AUGUST 2009

MAINE AT LAST -Glorious Maine

Oh my, I just love it.  Everything but the buoys, and even they, though annoying are beautiful.  Brightly painted, well maintained…and thousands of them.  We have dodged so many that Ade has become genius at it.  Me?  Well, it’s a bit of drama, and I avoid my watch as long as possible.    What really gets me is when I think there is a field of black and white ones, and as I begin to navigate my way through – they fly away!  I can hear them laughing as they fly off.    

Kennebunkport is our first port of call and she does not disappoint.  A charming little town, picturesque, touristy of course, but has a solid feel to it.  Maybe none of the normal touristy problems bother us when we arrive by boat. We get the best spot in town, that is for certain – and we don’t have to find parking.  Our mission here is to get Ted his first lobster dinner, the teenage dock hand, grandson of the owner says we’ve just have to go to Mabel’s!  We were tied to the dock at Chicks, just ¼ mile to down town, and two miles up the road from George and Barbara’s (Bush) little escape. 

Goodness, what a lovely spot, it’s out on Walker Point, named after his Great Granddad.  George the 1^st purchased it from the family many years ago, and the US government made sure it became a very secure compound for this ex-President.  Security is still tight - on my morning walk, I saw the three black suburban’s moving out in formation…I was told that means that George was in one of them.  You cannot approach the cove by sea; there is a protective barrier to prevent getting too close.  Secret Service routinely cruises into the harbor with top gun looking craft much like the DEA use. I was brushing my teeth in our head and just inches away one of these frankly menacing looking vessels with darkly clad warriors and weapons passed by my porthole - yikes. 

We had to get to Portland as the kids were taking the train back to Boston for a CE course in Physical Therapy/Assessment.  Portland is a great town, again, a real town – they have revitalized the Old Port into a place everyone wants to be, locals and tourists.  A liberal vibe here…pretty much everywhere in fact… with hippies, lobster and fishing types, Maine Matrons and lots of artists.  Not everyone is well heeled, nor is the city immune from the harsh economy… it’s easy to see signs of poverty, lots of people on the streets that probably live on them, or in the shelters, graffiti on the abandoned buildings, but I never felt unsafe and I walked for miles in all directions. 

There are several organic stores here, but I chose to walk a bit further to provision at one of our favorite grocers, one we haven’t seen for many a mile, a large Whole Foods Market…featuring local produce and fresh caught fish.  It spoils and delights me.  Our marina was at the very large DeMillo’s restaurant, we decided we’d be a good resident and give it a go for happy hour after the kids left.  It is actually very nice, much nicer inside than out so we decided stayed for dinner.   I very much enjoyed a thick swordfish steak, while Ade had yet another version of Cioppino, which was delicious.  We should be glowing at this point with all the seafood we’ve consumed – but it’s so fresh and with so many culinary geniuses in these seaside communities, it’s hard to resist.   

Boothbay, one of the ports I was most excited about seeing is as charming as I imagined.  The owners of little marina’s with limited space are determined to make every penny they can during their short season.  They run them on their own and are often a real hoot.  Judy was one, she crams us in wherever she can – and gets anyone on the dock to help.  We were squeezed between two large yachts and all of us on a few hundred feet of helter skelter dock space.  Once secured, it is filed away in our memory as fun…but getting into these tight spots with people on the dock yelling, “No problem, you have almost a foot back here” is not!  I’m thinking “a foot…Crikey Mate, we can’t do a three point turn in this baby”, but because Ade can almost maneuver WS that well and I am, after all, only a deck hand in this procedure, I hush up and do my job.

 We walked every square inch of town and across the foot bridge to check out some galleries.  Great artwork, unique styles, varied mediums – just wish we had a place for some of it.  All we can collect are little pieces that fit on our tiny saloon walls.  Sadly, we really have no space at our land places either – no more lighthouses for me, I went nuts on our 2000 “Great circle trip” and have a room-and garage full of them.  I am just taking photographs for now, dreaming of doing something wildly artistic with them at the conclusion of our voyaging years.  Yeah, I also have cupboards chock full of other creative pursuits- mosaics, jewelry, rugs – when you have no talent, at some point you should own up to it.   I’m still thinking I will mature into it….hmm, might zip right past my window of opportunity.

