Lobster Traps Everywhere

August 19, 2013UncategorizedLobster Traps, MaineDiana

People were not exaggerating about the lobster traps in Maine! We thought they were bad when we went into BoothBay Harbor, but we hadn’t seen nothing yet! When we left Boothbay we wound through the islands to get to our anchorage for the night. It was beautiful but all three of us had to be on high alert at all times; getting one of those traps wrapped around our props would be bad news. Plus just to make it more interesting there were traps where the rope was not long enough so they were under water! You didn’t see those until you were right on top of them. We’re just one little boat and during our time in Maine we went directly over six of those submerged traps. It really makes you wonder how many are out there!

Can you see them?

Brett on lookout.

One of the perks of paying so close attention was that we got to see a whale! Not great pictures but it was very exciting! We’ve seen whales, dolphins, seals and even sea turtles on our voyages!

BoothBay Harbor

August 16, 2013TourismBoothbay Harbor, lobster, MaineDiana

As we continued “Down East” we stopped at Booth Bay Harbor. Boothbay is a small town that swells to over 50,000 people in the summer. Year round residents we were told are about 5,000. We heard that in the winter it’s only the lobstermen and their families and folks who work for a school or bank. Well, since we were there in the summer it was pretty happening. It was a good spot to do some outdoor activities! We got our kayaks in the water and kayaked around the harbor for a bit. It’s pretty calm waters as long as you stay away from the lobster boats!

Getting the boats in the water

Brett in the inflatable

There goes Ryan

Views from the water

We also got up early to take a hike. We took a dingy ride over to a small island that had some public hiking trails on them. Ryan and Brett kept saying how it reminded them of the Pacific Northwest but not as pretty. On our hike we were able to spy on a lobster boat checking its trap.

I spy a lobster boat!

Got anything good?

The island was pretty and small enough that we were able to go from one end to the other. We came out at the far end and had a great view of the surrounding area.

Ryan and Brett decided it was time for another homemade lobster dinner. So on a recommendation they went off to one of the fishermen and brought back our dinner. They used the same recipe as before and the lobsters turned out great.

Dinner

Up close

Checking the pot.

We also spent some time enjoying the town and went out a few nights. On our last night we found a really good restaurant with sushi! Yum! We’d been getting tired of pub food so sushi was a nice change.

Ryan posing 🙂

Enjoying a night out!

The other Portland http://t.co/A0lvjoo55d

One of the many well loved Pearson 303s we’ve been seeing on the East Coast; hope Frog is doing well. http://t.co/lDRxQ9CMk4

Drinking Taint Town Ale by Shipyard Brewery

Just arrived in Kennebunkport Maine; looking to spot a few Bush http://t.co/jRMgBvMSjd

2 presidents 1 town

August 10, 2013Dog, TourismKennebunk, Kennebunkport, MaineDiana

We made it to Maine! And our first stop was Kennebunkport, famous for housing the Bush compound. It might have been the excitement of reaching Maine but everything seemed prettier! Our anchorage was in the river on one of the town moorings and we had great access to the town and a beautiful view from our backyard.

First sighting of the Bush compound.

Entering Kennebunkport

Happy to be in Maine!

The town was really cute and I loved all the shops. I missed my mom though because the boys weren’t that in to shopping. Go figure! I think I need to bring my mom back here to really do it right!

We took a trolley ride around town so that we could see more of the sights. We got a great view of the Bush compound. And, we were told that the elder Bush was in residence at the time.

Bush compound

The trolley also took us by an old monastery and some of the local beaches.

Franciscan monestery

Maine beach….where are all the people?

After our trolley tour we walked around some more and enjoyed the beautiful weather and the beautiful town.

Can you spot Ryana in the background?

We met an interesting guy who was solo sailing a Pearson 303 (just like our old boat Frog). He was a school teacher who took off on his boat for the summer. He had just found a message in a bottle from a family who had enjoyed their Maine vacation. Since they had just put it in the water 2 days before he found it he said he was going to wait a week before contacting them so they didn’t feel bad. LOL!

In one of the local stores we found a new addition to Stanley’s wardrobe. Now he is ready for any occasion!

Stanley feeling fancy!

Pug-n-Stuff

August 6, 2013Dogcruising dog, Dog on a boatDiana

Stanley gets a lot of attention wherever we go. Most people think he’s super cute or still a puppy. There was the lady he scared to death b/c she didn’t like dogs and the little girl who called him a fat doggy (he was depressed for a week after that one!) but mostly people like Stanley. We’re often asked what kind of dog Stanley is and to be honest we don’t know for certain! We do know he’s pug though so Ryan started telling people that Stanley is pug-n-stuff. I think this is the best description so far so here are some pictures of Stanley our pug-n-stuff mutt.

Why hello there

Whatchyou say?

Gorton Fish Stick Country

August 5, 2013TourismGloucester, lobster, Massachusetts, Rocky NeckDiana

Ever wonder where those delicious fish sticks of our childhood come from? Turns out they come from Gloucester, MA! We had heard good things about Gloucester which is a small fishing village so were excited to head there. Plus with our new crew Brett on board it would be a short sail to get him acquainted with the boat. The wind was blowing 20 when we left Boston so we got the sails up right away and had good sailing weather the entire trip!

Hello Gloucester!

We’d heard that we should take a dingy ride down one of the side canals in Gloucester and check out the houses and scenery, so one afternoon we hopped in the dingy and did just that. The canal was pretty, the houses were awesome and the views were great.

Brett

Dingy captain at work

Gloucester also has a vibrant artist community on Rocky Neck. There are over 20 galleries, some even in people’s homes! We spent a morning wandering through them before settling in for lunch. I tried a lobster roll for the first time and it was so good!

The highlight of Gloucester was getting and cooking our own lobsters. Brett found a recipe in the magazine that he was reading on the plane so we gathered the ingredients and got the pot boiling. First though Stanley had to meet the lobsters. He seemed a little hesitant and wasn’t sure if he wanted to be friends. Well there friendship wouldn’t have lasted long anyway because into the pot they went. They came out a beautiful lobster red and Ryan and Brett dug right in. There was lobster flying everywhere as they sucked it down! The verdict – DELICIOUS!

Oyster appetizer

Stanley making friends

Wave for the camera!

Into the pot!

Checking progress

They’re ready!!!

Poor little mega yacht

August 3, 2013UncategorizedDiana

It’s funny sometimes to see what you know is a big yacht next to a REALLY big yacht. It almost makes you feel sorry for them. Yeah right! Also, the “little” one is named Sunday Money which I think is an awesome name for a boat owned by a televangelist! 😉

Look at the cute little mega yacht…

The Voyage of Ryana

Ryan, Diana and Stanley explore the world Western Atlantic by boat