WORLD'S END AND HULL

He Said:  Hello from Hull, Mass.  I need to start out by giving my normal weather forecast.  I think being a weatherman here would be much more difficult than back in AZ. The past week we have had extreme heat (93), cool weather in the low 60’s, thunderstorms, fog, humidity, and every other weather stuff that exists.  The only thing we don’t have is what you desert people have all of the time, dry heat!  

Enough about the weather.  We had a very good weekend doing boat-stuff.  I meet the nicest 19 year old on the 150 ft. boat that we showed you in our blog.  He had the weekend off and really wanted to help.  Grant (pronounced Gront in South Africa) was more help than I could ever imagine.  He has terrific boat knowledge and knows how to do lots of stuff, so we spent the weekend mostly caulking, painting and some other stuff.  Grant left us 3 days ago for Alaska on a much bigger boat.  The dude is like a walking ball of muscle.  He modeled underwear for Calvin Klein - his last name certainly wasn’t Belt.

 

The 3 of us took the dingy about 5 miles into the open water to a place called World End, a big time hang out for all kinds of boats.   Grant brought his spear gun, along with his fins and mask, but there wasn’t enough visibility to nail a fish or whatever they call it. We got back to our boat later that afternoon and we paid Grant with food and beer.  I went to give him some $$ but he must have left half way thru the nite.  

 

This past week has still been involved with finishing up some last minute projects on the boat. It’s mostly mechanical and tv/stereo stuff that should be finished when we return on July 5.  It’s hard to believe that we have been in the NE Area for 5 weeks.  We’re heading out this afternoon for the mid-west.  

 

Yesterday we moved the boat to Hull which was about 30 minutes by water from Hingham.  The owner here is heading up most of our boat stuff that needs to be finished up.  This marina is about 20% the size of Hingham Shipyard and much more personable.  When we got here yesterday the owner was waiting for us at the dock and radioed us to simply back into our spot.  Holy shit! I’ve never done it I told him.  But between the 2 guys on the dock, Pat on the boat, and me on the wheel we had no problems.  I’m not saying I wasn’t scared shitless.  We walked into the little town of Hull and found a cute little hole in the wall joint and threw down a few drinks.  Last nite we ate here at the marina at the Sea Dog.  It was pretty good food but pretty bad service, oh well.  We found a little beer joint after that and meet some locals.  It was open mike nite, not too much going on.  

We appreciate the comments that we are getting from some of the people reading our blog.  Thanks and it is great hearing from you. Need to get going -  got some boat stuff to do, get packed for the airport, and jump on the boat to Logan Airport. 

Take Care and I am certain we will blog again late next week after we arrive back in the Boston area. L8R, Jack

 

She Said:  It’s been a busy week.  Nothing big or eventful has happened, but we’ve been keeping busy. 

 

On the boating front, “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . .”   Our month at the Hingham Shipyard was up (it’s hard to believe that we were there a month), we needed a change of scenery, and we lined up a guy do some work on the boat for us while we’ll be back in the Midwest. So we moved the boat from our home in Hingham to Sunset Bay Marina in Hull.  Hull is in the Boston Harbor so we didn’t have far to go (about 45 minutes), but the Boston Harbor is full of obstacles and you really have to navigate your way through it all.  I had my chart in hand, the GPS on, and a waypoint set.  Off we headed for Hull.  As we approached the marina we were directed to back in on the starboard side.  PANIC.  We’ve barely got a forward docking mastered and now we’re being asked to back in.  But guess what – Jack did it!  The guys on the dock helped by shouting out things like “reverse port” and “bring the bow around.” Safe navigating and docking - it was indeed the best of times.  Earlier in the week things weren’t so great.  We had lots of good dockings, but we did have one that wasn’t so good.  Jack was a little too close to the dock and I thought we had a fender out (which we didn’t).  The end result is a scratch – not one that can be buffed out, but also not a gouge.  At least we’ve got our first ding under our belt.

 

We were able to enjoy life on the water this week.  With the dinghy motor working we’ve been able to venture out.  We took the dinghy to World’s End one hot, sunny afternoon and hung out with the big boats.  We ran into some of our dock neighbors and tied up with them for a couple of hours.  The motor doesn’t hold much gas so we had to fill up with gas along the way.  One day we packed a picnic lunch and took the dinghy down the river.  One aspect of boat life that I’ve been nervously awaiting is accidently falling into the water.  I’m not the most graceful of creatures and my depth perception isn’t great so I’ve been on pins and needles waiting for the splash.  Well it finally happened.  But it wasn’t me – it was Jack.  I was sitting in the cockpit (previously erroneously called the aft deck) and heard Jack yell my name.  I looked up in time to see Jack fall in.  (I find myself chuckling now just thinking about it.)  Fortunately, he had nothing in his pockets or hands and everything was OK.

