MARTHA'S VINEYARD & NANTUCKET

He Said:   Hello from Martha’s Vineyard Again.  Since our last blog the weather here has been beautiful.  I think we deserve it to be quite honest. The past 5 days we have sort of went South and then returned to the North, kind of.  

 

We arrived on Saturday AM in Martha’s Vineyard at an area called Edgertown. This place is really cool. We grabbed up a mooring ball for a 2 nite stay.  We checked out the town of course by foot when we arrived on Saturday and really liked the setting. On Sunday we grabbed a 2 buck bus ride (just like 2 buck chuck) without the wine. What a great deal.  We took about a 20 minute ride to a place called Oak Bluffs. This is also part of Martha’s Vineyard but more happening - music, cool bars, some dumpy (one of us likes dumpy) joints, and an area called Dockside. This area is very similar to Cabo for anyone who has visited there. For the dudes with the XL boats they simply put them into the dock and walk maybe 15 feet to all kinds of cool, water front bars. We left later in the afternoon to head back to the boat in Edgertown, but I told Pat we need to figure out a way to return here.  I think so far it is about the coolest place we have been out of about 8 harbors.  

Oak Bluff Dockside
 

So Monday AM we headed to the big dollar joint known as Nantucket. Very cool place and we decided to spend 2 nites in Nantucket. The town is laid out a little bigger than we were hoping and not so much water front.  Lots of Scottsdale-like shops and galleries.  Of course, I would rather have a shit-hole bar with $3.00 PBRs or any other flavor of the day.  We did enjoy Nantucket, and on Tuesday took a little bus ride to a pretty cool beach with a pub directly on the water.  It was a fun day.

 

Just a few of the many yachts

 

 

On Monday we were cruising in the marina area on the dingy.  We were yelled at by a dude named Tim, from Johannesburg, South Africa.  He and his wife still have a home in SA but also in Marblehead and are members of a yacht club there.  He recognized us from an earlier run we did as we followed a bunch of boats to the Cape Cod Canal.  Without too much detail we had an afternoon beverage on his beautiful 44 ft. Catamaran - 3BR, 3Bath, un-flipping real.  They invited to meet up with their club that evening for happy hour on the dock where us regular folk don’t normally hang.  We think we fit in just perfect although we were the only motorboaters at the happy hour.  We later got together on their boat for a terrific dinner on the back deck.  It rocked.  So now it’s heading towards mid-nite and we have to go find Meant To Be.  Our little flash light was pathetic, but we knew our ball was at P8.  We found it, thank-heaven.

 

Tim, Jack, Gail, Jimmy & Janette

 

 

So this morning we took off from Nantucket and returned to our cool little place I talked about earlier called Oak Bluffs, and we are happy to be here again.  Not too much more happening.  We are in week 9 and have yet to leave Mass. -  the great state with no happy hour.  The good news is we have our own happy hour about everynite, and I am pretty certain that Pat’s wine and my beer is still lots cheaper than any old happy hour.

 

We should be in Rhode Island within a few days or so - hope they have happy hours there,  It really is a great opportunity to meet new people and new boaters with fun and exciting stories.  If we keep traveling from North to South we should be down in the Key West area by maybe 2020 or later.  Anyhow I hope everybody is doing well and enjoying our little blog stuff.  I really enjoy writing mine but it makes me think like 5 or so days back and the days really do start running a little together.  If that’s my toughest challenge then everything is just right!

 

Take Care, Jack  

She Said:  After studying the current charts, the wind and the fog forecasts we ventured out to cross Wood’s Hole and enter into the Vineyard Sound.  I am happy to say that it was all very uneventful, and we arrived in Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard in a couple of hours.  What a great place.  Edgartown is mostly residential although there are lots of cute shops, bars and restaurants.  It is very picturesque. The homes date back to the 1600s and were built for sea captains.   