From this well known harbor we set our course for little known Tenants Harbor.  We pick up a mooring, as anchoring is no longer possible here.  It is picturesque and quiet and we feel we are getting back into the cruising mode.  We like the contrast – time in active, bustling ports to quiet little anchorages like this.  This port, like so many others all have working lobster boats aplenty.  Everyone is a lobsterman in Maine.    

Camden Maine is truly the quintessential Maine seaside town.  It is as I thought it would be, built along hilly little streets that veer off at angles to follow the irregular coast line.  The harbor is full of old wooden schooners that carry passengers in and out for day sails, sunset cruises and multi-day trips.  There are no moorings per se, what they have are mooring floats.  They are little 30’ docks anchored in the harbor and they accommodate two boats.  Saves a lot of space, and is basically just a mooring, but one you can stretch your legs on…ideal for buddy boating.  Interesting neighbors come and go, the last was a nice family a classic 1937 Swedish ketch, perfectly restored with three teenage kids on summer holidays. 

We consulted charts; saw that although we’d like to see every little harbor along the Penobscot River, it wasn’t realistic time wise.  We rented an Enterprise car from nearby Rockland so we could see a few ports we knew we would not get to by sea.  We ran up to Belfast to see special places that a dear friend from Big Bear told us about, and hiked up the Mt. Battle monument that offers incredible views of Camden Harbor, even in the hazy sun and walked the quiet streets of nearby Rock Port.  I think we will do a motor home trip here someday and linger longer.

And now, back to the little anchorages for quiet time at Bucks and Bass Harbors.  We cruised by the Cranberry Islands and up Somes Sound, the only true fjord on the east coast.  It can’t be compared to the rugged beauty of fjords of British Columbia and Alaska, but is so lovely in its own right.  It’s been clear, and fog is often an issue in Maine summers, people joke that we were lucky to be in town during the only two weeks of summer.  We consulted dependable buoy weather about going north to Canada, along the bold coast, but see that the weather is changing fast.   We plan to spend as much time as possible in Acadia National Park, a 40,000 acre recreational area.  Most of it is actually on the oddly named Mount Desert Island, but it also includes Schoodic Peninsula, and surrounding islands.  It’s an ideal destination for boaters.  Not only are there many places to anchor or pick up a mooring, there are a few more developed places like NE Harbor, and across the Sound, its counterpart, SW Harbor.  Bruce and Joan Kessler keep their lovely Spirit of Zopolite there for the summer and we’re anxious to see them again.  They were the brains behind the Fubar and were with us all the way.  We’re like little kids showing them how far we’ve come. 

But…the seas are changing and we notice that on the day we planned to leave Mt Desert Isle and head over to Schoodic’s Winter Harbor, and then hopefully onto Eastport at the Canadian border – something big is brewing…whoa, a forecast of rain and wind, but it’s the sea height that is alarming – 12 to 15 feet, building to 20!  This sounds like the Perfect Storm.  We learned that Hurricane Bill was headed to the NE coast, specifically to the Maine/Nova Scotia border area.  Drat.  We had reservations for one night at NE Harbor and then for a few nights at SW Harbor.  Once in NE however, we were advised that it is the parks perfect hurricane hole, completely closed to the east, while SW is open to the east, the direction of the approaching high winds and wave action.  Hmm, “could we stay here, Pretty Please?”

They didn’t have a regular slip for us, but did allow us to stay until the seas subsided, tied to a large 73 foot, 98 ton steel ship “Sunbeam IV”  that is the medical and missionary ship that services coastal Maine during the winter.   With current tides of 12’ and Sunbeam tied to a fixed pier, we rode up and down with her, but had to climb over her to get off and on.  At high tide, it’s easy to just climb off our cockpit and onto her main deck- cross it and hop onto the dock.  As the tide starts its way back down there is a three step ladder on her deck that facilitates getting up onto dock.  As she continues to drop you have to climb onto her top deck to step off.  At MLW, there is a rusty old straight ladder attached to the pier and you then have to climb up or down it.  One night we had to maneuver 12 wet steps straight down, leap onto her top deck, back down her steps to her poop deck and back over the rails onto WS.  Exciting.  