 

 

 

 

 

We’ve also been doing exterior maintenance work.  We sanded and repainted the side vents.  Check out the before and after photos.  We also removed some old caulking and re-caulked a few sections (still more areas to do).  These projects were started with the help of Jack’s new friend, Grant.  Remember the picture of the yacht Jack posted awhile back?  Well Grant worked on that yacht.  He’s the nicest kid – 19 years old and from South Africa.  He had a couple days off work so he helped (maybe taught is a better word) Jack with general boat maintenance.  We sort of adopted him for the short time he was around.  He was hired to work on another boat (bigger, so more experience for him) that will be doing an around-the-world fishing trip.  He was hired one day and flying to Alaska the next day.

 

Not a lot to report on the culinary front.  We did have one last lobster dinner; we will definitely miss the fresh lobster.  Several people recommended a place called Kelly’s Landing.  It was too far to walk so we hopped the local bus.  Jack was a bit disappointed when we first walked in – too much restaurant and not enough bar.  When our waitress told us there was a separate bar/restaurant next door, Jack cheered up.  It was exactly the kind of place he likes, and the kind of place that I know I shouldn’t order wine.  We wanted to try something local so our bartender recommended the baked, stuffed scrod.  He even solicited the input from another table of patrons and it was all thumbs up.  It was great!  The bartender was really good.  He gave us a line on Jimmy Buffet tickets for the next night (it didn’t work out) and shared a lot of local info.  He told us that there’s a Kelly’s Landing in Ft. Lauderdale on the ICW.  We will definitely check it out.  As we were waiting for the bus to take us back to the boat, the couple that recommended the scrod offered us a ride back to the boat.  Like so many people we’ve met, they’re proud of the area and took us on a short sightseeing trip.

 

I told you about a great dinner we had in Boston’s North End at Galleria 33.  Since dining there I found out that the restaurant was featured on Kitchen Nightmare with Gordon Ramsay.  When we were looking up places to try in Hull, I found Barefoot Bob’s – another restaurant that had a Kitchen Nightmare intervention.  When we walked in Jack said, “This is the kind of bar that Lance and I like” – not exactly a rousing endorsement.  We tried the Stuffed Quahogs appetizer.  Quahogs (pronounced Koe Hog) are local clams.  They were excellent.  I’ve never watched Kitchen Nightmares, but I’m going to give it a try.  I don’t know what these restaurants were like before Gordon Ramsay was there, but they’re definitely great after his intervention. 

 

The only thing we can complain about is the weather.  When it’s not raining it’s hot and humid.  But it’s usually raining.  The weather-people are predicting this will be the 2^nd wettest June on record.  I think we’ve used the heater more than the air conditioner.  I’m not doing well with the humidity.  Having grown up in the humid Midwest, you’d think I’d be used to it – but I’m not.  All of our clothes are wrinkled because everything is so damp.  I hope we’ll learn some tricks to deal with the humidity. 

 

We’re heading to the Midwest today for a week.  Jack will be in Columbus for a few days then joining me in Chicago for my niece’s wedding.  I’m really excited about the wedding.  This will be the first time my entire family will be in the same place in probably 12 years.  You won’t hear from us for awhile, but stay tuned – there will be more.

 

BOSTON

 He Said:   Sunny Boston.  TGIF.  Hello everyone and hope all is going well.  My last blog began with an extensive weather report from Jack the Weatherman, not a Captain yet.  The real weatherman has answered our prayers, and it has been wonderful.  Our daytime highs have been in the 70’s.  We are still closing the boat at nite for sleeping and still needing a blanket to stay comfortable.  We had a couple of big storms early in the week, but not until the early evening so it really hasn’t been an issue for our daytime plans.  

The past 6 days we have been very lucky from servicing the boat stand point.  All of a sudden we have all kinds of dudes wanting our biz, much different than a week or two ago.  In the next few days or so we hope to have the most important part done which is the engine stuff.  Our mechanic, Doug, will be changing a lot of filters and fluids along with a few other things.  Today our electronics guy should be here to check out the stereo/TV situation and whether to purchase a traveling type satellite.  It would be great to have but they are not exactly giving them away. 