 

A few of the 100+ classic Oak Bluffs homes

Martha’s Vineyard is made up of several little towns and you can get to all of them via small buses.  We only saw two of the towns – Edgartown and Oaks Bluff – and they were night and day.  Edgartown is quaint and reserved.  Oak Bluffs is funky with a party-like atmosphere.  You could easily spend a week in Martha’s Vineyard and do something different every day.  We plan to spend a night in Oak Bluffs on our return trip from Nantucket later in the week.

 

This is the first place we’ve been where you have to pay to use the launch service so many more people use their dinghies.  It makes parking at the dinghy dock a real challenge.  If we’re lucky, we push dinghies around until we can squeeze ours in.  If we’re not lucky, we have to walk through other peoples’ dinghy to get to the dock.  Over 4^th of July weekend the dinghies were 6 deep.  Jack looked like he was in a log rolling competition as he crossed two dinghies one night – I laughed so hard!

 

We had a great dinner at the Seafood Shanty.  It had a big upstairs patio overlooking the harbor.  The weather was perfect and it was a really nice evening.  We were hoping to hear the advertised live music, but it turned out to be a DJ.

 

Ferry crossing at Chappaquiddick.  Two ferries cross in opposite directions with 3 cars on each ferry.  Ted Kennedy knows this channel crossing well!

 

I really wanted to see Nantucket, but the 25+ mile trip had me nervous.  The water can be choppy because of currents and winds.  The water is not very deep and there are lots of shoals.  I was so apprehensive about making the trip.  When we called ahead to reserve a mooring ball and we were told we were on a waiting list I seriously considered not making the trip.  But within an hour we received a call saying we were confirmed – so off we went.  The trip was great – what a relief! 

 

Whenever anyone talks about Nantucket, the first thing they say is how expensive it is.  And they weren’t kidding.  The harbor is filled with large yachts.  It’s really quite something to see.  The town is much larger and spread out than Edgartown.  Some of the streets are paved in cobblestones – dating back to the days when this was the whaling capitol of the world.  Very cute, but not exactly quaint.  Most of the stores are very high-end boutiques.  (Nantucket's entrance looks a lot like Edgaartown's.) 

 

We were out in the dinghy getting the lay of the land and looking at the big boats when here someone yelled, “Hey Phoenix.”  It was Tim from the Corinthian Yacht Club (CYC) – the group we sailed with from Ptown to Sandwich a week ago.  Tim invited aboard his gorgeous 44 foot catamaran.  We visited for awhile and he invited us to the CYC’s dockside cocktail party that night.  We’re always up for a party, so we fixed up an appetizer, grabbed some cocktails and headed over at 5pm.  There were at least 20 couples there and it was fun to hear everyone’s stories about the last week.  When the party broke up we decided to go to dinner with Tim and his group.  But there was a long wait so Tim and his wife Gail invited us back to their boat for dinner.  Tim and Gail are lovely people and Tim had so many great stories.  We had an absolutely delightful time – we didn’t get home until midnight!

We’re moving slow, but at least now we’re heading the right direction.  We are back in Martha’s Vineyard – this time Oak Bluffs.  There are a lot of night time activities here.  We’re going to have a few quiet days coming up so we thought we’d spend the night here as we leave Cape Cod and Massachusetts.  I’m hoping to have a lobster roll for dinner tonight.  It’s a real New England staple that I haven’t tried yet.

 

HADLEY'S HARBOR

He Said:   Hello from rainy Cape Cod.  During our 2 month trip I have come to realize one thing for sure - the New England area is as cool as the weather.  In our 60 plus days we have had maybe 10 killer days which makes boating in this beautiful part of the country all worth it.  The worst part is we have also had about 50 days of not so killer days - hot, cold, humid, foggy, rainy, dreary and about anything else the weatherman can throw at us.  I think living in Phoenix for 35 years spoils you to death when it comes to blue skies and mucho sun. I realize the summers are far from perfect in the desert, but they are usually pretty sunny.  Enough of the weather.  