A free shuttle bus system services Acadia National Park.  From NE Harbor we were able to get all over the island, to the forest and hiking trails, campgrounds, and even over to Bar Harbor a few times.  We checked out that harbor, which really offers little to visiting yachtsmen in terms of facilities and is not well protected from weather.  Better to choose one of the great marinas or anchorages, and use the bus.  Bar Harbor however is a charming town, well laid out with a central park- or “Village Green” and several streets of restaurants and shops running off it.  Many are the regular shops that here in Maine have variations on the theme, “Mainely Made”, or” Mainely Maine”, etc., buts lots of good outdoorsy shops with cool gear, and great art gallery’s – an artistic bunch these Northeasterners.  It is the most commercial and touristy so far as cruise ships do come into Bar Harbor and it is in the center of this beautiful and popular National Park.     

It’s still very foggy and misting, but so far the torrential rains have not manifested, so we are doing all we can in our exile.  This morning I participated in the Annual NE Harbor Ambulance Service fundraising “Road Race”.  It was just 5 miles and began at the head of the fjord and ran back into town.  It was great, nice people and a t-shirt to boot. 

I seem to have moved along the evolutionary trail while out on the road to fitness.  It starts out in your ripe younger years with catcalls, moves onto “hey lookin’ good”, then middle age I got, “good job” as I trotted by, but today I hit it – the meaningful, “Good for You” greeting – oh great!  “Good for You”, as in, nice to see you still trying to get around you old fart…  Never mind, I tell myself, they meant well, and I’m doing great.   I kept right on sashaying my way to town, being passed by young Adonis and leggy gazelles, but then, I was passed by an ancient woman, honestly, she was 80 if she was a day with bright bottle red hair and a shaky, but speedy gait.   “Good for you”, I yelled to her disappearing back! 

Hurricane Bill put an end to push northward, but we did move over to Southwest Harbor before we reversed course, and for the first time since mid 2008, we were going SOUTH.  We had only one night at Kennebunkport, so we decided to meet long lost cousins Kathy and David from Massachusetts.  She is the Heil family historian and brought lots of pictures and family stories, it was such a fun time with them.  We went sightseeing to some of their favorite Maine seaside towns so we had more than just our narrow view of our chosen harbor and environs.  We especially liked York, and their usual getaway, the little town of Wells.  We were back in Kennebunkport for dinner at Grisini’s - which was very good, but don’t order the cannoli for dessert unless they’ve fired the pastry chef J. 

It’s a wonderful feeling, reaching a goal and yet always melancholy, like finishing a great book.  It’s a time to reflect on not only the voyage, but on what is important to you, what you love.  We love adventure, new places, new people to talk to AND the old and familiar places and faces.  So, for us, this is not the end of boating, we will now come up with a new list of places to see by sea.   Starting with the ones we skipped on the way north, it’s such a beautiful continent, and so much fun on a boat! 

July 2009

Historic New England – Block Island to New Hampshire.

After we left Mystic we had a disappointing night at Block Island, wind howling, overcrowded anchorage and no desire to jump into the foaming water with dink and go ashore.  Thought it might settle down for an evening stroll but that didn’t happen, and in the AM we were fogged in – so adios for now Block Island – maybe next time.  We turned on the radar and made our way out of there and towards another, hopefully, more hospitable anchorage. 

As the fog and our spirits lifted, we set our course for Woods Hole, if we could find a place to tie up or drop the hook in town.  We knew that it was iffy, but we called the Woods Hole Marina and with luck, Ade spoke to Buzz, the owner, who somehow asked where we were coming from…Ade said, “Alaska” and he said c’mon in we’ll find a spot!  And he did.  We waited for the impossibly small Eel Pond Drawbridge to open and gasped with delight at the tidy little pond we found inside, and marveled that we somehow fit into the odd shaped slip behind Shuckers.  Woods Hole is really a scientific community, but also a delightful little town with much to do.