One week from today we will be heading back to our hometowns of Chicago and Columbus.  We will do the wedding on the 4^th then back here to Boston.  If all works out with the boat stuff and weather conditions we should be heading out on about the 6^th or 7^th of July.  Pat is doing a great job of learning the charts.  When the winds are in check we head out on the boat to practice our docking.  I feel that my skills are improving, but when the current and wind are pushing me in the same direction I am still challenged.  I think just a few weeks into this we are doing just fine. 

We took a much deserved break on Wednesday and took the boat ferry into BeanTown.  If you can’t find a cool little Cheers-like bar for a cold one then you better get to the eye doctor fast.  We walked parts of the Freedom Trail and walked to the Hockey/Hoop Arena.  Game 4 of the NHL was that nite so you can figure what the crowd was like.  Oh yea plus the Sox were in town.  We spent most of our day in the North End.  If you like Italian (like we both do) and pastries (like one of us does) then you would be in heaven.  Every business in the area is Italian including things like the Laundromat!  We had a great pasta dinner and then went to a cool little bakery.  We had a cannoli for there and couldn’t say no to a monster cream puff for the road.  We grabbed the next to last boat back to the marina and arrived at about 8PM.

 

The same day we had the compound/polish guys here for the day - 4 of them and all day - now we have a very clean and shiny Carver. Yesterday we received our letters for the boat that we ordered last week, and we spent yesterday afternoon putting them on the boat. For those of you thinking “oh no,” we did not have 1 cocktail prior to the install.  Now we are proudly cruising out of Phoenix, AZ just like the picture shows.  I think some of the folks here in the Marina are already trying to figure out how in the hell we got here from Phoenix.  It gives them something to talk about other than the Bruins.  Early in the evening last nite we took a little boat ride in our no-motor-yet dingy. Into the wind and current you row your ass off, and it appears that you are stuck in neutral.  The good stuff is we had our new little cooler with us with a few cold ones, and Pat had a nice glass of wine.  Pat watches me do all of the work but it is great exercise for my heart stuff even if we get nowhere fast.  

 

Last nite I gave Pat a break and watched the NBA final game at my favorite blueberry brewery.  I think the Spurs had to win the 6^th game and probably should have, oh well!  We’re looking forward to a nice warm weekend just hanging out and enjoying the boat, the weather, and the water. 

That is it for now, Take Care and Keep in Touch, Weatherman Jack

She Said:  It’s been a busy week.  The mechanic showed up – not on Friday as scheduled, but on Monday.  He agreed with both surveyors that the engines are in great condition.  He’ll come back next week to fix the water and oil leak in the exhaust elbow.  He’ll also change the appropriate fluids and filters so we’ll be able to travel 200 hours.  He also said that we can use the boat as-is so we can continue our lessons.  Jack’s really got the hang of pulling into the slip.  We actually took the boat to the pump station and brought it back all without incident.  We couldn’t say that a week ago.  I’ve gotten proficient with a few knots.  We’re starting to look like real boaters.

 

Check out the Flemming
 

 

 

There’s a small family-friendly restaurant within a half mile of the boat.   They say their bar is friendly so we went in for a drink the other night.  Jack was happy because they have $2.29 Bud Light drafts (so long Summer Shandy), and I liked the extra large wine carafes.  We’ve been in twice and both times have met really nice people.  One couple in particular gave us so much great information and even offered us the use of their bicycles while we’re here.  Through them we have lined up all the needed contractors for the boat projects we want done.  A few more guys are due out later this week.  We’ve also got a line a few marinas.

 

 

 

The all-day rains have passed, and the weather is actually quite pleasant.  We did have two days of thunderstorms though.  And wow, they were some kind of storms.  They reminded me a lot of an Arizona monsoon – thunder, lightning, and torrential downpours followed by a rainbow. 

 

We finally made it into Boston.  It was a great day.  We took one of the many commuter ferries into town.  Boston Harbor is quite large with two entrances.  Within the Harbor there are many smaller harbors.  All of this makes for a real navigating challenge.  It was interesting to have studied the charts and then watch the ferry’s route.  We traveled during low tide and for the first time we could see all of the obstacles that buoys had marked.  Arriving in Boston was quite impressive.