We arrived late morning in Sandwich and got a spot next to the fuel pump for the nite on a dockside-type dock.  Pretty easy to tie to, but had to turn the boat 180 degrees in a fairly tight area.  We had no problems, thank heaven.  We went into the little town grocery store and dropped about a hundred bucks.  The tough part was getting all the groceries back to the boat, but we managed.  Went out to a cute little pub that nite.  Pat got a salad, and I get a killer Rueben cod sandwich to die for.  We happily fueled up on Tuesday morning and headed South.  We took on 90 gallons of diesel for about 135 miles.  Believe it or not we were happy with that.  Also we had been running our generator which also uses diesel. 

We made it thru the Cape Cod Canal on Tuesday as planned, only about 8 miles of 10 MPH or no wake, whichever suits your boat the best. The last few miles the wind picked up which stirred up some wake but no big deal.  Grabbed a mooring ball in Red Brook Harbor.

 

We arrived about 11AM on Wednesday here in Hadley’s Harbor.  Our Capt. told us about this hidden gem and it really is.  That day was one of our best since we arrived in NE.  It was about 80 degrees.  This is a beautiful and peaceful little cove with 25 FREE mooring balls, first come first serve.  We spent the day on the dingy riding around and we even both took a dip.  The water is in the mid 70’s now, not too bad.  This area is owned by the Forbes Family, yes the family with a few $$$$’s.  The mooring balls are well maintained.  The only bad thing about the whole area is that it is privately owned which means kind of no trespassing.  There are no services whatsoever - no food, gas, ice, showers, or anything else you may need.  I guess since the mooring is free there’s no need for any services, so no getting off the boat other than to jump in the water.  They did have one small wooded area you could walk around in but we heard they had a nasty tick problem.  No need for that.  Never had one and hopefully never will.

 

One of the many beautiful boats cruising the area

 

Horses at Sunset

Horses roaming freely. 

 

Both Thursday and Friday have been weather challenged -  windy, 70 degrees maybe, and  lots of clouds.  The wind also brings unpleasant ocean water. So hanging out here we have kind of caught up on our expenses - 3 nites here plus no eating out.  Oh well, it has been really beautiful like I said but not exactly sunny. If the weather conditions are ok on Sat., which they should be, we will be off for Martha’s Vineyard to grab a mooring ball for a few nites.  They’re on a first come basis once again, but not starting until 11AM. We will be there in plenty of time since it is only about 20 miles, probably 2 hours or so. Anyhow not much more to report on, not nearly the excitement of out last couple of blogs but that is all good.  My ticker needed a break.  

Take Care and I hope all is going well, L8R, Jack

 

 

She Said:  We were really worried about fog so we waited around Tuesday morning until we confirmed that all was clear.  The coast guard was stationed at the pier next to us so we got their input on the weather.  By all accounts, we were good to go.  After a quick stop at the fuel dock (and I mean quick – we’re getting better than the 1.5 MPH that we hoped for) we set out onto the Cape Cod Canal.  The Canal was built in the early 1900.  It was widely used during both World Wars to patrol against foreign war boats.  In 1942 the Canal was blocked by a ship that went aground forcing our military to take the longer route around Cape Cod.  As a result, one of our military ships was bombed, and we lost 10 men.  The Canal wreck was blasted so that the canal could once again be used.  

 

The speed limit on the canal is 10 MPH or no wake – whichever is slower.  We were traveling with a current of about 4 MPH so we didn’t have to use too much of our own power.  There are 3 bridges that cross the 10-mile canal – two are really tall and one has only a 7 foot clearance.  The 7 foot bridge is almost always up, but if it’s down you have to be cautious especially if you’re traveling with the current like we were.  Well wouldn’t you know it – it was down as we approached.  There was a police boat circling around in front of the bridge to alert boats and keep them away.  We went into neutral to slow ourselves down.   No problem, before we knew it the bridge was back up and we were able to pass.