 Once on land, we learned that the Woods Hole Film Festival was underway – serendipity.  We set out to discover this hamlet, walking the little meandering streets, and visiting the historic and marine museums.  We had a lovely dinner at the waterfront Pfusion Restaurant- enjoyed a delicious ginger salmon and a yummy Cioppino (a fish stew we favor) with kefir lime sake sauce.  We walked across the street to the firehouse for one of the Film Festival movies.  We saw “American Casino”, a disturbing film about the recent meltdown of our economy, the filmmakers sat next to us and it seemed they were seeing it again for the first time.  Scary, and a little one sided – all the blame was placed on the businesses and conservatives with nary a glance at Congress.  A few audience members pointed that out to them, but they were steadfast in their point of view.  No matter where we place blame, and we believe there is much to be shared, it was a sobering film with many good points, and nicely made.  We did this all in about 20 hours and hated to leave – with time, I might have been able to decipher the information at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute…maybe! 

We left early, it was clear and the tide was in our favor for transiting the Cape Cod Canal, which we did in record time.  We toyed with the idea of heading to Hyannis port, but had been warned off visiting it or Martha’s Vineyard at this time of year – the crowds apparently make it rather undesirable.  We’ve been there by land, albeit, many years ago.  So historic Plymouth was our destination.  We picked up a Plymouth Yacht Club mooring with a view of the Mayflower – in fact, we were just behind her.  The weather was threatening, so rather than take the dink ashore, we hailed the YC tender and hitched a ride into town.  Its lovely club, very hospitable and of course well located.  We hiked around town, saw once again all the must see historic monuments, and of course, the ROCK, which is quite tiny now, so many people having chipped a piece off for themselves.  It is now housed in a cage and is about the size of a chair…ah well, like pieces of the cross eh? 

We decided to stay two days, explored a bit more, but mostly enjoyed being on the mooring and watching the tour boats come and go. One little tour boat does a pirate attack every hour - A “pirate” ship is hidden amongst the moored boats and as the sightseeing boat goes by, often laden with children, the pirates “attack” with water guns to the delight of the kids.  Its fun to watch…over and over…and over.  But who cannot be charmed by laughing, surprised kids?  Not me…gets me every time.  We did go ashore for dinner at “14 Union” a dinner house located at the Brewer Marina.  It was excellent, and we had a table overlooking…our boat! 

Weather looking okay, we decide to press on to Boston.  A few quick calls secured an early arrival for our reservations at the Constitution Marina on the Charlestown side of the harbor.  We’d tried to get an in town marina, but once we had a chance to look around, realized that Ade picked a winner.  It is by the USS Constitution, and on the familiar red lined Freedom Trail, that insured that we could always find our way home.  A busy marina with mostly locals, but a few cruisers sandwiched in here and there.  Summer is short in Boston, so most of the boats had the owners puttering about, going out onto the bay for sunset, or weekends away.  It was a lively place with lovely people, and great staff. 

Boston is so good, it’s beyond our expectations.  We love it. The thing that amazed me was that it is not that big.  It’s a little big city.  Everyone walks, and for those bits that are too long, the subway is handy.  Little Italy is just across the bridge from us and that neighborhood is fantastic…incredible restaurants and clubs and shops, not unlike the Gaslamp in old San Diego.  This is our kind of place.  It was hard to decide which delicious smelling restaurant we would try first.  

Ade and I actually did our own thing here – he biked dozens of miles each morning, while I was out on walking all over town.  He of course saw more, I never ventured up towards Harvard or Boston College– but I sure felt like I could find my way around downtown.  I also took a day to visit the Museum of Fine Arts, when Ade toured the USS Constitution and the battleship.  We stopped by “our local pub” the historic (and oldest in Boston) Warren Pub a few times, had an evening with the daughter of friends from BB, and had fantastic nights out in little Italy with the teeming sidewalks and cafes. 

Heather arrived at Boston Airport and we took the subway to meet her.  Ted stopped in Chicago to visit his folks and will join us in a few days.  We dragged her around as well, but it turns out, she knows this town better than we do.  I forgot they were here last year for a conference.  We tried dock master Howard’s favorite place. Massimino’s – we had to wait, but it was worth it.  Could stay here for weeks and take it all in.

It’s off the explore a bit more of New England, first was Salem, and impossible as it seems, it was too witchy for me – which is weird because I am so open to alternative thought, but these seem pretty  much geared to tourists, more like a carnival atmosphere from what I could see.  Felt no energy walking by any of them and I’m rather sensitive to that.  I would skip it the next time, even thought the town and people are nice and it has a good Farmers Market and marinas too.  Just not my thing. 