 

I hoped to find a Legal Seafood for lunch, but there wasn’t one nearby so we settled for lunch at Faneuil Hall.  What an amazing food court.  There was such a wide variety to choose from and it all looked so good.  No big surprise on what we had – clam chowder for me and pizza for Jack.  With full stomachs we embarked on the Freedom Trail – a three mile, self-walking tour of Boston history.  We took a little detour into the Bell In Hand Tavern which is the oldest tavern in the U.S.  Next door we found a bar that had $2.00 Bud Light drafts, so you know we were going to end up back there sometime during the day.  The 4^th game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs was in town so we walked to the stadium to see what was going on.  Eventually we made our way back to the North End for dinner.  You could spend the entire day in the North End and not see all of the restaurants, bars and little Italian grocery stores.  Most of the restaurants were small, quaint and privately owned.  We found a great place called Galleria 33.  It was EXCELLENT.  The owner suggested Modern Bakery for freshly made cannoli - also excellent.  We caught the last ferry back home.  What a great day! 
 

We’re doing some cosmetic work to the outside of the boat.  We had it professionally “compounded” above the rub rails.  Jack’s working on the lower half.  It can now officially be called home with the addition of our hailing port – Phoenix, AZ.   
 

We’ve met so many kind people who have shared their time and knowledge (and even their cars).  I don’t know where we’d be without them.  It’s nice to know that there are so many generous people out there.  We are so thankful!

 

 

RECORD SETTING RAIN

He Said:   Happy Sunny Saturday.  Since our last blog I only have 3 words to explain the past 6 days, rain, rainier, rainiest.  Holy Shit is it ever wet, no wonder!!  In less than ½ of the month they have only received 9 inches of rain.  The all-time record in a month is 13 inches.  If the second half of the month is close to as rainy it will be the wettest month ever.  Welcome to Boston.  They normally receive about 1 inch in the month of June. We try our best to find positive stuff with this weather and here it is: we believe as our travels send us South the weather could not be as rainy or cold as the past 2 weeks have been and we survived it just fine.  The great news is I just watched the 7 day forecast and it rocks.  Few clouds but mostly 70-85 and sunny - thank god.  

Enough of the weather report. We are trying our best to take care of the mechanical issues in getting the boat ready for the 3500 mile trip to the South.  The biggest challenge is getting a mechanic to the boat to work on some of our stuff.  The boating season here is very short compared to nice weather states (CA, AZ, FL), so you can only imagine what it is like when every boat owner in town wants to get their boat in the water.  Hey Greg, they would die for a good diesel dude, only 1 in this whole area and he is some kind of busy. Our good friend Tim headed back to Seattle this past Tuesday.  He was a great help, and it was also great catching up on stuff with him.  

 

Great trade - dinghy & motor for a 150 footer

Our lives are sort of back to normal.  We’re trying to get in our exercise 4 or 5 times a week along with eating in on week-days.  This past Tuesday we went to the 5 buck theatre to see The Internship with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.  If you are looking for a good flick go see it.  You will have a smile on your face when you leave.  We thought it was some kind of funny. We had dinner with our Captain Doug and his girlfriend this past Wed. at his favorite little tavern in down-town Hingham. It’s a nice little Cheers-like joint with Pizza, Burgers, Fish & Chips - perfect for us. 

Not much more happening here.  We will be heading to both Chicago and Columbus in less than 2 weeks.  We will both be in Chicago for Pat’s niece’s wedding on the 4^th of July.  We will head back here on the 5^th and prepare for our departure on the 6^th or 7^th towards Annapolis, about 400 miles down the Atlantic.  It should be a blast but hard to believe in about 3 weeks it’s Pat and me in the water with no El Capitain.   That’s about it from here for now.  For all you fathers, have a great Sunday.  For those of you who still have your dad around make sure you give him a hug, couldn’t hurt! 

 

Take Care, Damp Jack

She Said:  We took another learning cruise.  We departed without incident – we’ve gotten very good at departing.  We practiced getting to a mooring ball – dead on.  With Jack driving, I took a stab at grabbing the mooring ball with the hook – bulls-eye, except I grabbed the wrong part of the ball, so I had to release the hook into the ocean.  We didn’t have a way to retrieve the hook so we left it attached to the ball floating in the ocean.  (Jack and Tim took the dinghy back and retrieved the hook.)  I was feeling really comfortable driving the boat which was quite a departure from the previous time out.  I actually drove the boat back to our dock where I gave the helm to Jack to bring the boat into the slip.  My job was to handle the ropes.  Jack was pulling us in perfectly when the winds and current took over – we made it only halfway into the slip.  Jack gave it another try, but aborted the attempt.  He made another attempt from the other direction and that made all the difference.  There were a couple of guys on the dock that helped me with the ropes.  I’m continuing to work on my navigational skill and have added the use of the GPS.  Between the charts and GPS and I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on navigating.  We will still only travel in good weather and daylight.