 

As you leave the canal you enter Buzzard’s Bay.  For you Jimmy Buffet fans, Jimmy wants no part of Buzzard’s Bay when the Volcano blows.  We wanted no part of it when we were there either.  The issue with the Bay is when the winds and the current are moving in opposite directions they create quite a chop.  Knowing it’s going to happen doesn’t make it any more enjoyable.  After a few miles of being bounced around, we were happy to see the entrance into Red Brook Harbor.  The harbor has both mooring balls and anchorage (area where we can use our own anchor v. the mooring ball).  Our plan was to spend one night on a mooring ball, scope out the anchorages, and then anchor out on our second night.  Another change of plans.  The weather turned ugly, and all we could think about was getting out of New England.  We’d had enough rain, wind, cold and gloom.  There were still a couple of places we wanted to see, and the new plan was to see them fast and get out of here.  So the first thing I did Wednesday morning when I woke up was check the weather.  It looked like a picture perfect day for a cruise.

 

Red Brook Harbor before the awful weather moved in

We were able to take off immediately since we did all our engine room stuff and GPS programming the night before.  (This is a good habit to get into.)  The short cruise was wonderful.  We arrived at Naushon Island/Hadley’s Harbor in time for lunch.  Several people suggested this destination, and Captain Doug gave it a 5-star rating.  We were NOT disappointed; we’re once again loving New England.  Naushon Island is the first of the Elizabeth Islands – a string of islands that run southwest of Wood’s Hole (the southwestern tip of Cape Cod).  Almost all of these islands are privately owned.  Naushon is owned by the Forbes family.  If you are a family trustee you can build a home on the island.  There are no cars on the island, but there are horses and carriages.  There is a small barge that transports large items between Woods Hole and Naushon.  The Forbes family maintains about 25 free mooring balls in the Harbor (available on a first come, first serve basis).  There’s one small island that visitors can walk around on, and there are several areas to visit via dinghy.  This is quite a special place.  We met a family that is staying at one of the many houses on the island as a guest of a Forbes. 



Picturesque Hadley's Harbor



Only 35 bedrooms in this summer house
 

 

Old New England Boathouse and Sailboats


 

It seems like one nice day in a row is all we get.  The weather turned and our picturesque New England harbor turned cold (highs in the 60s) and rainy.  It is nicely protected so we didn’t have to deal with the 20+ MPH winds.  It also meant we were going nowhere.  Good thing we stocked the fridge a few days earlier.  So we spent 2 full days on the boat.  We did take a hike on the small island only to find out it has ticks.  We carefully checked ourselves over upon our return.  At least we got all of our household chores done.  Saturday’s supposed to be a good traveling day so we’re keeping our fingers crossed that we can cruise to Martha’s Vineyard.

Can't beat Happy Hour from Meant To Be

 

PROVINCETOWN

He Said:   Hello P-town.  Happy to be alive!!  Like I said earlier, we checked out everything before our Friday AM departure and  it looked great. 

The first 2 ½ hours went perfect - a slight breeze, 80 degrees, auto pilot on, and crusing about 12 MPH.  Just like we owned the Atlantic, nothing to it.  Like the captain and Amy B would say: OH MY GOD, look the flip out.  Here comes the wind.  They said 15 MPH maybe - they missed by nearly 15 as the winds were as much as 28 MPH along with currents.  This we were not prepared for and honestly had no idea how to handle it.  It felt like we were on a 40 ft. 28,000 lb. boogie board, scared shitless.  We both had our life vests on trying our best for about 1 ½ hours of riding the waves and seeing how well my triple by-pass is holding out.  I figured if I survived the battle on Friday then my ticker is just fine.  At about 5PM we hooked up to our mooring ball, and you can only guess our next move - flipping happy hour ASAP!  

