is their place of peace and tranquility where they find respite from daily stress of work and life. One more place on our list to visit and experience for ourselves. One of lessons learned on this long journey is definitely that city life is not something neither of us are longing for and find it rather disturbing and too noisy.
Our friend Charlie has sent a water taxi to come and fetch us and bring us over to their island of refuge. In the interim the fog has lifted over the city but we see it still present out of the harbor and so it was. It took only minutes that we left our dock and the harbor to enter fully into this soupy mass of intangible gray mass of fog. A short ride later we arrived at the dock of the Peaks Island Yacht Club House where both Charlie and Karen waited to greet us and take us on a tour around the island. The island is well populated containing some significant mansions and numerous smaller homes and cottages. The island has a school, fire truck, post office, store, a few restaurants, some gift shops as well as a Lions Club facility with tables and benches for big parties. Still amidst it all is plenty of forest, ponds, creeks and a bunch of left over bunkers from WW II and WWI. Some of the bunkers became basements of mansions and homes, yet this really big one stands as a ghost covered with foliage overlooking the surrounding waterways from once proudly standing observation posts and lookouts. What an eary feeling it is walking into this huge yet dark and empty structure that was once built with serious intention to protect the main land and a fleet of war vessels lingering amongst these beautiful and numerous islands that acted as natural harbors.
Our friend’s cottage is a warm and cute dwelling place very functional yet simple and quaint. May this place continue to be a place of peace and harmony for both of you and those that come to visit! Thank you for sharing your peace of heaven with us! 
As we soon learned their neighbors are our neighbors from Florida and there more of people that have their summer homes on this beautiful island and a home in our neighborhood in FL.
Charlotte, Charlie’s mother was a delight to meet and break bread with. Here is a woman in her mid 80 full of energy, vitality and entrepreneurial spirit. She just bought herself a piece of land with a small cottage which she now is renovating and enlarging to her liking. This is a woman full of life that she wants to enjoy and not miss a beat. God bless you Charlotte and may your days be many and filled with blessings and abundance of all good things!
Dinner on the island was delightful at this local restaurant overlooking Portland’s Harbor and the city view at night. As we enjoyed dinner and good conversation a gentle rain emerged and the fog melted away revealing spectacular views. We returned on the local ferry which only took minutes to our surprise.
Next day arrived and in the anticipation of rain and wind we decided to remain in Portland one more day. This gave us the opportunity to visit Joe’s favorite men’s store, Joseph’s which we discovered several years back when we came to visit the Portland Boat Show in March. Mr. Joseph remembered us and was happy to see his old customers. We also found an Ital. deli and a spectacular Oyster Bar that could compete with any oyster place in the world, Eventide Oyster Co. If you did not know but Main has some spectacular oysters and I tasted most of them. Most of them come from the Demariscotta River region and are the sweetest I have ever tasted. Eventide has a great selection of oysters from all over the world.
Bon Appetite!
Portland, MA
Damariscotta to Portland, MA
Such a peace filled sunrise and morning has emerged urging us to leave our dock and move on towards our next destination while enjoying this mirror like scenery of the coastal waters of Maine. Well, we have to wait for Felice to come by and bring my camera that I left behind in her car last night. As soon as that is done we are on our way towards Portland. Numerous islands, rock formations, coves and lobster boats we pass riding along and avoiding those treacherous lobster pods as best as we can. At certain points it just becomes overwhelming but we manage and reach our destination safely.
There were some picture perfect lighthouses we passed beautiful sailboats as well as old schooners too. I even managed to go to the bow and do my yoga for a while. What a treat that is for me! It is a short destination run yet it still takes time for we are on the lookout and want to enjoy the ride too.
It is about mid day when we turn the corner to enter the Casco Bay, pass by Peaks Island and enter Portland’s Harbor. It certainly is a busy place here and too many boats all over the place. Starting with the Ferry followed by a three masted old schooner doing its harbor tour to numerous sightseeing tour boats mixed in some pleasure boats and lobster boats. Lobster boats we passed along the way for they are collecting their pray to bring to shore and sell.
This civilization business really is so disturbing to us every time we reenter into it’s domain. The peace and calm filled with nature sounds on the other hand is so soothing and very much appreciated. May our journey as it continues through more of densely populated areas bring us numerous opportunities to be one with Mother Nature till we learn to carry it with us no matter where we are and how busy it is around us.
