“We had a very nice navy once”, said our new friend Morten, “but you came along a stole it”.  Morten Tang, our fellow guest and a Dane, my wife Gill and I were sat in the lounge each enjoying a glass of duty free whiskey at the end of a very busy first day in New York.  I can’t remember how we got on to the subject of the Battle of Copenhagen, but even after 200 years, the outcome of Nelson’s action was still a matter of deep sadness to Morten.

 

Last May Gill and I decided to take a few days’ break in the Big Apple before heading up for a further fortnight in New England.  We opted to stay in a small Brooklyn bed & breakfast rather than an impersonal hotel in New York City. Our fellow guests were Morten and Birgit from Denmark, and Roland from Switzerland.  Later two Austrians joined us, ee had to wait till our last day for any American visitors to arrive.  However, we all enjoyed our “sunny-side up” American breakfasts.  But we enjoyed sharing our day’s adventures with our holiday friends over a drink in the evening even more.

 

Throughout our short stay we used local suburban train services for all our journeys, which made us feel more a part of the city’s life and less like a tourist.  Although we felt a bit awkward at having to enquire about the best way to get, say, to Brooklyn Bridge Photos, we found in the space of a few seconds nearly everyone on the train was advising us on not only the best route to take but also where were the best vantage points.  So unlike travelling on London’s Northern Line!

 

As the weather was warm and sunny Gill and I decided to keep away from New York’s famous museums and art galleries, but walked and wandered around town straining our necks ogling the magnificent Manhattan skylinePhotos.  Over the next few days we went bird and people watching in Central Park Photos; we visited Wall Street and stood alongside the Merrill Lynch Bull Photos; went to see the rebuilding work at Ground Zero and saw the memorial bell Photos a gift from the people of London, ending with the war memorials in Battery Park. (§)

 

Surely the best free ride in the world, with more great views this time of the Statue of Liberty, Photos is the Staten Island Ferry. On Staten Island we were humbled by the poignancy of the memorial to the people of the Staten Island Photos who lost their lives in the World Trade Centre.

 

For our last day in New York we met some American friends with whom we had travelled previously on the train from Florence to Venice.  They showed us around Times Square and the Rockfeller Centre.  However, the high spot of the day was lunch in the Oyster Bar of Grand Central Station Photos.  My half-dozen oysters were excellent preparation for what was awaiting us in the next part of our holiday, a six-day cruise off the coast of Maine!

 

To be truthful we were just a little wary of visiting the United States after reading some dreadful stories of the rudeness of the US Immigration officials. Despite our flight being delayed and not getting our Green Forms until we were actually in the queue we experienced nothing but help from the very busy staff.

 

A crash course in Woody Allen movies and a suitcase of guidebooks would assist your time in New York City, but nothing prepares you for its spirit and the sheer generosity of its people.

 

I hope it won’t be too long before we visit this wonderful city again.

 

Paddy Browne

Tue Sep 16 16:15:11 UTC+0100 2008

 

 

 

“Hi there! You must be Gill and Paddy”.  The Bushmills container poking out of my rucksack was the giveaway.  We were relieved to be met by Rick Miles, our host for the next six days, as we had not appreciated the procedures involved in US bus travel.  Buses stop usually at a town’s outskirts and we had been wondering how we were going to get down to the dock to join the Wanderbird, our home for the next six days.  Rick soon had our luggage and ourselves packed into his huge Ford pickup alongside Pilot the Labrador to take us down to Belfast’s dock where we boarded the Wanderbird.

 

The Wanderbird is an ex-North Sea trawler, originally called the Jaczon, which Rick and his wife bought in Europe and sailed across the Atlantic to Maine and Nova Scotia where the 90-footer was converted to carry passengers.   The transformed Wanderbird is now an expedition vessel that accommodates 12 passengers in 6 comfortable double cabins, each with its own toilet, sink and shower with lots of hot water. 