 

Friday nite was fun.  We took the water taxi over to PTown, about 500 yds. by water, keeping Mr. Dingy attached to the big boat.  PTown is sorta the gay capitol of the world.  Cute as hell town and about 95% gay.  We meet lots of people who live differently than we do but they could not have been any nicer.  It was Bear Week, have any of you ever heard of that? So here you go, all the dudes, how,s that for a nick-name would walk the streets in their little bottoms of whatever flavor. The whole bear thing was being very hairy in the front and back of your body, some site for sore eyes.  Bill Butler with his fur would have been right at home - only in the fury part of the deal. Later we had a little dinner and stopped by a little cool bakery for desert, it was great. The nite was restful other than the boat has been rocking around on the ball since we hooked up to it.  I wish I could take credit for the rocking all nite but no need to go there!  

 

These are bouys that float above lobster traps.  They're everywhere!

Saturday we spent the day hanging around PTown.  It really is a cool-as-hell little town with galleries, bars, restaurants, and other cool spots on the water.  We also spent Sunday in PTown and just sorta walked around a little more.  Pat did a little shopping and I, of course, had my cooler with a few BudLite Limes so I headed to the beach to consume them.  I’m sort of pissed off I didn’t even get checked out in my new bathing suit!  We threw brats on the grill Sunday and prepared for our exit from PTown.

 

This is the main dock area in Provinceotwn

On the little boat taxi we meet some really nice people that were talking about heading to the Cape Cod Canal, exactly where we are heading.  We headed out Monday at about 8AM behind about 6 sail-boats from a club in Marblehead.  We only traveled about 7MPH so.  Our 25 mile trip landed us here in Sandwich at about noon. This cute little area is at the start of the Cape Cod Canal, the sail boat people went onward thru the canal.  We will do the Canal on Tuesday, weather permitting but there is a chance of fog.  After last Friday we want no part of any type of weather conditions.

 

One last comment on our trip from hell last Friday:  For all of you that are old like me, the inside of our cabin looked like a great place for a game of pick-up sticks - flipping crap had flown everywhere.  Anyhow that’s it for now.  I hope everyone is doing well.  If you want to call me Captain Jack and Pat First Mate that’s ok by us.  I think we earner it!

 

Happy birthday to my nephew, Todd Belt and to Chicago Blues legend, Dave Fishman.

 

Happy to be here safely with my ticker ticking just fine.. L8R, Capt. Jack

 

 

She Said:  We’re finally leaving the Boston area and heading to Provincetown on the extreme northern tip of Cape Cod.  This was our longest travel day and our first one in the open water.  I studied the charts and programmed the GPS.  I checked and double-checked the weather.  Everything was a go!  The beginning of the trip required a fair amount of navigating getting us positioned for the straight 25 mile SE trip across the North Atlantic.  No problems – I’m by no means a pro at navigating, but I’m getting comfortable with the tools.  We were cruising for about 3 hours having a very pleasant trip when the shit hit the fan!  All of sudden the winds (predicted at 10-13 knots) kicked up to gusts of 27 knots (we found out later).  The waves are over twice the size we’ve come accustomed to.  By my estimation they were in the 5 foot range, coming directly at our starboard side - and they were relentless.  We were getting bounced around like I’ve never been (and I’ve been on a boat that sunk).  The helm was completely opened up, so we put on life jackets just in case we got bounced over the side.  We turned the autopilot off and altered our course.  We adjusted to hit the waves at an angle which took away some of the rolling, but was taking us away from P-town, which was in sight.  We sort of ran like a sailboat.  Every now and then we thought it was getting better, and then it would kick up again.  Some cabinets opened flinging plates and canned goods – we only lost one cup.  At last we made it.  Now we had to hook up to the mooring ball.  It was still so windy that there were white caps coming over the top of the ball.  Jack’s got the knack for getting me to the ball; I just haven’t mastered hooking it.  This certainly qualified as a day from hell and one that we hopefully will never experience again. 