We are staying at the DiMillo’s Marina right down town of Portland. It is a great marina with all necessary amenities and a good restaurant right in it. I like the fact that I can walk right into the old town center and do some window shopping while walking and enjoying the scenery. It also is convenient for our friends to come and visit with us. Our first visitor is good old Charlie Hitt who happens to have his summer residence on Peaks Island where he primarily resides all summer long. He had dinner with us on the boat and he and Joe remised all the time about business and challenges that come with it. Joe’s sharing his well acquired wisdom is always fun to watch, and a great gift for those that come to seek it.
Tomorrow our friends Troy and Lori, we met at Staniel Cay last winter are driving down from Bangor area to visit and spend the day with us. What fun it is and what a treat to have friends and acquaintances along the way that grace us with their presence during this special journey of Contessa Going North!
Maine – South Bristol, Damariscotta River
Sunday morning arose with a spectacular sunrise that as on so many occasions urged me to get up and witness the awakening of a new day being greeted by the warm and sparkling rays of a new born sun. I say new born for it is a new day in God’s creation all is beginning with a clean slate of paint up to our creative capacity to paint a picture of our imagination and make it a reality manifest right here and now. Learning to let go of the past and living in the now fully and abundantly is making this day a glorious day filled with potentials unimaginable.
As we linger for an hour or two waiting for the tide to slowly rise giving us a better chance of moving safely along the channel between rocks and shallows around Billings Diesel and Marine marina in Stonington, MA. And so we did, we made it through this narrow channel between the rocks and reefs, passed by some beautiful small islands and witnessed Isle au Haute in the distance. As we just learned Isle au Haute has just been taken over by the Acadia National Park authority making it a natural treasure that it already is. Just now it is being managed by Acadia Park authorities. 
Slowly we ride along this intriguing shore line of Maine, peaking into numerous fingers of bays and rivers as well as numerous islands of which some are larger and inhabited and some are just simply well rounded bolders reaching deep into the ocean as partially visible reefs. A bright crystal clear day makes it so much more pleasurable and those mine fields of lobster pods very visible too. Our run is some 45 nm yet it still is taking us good 4 hours to get to our destination. Just as we reached the Demasccotta River delta the wind started to pick up more reaching 10-15 kn as the day progressed. Glad we have reached our destination just in time. Gamage Marina is just north of the Christmas Cove in South Bristol. We are asked to wait for our dock being a fuel dock and another Eastbay has pulled in just before us to refuel and stay for the night. Docking was a bit tricky for the wind picked up and was pushing us right into the dock. We managed and all went well! A young 15 year old boy by the name Fin (reminding me very much of Huckleberry Fin) was the dock master and did his best in helping us out. Later he even helped me wash down the boat and shamie it as well. Ah well, the joys of boating and the old expression often used in Maine; anything goes in Maine!
That same evening we invited a guest over for dinner, a lovely lady Felicia About a year ago we met her and told her about our upcoming trip in which this area was included and she graciously invited us to call upon her once we get to her area, South Bristol. What a delightful and strong woman this tiny in stature person is and most gracious too. The following morning she returned with her family to greet us and then to take us on a tour of the island, town of Damaresccatta, and North Bristol. Beautiful area filled with ponds and rivers reaching out into the ocean and finally her home situated on top of cliffs overlooking the open ocean. What a delight Sea Horse II is and what a story around its creation. Thank you Felice for sharing your time and part of your life story with us! You are quite an amazing woman and inspirations to me! May your journey through life continue on this positive and happy note that you so well display!
Felice also introduced us to the local Demarisccotta oysters that are sweet and one of the biggest oysters I have yet encountered. The town’s shops are filled with great finds of all kind from daily use items to decorative and artistic ones as well, and not to forget the famous soda fountain. 
To finalize the tour, Felice took us to the John’s Bay Boat Yard where Peter Katz manufactures beautiful wooden boats that are pieces of art and solid structure. We have encountered Peter a few years back when we came to check him out while touring Maine by car and were fortunate enough to visit one of his creations at the Rockland Home and Boat Show a couple of years back. It is Joe’s dream to have a boat built by Peter some day and may that day come sooner than later for these boats are created by a man who has a vision and passion about his boats.
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