Next up was Gloucester –the real deal, no artifice.   It is a real waterman /fisherman /lobsterman town, despite being the locale made famous by the movie “A Perfect Storm”.  We took a mooring, dropped the dink to explore every cove and exotic looking ship, before heading out to see “town”.  It is not touristy at all, when we stopped into the bar featured in the movie, it was clear that they were not there to entertain us – it’s a fisherman’s bar with no frills, much like the ones we found in Alaska.  We ordered our beers, looked at the pictures on the wall, and then took our lookie-loo preppy selves out of there.     

Anxious to show Heather as much as possible, we moved the next day to darling Newburyport.  We are so lucky, we were able to tie right up to town dock for a pittance and found ourselves once again the center of attraction.  This is a fantastic town, touristy for sure, but a delight – good walks, facilities, fun shops – nice people, good restaurants.  We all liked it and will put it on our “be-back” list.  It is not often visited by cruising yachts probably due to the shallow bar one has to cross to enter the harbor…careful planning, high tide, and calls to the local harbor master can insure a safe passage in and out.

Ted is due to arrive by bus from Boston, and Portsmouth NH is the closest port to the terminal.  We considered docking downtown, but were unable to get a good feel about it from the guides, so we chose the pricey Wentworth by the Sea marina and resort, knowing that we could get in and out in a timely fashion and that they had a courtesy car.  We were able to re-provision at a wonderful market, and then pick up Ted.  The marina is further out than we like, we so enjoy being right downtown in most ports.  But, after checking out the downtown option, realized that again, we’d been guided by the Gods to a better spot. 

We wanted to like Portsmouth in lovely New Hampshire, but after the charm of Boston, Gloucester and Newburyport – it was redundant at best.  We had a lovely dinner aboard, Ted filling us in on his family and the new Fitness business and then off to sleep because tomorrow we are going to be in MAINE – the elusive destination we set our sights on years ago.  Alaska to Maine, or bust! Looks like we made it!

JULY 2009

New York Neighborhoods: Long Island and Connecticut

The Truran’s arrived by ferry, and after a bit of confusion finding each other and getting them moved into their spacious cabin - opening ceremonies commenced!  We laid out the chart of Long Island with its many familiar names.   We wanted to be realistic about this week long voyage using Wandering Star as home base, and bikes and our feet as transportation, and soon mapped out an itinerary that hopefully would give us the best taste of this storied island.   There were a lot of marinas, but they were as expensive as any we’ve ever encountered…including Costa Rica and Atlantis!  We’d pick marina time carefully and save for the great restaurants.   

We would alternate dinners ashore with dinners on board, so a provisioning trip was in order.  There was a pretty decent market, Jonnies, and shopping center near Newport Harbor and we were delighted to find a good selection of fresh produce, meats, cheeses and wines too.  Wines are serious business with this crowd and we’d grown much too comfortable with our south of the border usual find, Concha y Toro and had yet to retrain our palette.  We did that with flair and punished our livers in the process.

We left the comfort of Newport Marina in Jersey City and cruised down the Hudson, over to the East River and under the many bridges that crisscross Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx, and out onto Long Island Sound.  It was a glorious city tour, but we decided that the UN needs a facelift, I wonder if we can get its privileged inhabitants to chip in? 

Our first stop is at Port Washington and the city of Manhasset.  The Brewers Capri marina is not right in town, so we dropped the dinghy and rode over to have a closer look.  It’s a cute town, nice antique shops, restaurants and homes.  We stopped for a beer at a local pub on the water, but didn’t really come away with a strong sense of this suburb of NYC.  We dug into those wines and grilled beautiful steaks for dinner aboard. 

The Huntington Yacht Club is a busy place; we were given what looked to be the last slip in the marina.  We had a long, but nice walk to town, and I quite enjoyed it.  Founded in the mid 1600’s, and the birthplace and home of Walt Whitman, it has a rich history in farming, shipping, the American Revolution and now as a bedroom community of NYC, but complete in its own right with a large year round population.  On our walk, we discovered the restaurant Prime, about half way from the club to town, and made reservations for that evening.  It was a rather pricey establishment and much to our surprise, it was packed, and everyone seemed to know each other.  What recession?  Food was excellent-as was the people watching, but the service was subpar, darn it.

