So long, Henri

Just a quick update today: We are underway westbound in the Atlantic Ocean, between Cape Small and Harpswell Neck. The remnants of Henri have seas at 3'-4', but on a long period that makes for a gentle roll. Watching them crash ashore, however, is impressive. According to the NHC, Henri is officially dissipated, and was a complete non-event for us.

The storm came ashore with a vengeance in Rhode Island, pummeling Block Island before arriving in Narragansett Bay. Cold water had already weakened it, and then it drove well inland through Massachusetts, losing much of its strength before turning east. Even though it went back out to sea, conditions here do not support intensification.

Fog creeps in to our very calm anchorage after sunset.

The occasional gust of 30 over a steady 20 that I wrote about Sunday was the most we ever saw, less than half Vector's personal best of over 70mph. We need not have even put out any additional scope in our well-protected, good-holding anchorage. I made a nice steak on the grill Sunday evening, in light drizzle and wind courtesy of Henri.

Yesterday it was as if nothing had happened at all, and we had a quiet day aboard, knowing seas outside were still over eight feet. But it was calm in our anchorage and even in Boothbay Harbor, and we again made the long tender ride into town for dinner, landing at Taka on the waterfront. It was nice to get off the boat and stretch our legs; after dinner we walked out to the middle of the historic footbridge and back.

What the swell we are in looks like against the rocky shore. My camera could not really capture it.

We had been fully prepared to remain hunkered down another day. With the last forecast models showing Henri as a Tropical Depression with a defined center until sometime this evening, the NHC issued its final advisory at 5am this morning. A check of our various passage weather resources showed great conditions tomorrow, but acceptable ones today, and we decided to move along. That's a great anchorage, but we were ready to be done.

This afternoon we will be in Casco Bay, possibly all the way to Portland. We have some errands there and friends to visit before we continue west and south. We're in no hurry to leave Maine, which still has a better case rate than anywhere else on the seaboard, but we also want to avoid the frigid temperatures we had last year by dragging our heels too long.

Passing the historic navigational monument on Little Mark Island. Seas have calmed considerably.

The plotter says we will be in Portland by 3:30. My next post will be under way out of Portland for a final stop or two along the SW Maine coast.