 

Neither of us wanted to spend any more time on the boat, so we took the launch into town because the weather was too nasty for our dinghy.  (Even on the ball we were bouncing around so much a bowl broke.)  What a cute town.  There are lots of restaurants, shops, and art galleries.  Not a chain store or fast food restaurant to be found.  With all the restaurants to choose from, we picked Pepe’s Wharf.  It was right on the water and had great balcony patio.  The only problem was that the extreme heat was playing havoc on the energy grids and the restaurant’s credit card authorization system wasn’t working.  That meant cash only and we didn’t have enough with for dinner.  We then tried the Lobster Pot, but there was an hour wait and that meant we might miss the last launch back to the boat.  We opted for a sandwich at George’s and dessert at a Portuguese bakery which was fabulous.  While at the bakery we met a couple who recommended the trolley car tour.  That will be on the agenda.

 

Typical Cape Cod shoreline

P-town’s population is less than 3000, but in the summer it soars to as many as 50,000.  In addition to US6 (the longest highway in the US ending in California) there are ferry boats bringing in tourists by the droves.  Most people we talked with were either spending the summer or at least a couple weeks in town.  P-town has a huge gay/lesbian population and we arrived during “Bear Week.”  This is when bear-like looking men strut their big, burly, hairy bodies.  It is quite a people watching city.  P-town was the first stop of Mayflower.  Approximately 100 pilgrims attempted to settle in P-town, but the conditions were too harsh.  The surviving 50+ pilgrims moved 15 miles due west to Plymouth and the rest, they say, is history.  P-town eventually became a fishing town settled by the Portuguese.  The tip of the P-town which was first settled wasn’t suitable, so the settlers floated their houses across the harbor.  There are approximately 100 homes that have a plaque identifying them as houses that were moved.

 

Close-up of some of the Cape Cod houses
 

We were a bit apprehensive to get back to sea.  We were looking for close cruising options that would eliminate the need to get back into the open seas.  We met a group of people from the Corinthian Yacht Club in Marblehead (neighbors to the Eastern Yacht Club) who were setting sail to the Cap Cod Canal on Monday and invited us to join them.  They’re on sailboats and would be traveling at about 7 miles per hour, but that was OK with us.  The idea of traveling in a group was very comforting.  We enjoyed a pleasant Sunday in town – I checked out a few shops and Jack found the beach.  It was a very relaxing day. 

 

At 8:00am we joined 6 sails boats and set sail for the Cape Cod Canal.  It’s like traveling with the motorcycles.  In this case, we were the only Honda among a group of Harleys.  The sailboats were continuing on to Cuttyhunk (a future planned stop for us) and we were stopping in Sandwich.  There’s not much in Sandwich, but it’s a good stop for provisioning.  The next week we will be harbor hopping and maybe even anchoring.  That means no grocery stores, so we have to make sure we have enough food (and beer for Jack).

 

Our cruising partners for the morning.

The conditions are favorable for fog and we want no part of that.  We’ll monitor the condition before heading off tomorrow down the Cape Cod Canal for either Onset or Red Brook.             

 

 

MARBLEHEAD

He Said: Hello from Hull again:): After a few more days in Scituate it was getting to be time to head out. No doubt that we enjoyed our stay in Scituate since we stopped for a day and spent 7. We left on Wednesday morning and headed back North because we had a chance to spend some time with our Capt. Doug and his good buddy Fred at the Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead. Doug told us it could be a once in a life-time deal and well worth the backtracking we had to do to get there. He was correct.  It takes over 18 years just to get a mooring ball at this beautiful yacht club. The 3 of us met up with Fred at about 7 that nite for cocktails on the patio overlooking the marina. After a few, the 4 of us took a tour of the clubhouse.  What history there is in the world of yachting.  It was a great pleasure talking with Fred who works in the sports apparel world and bought a Titan Motorcycle from Mark Green who ran the business in Phoenix, I believe Dave Fishman knows Mark, small world isn’t it?  This club along with the NY Yacht Club is one of the finest in the east coast and we certainly saw why.