In contrast to the well heeled, but not overtly friendly crowd at HYC, the Mt. Sinai Yacht Club went out of its way to make us feel welcome.  Everyone from the members on the docks, to the people in the office and the service staff at the restaurant were extremely hospitable.  And lunch on the deck was delicious.  We so enjoyed the company that we didn’t venture very far from the club and just enjoyed the comings and goings of the boats in this lovely natural harbor. 

We chose Greenport as the perfect place to stop for a few days.  It is said to be one of the warmest spots on the East coast, and is home to its most renowned vineyards.  It is literally at the end of the road, at the eastern end of Long Island.  It’s a picturesque little seaside village with a rich maritime history.  There are lots of opportunities for fine dining, many unique retail stores, quaint buildings and even a movie theatre.  We had a prime location at Mitchells Marina, close, but not too close, to Claudio’s Clam Bar on the pier and the site of much afternoon frivolity and live music. 

Claudio’s also has a highly regarded restaurant that the family opened in the mid 1800’s.  It has a real old pub quality to it, and fantastic fish and crab.  The servings were so generous, we got a second meal out of it.  We thought we’d rent a car here, but were misinformed about far the rental offices were and how bad the traffic was on a summer weekend.  We hopped on a ferry across to Shelter Island instead and rented bikes for a spin around the island.  Well, part of the island.  It was a bit more demanding than we counted on, but we got a good look around on foot and bike.

SHYC, in the fabled town of Sag Harbor was next on our agenda, and the first yacht we saw was Jimmy Buffet’s distinctive slate blue Continental Drifter III…we’ve seen this 124’ Delta in a few places now, and always know we like any town Jimmy likes.  The club is small and friendly and well located, and $6 a foot a night…yikes.  Better make the most of this stop.  We wasted no time settling in, Jim was off making friends with the chef aboard Hi Banx, a NASCAR (Bill France family) yacht and we readied to take on the town.  It is nice, touristy yes, but underpinning that you felt a real town.  We stopped at the Dockhouse for a Long Island Iced Tea, since I’d never had one, and if not now on L.I.- when?  Good thing Pam and I split it – whoa, it is almost all liquor… all the white ones with a splash of coke for the slight tea coloring.  Sheesh.  Looking for the perfect fit for our farewell dinner, we chose the candle lit, white table clothed,  silver laden American Hotel Restaurant, said to be one of the best in the Hamptons.  It was very nice all the way around and a lovely way to end this especially fun week.  

Our guests took a taxi to the train for the trip back to New York City and we had to vacate our slip or face another day’s charges, so off went the lines and we found our way to the impossibly calm and quiet Three Mile Harbor.  We ate and drank nothing for two days, just to detox.  The weather was not great, so we didn’t even go ashore until our third day!  How is that for relaxing? 

I can’t remember how many books I’ve read that have the “Hampton’s” as a backdrop, starting with the Great Gatsby, but I wanted the real story, so I picked up a book, “In the Hamptons” by Dan Rattiner, founder and editor of the popular local newspaper, “Dan’s Paper” which he’s published since the early 1960’s.  The book is a series of short stories about local people, rich and famous to farmers and fishermen.  It was fun to read while there and made me want to see a little bit of them.  We arranged for a car rental and tied up the dink at the local boat yard and our always reliable Enterprise rep was there as planned.  We spent the day cruising through the moneyed Hampton neighborhoods: Bridgehampton, East Hampton and Montauk.  We found Montauk the most modest, but they were all lovely and now a bit more familiar and with a casual elegance we appreciated. 

After resting our bodies, it was time to tool up again and go meet the rellies in Mystic Seaport.  It really is Spring Break for Seniors out here!  This branch of the Munsch clan are legendary partiers, and keen boaters.  Cousin Bobby and Paula are sailors we last saw on St. John, and sister Audrey and Don have joined us all over the world.  Add that to the charm of Mystic and we knew we’d have a remarkable time. 

