Portland Maine – 2024

The marine forecast Monday night called for patchy fog before 9:00 AM, so we planned to leave around then.

The thought of running through the narrow, rock-laden channel in fog again kept me up most of the night.

I awoke to sunshine with a bit of fog up by Camden.

By 7:00, the fog had rolled back in as a small cruise ship docked at the Yacht Club.

I started looking for webcams in Maine and found two.

The one in Portland looked pretty good.

The City of Rockland has an excellent webcam on their website, and I could see the shoreline on the other side, so I gave the go-ahead to depart.

Everything looked good as we left the inner harbor.

Unlike Sunday, Owls Head was perfectly clear.

We continued to run in the clear until we approached Ash Island.

And then the fog reappeared.

The Dockmaster had suggested running due east to Mohegan Island before heading south toward Portland to avoid the coastal fog and lobster pots.

We were never in zero visibility, but it took about thirty minutes to get fully clear.

The ocean was like glass for three hours.

I came into Portland via a narrow channel to the north. We had a little fog off Portland, but nothing we couldn’t deal with.

The last time we were in Portland, we stayed at Dimillos. It was okay, but the slips back up to high-rise condos, and the ocean view is limited.

I messaged the dockmaster to see where he’d put us, but he didn’t get back to me quickly, so we booked Fore Points instead.

Fore Points Marina

It’s a very Yachty Marina with multiple super yachts, a few mega yachts, and more regular yachts than you can count.

They initially put us in a 55’ slip, and as we tried to squeeze in, Mrs. Horne said, “I can’t get off the boat in this slip.”

We then moved to an inside the west straight dock.

Fore Points is located along the main causeway into Portland and has a serious wave mitigation system to smooth the 2-3’ incoming seas.

By the time we moved, took on 300 gallons of diesel, and set up, it was after 1:00, and we were getting “Hangry.”

We headed to Brickyard Hollow and sat at the bar.

Like many breweries/gastropubs, Brickyard Hollow is a converted garage.

It was 89° in Portland and muggy. We took less than 60 seconds to leave in a quest for an air-conditioned restaurant.

The East Ender

A quick search and sort-by-distance on Yelp revealed a 4+ Star eatery right up the hill. It’s right next door to Duckfat, but I wasn’t in the mood for fries and a panini.

It’s a tiny place with a short bar.

The menu looked skimpy at first, but it actually provided something for everyone.

It looked like something called Roc Potatoes were their signature dish. The bartender said they were partially cooked baked potatoes that were cut up like rocks and deep fried.

Of course, we had to try some!

We ordered them with “The Secret Sauce,” which was similar to Thousand Islands, but more of an Aoili.

The texture was fantastic, but the seasoning included a hint of cajun spices. I don’t care for cajun spices, and I really don’t like it when a potent ingredient is not listed on the menu as part of the dish.

Both Peter and Mrs. Horne had Smashburgers.

Peter ordered Roc Potatoes as a side, which was overkill.

Mrs. Horne ordered the Cole Slaw side. It was homemade and had a vinegar-based dressing.

I knew I’d be feasting on the Rocs, so I ordered a Fish Salad Add-on. Hold the salad!

It was terrific. The cornmeal crust was excellent but heavy. I was glad that I only ordered one piece.

When we got back to the boat, it was still too hot and muggy to sit out on the skydeck. I persuaded the crew to watch my favorite contemporary Sci-Fi movie – The Arrival.

I think they liked it, but the ending confused Mrs. Horne. Welcome to contemporary movies!

Door Dash Chinese

Mrs. Horne was beat from her sleepless night and the Portland heat. Rather than rouse her to go out for dinner, I opened my DoorDash app and searched for Chinese Food.

When food delivery services first appeared five years ago, I got burned twice and was very skeptical. Lately, I’ve been using DoorDash exclusively, and I’ve been very pleased.

Door Dash suggested Zen Chinese, which had a great menu.

I know photos of take-out aren’t very impressive, but I took them nevertheless.

The driver met me at the marina’s gate. Despite coming from Scarborough, the tightly packed and stapled paper bag was almost too hot to hold.

The food was well-executed Chinese, with substantial portions loaded with protein.

Here’s the tab:

At first glance, it appears we paid just $17.00 for all that convenience. But if you compare the restaurant menu to the DoorDash menu, you’ll find that everything was marked up a few bucks.

Still, it was hot, fresh, and delicious – and far less than we would have paid in a restaurant.

The seas calmed as we turned in for the night.

Unfortunately, heavy winds were forecast for Thursday and Friday, so we needed to get as far south as possible on Wednesday if we were to get home by the weekend.

I was holding slips in Portsmouth, NH, Salem, Boston, and Plymouth. My goal was Plymouth, but it was almost 125 miles south. I told the crew to plan on a 7:00 AM departure.

I woke up at 4:45 AM yesterday and snapped a photo of the eastern skies

I was warned!

Next Up – Surreal Run South