Day 11 – Kennebunkport to Kittery

Day 11 was a wet one. We awoke to rain, we sailed and motored in rain, docked in rain and got thoroughly soaked. It was raining so hard we ended up laughing about it.

We left Kennebunkport at about 10am, headed out of the river and started to sail. The going was slow and we called ahead for reserving a slip. We decided to try a new place in the Portsmouth area. We got a reservation at Badgers Island Marina on the eastern side of the river in Kittery Maine. Darren the enthusiastic person on the phone asked us to be there by 2:30pm so that there was little current. We agreed and started to motor. The current in this river can be viscous and it flows through the marina.

30 minutes before arrival we called the marina to get instructions and started preparing Prairie Gold for the docks. I managed to drop one of the fenders overboard which gave Yolande good boat maneuvering practice including reversing in a cross current. Of course it started raining the hardest of the day when I was out on deck getting everything ready. The next hour was a real downpour.

We arrived and were shown around by Darren – the three of us were soaked.

Yolande and Phil went back to Prairie Gold, changed clothes took a nap and dried out. We walked into Kittery and found a restaurant “Black Birch”. There was a queue inside at 6pm, we put our names down for a table, and rather than stand and wait, went across the road for a little refreshment and came back 30 minutes later. Quickly we were seated at two bar seats and the evening began. Black Birch is owned by three locals who used to work together in a restaurant down the street. They decided to set up their own thing, and great restaurant this is. We had a great evening of small plates and at a wonderful price.

As we left it was really foggy

We had originally hoped to walk across the bridge that is next to the marina into Portsmouth. However, it is under renovation and closed. Apparently it was due to be completed for reopening on July 17th 2013. However, the project is not yet completed. Consequently they are working around the clock which meant the evening/night on the boat was not one of the most peaceful.