Sail Portsmouth 2022

I went looking for my friend Merry this morning. You remember Merry, the carved wooden chipmunk. I had this fascinating dream last night in which I dreamed up a scheme to win the lottery. I want to run the idea past Merry. I checked Merry’s favorite donut shop, he wasn’t there. I checked the park where he likes to feed the squirrels. Yah, I know, what a strange habit for a chipmunk to have. None of the squirrels had seen him. I dropped by his burrow. His kitchen table was covered with newspaper clippings for “Sail Portsmouth 2022.” Well that explained a lot. Merry is interested or more correctly obsessed with all thing wooden. Three replica tall wooden ships were arriving in Portsmouth, NH.

One of the ships has carved creatures on it. Most folks think of these merely as decorations. According to Merry, they are living breathing creatures like himself. He doesn’t get a chance to talk with his own kind very often. I was just a bit concerned he might not come back to the Woodpile. These sailing vessels are all always recruiting volunteer help.

I arrived to find a large crowd watching the parade of sail. This is the Lynx. A replica of a War of 1812 privateer complete with cannons.

The Spirit of Bermuda was the British response to the American privateers. They seem to have forgotten their cannons!

 This one is a bit older. It is a replica of a 1638 Swedish ship that took colonist to Delaware to establish a trading post for furs. (It gives me the shivers to think of people hunting us critters for our furs.)

 I couldn’t find Merry in the crowd. Then it dawned on me, he is probably waiting at the dock. 

I needed to sneak past the pirate guarding the dock. I distracted him by rolling a bottle a rum down the dock.

I started my search with the Spirit of Bermuda.

 I couldn’t find him.

From the stern of Bermuda I noticed all the carvings on the Kalmar Nyckel. I was on the wrong ship!

 

 

Oh boy, with this many carved creatures,
I am never going to convince Merry to come back to the Woodpile. 

 I wonder if they will let me shoot of one of the cannons?

I heard a familiar voice telling stories of adventure.

I finally found Merry

 

Merry was very tempted to join the crew. The lure of adventure on the high seas was calling. But, then he discovered the ship doesn’t stock sunflower seeds. Apparently the chef is allergic. Merry said his good-byes to his new wooden friends and we headed back to the Woodpile for Sunflower Ale and fried sunflower seeds.