A Special Delay

Friday started out well; the weather was fantastic and we got up early to set sail. About four hours into our trip, Jared noticed a ticking sound in the motor. I immediately started to smell something burning, and we shut off the motor right away. Being the talented engineer that he is, Jared managed to take apart the motor to discover that part of it had been completely rushed off by the harsh salt water! He tried to fix it himself, but unfortunately did not have the correct tools onboard. The ocean was completely calm without one knot of wind, so it was impossible for us to sail to shore. Here’s where Tow Boat US comes to the rescue!

While Jared was trying to fix the engine, I started to hear blowhole sounds. I knew a whale was near! All of the sudden, one popped above the surface about 100 feet away from the boat. I was so excited; I yelled to Jared to come above deck. We looked around for a few minutes trying to determine where the whale had gone. The next thing we knew, there was a huge whale on the opposite side of the boat, right next to us! It was amazing to see the whale so close to our sailboat. We also discovered that Morgan is quite good at whale watching. She hears them before we do, so we can often catch a glimpse of them if we look in the same direction as her. We’ve seen about ten whales so far, but they don’t stay around for pictures. Jared researched the different types of whales, and we learned that we have been seeing Minke whales. These type of whales usually stay under water for up to 20 minutes, so that’s why it is hard to keep an eye on them. The experience of seeing a whale swim under the boat was worth the time it took waiting for Tow Boat US to come save us.

We were already four hours into our schedule, so we had to be towed all the way back near our starting point. Jared called ahead to a service marina in Kittery, Maine, and they allowed us to stay on their dock for free while they fixed the engine. It was nice to have a shower and electricity again! We thought we would have to order a new part, which would delay us for 5 days. However, the repairman was able to fix the old part in order to get us on our way. Jared will have to reinstall the part when we get back from our trip in August, but at least we won’t be delayed.

Since we were so close to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, we decided to take advantage of our night off. We crossed the river from Maine to New Hampshire and docked our dingy in Prescott Park, right across from Strawbery Banke. This is an outdoor museum near the waterfront that contains 40 historic buildings that depict life from 1695 to 1955. Each of the homes are furnished in period style and have adjoining gardens cultivated according to their eras. Portsmouth was originally named Strawbery Banke in honor of the berries that covered the banks of the river.

Portsmouth is a town full of interesting shops and great restaurants. We spend most of the evening walking around town. A local shop owner even told us about a casual restaurant/bar called the Rusty Hammer. After dinner, we walked back to Prescot Park and saw that the Wizard of Oz was being performed on a small stage. There were many children and adults enjoying the evening play. The area seems like a great place to live, and we enjoyed our quick time in Portsmouth :)