Eastern Yacht Club, Marblehead
 

 

Final Scituate sunset from Meant To Be
 

Thursday morning we grabbed breakfast in this great little town of Marblehead at one of the Captain’s favorite joints.  It’s open for only breakfast and lunch , pretty cool. We pushed off at about 10:30 AM on Friday and headed back to Hull at Sunset Point Marina. We arrived at about 1PM with a dock full of cops all over the joint. You know how I love police people, so I thought Holy Shit, what have I done now? Well happily they paid no attention to the 3 of us due to the fact that the 42 ft. boat that was sitting next to us earlier in Hull had been stolen. How about that! Four young drunk punks stole it while under the influence at about 3AM on Friday morning. It was one guy and 3 young girls.  They ran the crap out of it and enjoyed some cold ones before getting caught early that morning.  You can’t exactly pull a 42 ft. boat out with your little trailer and pick-up truck. I spoke to the owner on Thursday and he just hopes nothing is badly wrong with all the mechanics under the boat - trim tabs, props and all the other fun stuff.  He said he just wants to finish up what is left of the summer then get it fixed if it is not serious then go break the kids’ knees.

 

We had BLT sandwiches for dinner that nite on the boat since the last several nites we had eaten out.  You really do get tired of eating out after a few nites in a row. I headed up to the little bar called The Sea Dog and had a few cold ones to give Pat a little break from my act.  We spend lots of time together and every once in a while it is nice to have a cold one and talk some sports to the boys. Friday morning we hung out until our TV dude showed up to do some minor repairs on our new TV. He spent a few minutes repairing and then we were heading to PTown (Provincetown).  We pushed off at about 11AM on Friday for about a 4 hour trip in the open water. The weather and seas should be good and hopefully our 40 or so mile trip will be a good one. That is about all for now, take care and Happy BD to my nephew Kevin and my nearly 87 year old mom.  L8r, Jack!

 

 

She Said:  As much as we’ve enjoyed Scituate, it’s time to say good-bye.  But before we leave we have a few last minute things to do.  Top of the list is getting our laptop fixed.  It’s been gobbling up data like crazy.  At first I thought it had to do with the Verizon JetPack we set up (which enables us to use the internet via a 3G/4G signal).  But I found that when we were using public WiFi we kept getting redirected to other website – that made me think that we might have a bug.  We took the computer into a local geek store.  The computer speed overall is faster and it’s no longer redirecting, but it’s still gobbling up data.  If anyone has any thoughts on what may be causing this, let us know.  Then, there was restaurant in town we hadn’t checkout, so on our final night in Scituate we had dinner at the Mill Wharf.  It’s a great view from their patio and the weather was perfect.

Mill Wharf Restaurant

 

We’re trying to conserve water because the water station isn’t convenient to us.  Since there are really nice marina showers, we’ve been using them.  On our way to the shower one day we rescued a man who tipped over his kayak.  Yes – you got that the right.  We were the rescuers NOT the rescuees.   He was out fishing and somehow flipped his kayak.  By the time we got to him he was out of the kayak but obviously exhausted from the effort and the water temperature.  We were in the dinghy so it was hard to provide a lot of assistance.  We gathered his oars and misc stuff.  In the meantime, a larger boat came by and was together we were able to get him on his way.

 

The Scituate Yacht Club is really close to where the boat is moored.  They offer sailing classes.  It is so cute to watch the classes.  Kids start in boats that have a rudder but no sail.  They’re pulled along in a train-like fashion and learn to operate the rudder.  Then they graduate to the sail - it’s follow-the-leader around the marina.  They come right alongside the boat.  It’s really fun to watch.  They certainly start the kids out early. 

 

Kids learning to control the rudder

 

Kids with the sails up playing follow the leader
 

 

For those of you interested in the mechanical stuff, we got the battery situation figured out.  We have 5 batteries.  We thought that one is dedicated to the generator, 2 are dedicated to the boat and 2 to the motors.  One is dedicated to the generator, but the other 4 are shared between the boat and the motors.  So batteries A and B are linked together to form battery 1 and batteries C and D are linked together to form battery 2.  Every day that we’re not hooked to shore power we should alternate between battery 1 and 2.  Things are now working great. 

