Friday morning we left for the short (8 mile) sail to the Portsmouth Harbor. It was a brisk sail over, heeled to about 20 degrees. Wickie was not pleased. But we scooted right along.
As we approached the Portsmouth Harbor, we had a GREAT treat - a submarine was coming in!!! We watched the tugboat chug out to escort her in, and then, the marine police and 2 large, armed Coast Guard vessels.
It was so impressive to watch her rise from the water and appear.
The Coast Guard kept announcing on the VHF to stay at least 500 ft from her. One sailboat was coming out of the harbor, getting too close. The armed Coast Guard boat simply pulled up beside her, pushed her to where they wanted her with their boat, and apparently boarded her to ensure she went where they wanted her.
As she pulled into Portsmouth harbor, headed up river to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the sailors began appearing on the top of the sub. It was really cool!
We also passed the lighthouse at the old Fort William and Mary. Very picturesque. We may go explore it. This is where the very first act of aggression by the Ameican Reps occurred at the start of the Revolutionary War. It's a pretty interesting website, if you'd like to read it.
Now in Portsmouth, we are again seeing our friends Gail and Eric, and waiting out the remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna, anchored near the mooring field of the Portsmouth Yacht Club. As the hours progress, the storm forecast gets less severe. We think we'll have winds of about 30 knots; mainly a lot of rain. We will be here until at least Tuesday. The storm rips through on Saturday night/Sunday. We have some plans for errands, sightseeing, and reprovisioning on Monday.
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