as winter approaches most of the boats in the harbor have been placed in dry dock. pretty much the only boats still in the water are either in a dock with a bubbler to keep the water from freezing or are licenced to catch lobsters. that season is only two months- from October 1 to November 30. the boats in the photos here are neither equipped or licenced for lobstering. the entire dock is empty and the boats lifted and covered with tarps for the long winter. in the summer the lot is a parking place for the many tourists visiting the charming coastal town- as you can see here the charm lasts the full year but there are very few tourists after September.
most of the docks have pontoons that separate the allocated spaces and allow boaters to access their boats from their side rather than the pointed bows. these pontoons have bubblers so in theory the owners could keep the boat in the water all year. but since the boats here are all wooden, they need to do some maintenance each year and for that the boat needs to be on land.
while the reflection here may not be as striking as the previous shots, the total effect on the surface of the water is quite impressive, especially with the gray pontoon in the orange patch.
where the pontoons are attached to the dock they are wide enough to feel secure but the negotiating the thin arm can become a wet affair if one's sense of balance is not a strong point. the reflection of the two pontoons is a bit peculiar because while the lower one in the photo is completely shaded and dark the upper one is well lit with the color of the wood and more detail clearly visible.
it won't be long before ice covers the water here. when that happens there may not be much in the way of reflections here but the designs formed by the ice and the bubblers will keep me coming back.