Winter time in Maine, Portland

Sugerloaf Mountain, Maine

Portland will be our home until the end of February. Phin Sprague, the TO base manager, has given us a berth at the yacht service centre. Here we can carry out upcoming service work and have some work done professionally. Considering our plans to sail north again, with the option of the North West Passage (NWP), some work (e.g. improving the diesel supply, optimising the rig and maintaining the keel cooling system) and other purchases (e.g. another drift anchor or additional reserve anchor) are important to us. Of course, as always, there are also unforeseen issues. The motto: Better here than in Greenland, once again fits perfectly. The repair and replacement options here are ideal for us.

Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park

After finally checking the one-hour time difference between Canada and Maine after a week in Portland, we explore Portland and the surrounding area. From our berth, we have a 20-minute walk into the city. This distance is covered on foot or on our scooters. This is how we reach the Old Harbour and the city centre. Food on offer including lobsters, fish and oysters is great. There are also plenty of bars and restaurants. Now and again we can't miss the ‘Oyster Happy Hour’. Beautiful brick buildings characterise the cityscape around the waterfront. Strolling past the beautiful houses on the city's hills is a pleasure.

Portland Headlight

In the run-up to the festive season, we attend a Christmas party organised by Portland Yachtservice and get to know the people a little better. And at a rock concert at the State Theatre, we learn a few conventions. These include a thorough security check - Christine's mini pocket knife on the key has to stay outside - and a ‘wristband’ that authorises the purchase of some alcohol. Meeting fellow sailors Steve and Sarah from SY Snowbear and being inspired to buy a bread baking machine. The first snow falls just in time for Christmas. The weather is almost always brilliant after that, with plenty of cold, but no snow. New Year's Eve we take it easy. On Orchard Beach, near Portland, we take part in the Christmas tree burning and subsequent fireworks display at 8.00 pm and enjoy the rest of the evening on board. We are delighted to meet up again with Sam and Arthur from Maine. In Norway, we met in the Sognefjord and now we receive wonderful tips on how to feel at home in Maine and the surrounding area.

Piers in Old Port of Portland

Activities include a visit to the Museum of Art, a trip to a huge outdoor shopping centre LL Bean, a nice walk in Wolfe's Neck Wood State Park, cinema and an ice hockey game of the local team. Besides our regular boating routine, planning for the NWP takes top priority. Studying an enormous mountain of literature, internet links and maps. We find YouTube videos and webinars on the subject very helpful. We make contact with Victor Weijer, who has been supporting sailors on the NWP since 2006 with his knowledge of the ice and weather in the region. Claudia and Jürgen Kirchberger (www.fortgeblasen.at) also give us very good input for Alaska. The first contacts with a few harbours in northern Alaska are quickly established and we are already looking forward to a snowy winter in 2025/2026 - provided we make the passage.

Fore River from Portland Yacht Service

The winter comes to Maine in February. More than once we have to shovel the Aegir free. Temperatures are sometimes below -15 degrees. When the wind blows, it's no fun walking around outside. When conditions are calm and sunny - which we have a lot of here - we go on excursions to the nearest beaches, parks and lighthouses.

Burnt Mountain, Maine

One of the highlights before we continue our journey is a few days in the mountains with a hire car. Sugarloaf Mountain is our destination. Overnight in a hostel and enjoy the relaxed and cosy atmosphere. The kitchen and lounge are shared with the other guests. Although it is very cold and sometimes very windy, it is sunny and we find the right activity for each day. We put our skis and snowshoes to good use: for the first time in our lives, we pay for a ski tour in the Sugarloaf ski area. In these temperatures, we definitely prefer the ascent with our skins to the long chairlifts. And our sea legs enjoy the first relaxed descent on a well-prepared piste. On the second ski tour, we head up Burnt Mountain alone through rough terrain. However, we don't last two minutes on the summit due to the wind and cold. On snowshoes, we follow a well-maintained trail to a cosy hut that is part of the ‘Huts and Trails’ concept. Too bad we don't have more time for a hut tour.

Then comes our first visit on board. Winter is not over yet. Quite the opposite: we need to keep a close eye on our next legs to New York and make the most of the available weather windows. At the end of two months of winter storage, we are looking forward to sailing further south!