Outlets to Osprey

From the outlet center of Freeport where LL Bean’s flagship store is surrounded by numerous other brand outlets, we moved to Falmouth, a suburb of Portland, where we’ll be greeting our next guests, Mike and Caroline, arriving from Switzerland today.

The mooring field in Falmouth extends well out into the Casco Bay. The transient mooring balls are the farthest out so it feels like we’re moored in the middle of the bay, even though the surrounding islands offer plenty of protection from swell. There’s a marked channel to go ashore and daymark ‘YL’ is home to an osprey nest. Also known as sea hawks, these raptors hunt fish. Their outer toe is reversible creating opposing claws that can cling on to the most slippery fish.

It was fun to watch them hunt. Their accurate eyesight allows them to spot fish below the surface. They dive at an angle that takes into account the distortion caused by seeing the fish under water. And with their opposing claws, the grab the fish. Certainly more efficent than sitting for hours with a fishing rod!

We went into Portland to go to a gym and provision for the following week. In the afternoon, we took a hike in the Falmouth nature preserve. It was nice to be off the boat, but we got caught in an unexpected downpour on the way back.

I did some maintenance on the boat and Sandy continued to perfect her dinghy captain skills.

Wishing everyone a good weekend!