SCITUATE

He Said:   Hello from Scituate: Arrived here this past Wednesday with pretty good success in our traveling.   

We pretty much wrapped up the mechanical portion of the boat prior to departing.  Also Jay, the do-everything guy, finished up all of his stuff.  Bob, the owner at Sunset Marina, was so kind on our last day to spend time with us on our docking skills.  These guys that have been doing this all of their lives sure make it look simple.

 

Our trip on Wednesday was a little windy and some descent size chop in the ocean - maybe 3 to 5 ft.  Traveling up in the NE area there is no Intracoastal so all of our traveling is in the good old Atlantic Ocean.  Pat has learned lots about the charts.  Between them, GPS, the depth finder, radar, I-Phone and our eyeballs we certainly feel safe.  I do not know tons about the ocean part, but I am certain as we travel South the land mass best be to our right.  If not, look out.  We did have some challenges with large rock type formations underwater, but spotted them on the GPS and had no issues.  As we arrived here at the marina we were a little challenged by the wind and the massive amount of boats here in the harbor also on a mooring ball.  I will not bore you with everything, but we did have a little mistake with a ball that wasn’t ours.  Thank heaven nothing bad came of it - we are certainly learning new stuff everyday.

 

Our plan was to spend 1 day here but it is such a cool little town that Monday night will be our 6^th day here on the ball.  The weather has still been a little crazy.  Today was really nice - no rain and a beautiful night. We still need no A/C or heat in the eves which is nice, because that would require our generator.  Obviously we are not hooked into the dock power since we are in a mooring field. 

We are still meeting some really friendly people here and most of them are boat type people.  We found a great little sports bar here in town with live tunes on week-ends, ocean views, and maybe the best part is freezing cold PBR on tap at $2.50.  That’s the best bargain we have discovered in 7 weeks.  Also we just take the dingy into town, maybe 5 minutes at most, then just jump in the dingy and bring it back to Meant To Be.

 

Saturday we spent the day in Plymouth (the rock) with Capt. Doug’s girlfriend (Joanne).  We had a great day, but the Blues Festival turned out to be not so great, how about RAIN!!  Oh well, it was still a fun day walking around Plymouth with its great history and great little shops.

 

We have a few small issues that we hope get done on Monday so we can head over to P-Town on Tuesday.  We’re expecting 90 degree weather the first part of the week with limited winds which is great.  The trip will be our longest in the open water and should take us about 3 hours if conditions are good.  If they change the weather then we will plan accordingly.  

Looking forward to new places, bars, boats, scenery, and fun people as we head South.  We’re still hoping for Annapolis in late August for a stay of about 4 weeks before heading further South.

 

That’s about it for now.  I hope all is going well with you people that read our blog.  I’m looking forward to hearing from any of you. Take Care, Jack

 

A view of Scituate

The lighthouse that marks the entrance to Scituate

A view from the back of M2B while moored

The mooring field with the lighthouse in the distance

 

She Said:  Finally, all of our work is done on the boat and we were able to leave the Boston Harbor.  Before departing I was able to spend quite a bit of time with Bob, the owner of Sunset Bay Marina, practicing docking the boat.  There really is a lot for me to do in guiding Jack into the space and handling the lines.  Bob gave me lots of tips, and I’m so thankful for the time he spent with me. 

 

We were finally underway.  The trip was uneventful, but there was plenty of navigating to do.  I had a few “waypoints” noted on the GPS and we followed them just fine.  There were, however, quite a few underwater rocks that appeared on the GPS that weren’t noted on the charts so we had to pay close attention as we traveled.  The weather was nice and we did just fine.  As we neared Scituate, our destination, the winds picked up.  Nothing awful, but enough to create a chop.  As we entered the channel in Scituate we called ahead for a mooring ball.  We had to wait in the channel a good 10 minutes for the launch to direct us to our spot.  We were being blown around quite a bit – we were actually turned in a circle a few times.  On our first approach to the mooring ball Jack was dead on.  Unfortunately, our hook was too short and I couldn’t reach the ball.  All of the balls that we practiced with had lines on top of the ball, but these balls had the lines in the water.  No problem, we went around again, and this time I got low on the deck.  Again, Jack was right on target; I was able to grab the line.  I was so excited.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the line to the cleat because I was under the railing.  The wind was blowing us around and Jack tried to hold us in place.  As I admitted defeat and threw the lines back in the water on the starboard side, the boat hit a vacant mooring ball on our port side.  We tangled some rope in our port prop.  Apparently this isn’t uncommon and the harbormaster got us taken care of.  We, however, felt terrible.  People on a  sailboat nearby watched the whole thing and offered us not only a martini, but words of encouragement saying it took them four tries at the ball before they getting tied up.  One of the launch drivers came over the next day with her diving gear and cut the tangled lines.  Another thing to check off the list of things that will eventually happen.

