Thursday June 12
I scheduled a puffin and whale watching sightseeing cruise in Boothbay so I drove about 1.5 hours south and arrived at 8am in a very empty Boothbay.
The parking lot at the docks was $40!! But the attendant said I could stay 24 hours so I counted it as my campsite for the night and it made me less sad for the fee.
After a wonderful eggs Benedict breakfast I decided to amble around town.
The local kayak touring center gave me some tips about where to paddle and told me about seal pups on an island close by. But I didnt want to spend the effort getting my paddleboard out and inflating it.
I needed to prepare for my afternoon boat trip which meant I had to find a drugstore with dramamine. On my 3 mile walk to the store(I was also too lazy to get my ebike out) , I found an ebike store Pedago.
I inquired about where I could ride and got tons of suggestions, directions and maps.
It was getting to be time to board the boat so I saved the information for later.
I was happy to find out the boat was 90 feet so a big one and less chance of me getting sick.
I was in one of the first groups to board and got a seat up front so I could see the horizon.
Our first stop was Eastern Egg Rock Island to see Puffins. A scientist in the 70s reintroduced puffins to the island and they are flourishing. They were hard to see because they are small and looked like baby ducks. But we saw them swimming and flying.
Then we went further out to see to spot whales. We were about 17 miles out when the naturalist aboard explained how to spot whales. You look for the water spot they emit just before surfacing. Then you will see their dorsal tail and if they are diving, the whale tail or the “fluke.”
So everyone was to be on lookout for sightings and shout if you see anything.
Sure enough, way out I spot a waterspout! The captain drives the boat in that direction and we are treated to an hour of watching a humpback whale surface again and again.
Cindy, a woman from Florida whom I sat next to had a giant camera. We exchanged emails and im hoping to receive some of her photos.
On our way back into the harbor we passed and old tallship. It looked like the ship Niagara from Lake Erie. My friend had sailed it and is a part of a group trying to keep it preserved. There are some issues and arguments over it. So I sent her a photo and sure enough, it IS the Niagara. It was sailed there for repairs.
I was so glad I booked the trip. It was four hours and I didn’t get sick. Though looking thru Binoculars was not so good.
Once back on land I hopped on my bike and rode around the town. I found a park with some singletrack. It was kinda hard and at one point I kinda crushed my arm against a tree.
That was enough excitement for the day so I ate some gluten free pizza and went to sleep in the van in the parking lot.