LOBSTER, TIM & ANDREA - WICKED STUFF!

He Said:  Hello on Sunday the 9^th from Hingham, MA.  Hopefully everyone reading our blog is doing well and for the desert folks staying cooled off.  Last Sunday we met Dennis the Lobster dude.  He has only 800 traps, and he spent some time explaining how they catch these guys, very interesting.  He told us we could hook up with him at the end of his day Tuesday and buy a couple of really fresh lobsters, and we did.  We made his month by spending a whole 10 bucks plus a tip for our 2 lobsters.  So on Tuesday, after our big purchase, we had a fantastic dinner of corn on the cob, fresh bread and lobster while sitting out on our aft deck watching the sun go down.  Having a great dinner was tuff to beat.  I am now drinking Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy and loving every one of them.  If you have any stock with Budweiser you may want to dump it; I am sure they have felt the loss of my biz.  

On Wednesday in the early evening my friend Tim Wild from Seattle showed up by ferry to help us out.  Thank heaven, we needed it. We took care of the waste issue first thing on Thursday and dropped about 150 gallons of diesel into the tanks (about ¾ of a tank - we were not on empty.) It only cost us a little over 600 bones.  I love filling up the dingy, it holds almost 2/3 of a gallon and probably gets us further!  

Friday flat sucked.  The 3 of us spent all day doing stuff and fixing stuff inside the boat.  It was about 50 degrees and only rained for a straight 24 hours and over 4 inches – a record. We did make it to the brewery about 150 yards away for a nice little meal and a few cold ones.  We only had 1 umbrella between us so we just decided the hell with it and let’s go eat.  I’m feeling like I may have to become an Oregon Duck fan by the looks of the webbing on my feet. 

Both Sat. and Sunday have been really nice, 75’ish and mostly sunny.  We have taken the boat out a few times and seem to be doing pretty good with it over-all.  Although it is nearly 42 ft. in total length it is fairly easy to handle.  I forgot to tell you it’s easy until docking time.  The current and the wind make it very challenging if you’re not used to it.  Back in Ohio, in my early boating days, and in the desert, we usually had neither to deal with.  Saturday we had Tim’s 2 boys over for a full day of hanging on the boat.  Christopher is the younger and is a lawyer in New York City.  Jackson is a nurse here in Boston.  Jackson’s girl-friend, Catherine, was a pleasure to be around also.  In the evening we met up with Steven, he is another lobster dude.  For 5 bucks each, so you can figure out what we ate on Saturday evening.  It was just as great as a few nites earlier and wonderful having some fun company on the boat.

Visiting with Jackson, Christopher and Catherine
 

Tim will be heading back to Seattle early Tues. morning so unfortunately his help ends on Monday.  He has been more help to Pat and me regarding helping on the boat, understanding this vast body of water they call the Atlantic, reading charts and everything else that Tim brings.  It has been a blessing. 

 

I need to wrap things up and watch the last quarter of game 2 of the NBA.  People out here could give a SHIT, but do not bad mouth their Bruins unless you are reading to rumble….Take Care, Jack

She Said:  As we settled in at Hingham Shipyard, we discovered that there are a bunch of lobster boats docked just down the pier from us.  We walked down to take a closer look and met Dennis – the lobstahman.  Dennis is great – we ask questions and he provides very detailed answers.  We learn that lobster traps have two compartments – the kitchen and the parlah.  The kitchen is baited with fish which entice the lobster in.  Once inside the kitchen the lobster forge themselves then move into the parlor to relax.  That’s where they’re trapped.  There are small windows in the parlor that allow the smaller lobster to escape.  The traps rest on the ocean floor about 40-50 feet deep.  Each lobster fisherman can place a maximum of 800 traps.  Dennis was going out to retrieve his catch from 600 traps and place another 200 that he recently repaired.  Female lobsters with eggs are not allowed to be captured.  They’re marked and returned to the ocean.  We made arrangements with Dennis to get a couple of lobster when he returned the next day.  True to his word, Dennis called us as he was pulling into the marina.  We literally met him at the pier and got two lobsters fresh off the boat.  We were somewhat restricted on what we could get because of the size of our pot.  He put the lobsters in the pot and we put the pot in the fridge. We peeked in the pot once – a big mistake because they tried to get out.  We won the battle and put them back in the fridge until cooking time.  We followed Dennis’ cooking instructions and had an absolutely wonderful lobster dinner. 

This is the biggest pot we have.  Our 2 lobsters nestled inside.
 

Our list of projects continued to grow, and we were eagerly awaiting the arrival of our sailor friend from Seattle, Tim.  We met Tim as he walked off the commuter ferry.  We had a welcome sign and a gin on-the-rocks waiting for him.  He should have been afraid – very afraid – but he wasn’t.  Bright and early the next day we started tackling the many projects on the list. Then, with Jack at the helm, we headed to the poop station (we docked liked experience sailors).  Next, we were off to the fuel pumps.  On our first approach – perfection!  We spent some time doing “touch & gos” at the fuel pumps then ventured out to do some navigational work.  Finally, it was back to our slip.  It wasn’t perfection, but it was pretty darn good. 

Following Tim’s arrival, we were visited by Tropical Storm Andrea.  Andrea brought us torrential downpours and it continued to rain for about 36 hours.  Meant To Be weathered it well except for one small leaky area near the master stateroom.  That gets added to the to-do list.  It wasn’t a bad storm for us and we’d be happy not to experience any more, but we know that won’t be the case.  As the storm breaks on Saturday we are visited by Tim’s family.  We had a wonderful day with our guests and together we enjoyed another lobster dinner – this could be habit forming! 

On Sunday we once again venture out on Meant To Be.  Jack got us out of the slip like a pro.  We worked on navigating, and we’re getting the hang of it.  I reluctantly took over the helm, and with beginner’s luck I pulled us right up to a mooring ball.  With that success under my belt, I quickly gave the helm back to Jack.  I’ll keep working on driving, and I’m sure I’ll get less anxious as time goes by.  Back at our slip, we did “OK” docking Meant To Be – not our best effort.  I’m learning the ropes and tie-downs.  It’s a learning experience – not quite as challenging as pulling the boat in, but a necessary chore that isn’t innate. 

We still have a lot to learn, but we’re making forward progress.  This next week we plan to enjoy the area.  We’ll hopefully do some sightseeing and exploring in addition to our boating.  We’ve definitely settled in. 

Love the way the sunset reflects on the water