 

Needless to say, we needed to get off the boat and have a cocktail.  We took the launch (a few minute boatride) into Scituate.  What a cute town.  We both immediately fell in love with it.  There are a bunch of cute shops, restaurants and bars.  We found T.K. O’Malley’s, a sports bar and restaurant right on the water.  There’s an outdoor bar that overlooks the harbor – what a great setting, and the staff couldn’t have been nicer.  It’s Jack’s new favorite bar, and we have been there every night except tonight since we’ve been in town. 

 

The next day we got the dinghy set up so we can take ourselves back and forth into town.  For some reason, the motor wouldn’t start so we decided to row in.  About halfway into town it started to rain, but we decided to keep going.  We ran our errands in a light drizzle and then came the downpour.  We caught a ride with someone to the dinghy and we waited out the storm.  When we got back in the dinghy to row home, the motor started.  I don’t know why – I’m just glad it did.  We’re really getting tired of the rain.  The only good thing is that the weather meant we couldn’t leave Scituate and that was fine with us.   

I can see that one of the challenges in being in a new port is our desire to check out the local restaurants.  It’s hard to eat on the boat when there are so many new places to try.  We had a great shrimp and scallops dinner at Barker’s Tavern.  It dates back to the 1630s and had a ton of atmosphere.  It seemed like everyone in there knew everyone.  After a nightcap at O’Malley’s we hopped in the dinghy back to Meant To Be.  It was our first ride at night in the mooring field and we found our way without a problem.

 

On Saturday we went with Joanne to Plymouth for a Blues concert in the park.  Joanne was a great tour guide, and we really appreciated her hospitality.  We walked around town, saw the sights, did some shopping and decided to sit and enjoy the music when the skies once again opened up with rain.  We waited quite a while for it to pass, but it never did.  Joanne jokingly (we hope) said she was ready for us to leave and take the lousy weather with us.  

While “on the ball” we’ve had to use the generator for power.  This has been a new experience for us.  It’s really quite simple, but we’re concerned that our batteries aren’t holding a charge long enough.  We have Captain Doug coming out to test the batteries and make a determination on next steps.  I really enjoy the ball - it’s quiet and peaceful.  Taking the dinghy into town has really been easy and in just a couple days we have really gotten a nice routine worked out for departures and landings.  I think we’ll spend a lot time on mooring balls.

 

The weather is supposed to be good Monday through Thursday, so we’re off to Provincetown as soon as our battery issues are resolved – hopefully no later than Tuesday.  We’ve been told that we may see whales en-route which would really be exciting!  Looking forward to our next port.

 

MIDWEST MOMENTS

He Said:   Hello from Hull, Mass.  If things work out this will be our last nite here.  We’re heading tomorrow for Scituate if the weather is ok and believe it or not if the rest of our boat stuff gets finished.  Doug, our mechanic, thought we were in the Midwest this week not last, so nothing from the mechanic side got done. We have stayed here an extra 2 or 3 days, oh well, sort of getting used to changing plans.

We have enjoyed our 12 days here but 7 of them were spent back in Columbus and Chicago. I had a good time catching up with my family, brothers, sisters-in-law, lots of nephews and nieces, and great nephews and great nieces.  Is that confusing or is it just me?   Also spent time with my nearly 87 year old mom, the Barb.  Her health seems to be about as good as it can be at that age.  I had a chance to do a little boating and golfing with my brothers; it was a good trip.  I also had a chance to visit with 2 old friends Randy and Denny, and it was fun catching up with both of them.

