July 2       Portsmouth, New Hampshire                                               

The weather was sunny and the water was calm but we had to get fuel before continuing our journey.  We headed across the harbor to Beverly Point Marina in Beverly, Massachusetts. During our lengthy fueling process, David conversed with the friendly attendant and learned we could buy freshly caught lobsters at a store nearby.  We all agreed that was a great dinner solution and Blake and Amanda were dispatched for eight lobsters.  They soon returned with two large containers filled with eight one and half pound lobsters.  Total cost was $40.00.

Following the advice of the attendant, I boiled a large pot of salted water and tossed two of them at a time into the water for eight minutes.  The claws were secured with rubber bands so they could not fight me.  After cooking, I put them in the refrigerator to cool.

With minimal direction from David, Blake soon took over the piloting and in little time was demonstrating remarkable skill at staying on course and keeping careful watch for obstacles and other vessels.  David had time to rest and Amanda joined him on the sofa, looking wan from motion sickness.  Our cruise to Portsmouth was delightful with our only concern being the many lobster pots that surrounded us.  Fortunately, our boat has cutters to keep the pots from winding around our props but we have been warned they don’t always prevent problems.

Portsmouth harbor is a busy place with many commercial vessels.  Tugs and barges vied with numerous power and sailboats.  Marinas are few but we had chosen one that was easily accessible to downtown.  Unfortunately, we arrived at high tide and the current was strong.  The dock master advised us to dock with the bow facing south with the current but change in two hours to bow facing north to take advantage of the ebb current.

Blake, Amanda, and I left the boat and explored the charming downtown area.  It was an active place with lovely shops and carefully maintained older buildings.  We caught a bus and went to a grocery store to replenish our stores and to buy corn and potatoes for our New England lobster dinner.  When we returned to the boat, the strong current had subsided and we turned the boat without incident.  In an offhand remark, the dock master noted that a ladder similar to our small one had been lost recently by the strong current rocking the dock.  Determining that our ladder was securely mounted by special brackets, we chose to ignore his advice.

Dinner on the aft deck was a memorable event as we dined on perfectly cooked lobsters, corn, and boiled new potatoes.  All of us agreed it was the best lobster we had ever tasted. Dessert was ‘smores made with graham crackers, Nutella, and marshmallow cream. Satiated with good food and memories of a lovely day, we retired for a peaceful night.