We’re in a holding pattern because 1) we’re waiting on the mechanic and 2) the weather’s awful and not cooperating.  The mechanic is due today (we’ve only been waiting two weeks) and hopefully he’ll get our fuel filter and engine leaks fixed soon.  As soon as the fixes are made we can resume our lessons.  The weather has been awful.  We have received approximately 8.5 inches of rain in two weeks – that’s more than we get in Phoenix in an entire year.  It’s also exceptional for Boston – so far it’s the sixth rainiest June on record and more rain is in the forecast.  In addition to the rain it’s been cold – the bedroom was 63 degrees when we got up this morning.  Good thing the heater works well.  Who would have thought that we’d have to use a heater in June!

After the fourth dinghy tow we decided to bring the motor into the marine repair shop to have it looked at.  Like everything else that’s water related it’s going to take 7-10 days before they can get to it.  We plan to use the dinghy a lot when we’re “on the ball” and anchored, so it’s important that the dinghy is reliable.

(Jack traveling without the motor.)

Because of the bad weather, we’ve focused our boating efforts on the inside of the boat.  There were plenty of storage spaces that were completely empty, so I’ve started spreading out a bit.  Our bed is a piece of plywood with a small mattress and some foam.  We added a feather topper to the bed and it has really made a difference.  I sleep so well at night it’s unbelievable.  We’ve hung some pictures and got some plants.  It’s amazing how quickly and easily we’ve felt at home aboard.

I joined a gym here in the marina.  That gets me out and about by myself at least three times a week.  Captain Doug picked us up and took us into the quaint town of Hingham where we had dinner in a building built in the mid 1700s.  (Hingham is also the home to the first Talbott’s and its corporate headquarters.)  Today we were going to venture out on the bus, but had to cancel that because of the mechanic’s pending visit.  We hope to get back into Hingham this weekend and into Boston next week.

 

p.s.  We hear it's difficult to post on our blog.  We think it may have something to do with the drop down menu asking to select a profile.  Play around with that and see if it helps.

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
 

HINGHAM SHIPYARD MARINA - SETTLING IN

He Said: Hello Blog Readers and Happy Hump-day: Today is our 6^th day at Hingham Boatyard and it has been full of events.  

I see for all of you desert rats you reached about 106 or so the other day.  You know it’s June in Phoenix and it happens every year. The weather here has been all over the joint - very windy on Sunday, some rain on Monday, and yesterday and today are really nice.  It’s in the low 70’s during the day and 50’ish at night which is terrific sleeping weather with the windows open on the boat.  We are plugged into shore power but have really needed no heat or a/c since arriving here. We made our way to Wal-Mart a couple of days ago to buy some stuff we couldn’t find within our little village.  No Target anywhere so we didn’t have too many choices.  Our best purchase was a small grill (propane) for the aft deck, and it works great.  

Now that we have been out here for about 2 weeks it is time we start eating in, not only for the food quality but also the $$.  I believe I mentioned earlier that places like this are pretty full of their prices on stuff in general, including food.  We’re trying to kinda get back to our Az. Ways of eating in thru the week and week-ends out.  We have been walking lots, it’s what you do when you have no wheels.   I may forget how to drive anytime now.  The walking and exercise is important to my health so it is all good.  By the way, today it’s been 7 big months since they opened me up, probably a date I will never forget.  Thank god for great doctors. 

Got a little boat story for you.  With the purchase of the Carver we also have a 10 ft. dingy with a 3.5 HP motor.  After 3 trips I was thinking about pulling the plug and letting it go to the bottom of the Atlantic.  After being pathetically towed in 2 of 3 trips I thought I best call the local marine.  John, the mechanic, informed me about a fuel release thing I wasn’t aware of and now we are cruising again.  We’re probably not going to sink the boat.  The big boat has 2 waste holding tanks and 1 has been full for 4 days, no big deal we just use the other bath.  Sounds kind of crazy, but the issue is we have to move the boat to the waste removal dock.  This sounds simple but I am not quite confident in moving the boat and bringing back to our slip with just Pat and me.  Today my good buddy, Tim (Seattle), will be here for about 5 days and tomorrow morning we will make the 200 yd. cruise to the waste joint.  Those are my 2 boat stories, certain that once we head towards Annapolis in about a month the boat stories will be all over the joint. I’m getting tired of punching these buttons, but will continue to keep you all up to date with our stuff.  In the comment area of our blog we would love to hear your 2 cents worth even if it means telling us that we went off the deep end….. 

