Back On the Water

We are once again on the water.

After our time in South Dakota we rented a car, loaded it up and drove back to the boat which we had left in New Hampshire.  The transmission was ready but there was one part that they could not order until we arrived.  After giving them the information they needed we went about getting the boat ready.  First we needed to deal with the rental car.  In ordering the car for a one way rental we had return it to an agreed agency.  This one was in Manchester N.H. about an hour away.  In order to drop off the car and return to the boat we first had to rent another car locally, drive both to Manchester, drop one off and return to the boat and then return the second car a couple of days later.  It's all about logistics.  We needed a gallon of paint to touch up the bottom and the closest dealer was near Boston, so off we went to Massachusetts.  Having the car made everything easier making runs for groceries, boat parts and to treat ourselves to several meals out.  After a couple of days we had to turn in the car hoping we didn't need to make anymore trips.

We planned to have the boat launched as soon as the transmission was in but Mother Nature had other plans.  Hurricane Lee was churning out in the Atlantic and no-one had a good idea where it was going to make landfall, but Maine was definitely on the list.  We worked on getting the boat ready while watching the hurricanes progress.  As predicted the hurricane was going to impact Maine and since Maine is just across the river we were going to have to deal with the storm.  As the storm got closer it became apparent that it was going to shift to the east and, luckily, we would only feel the effects of the outer bands.  Friday was a beautiful day and I took the opportunity to apply the paint to the bottom and get ready for the rain and winds.  Saturday started off with rain but quit about mid-day but the winds built.  Taking a break from sitting on the boat we walked down to the harbor and realized that the boat was sitting in a well protected spot.  The winds were much higher down by the water.  Sunday and Monday were rainy just as forecast.

With the storm moving on we were scheduled to be launched.  After lunch on Tuesday the lift arrived, picked up Hi Flite and brought her down to the harbor.  After being lowered into the water they let us stay in the slip until the water calmed as the tide changed.  There is a very strong current in the river as the tide rises and falls with a bit of calm water as the tide changes.  Once the current dropped we moved out to a mooring ball to spend the night and preparing to leave the next morning at low tide.  We needed to leave at low tide because of a bridge we have to go under.  The top of our mast is almost fifty feet off the water.  The bridge we were going under is listed at forty-six feet of clearance.  There is about six feet of tidal range which means that at low tide there SHOULD be fifty two feet of clearance.  It was a very tense moment when we went under the bridge when we first arrived and it was just as tense going out.  Once out into the main river channel we proceeded down the river and back to the Kittery Point anchorage to spend the night before continuing on in the morning

We had hoped to be back on the water soon after arriving and moving up the Maine coast visiting some of our favorite anchorages and exploring new one.  Circumstances changed that and we ended up spending over two weeks on the boat waiting to be launched.  We planned on spending about a month before starting our way south but we will have to cut that short to stay ahead of the weather.  We have our next week planned and then will be playing it by ear letting the weather dictate what we do.

It is good to feel the boat moving gently below us again.