 

I headed to Chicago on July 2^nd for the 4^th of July wedding of Pat’s niece.  We stayed with her brother the first nite then downtown Chicago on the 3^rd and 4^th.  It was pretty cool staying in the middle of town especially after staying in the 3 little towns we have stayed in the past 6 ½ weeks.  The wedding was wonderful, and we had a chance to get together with all of Pat’s family.  It was the first time in about 12 years they were all in the same place at the same time.  We had a great brunch on Friday morning hosted by Jim and Paula then we were off to the airport for our flight back to Boston.

 

The past 4 days we have accomplished very little.  It’s tough getting stuff done during a long holiday weekend.  I forgot to tell you, but we had some ride to Logan Airport on that Friday.  We took a 21 foot boat from the Marina here in Hull and headed into the Boston Harbor.  There were about 5 foot waves so at the end of our 45 minute ride we were soaked! 

 

We’re hanging on the boat today waiting for the mechanic, our local fix-it guy here (Jay), and having our sewage stuff taken care of.  It’s pretty cool - they come to your boat to suck it out (sorry about the language). The following week or so we will be in Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Provincetown and Nantucket.  It should be lots of fun with new scenery and new marinas.

Jack and his younger twin brother from another mother, Jay, our fix-it guy
 

 

That’s about it for now.  Sorry not too much to report.  Thanks for you guys that have been responding to our blog.  We really do appreciate it.  L8R for now, Jack   

 

She Said:  We’re back from the Midwest.  Getting there was quite an event.  The marina we’re staying at took us to the airport by boat.  The weather was rainy and windy so it was a rough, wet ride - but a fun way to get to the airport.  Due to delays I didn’t get to my brother’s house until 2am -  almost 12 hours door to door 

I had been looking forward to this trip for so long, and I wasn’t disappointed.  I met up with a longtime friend Jody, who I’ve known for almost 40 years; old neighbors, Ken & Debi who I’ve known for 25+ years; and a group of co-workers who I worked with starting over 25 years ago.  It was great fun connecting up with everyone.  I know I’ll see some of these people along the ICW as we make our way south. 

I was in Chicago for my niece’s wedding.  My parents were in from Las Vegas as well as my sister, Donna, and niece, Hailey.  While in Chicago my brother and sister-in-law, Steve and Cindy, hosted the family at their house for some great home dinners.  I got a chance to visit with all my nieces and nephews.  It was a lot of fun.  Jack got in town Tuesday night.  The wedding was in “the city” so we were able to walk around downtown Chicago (when it wasn’t raining) Wednesday and Thursday.  I got all my Chicago favorites – a hot dog, Garrett’s popcorn, and Lou Malnati’s pizza.

 

I won’t bore you with all the wedding details.  I will only tell you that it was a wonderful event, the bride was stunning and I enjoyed being with my whole family.  I think everyone had a great time starting with the rehearsal dinner Wednesday night straight through to brunch on Friday.

 



Hailey, Donna, Dad, Mom, Jack and me leaving the hotel for the wedding
 

 

The bride being walked down the aisle with my brother, Steve
 



Lauren dancing with Grandpa
 

 

 

We got back to the boat late Friday night, and it was good to be home.  Not much was done while were gone so we’ll be staying here a few more days.  That worked out well, because we were able to enjoy this cute, quaint beach town.  We spent Saturday afternoon at the beach.  Jack went in the ocean; I only went in up to my knees.  The water temperature was in the mid-60s – bbrrrrrrr.  That night we watched fireworks from the back of the boat.  The weather was hot and sticky, and I felt like I was spending the day at Lake Geneva WI.  What a life! 

 

We had another great dinner at a local seafood restaurant here in Hull called The Schooner.  We went with Captain Doug and Joanne and had a very pleasant evening.  We’ll miss Captain Doug’s help and friendship when we leave here.  Our plan is to travel a short day on Wednesday to Scituate and stay “on the ball.”  Then we’ll head to Provincetown on Cape Cod.   Keep your fingers crossed for uneventful cruise.

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