Nantucket

Bill and I are having a GREAT time in Nantucket. We arrived here on Thursday morning. When we pulled into the mooring field, Bill noticed that we are directly next to sv Madhatter, which is the boat that our friend Keith captains. Small world....

The best part about being in Nantucket is that Dave and Molly are here!!! It has been so nice to see them and hang out. And Bill and Dave have actually had enough time for a little yahtzee tournament.

Friday afternoon Bill, Dave, and Frank, the owner of the boat that Dave captains, went fishing. They caught a few and saw lots of seals. Bill actually thinks he saw a shark stalking the seals. There have been numerous shark sightings in Nantucket and Marthas Vineyard, and a great white (female, 6 1/2 feet) actually washed up on the shore in Nantucket the other day. While the guys were fishing, Molly gave me a great tour of Nantucket (there are so many shops and beautiful cobblestone streets, and plenty huge, monstrous boats!) It was the perfect afternoon!

Friday night we had Keith over for dinner. I used the rest of my dad's sauce and made chicken parm, which was delicious (if I do say so myself). After work, Molly and Dave came over to the boat for some yahtzee.

Saturday Bill and I did some walking around for a bit. We went food shopping and finally got to a ship's store. After a little afternoon yahtzee with Dave, we made dinner and watched a movie and called it an early night.

This morning Bill is doing some boat maintenance. He is checking the fluid levels and topping things off as necessary. We seem to still be having a problem with the generator, so, in addition to the wind generator, we have been running the engine to charge the battery.

The weather has been perfect. Sunny and warm and windy every day. We are actually going to extend our reservation a bit (until Wednesday) so we have time to visit the whaling museum, go for a tour of the island with Cindy's friend LJ, and possibly go on a boat tour to see the seals.

Bill and I decided to spend the morning on the boat sunning, reading and doing cross stitch. It was h-o-t and the breeze on the boat was perfect. Around lunchtime, we took the dinghy into shore and walked around a bit, stopping for a bite to eat. I also got my haircut.

While I was at the salon, Bill met Al who was on the mooring next to us on a beautiful Eastbay. When we got back to the boat we decided to take the dinghy and explore back into Katama Bay. The Bay, which is lined with the most incredible houses we have ever seen, goes back a lot further than we thought. Bill, Al, and I took the dinghy all the way to the cut between Edgartown and Chappaquiddick, beached the dinghy and walked around on the beautiful, desolate beach trying to figure out the difference between a quahog and a clam. We took our time coming back and had Al over for grilled pork and vegetables.

Bill and I tried to make reservations for Edgartown after we leave Nantucket so we could see a few of the things we missed, but were denied a mooring (they are full at the inn, supposedly) so we will probably head strait to Cuttyhunk and then Block Island.

Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard

Bill and I left Cataumet around 12:30 so we would get to Woods Hole when the current was going with us. We had a leisurely sail after we got through Woods Hole and it was a beautiful ride to Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard.

Our mooring is way back in Katama Bay, which is between Chappaquiddick and Edgartown. Monday night we met up with Michael and Jeremy from sv Splendido for dinner. It was really nice to see those guys, who we met this winter at the 1500.

Tuesday we got a late start and then took the water taxi into shore. We spent the day walking around town, viewing the beautiful homes and gardens, and meandering in and out of the shops. We also walked out to Edgartown Light (below), which was stunning.

All of the homes around the harbor in Edgartown are huge. Some are so large that we actually asked the water taxi driver whether they are private residences or whether they are hotels (they are homes!) The biggest we have seen so far belongs to Ernie Boch (as in the "come on down" car salesman). A picture of his house is below. In addition to the big houses, we have seen some big yachts. We are back playing with the big boys again, just like in St. Thomas.

Tuesday night, Bill and I had a delicious meal at l'etoile, a french restaurant in Edgartown. We came back to the boat to watch the All Star game, which unfortunately we cannot get on mlb.com. We did get the game on the radio, though, and are listening to Pappelbon getting booed!

Tomorrow our plan is to get up early and take the ferry to Chappaquiddick for lunch. We are hoping to rent scooters so we can explore a little more than we would be able to on foot. I am also very excited to have an appointment tomorrow afternoon to get my hair cut (finally!) We are going to explore further into Katama Bay with the dinghy later in the afternoon. Edgartown is a beautiful place, and we have continued to be lucky with the weather.

For more pictures of Edgartown
click here

Cataumet, MA

(Capt' Bill - boat we saw while going through the Cape Cod Canal)

We got to our mooring at Kingman in Cataumet around 1:00 on Sunday. Bill and I took the water taxi to shore and, while our laundry was going, enjoyed mudslides outside at the Chart Room. We also saw the Kellys and the Duffys on Three Sheets.