Take Care, Jack (no longer co-captain after getting towed 2X)  L8R 

She Said:  What a difference a day (or two) makes.  A couple days ago I would have called us pathetic, but today I’m feeling hopeful. 

As we began to settle into Hingham Shipyard things were looking good.  We found plenty of shopping (including 2 grocery stores, a liquor store with great wine prices, a Lowes and even a Dollar Tree) and restaurants within walking distance.  We got adventurous and took the dinghy to Lowes where we stocked up on essentials.  We were feeling pretty good about ourselves.   

Then . . . I’d been concerned about our water and “waste” levels, but we couldn’t find any gauges.  Saturday morning I saw a red light flashing in our master “head” – it meant our waste was full.  Disposing of waste shouldn’t be a big deal, right?  Wrong!  The mobile pump-out station can’t get to us for 4 days and we’re not capable of moving the boat by ourselves to the stationary pump station.  At this point I’m not feeling so good about us. 

We decide to chill-out a bit and take a leisurely ride in our dinghy to buy gas and attempt to forget about the waste problem.  It’s surprising how many people leave their big boats docked and go for dinghy rides.  So off we go.  We travel about 100 yards and the little 3.5 horsepower motor dies.  The motor holds less than ½ gallon of gas.  It looks like we ran out of gas before we got to the gas pump.  No problem, the Highham Harbor Patrol comes by and offers us a tow to the gas station – a bit embarrassing but at least we’re safe.  Upon arrival at the pump we’re informed that the station closed 10 minutes earlier.  We’re towed back to our slip; we check the tank and it’s not empty.  Good news – we’re not as pathetic as I thought.  Bad news – we’ve got a bigger issue than gas.

 

Our dinghy and little motor.  She hasn't been very cooperative.

 

It’s a new day.  There’s still no progress on getting pumped out.  Jack cleans up the dinghy – maybe a little TLC is all it needs.  We go out for another dinghy ride.  We get just about as far as we did the previous day, and it dies again.  To complicate the situation it’s a bit windy and we’re getting blown across the bay.  Fortunately, a nearby boater sees us trying to row back home and rescues us.  Once again we’re towed home – we are definitely pathetic.  We can’t operate a dinghy – how in the heck are we going to operate Meant To Be?

 

It’s a new and better day!  I’m reading one of our manuals and find out that we have TWO waste tanks and only one is full.  We can use one of the heads.  Things are looking up.  Then we call the local Tohatsu dealer (the dinghy motor) and find that we were given wrong info regarding running the dinghy motor.  We aren’t as pathetic as I thought we were.  To top off the day, we get one of the DVD players working and even get a couple of local TV stations (especially during high tide).  We now have local news.  I am indeed hopeful – tomorrow is another day!

AT SEA

He Said:  

Hello all of you blog readers.  Here we are in beautiful Boston, Mass.  Pat and I left Cos Cob, Conn. on Tuesday of this week.  Over-all the trip went really great without any major hitches.  We met up with our Capt. Doug at about noon and departed about 2PM after making certain all the boat stuff was in good operating condition.  We only traveled about 3.5 hours due to not so good weather conditions.  We are traveling about 18 MPH, so 55 - 60 miles.  We spent the night in Branford, CT at a very peaceful and non-action packed marina and town.  The weather was shitty and a little foggy, but we could not find a restaurant within walking distance so we had a great dinner of chicken, pasta and a salad.   

Wed. morning we fueled up at $4.50 for diesel (thank god for our 10% discount!!)  Had a great day traveling about 80 miles thru the Long Island Sound and then into the wonderful Atlantic Ocean (a little chop for us wimps).  Overall it was a clear and beautiful day, maybe 70 degrees and sunny.  Pulled in after about 6 hours and spent the nite in Newport RI.  This place is as cool as shit, complete opposite of the nite before.  The 3 of us hit happy hour on the aft deck then out to a really cool restaurant on the water (like most of the restaurants are in Newport.)  