Captain Doug stopped by one last time to give us suggestions on towns, marinas and anchorages throughout New England.  He is such a tremendous help I don’t know what we would have done without him.  He strongly urged us to see one of his favorite towns – Marblehead.  Doug has a very close friend who is a member of the Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead so he could hook us up with accommodations.  When Doug said he’d join us for the trip we jumped at the opportunity.  That delayed our departure from Scituate a day or two.  And, instead of heading to Provincetown (southeast) we’re heading to Marblehead (northwest).

 

After a quick lesson on leaving a mooring ball and a gas and water stop, we were on our way.  I set our course and Jack took the wheel – off we went.  It was a very pleasant, almost uneventful, 3 hour cruise.  We’re out cruising in over 150 feet of water when suddenly our depth finder alarm sounds.  It shows that we’re in water less than 10 feet and it’s getting shallower.  Jack and I are in a panic, but not Captain Doug.  Once we relaxed he explained that sometimes that happens.  There’s nothing wrong with the depth finder, it was probably something floating under the boat like seaweed or a whale or a mermaid.  I’m going with whale; I think Jack’s going with mermaid.  We towed the dinghy just to see what it would be like.  We probably won’t tow it often.  When we arrived in Marblehead, Doug had Jack take us on a tour of the harbor which meant weaving between the mooring balls and boats.  It was very scenic but incredibly nerve-wracking for Jack.  Eventually we called the Eastern Yacht Club launch and they directed us to our mooring ball.  This one had an antenna on it so all I had to do was grab it (no hook required).  Bingo – we were attached.  After lunch, Doug headed off to do some work on a boat, and Jack and I headed into town to some sightseeing.  Marblehead claims to be the birthplace of the US Navy.  Throughout the town building are marked with signs noting when the building was built, for whom (including occupation) and when.  The buildings aren’t opulent, but I think they must have been large in their day.  It is really a very picturesque New England town.

One of the signs on building noting its history

 

 

One of the many beautiful new homes in Marblehead

Doug’s friend, Fred, hosted us at the Eastern Yacht Club for cocktails.  From the terrace we had a wonderful view of the harbor.  We were having a very enjoyable evening when suddenly there was a big bang, the entire terrace went silent and everyone stood.  Jack and I are looking at each other thinking WTF.   Apparently, it’s an age-old, maritime tradition to fire a cannon at sunset.  The same thing happens every morning at 8:00.  It was really very cool and because we didn’t know it was coming it was quite impressive.  Fred  couldn’t have been a better host.  He took us on a tour of the facility.  He also told us that the movies “The Way Way Back” and “Grown-Ups 2” were filmed here.  He pointed out the house where Adam Sandler lived while filming and told us about the other movie stars who were living in town and which houses they lived in.  He said that Adam Sandler was a really nice guy.  Fred also told us that his wife and daughter were in “The Way Way Back.”  We’ve just added those 2 movies to our must-see list.  The evening ended with Fred giving me a Chicago Black Hawks sweater (he’s in the sports apparel business).  It was a unique experience, and we were fortunate to have enjoyed it.

 

View from Eastern Yacht Club terrace.  Meant To Be is in the center of the picture
 

We then came back to Hull to have some TV work finished.  This time it really was an uneventful trip.  Upon arrival at Sunset Marina I handled the lines.  Jack handled the docking.  With Doug’s help, we looked like professionals.  It was a good exercise and a great confidence booster for both of us.  The dock was full of people and we were trying to figure out what was going on.  Apparently the 42-foot boat that we were parked next to when we were previously here was stolen from the marina that night.  They found the boat a few miles away with the kids on board “doing donuts” in the ocean. 

 

We’ve been enjoying the weather although most people here are really struggling with it.  Since we’re on the water it is much nicer than some of the inland areas.  The temps have been in the 90s with equally high humidity.  But there’s no rain and that makes us happy.  There have been power outages, but we’re sitting in our new favorite place and enjoying life!

 

p.s.  Happy 90^th Birthday, Evelyn!