We stayed in town at Seaport Marina and had a nice slip, easy to get into and right in town mid afternoon.  We hadn’t been in this town for 25+ years, so we were anxious to have a look around.  It does cater to visitors so it’s easy to walk around, and has fun shops to poke through.  We were told that S&P Oysters at the Bridge was under new management and doing a great job, so we stopped by for a delicious meal and view of the harbor.  We missed seeing the gang on Copperline as they sailed by, Bobby at the helm with no engine, sailing under the bridges and to the rivers navigable end… much to Paula’s apprehension and Audrey’s delight.

Mystic has good little shops for provisioning, but a great supermarket about a mile or two up the road.  I was ready to walk it when we learned that the Walkers had dropped one of their cars off for us at the marina – so very thoughtful.  So I was able to do all my chores, including getting my hair taken care of at Paula’s salon - Antonio’s.  For us high maintenance girls, finding a good stylist is never easy, and the search begins anew every 5 or 6 weeks.  The boys just find a barber pole and walk in.  $15 later, they look fresh and tidy…and sometimes, military! 

The boys were off to the Captain Daniel Packer Pub, the oldest one in town having been built in the mid 1700’s.  We girls shopped and then joined the boys in this historic establishment for a late lunch.  It is charming with low beamed ceilings, lots of stone and dark wood - with my imagination I was transported back in time and could see myself in saucy wench’s dress, carrying heavy mugs of ale to thirsty sailors!

Bob and Paula live on nearby Mason Island, but they were all staying in the bay, moored out at MIYC aboard Copperline.  We joined them there for Friday night dinner at the club.  It is a catered event with well turned out club kids as wait staff, and is served out on the huge wraparound, covered deck.  Catering-in is a wonderful solution for clubs without professional kitchens.  Everybody brings their own drinks and wine.  It is very “casual elegant”, the men were in jackets, the ladies in dresses and we felt very welcome.  Michael who we’d met in St John and his wife Kathy were there and we met lots of people with questions for us about our voyage.  Ade loves swapping sea stories and telling our tales.

We ventured over to historic Mystic Seaport to see the Classic Antique Boat Show.  We adore seeing and going on the old beauties.  We found a 1965 Pearson Alberg 35 like our first boat, “Jo-Hata”, named after me and our partners wife…come to think of it, it is the only boat we named after me!  Hmmm.  No Lady Jo, GoGoJoJo, C YA Jo, or other banal name arrangements – should I feel crushed?  Nah!  Anyway, we had such a good time going aboard, with owner Joy’s permission, and on deck for a nostalgic trip down memory lane.  There were some really amazing classic yachts of all sizes- all incredibly well maintained or restored.  We spent hours looking them over.  As insanely difficult as they are to maintain, nothing is quite as beautiful as a classic wooden boat. 

The afternoon was glorious and we decided to have a clam bake at MIYC.  Copperline, was now tied alongside the long pier.  We were joined on board by Paula’s good friends Marti and Gaye, really nice gals who live on the Island.  Bobby and Don prepared steamers (mussels) in broth for us that we enjoyed on board with Bermudan Rum Swizzles – a first for us.  Picnic tables were set, the BBQ fired up for a mixed grill – the fresh corn had been soaked in sea water for a wonderful salty taste.  Members and neighbors gather on the lawn, the flag is lowered at sunset with ceremony and we all stand at attention with our hands over our hearts.  There are so many interesting people, each one with fun stories to share.  It was a real New England clambake. 

Sunday was lovely, we took a mini road trip in the borrowed car, went to Stonington for breakfast at a local institution – Noah’s.  It was also Blessing of the Fleet day, so all the boats were gaily decorated and the food stands and crafts all set up.  It’s a charming town, a bit less touristy than Mystic, with little shops and restaurants in old buildings.  It seemed to us that many of the people we talked to were part time locals, city folks who have weekend or summer cottages here.  We got back to WS in time for the parade of classic boats.  One of the boats on our dock had foot long brass cannon and would salute each boat as she passed…. Ade said these cannons just use blank shotgun shells – big noise, big smoke, and big fun… once I stopped jumping every time it went off.

The Hazen’s had to go home, but Bob, Paula met us at the marina for snacks on WS, and then dinner out at S&P Oysters again, because Marti had just taken a summer job there.  It was fun, lots of friends, lots of stories.  It’s a great small town; we’ve seen several people a few times now.  In fact, as I walked the next day, I encountered two people I’d met – feels like home.  I hope we get back here next year!

