Thursday 29th September 2011 – alongside in Portland

Hi everyone and welcome to Portland in the State of Maine. This is the largest city in the state and has a population of around 63,000.

Visitors like us are drawn to Portland's historic Old Port district along Portland Harbour, which is at the mouth of the Fore River and part of Casco Bay where we sailed into around 7.30 this morning.

Maine is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick and is the only US state to border just one other state that being New Hampshire to the west. To the south and east is the Atlantic Ocean that has more than 5,500 miles of inlets, bays and harbours that make up its spectacular ocean scenery. I managed to see just a little of this on the tour that I escorted.

The Old Port area of Portland was like many other sea ports, decaying and looking distinctly shabby but today it has been redeveloped into a fine array of boutiques, bars and restaurants. Our passengers enjoyed strolling the streets looking for the more unusual gifts and mementos.

On this call we are alongside at an all but new facility with a covered walkway to a new terminal that has all the things we tend to expect these days. The Tourist Information Office here is excellent and all day long the passengers were having their questions answered efficiently and were given good quality literature.

Portland has had its share of well known personalities over the years and perhaps the best known, the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, described Portland as a most beautiful town seated by the sea. All around the city are memorials and plaques that commemorate the great man.

His former home, now beautifully restored draws visitors from all over.

It is strange I feel that it is only when a significant building in any town is demolished there is suddenly a large void left. This happened here in Portland when the railway station was knocked down. The local people then decided to initiate a movement that would mean that the old homes would be saved and restored. Therefore, today there are many fine homes that deserve a mention. One such home was bequeathed to a local man who as a boy delivered papers to the then lady owner. He always said that if he ever owned this house he would be in heaven. So, when the lady died she made his wish come true and he still lives there today.

There are other interesting structures in and around Portland and I pointed out in my presentation the octagonal wooden tower on Munjoy Hill. This distinctive landmark is the Portland Observatory; the country's last surviving 19th century signal tower on the Atlantic.

It was built in 1807 on Munjoy Hill on the eastern end of the Portland peninsula. This 86-foot tower, which stands 240 feet above sea level, was used to identify ships entering the harbour and not as a lighthouse as many people think.

Talking of lighthouses, for hundreds of years mariners have been guided to safety by Maine’s many lighthouses. In fact there are around 63 of them and several are accessible over coastal paths.

Unsurprisingly over the years many well known photographers have come to the area to capture these unique buildings on camera. Perhaps the best known is the Portland Head Light that was commissioned by George Washington in 1791, making it the oldest lighthouse in the state.

I visited this light on tour and I managed to capture the rough seas pounding the rocky shoreline here, all very exhilarating.

Whilst at the light I also spotted a plaque that stated the fact that Wadsworth would go there and talk to the keepers.

Also painted on the rocks was a message that stated that in 1886 the ship Annie Maguire was wrecked on the rocks. I have never spotted this before.

Staying with things associated with the ocean Maine is America’s undisputed lobster capital and the cold, clean water and rocky bottom of the Maine coast are the ideal habitat for the lobster. We had a tour here that would allow the passengers the unique opportunity to taste the best lobster fresh from those waters this morning. My colleagues and I decided to pop into the downtown area to try some for ourselves.

You can get a little messy but the locals here are geared up for the casual visitor and you can enjoy the tasty meat without getting completely covered in water and pieces of shell.

Some of our passengers who have been here before know of the delights of Kennebunkport. This rather pretty coastal town is just 23 miles from Portland and is the part time home town of ex President George Bush Snr.

The town has a lively area of shops and restaurants, but its reputation comes from the upmarket homes that line the picturesque avenues and coastal stretches.

It is always good to visit Portland and today was no exception. I hoped our passengers also enjoyed the experience and from their comments as they returned ‘home’ to Aurora they did just that.


Bye for now.

Graham Howell