Belfast, Maine

On arrival in Newport we had to take the boat alongside a marina pontoon to clear Customs. Once the paperwork was done, the dockmaster kindly let us stay on for a few days so we were able to step on and off, had the luxury of on-board wi-fi (internet) and the use of a swimming pool.

Clare had hoped to join us for some of the coastal trip towards Maine but we had strong NE winds (on the nose) for nearly a week and then she ran out of time.
Instead we spent a couple of days taking in the sights of Newport – the mansions along the Cliff Walk, a harbour full of classic boats and expensive racing yachts, restaurants galore offering fresh seafood…
We also caught up with our good friends Bonnie & Earl who had spent the winter in Newport on their charter boat, the ‘Bonnie Lynn’. (www.bonnielynn.com)



It wasn’t long before we waved Clare off at the bus station, the wind changed, and we started heading ‘down east’. We did the trip in six easy day sails, stopping in some of the same places as last year (Marion, Plymouth, Gloucester) and catching up with old friends along the way.

We tried two new anchorages. Kittery Point, in the entrance to Portsmouth harbour was wide open but sheltered, and overlooked by an old fort (built to keep out the Brits!). The view from the fort was quite spectacular as thunderstorms blackened the sky on an otherwise sunny day.
Jewell Island was a secluded anchorage between two small islands, no facilities but a picture postcard setting, which we shared with just four other boats.

Jewell Island

We had a steaming sail (5-6 knots) from there to Rockland harbour at the mouth of Penobscot Bay, then a gentle afternoon sail up to Belfast, where we are now anchored. We plan to base ourselves here for the summer and just sail locally while Katie gets used to a more settled routine on board. She now sleeps through the night and is mostly a pretty happy bunny.