 

Besides the 3 — 6 day cruises and voyages, focused around Penobscot Bay and the Maine Coast, Rick & Karen also operate several two-week long cruises up the Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador coasts in July and August, when the ice has cleared. These latter expeditions give passengers an opportunity of not only seeing the many varieties of seabirds, seals and whales but a chance to glimpse the Great White Bear.  On these trips the Wanderbird calls into the remote anchorages, and Inuit fishing settlements that are cut off from the Canadian mainland for much of the year.

 

The intention on all the Miles’ trips is to make as low an impact on the natural environment as possible.  A slow revving bio-diesel engine powers the Wanderbird, as well as running a heat exchanger that not only keeps the engine cool but also provides the heat for the cabins and all the hot water.  The ex-trawler is also equipped with sails, which steady the ship when underway and helps with fuel economy.  With its massive bank of batteries the “hotel” side of the Wanderbird can be supported without engine power for over 12 hours and the boat can lie whisper-quiet at anchor.

 

Both Karen and Rick Miles have seafaring and fishing backgrounds with strong attachments to Maine and the Canadian Maritimes.  They are keen ecologists and a font of information about wildlife and the natural migration paths of Northeast America. 

 

“We try to run the business in a responsible way”, Karen told me one morning when preparing the day’s meals.  “We support the local economies as much as we can by purchasing our food and supplies as we come up the coast”.  They both have an enthusiastic way that comes from doing something they love and their unassuming confidence in each other and their crew makes the whole operation look easy. 

 

Apart from the Miles the Wanderbird has a crew of three, Bianca, Ben and Matt, who share all the jobs between them.  Also on board are Maggie and Pilot, two black Labradors, Hector the cat and Junior a blue & yellow macaw.  Maggie has been blind from birth but that doesn’t stop her enjoying herself.  “Well”, says Rick, “ I guess she doesn’t know she’s blind!”

 

Maggie and Pilot get trips ashore every day along with the passengers when we stop off at the islands.  Hector apparently has no great wish for life ashore and Junior is content to patrol the bridge and chartroom.

 

Gill and I were a little dubious at first about taking our six-day Pelagic Bird Watching trip last June.  We are keen on wildlife but have a limited knowledge on the subject.  What if we have to spend a whole week  “up-close-and-personal” with keen “birders” or “twitchers”?   We needn’t have worried, for our fellow travellers were relaxed about their knowledge and shared our interest in wildlife.  For the rest of the week we enjoyed their thoroughly interesting and occasionally raucous company when they explained the importance to sailors of fiddle decks and futtocks!

 

High on the list of our holiday “must do’s” was to get to know more about Americans and during this short expedition, Peggy & Rick, from New Hampshire; Charlie & Dorothea, from Maine along with Pammie from Indiana and Carl & Rebecca from Texas gave us plenty of opportunity to learn about life in United States at first hand.  The attached photos offer only a poor illustration of the most enjoyable, friendly and relaxing holiday we’ve had for many years.

 

Fiddle deck = Open decking above a ship’s engine enabling dry storage or clothing.

 

Futtocks = Ribs of a wooden vessel.

 

Trip Details:

 

US Airways from New York, La Guardia to Portland Maine;

Concord Coachways from Portland to Belfast Maine;

Wanderbird Expedition Cruises www.wanderbirdcruises.com 

 

Paddy Browne

Tue Nov 4 15:19:17 UTC 2008

 

 

 

 

The after dinner conversations on the Wanderbird had ranged far and wide, but the current cost of fuel was by far the most popular topic.  All our shipmates wondered how we in Britain could tolerate paying the equivalent of $8 a gallon! For the next week, the last leg of our US holiday, no matter who we met, this topic was on everyone’s lips.  We pointed out that on average we drove smaller vehicles in Europe, not the larger ones our American hosts preferred.  However, after just a few days touring through the glorious New England countryside in a compact car and having to negotiate the “frost-heaved” road surfaces we began to look upon their choice of transport with a greater understanding.

 

Acadia and Franconia

 

According to the West Wing’s President Jed Bartlet, Acadia National Park is oftened “overlooked by many”.  Well, if that’s true, then it’s a shame.  Even on this too short a visit, we found it difficult to drag ourselves away, as our hike around Eagle Lake and the views from Mount Desert, were as breathtaking as any we have seen.

