Leaving Maine for New Hampshire

Leaving Maine for New Hampshire

Our last stop in Maine was the tiny village of York – a harbor with lots of protection but a tricky entrance.  We arrived with the slack tide to prevent any currents that might push us out of the narrow curvy channel and found an empty mooring with the help of fellow boaters.  The harbor master had earlier told us we would find plenty but he was not on the radio or phone when we actually arrived to provide directions.  This casual approach seems the hallmark of York.  We launched the dink and found a place to leave it on the Donnell dock so we could take a walk.  Mr. Donnell also gave us clear directions to the foot path and the sites we would see along the way.  The Wiggly Bridge was indeed wiggly, the remnants of the old lift bridge were visible, and we think we even saw the wharf which once belonged to John Hancock of Declaration of Independence fame.  Sadly the Old Goal which is reputed to the oldest British building remaining in the states was closed on our visit.  The outside did provide some entertainment and the walk a little exercise for legs and eyes. The harbor master, John,  also eventually caught up with us to collect and provide local knowledge for our onward journey.

Leaving on a slack we were able to arrive at the Portsmouth NH Prescott Park Docks while the current was still neutral.  This river has fierce currents at the max ebb and flood which would make docking here more tricky than fun. 

With good luck the tides gave us almost two full days in this historic town, but this was not enough to do justice to all the options.  We did manage a walking tour and several homes – just a sample of the many buildings covering almost 400 years of history.  According to the Discovery Center film, Portsmouth was lucky that it was not too prosperous and many of its early buildings were not torn down in the name of progress.  Nevertheless, the town deserves credit for recognizing and preserving the architecture which now makes this such an interesting place to visit. 

In addition, our dock put us opposite the Portsmouth Shipyard which has been an economic engine for this community from its earliest days. And, as is often the case in busy harbors, we were both entertained and rocked by the big and small ships on the river. Both shipping and ship building are still active pursuits in Portsmouth, NH.