The 3^rd and final day of the sea was Thursday.  We also traveled about 6 hours/approx. 90 miles.  We got into Boston on that nite at about 6PM.  It was a beautiful day on the ocean.  Pat and I got a chance to sit on the bow due to the water being almost perfect and about 80 degrees.   

We spend most of Friday and Saturday cleaning and picking up the boat after 3 days of being on the water.  Our little marina here at Hingham Shipyard Marina has been great so far.  We’re still finding ourselves around the little village but lots within walking distance. Mass. has the world’s worst law - no Happy Hours.  It’s against state law due to it encourages drinking.  We don’t need no stinking happy hour for that, we’re always ready.  

 

 

The picture of the 3 people is us of course with our Capt. Doug.  This dude knows more about boats than god, born in 1950 just like yours truly, been boating in this area only since his 2^nd BD.  Hey Markless - is this your twin brother?  He’s funny and looks like you.  I realize nobody is as handsome as you, but mighty close. The great thing about having the Doug with us is that we both got to drive the boat (autopilot) piece of cake.  The other great thing about the Capt. was that we would still be out in the Atlantic driving around trying to figure out these damn charts. 

 I must also tell you I almost took out a lobsta pot, but thank god I was luckier than good and it went directly between the props.  It could have been an XL disaster.   All in all a terrific 8 days.  We will keep you all posted. 

Take Care,

Asst. Capt. Jack 

She Said:  What an amazing three days at sea.  It wasn’t anything like I expected, but it was still amazing.  Our captain, Doug Kent, joined us Tuesday around lunch time.  After familiarizing himself with the boat (and us), we secured a few things and we headed out to sea in the rain and haze.  Not quite ideal conditions, but off we went.  The seas were calms, but I found the visibility awful.  Between the haze and rain (there are no windshield wipers on the boat) I had a hard time seeing things in the distance.  I was surprised at how far off shore we were traveling.  I thought we’d follow the shore line.  We actually had to set a course and navigate the boat.  Early on Jack took over the helm and followed the course the captain set.  The captain kept reminding him of the setting he was to follow – it seemed like Jack kept getting off course.  At one point the captain told me to look at the wake behind us – it was a long snake-like trail  The he showed us our path on the GPS – a course of little “S”s.  That was how often Jack kept getting off course and correcting back onto course.  We all had a good laugh over that.  We pulled in to Branford, CT early that evening and cooked dinner aboard the boat.  It actually turned out quite good. 

The weather the next morning was better – light rain and still hazy.  We set sail – destination Newport, RI.  The weather cleared up and Jack again took the helm.  His yachtsmanship improved 100 fold – his wake was straight as an arrow.  And talking about the wake – it’s huge.  It looks like we’re on a cruise ship.  Things were going well and then we left the Long Island Sound -  we were in the ocean.  What a difference in the degree of chop.  Although I didn’t get seasick, I generally didn’t like it.  We set the autopilot for most of the day, but we still had to watch for lobster pots.  They are absolutely everywhere.  One snuck up on us and Jack had to maneuver us around it – or in his case, over the top of it between the two propellers.  I’m afraid we may have used up all of our luck too early in the trip.  We pulled in to Newport around 6pm.  What a great little town – we’ll definitely spend more time here on our way south.  A bit pricey, but very cute. 

We were up early Thursday morning hoping to get an early start on the day.  WRONG – we had our first mechanical issue.  Fortunately it wasn’t serious and Captain Doug was able to deal with it.  It did delay us by 2.5 hours.  When we did finally leave it was Captain JACK who took us out of the slip, into the fuel pump and out of the harbor.  Quite impressive!  This was a fantastic day at sea – clear, calm and warm.  We all took turns driving – including me.  Even though it was on autopilot, I still had to dodge lobster pots and navigate my way around oncoming boats.  Whoever wasn’t driving would sit up on the bow – this is living!  We traveled the Cape Cod Canal which gave us a taste of what the IntraCoastal will be like.  I really enjoyed that speed.  Jack brought us into Hingham Bay and our marina.  Captain Doug brought us into our slip bow first which set up our aft deck for gentle ocean breezes and happy hour sunsets.  Life is Good.

 

Add to the “To Do” list:  Take navigating course and knot tying.    

Our 1st sunset from Meant To Be
 

As the sun sets in the west . . . . .