 

We said goodbye to Belfast and the best fish & chips we’ve ever eaten, and set off on our own again, this time to Franconia Notch in New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest.  At times on our route we felt as if we were driving through the Home Counties, so familiar were the place names.  At Franconia, the owner of our stopover motel was keen to be brought up to date on the latest cricket news and told us proudly that he made the 200-mile trip to Boston to play each weekend.

 

There are lots of walking or hiking routes in the Franconia area and we choose a section of the Appalachian Trail up to Lonesome Lake.  Both the going up and the flowing decent was very hard going at times, but we were rewarded with a lovely day and the most wonderful views all along the trail.

 

Canterbury and Connecticut

 

Again with great reluctance we took to the road, this time driving down through New Hampshire to our over night stop at Worcester, Massachusetts. On route we took a detour to Canterbury Shaker village where we had a “light” lunch.  Our very informative guide was especially helpful when he found we were from the “old country” and that we had flown to the US from Manchester, the original home of this particular branch of the Quaker religion.

 

Worcester was a disappointment, but that may be because we arrived in time for the evening rush and we just grabbed the first hotel we found.  We enjoyed its five star pampering, and the evening meal was excellent, but we felt a little out of place.  We have to report the breakfast was not very exciting and nowhere near as good as any of the B&B’s through out our holiday.  From Worcester we set off for New London, Connecticut for the car ferry across the Long Island Sound to Orient and our last Bed & breakfast stopover before returning to JFK and home. 

 

We found driving in the US far from onerous.  The road numbering is a little strange, as Americans seem to prefer text based road signs, whereas in Europe we appear to use more graphics to aide the driver.  Also, there appeared to be an absence of roadside parking places or lay-bys.  It was when we did find one to use to check our whereabouts that we had our only contact with the police.  As I pulled out, owing to a blind spot, I failed to see a passing patrol car coming alongside.  After many apologies from me and horn blowing from the Sheriff we went on our way.

 

Long Island

 

The ferry crossing to Long Island gave us time to collect our thoughts in sunshine.  We were taken aback to find we couldn’t buy an ice cream on the ferry. However, this was soon put right after disembarking at Orient at the tiny, but very busy, ice cream parlour in the car park.  We didn’t have to worry about find our bed and breakfast stop; there is only one road into and out of Orient.  Again we came up trumps, as our hosts were very friendly and our stop over most comfortable. 

 

We had heard that the beaches on Long Island beaches were lovely.  We had seen them from the air on our way into New York a couple of weeks earlier.  Orient Point and the North Fork villages are very interesting and seemed to be designed for evening strolls with lots to see and splendid seascapes all around.

 

The next morning after packing our bags for the last time and a wonderful breakfast we set off for Orient State Park to spend a few hours before making the journey down the length of Long Island to JFK.  We were not only depressed in the knowledge of this being the last day of our brilliant holiday, but were even more sad to find we hadn’t allowed enough time to enjoy Orient’s empty beaches.

 

Just after lunchtime we said farewell to North Fork and joined the Friday evening traffic down to New York and JFK.  Getting lost again didn’t help our stress levels but once again we were the recipients of what we by now took for granted, American courtesy and generosity.  We stopped to ask directions from a couple of bikers at a filling station, who not only put us on the right road for JFK, but turned out to be Southampton Football Club supporters; true Saints indeed.

 

Would we return to the US?  You betcha!   We were met with nothing but kindness from everyone we met and everywhere we went we were greatly impressed by the generosity of spirit.

 

Now here’s a tip; we flew back on Friday 13th, so we had no difficulty in finding seats on our aircraft as there were just forty passengers on our 400-seat aircraft to Manchester! 

 

Trip Details:

B& B; Penobscot bay Inn, Belfast Maine. Orient Inn, Orient Point Long Island NY.

Car Hire Hertz Bangor Maine.

Car Ferry Long Island Sound Car Ferry, New London, Connecticut.

 

All Photos

 

Paddy Browne

The Exiled Saint

 

Tue Dec 2 16:09:19 UTC 2008