Trip to Boston

I just got back from eight days visiting family and friends in Boston. It was a lot of fun, great to see everyone, and a nice reprieve from the hot weather. Some "highlights" of the trip include; going to the Yankee Homecoming Road Race in Newburyport where I got to see my family (including my Godson Colin [below]), going to Hampton Beach with my parents and Andrea, staying at Amy's new apartment, seeing Andrea's new place, having lobsters at my parents house, going to Walloston Beach with Mel and Andrea, having dinner at my grandparents in New Hampshire. It was a nice time. I got back on Tuesday and Bill, Mary Alice and I went to both of the Red Sox vs. Rays games Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Unfortunately the Sox lost both games... but we still had fun. It is nice to be back on Mary Elizabeth!

Yankee Homecoming Road Race

Here are some pictures of the 2009 Yankee Homecoming Road Race in Newburyport.

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.

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...

http://picasaweb.google.com/SVMaryElizabeth

We created a new way for everyone to view our pictures. By clicking on the link above, you can view our web albums via Picassa, which doesn't require that you have an account.

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

It's a beautiful day in Newburyport!

What a spectacular day. All around. Colin and I woke up and went out to breakfast (we left Bill asleep on the boat). We had a yummy breakfast and then walked around downtown Newburyport. When we got back to the boat, Bill was busy trying to troubleshoot the AC / Heat unit and making phone calls.



Later in the afternoon, Colin, Bill and I took the new dinghy for a ride. Fighting the current, we went under the Rt. 1 bridge, which separates Newburyport from Salisbury. The other side of the bridge is spectacular. It is secluded and full of marshes. Very pretty.



Colin actually drove the dinghy back to the boat, and does a much better job than I do, by the way.



Lauren and Erin picked Colin up (and got a tour of the boat) around 3:00. Bill and I decided to stay topside and hang out and enjoy the warm, sunny weather. We are going to check out the first of the "series of restaurants" tonight (Agave - a Mexican restaurant downtown) in a few minutes.

Newburyport is certainly a fabulous place, and we have both enjoyed having Colin on board.

Newburyport, MA

On Saturday we got an early start for Newburyport. The weather was foggy, cold, and rainy (a New England trend we are starting to recognize!) To get to Newburyport, we had to go around Cape Ann since there is a fixed bridge in the Anisquam River (the “shortcut”) that sv Mary Elizabeth cannot fit under. The ride to Newburyport was not a pleasant one. Bill stayed topside while I “rested” down below. I am never seasick – but I did not feel well at all on Saturday. The waves were rolly and big and the fog was dense. And amazingly enough, there were still lobster pots everywhere! The whole trip took about four hours.

Getting into the Merrimac River in Newburyport was also a very interesting experience. The Coast Guard issued a warning since both the wind and the current were strong, which created even bigger swells than usual. Bill and I were both very surprised to see literally hundreds of small fishing boats in the Merrimac. Most had one or two people per boat who were reeling in big fish. Anyway, Bill had his first experience docking the boat while dealing with a strong (3 knots) current.

We are staying in Newburyport Harbor Marina, which is right downtown and beautiful. Jay (Capt' Dave's long lost twin) and Linda have been very gracious and extremely helpful. On Saturday, after getting warm again, we hung out, ate dinner and watched the Sox. The weather never improved.

Sunday we got up explored for a few hours before my father and sister picked us up. We met the rest of the family at my grandparents’ house in Kingston, NH to celebrate my grandfather’s 81st birthday. It was a great cookout – especially since it didn’t start raining until late in the afternoon.

And we are very lucky to have a guest on board with us tonight. Colin my 10 year old godson is spending the night. Bill had a fun time showing Colin the different parts of the sailboat. We are hoping we finally get nice weather tomorrow so we can take Colin out on the dinghy and explore more of Newburyport!

As Bill and I sit topside writing this, the strong sound of the current literally sounds like a boat (or several boats!) going by. As of right now, we plan on staying in Newburyport a little longer than we initially expected. We scoped it out briefly this morning, and there are just too many things to do here - never mind all the great restaurants that we want to check out. Newburyport really is an incredible place. And it is nice having my family relatively close. In addition to my godson Colin, my grandparents, uncle, cousin and his wife all plan on stopping by and seeing our home on the water.