28 Sep 14

After another very pleasant night, we were up before 08:00 to greet a clear, relatively warm morning and get ready for the short (10 N-m) run down to Portsmouth, NH. Away from the mooring at 09:30, we motor-sailed all the way to Portsmouth, NH, where we picked up a mooring ball at the Portsmouth Yacht Club ($32/night) at 11:00. I believe I have identified the source of the small oil leak we have had since Portland: the dip-stick tube (which was wobbling away unsupported for the last several months (refer to the missing machine screw on the fuel filter - which also supported the dipstick tube) appears to have a small leak where it bolts onto the crank-case. Hopefully, this can be corrected easily. And that is the last of Maine, for this year; we were in state for nearly 6 weeks of mostly gorgeous weather, with only one day of fog, and marred only by our encounter with lobstah pots. Portsmouth is yet another beautiful New England town. The trees are definitely starting to turn, but we are a week or two from peak colors yet. After lunch on board, we went for a wander around historic Portsmouth, which looks really neat. By great good fortune, the Portsmouth Folk Music Festival happened to be going on in several venues downtown, including a good session on the street. We happily spent the whole afternoon singing sea chanties, some old and some new. Back to the boat in time for happy hour, followed by dinner aboard. I think we will stay here for a few days. Interesting at the mooring ball: the ebb current is flowing past us at 2.4 knots - made getting off the YC launch onto the boat quite challenging. 40-04.458’N, 070-43.088’W.

29 Sep 14

After breakfast, we took the dinghy into the dock (the YC launch service stops at 18:00), so we would not be constrained regarding getting back to the boat. We walked the 2.4 miles into town and had lunch at Portsmouth Book and Bar. Then, it was off on the tourist trail, starting with the Portsmouth tourist board, followed by a tour of the John Paul Jones House (where JPJ boarded while they were building his first US Naval command “Ranger”) and then the Warner House, built in 1716. We had cocktails at the RiRa Irish House Pub, followed by dinner at the RiverHouse Restaurant, with a nice view overlooking the Piscataqua River. It was cold and dark when we finished dinner, so we got a taxi back to the YC. Unfortunately, the YC was locked up tight, so I had to climb over the fence to open the gate to let Terri in. We were back on board just after 20:00. Just after we returned to the boat, we heard an awful clank/thump from the bow. Upon investigation, the mooring line had got under the anchor and somehow thrown it off the bow roller. All 55 lbs of it hit the side of the boat and left a lovely, huge scar in the Awlgrip (something else to fix over the winter)! Other than that, it was a good day.