(Wings Neck Lighthouse)

After our laundry was finally dry, we came back to the boat and played yahtzee. Bill and I also enjoyed a spectacular spaghetti dinner using the sauce my father made and gave to Bill when we were in Plymouth. Yum. We watched a movie and called it an early night.

(View of Kingman from the channel)

We are currently on our way from Cataumet to Woods Hole then Edgartown. Bill and I are both looking forward to the next few days in Marthas Vineyard.

(Enjoying dinner!)

Plymouth, MA

(Sand dunes from the channel going into Plymouth Harbor)

Friday was fun. Melanie stopped by after work and hung out. Bill went into shore to TKs to watch the Red Sox and Mel and I stayed on board and chatted. Saturday we got up early and left for Plymouth.

Plymouth Harbor is very pretty (and very touristy.) The ride into the harbor was amazing - two lighthouses, and lots of sandy dunes. Unfortunately, we were unable to get a mooring in the inside of the jetty in the actual harbor area, so we were on the outside at one of the town transient moorings. It was a l-o-n-g way to take the dinghy to shore, so we ended up having to pay (a lot) more for the water taxi service than we did for the actual mooring. Oh well.

On Saturday afternoon, my father picked up Bill and they went golfing. I decided to stay ashore and walk around. Plymouth Rock was "under construction" and the line for the Mayflower was to the street, so I skipped both. I did, however, visit the Pilgrim Museum, walk through the farmer's market, got an ice cream and sat in the park and watched all the cute dogs walk by. I also found a craft shop where I spent about an hour getting tips on my cross stitch from the owner.

(View of the harbor under the bow sprit of the Mayflower)

Saturday night Bill and I went to East Bay Grill where Bill had his retirement party four years ago. Unfortunately, the kitchen was having issues, so only people with reservations were able to eat. We watched some of the Red Sox at the bar and then found a Chinese Food restaurant (with Keno - bonus) and called it an early night.

(Picturesque street in Plymouth)

The bad thing about being on the outside of the breakwater was that it was very rolly (the no wake zone doesn't start until the jetty) and, as I said, far from shore. The good thing was that it was windy and the wind generator kept us fully charged all night. Since we will be on moorings for the next week or so, keeping the batteries charged is important. We are also making water right now to replenish the tanks.

We are currently underway heading to Kingman Marina in Cataumet for a night. We'll go through the Canal again, and have timed it right so the current will be with us. Tomorrow we leave for Edgartown for a few days. The weather is supposed to remain relatively nice, so that's good.

Here are some more pictures of the sites in Plymouth....

Scituate, MA

Bill and I are in Scituate now. We left Salem on Wednesday morning and arrived in Scituate after 4 and a half hours of motoring with 30, gust 35 knots of wind right on our nose. We have realized that when we have a destination (versus just being out for a sail) we have not had the best of luck with wind / wind direction.

Scituate is beautiful. Bill and I have been here several times before back when we lived in Quincy on Beach House, Bill's first sailboat. We spent the rest of Wednesday afternoon on the boat just hanging out and enjoying the sunshine. Wednesday night we took some pictures of the beautiful cloud formations as a thunderstorm rolled in.

Scituate Harbor is really pretty. We are on a mooring at the entrance to the harbor. There are some amazing homes in the harbor. Bill and I have also enjoyed watching the sailing schools weave in and out of the mooring field.

On Thursday Bill and I took the dinghy into town and met Kerry and Abigail, who are here in town from St. Croix, for lunch. It was so nice to see them both. We also made reservations for our next few stops - Plymouth, Cataumet, Edgartown, Nantucket, then Cuttyhunk - since we have found that, even though we don't want an itinerary, it is better to have a general idea so we can make reservations for moorings (especially on the places where we will be on the weekends).

Thursday night we had a double Yahtzee tournament and had salad with grilled chicken for dinner. We are enjoying the movies that Lauren and Nathan generously let us borrow.

Salem revisited

Bill and I left Newburyport Harbor Marina (and the wonderful hospitality we received there) on Monday morning. We had an uneventful trip to Salem – except that we saw a lone seal playing in the water off our starboard side. We tried to go to Manchester-by-the-Sea but they did not have any moorings that could accommodate us. Salem is a great place though so we were not too disappointed. Bill and I hung out on Monday night, watched the Red Sox and enjoyed our chili.

On Monday when Bill went to shore to get a few supplies, he noticed that the Friendship of Salem was docked. Friendship of Salem is a three-masted, square rigged, 342-ton ship, originally built in 1796 (the ship we saw was a replica). So on Tuesday, after we polished all the stainless on the boat, Bill and I took the dinghy into shore, walked around Salem for a bit, and got a tour of the Friendship of Salem. We learned form the National Park Service that they actually sail the ship an average of four times a year. In fact, when we were here a few weeks ago, the boat was in Bar Harbor, ME. Here are some pictures of the Friendship of Salem.

After our tour, we went to the Rockmoor, a floating restaurant/bar, for happy hour. Tuesday night we had a Yahtzee tournament (Bill won), watched the Sox game, and had chicken curry for dinner.

The weather has been hot and perfectly nice the past few days. Finally! Bill and I are currently underway heading to Scituate, where we will stay for a few days (provided we can get a mooring). We are thinking about then heading to the Cape for a night, then Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. If the timing works out, we will be in the same area as Dave and Molly, Keith (our friend from St. Thomas) and Michael, Daniel, and Jeremy from Splendido who did the 1500 in the fall with Bill. Should be fun!

Last days in Newburyport....

We have had a great couple of days. On Saturday, Andrea drove up from Somerville for a visit. The three of us went for a lazy lunch and then we did some shopping. Later in the afternoon, my parents stopped by on their way back from New Hampshire. Saturday night Andrea, Bill and I went to dinner at the Black Cow and came back to the boat.

Sunday morning I borrowed Andrea's car to do some serious food shopping. We finally have food on board again. We have been eating out at least two meals a day for the past week. However, Bill and I have successfully tried all the restaurants in Newburyport that were on our initial "to try" list. Andrea and I enjoyed the sun Sunday afternoon before she had to go home while Bill got the laundry done at the laundromat.

Sunday night we had a last visit from Lauren, Nathan, Colin, and Jon. What a great night. It is so nice to have everyone over to see and enjoy the boat. Bill and I have had a perfect time in Newburyport.

Tonight after our family went home, Bill and I made a chili that we will enjoy tomorrow then freeze the rest for later. The boat smells incredible right now! We are sitting topside enjoying the night and listening to the Red Sox game.

Our plan is to leave Newburyport tomorrow morning. We are unsure whether we will go back to Salem or go to Manchester-by-the-sea before heading for Scituate then Plymouth, then Cape Cod. Why are we going south instead of heading for Maine? Well, we have spent more time than we thought we would in the Cape, Marina Bay, and Newburyport. It is already July and we have so much to see and do in New England before November. When Bill and I sat down and sketched out where we want to go and what we want to do, we realized that we would rather spend July, August, and September in Mystic, Block Island, New York, and the Chesapeake. So, we have made the decision to save Maine for another time.

Happy 4th

We hope everyone had a happy fourth of July. Bill and I really had a nice day. We did a whole lot of nothing, and it was perfect. Bill got the game on the computer, and I took a nice long walk out to Plum Island. I did some more work on my cross stitch, and we got takeout and, after a stunning sunset, watched about four firework shows from the boat. It was really relaxing and perfect.

On Thursday Bill and I visited the Maritime Museum, which is literally steps from the boat. We discovered that Newburyport is the birthplace of the US Coast Guard. And that there have been a ton of shipwrecks at the mouth of the River.

Thursday night we had a visit from Nathan and Lauren. We went to dinner at the Tannery and braved out the downpours and lightning.

Slideshow: Newburyport, MA

Newburyport, MA

Well, we have spent the past few days exploring and enjoying Newburyport. Yesterday we took a long dinghy ride from the marina all the way to the Chain Bridge. There are some beautiful homes tucked away on the Merrimac.

Bill had been searching for over a year for a half hull for the boat. We had the perfect spot to hang it all picked out but could never find quite the right one. Well, yesterday we found an amazing store right here in Newburyport that had several handmade half hulls for sale. Our search is over. Bill and I are very happy with the latest addition to the boat.
We have spent time walking around downtown and on the boardwalk. There are so many neat shops, restaurants, and different stores selling all sorts of stuff. The sidewalks are all brick, and there are parks everywhere. Today we had a nice visit from Nana and Beeb who saw the boat for the first time. Afterward, Bill and I went back to Agave, a Mexican restaurant downtown, for some more guacamole and chips. If you ever make it to Newburyport (and you should!) Agave is a definite must.

Bill and I had a nice dinner with my Uncle Jon at Michael's Harborside tonight after Jon visited the boat and got the tour. And afterwards we watched the Red Sox lose (again) to Tampa. It was painful.

The weather has been OK. It has mostly been nice in the mornings and stormy / rainy in the afternoons.

Oh, and Bill fixed the AC problem. He figured out that something was clogging one of the through holes so he actually forced it out with water from the garden hose. Success!

Pictures...

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We will add more pictures when we have a better, faster internet connection.