June 2009

ICW to New York – THE GREAT CITIES

Ade had patiently waited while I had my extra mental health week at home, but was fully provisioned and ready to go when I got back.  Our next port, Brunswick Landing, GA.  This is Voyagers new home and a really great marina and little town, and as we have since learned, not a bad place to keep your boat.  It is insurance compliant for us during summer and fall, as it is in Georgia, and in the winter, it is usually relatively temperate. It is about an hour from Jacksonville, and has a good airport shuttle company in “A 2 B”. 

This is all territory we’ve done before, so we went “outside” at Brunswick and made the overnight run along the Atlantic to the lovely Charleston harbor.  It was a lovely night with a beautiful moon, calm seas and we both actually got sleep, each taking a three hour watch during the 6PM to 6AM period.      

Charleston is a great city and the Municipal Marina is well located.  It is a longish walk to downtown, but certainly do-able, and the marina offers a shuttle several times a day.  We like to walk in, walk around, hit the Harris Teeter Grocery Market and then wait for the marina van to take us home.  This is an overnight stop, but Ade promises a longer visit in the fall.  The shops are charming; the Market offers all manner of irresistible pretty things, wildly impractical for the boat, except of course fun jewelry and scarves, and trinkets for friends.  Since time was short, after lunch on the waterfront, Ade took the opportunity to visit the newest ship in the Navy and I allowed myself more time in the various shops and galleries. 

The ICW in South Carolina is slow going again, but pretty.  We decided to stop for the night in Georgetown, and chose one of three convenient marinas in town so we would be able to get in a good afternoon walk.  As we turned off the ICW into town, we were delighted to see the familiar gorgeous green hull of Kasekuchen tied to the end of the first marina.  We tooted and hollered, and almost before we could tie up Cheryl was there on her bike with Ade’s favorites…hot passage cookies.  How she does it I will never know.  She joked about me madly vacuuming up, but we’d been inundated all day with these strange looking flies and those we didn’t swat to death, died anyway.  It was mass carnage, insect bodies littering up the entire boat, ahh, springtime in the south!  That night, Bob magically whipped up the most delicious parmesan crusted fresh grouper in caper butter sauce that we’d ever eaten.  I wish Ade would take lessons from him, and he wishes I would.  The thing is lessons or not, it’s a gift…and Bob Klein has it.  Cheryl has it too, but has to fight for the galleyJ.  Dinner on Kasekuchen is a real treat. 

We followed each other out the next day, they onto Myrtle Beach for a planned month long stay with friends and family, while we gypsies continued onward, determined to get to Maine by August 1st.  We tooted goodbye at Grand Dunes complex and moved on, planning to go as far as we could that day and anchor out.

Well, the anchoring out bit didn’t work out as well as we’d planned.  We ran hard aground on the ol’ Calabash Creek…no amount of maneuvering helped.  It was getting dusky and we didn’t want to mess around with it in the dark, so we swallowed our pride and called for an assist…that’s why we belong to Boat US.  It’s inexpensive, offers discounts to many marinas, and with full coverage, tow services are a fraction of what they might be.  We wouldn’t cruise North America without it.  The Tow Boat US driver had to work hard to set us free, and then checked all the depths of this shallow anchorage until he found an area that would be deep enough for us.  He also soothed our bruised egos by telling us that this area is a real rainmaker for tow companies because it is so poorly marked. 

It was another long run the next day, but by the weekend we were in another one of those ‘ya just gotta stop here’ places, Beaufort, North Carolina.  Ade’s brother Ray and his wife Kathy drove out from their Raleigh home to spend a few days with us.  As usual when meeting friends that will cruise with you from port to port, it’s a bit of a puzzle getting ground transportation coordinated.  It often involves dropping one car at the point of termination and driving the other one to the point of embarkation, or renting cars to return your guests to their car or airport. 

Beaufort is charming, we fell in love with it the first time and if anything, we like it even more nine years later.  The marina at the City Docks has a friendly staff, is conveniently located in the well maintained historic downtown,  and they offer a complimentary car to run to the big grocery stores just a few miles away.  In town, there is a good health food store, great restaurants, live music venues every few store fronts, cute shops and good galleries. 

Dreamweaver was just hauled and is up on the hard near here.  Dottie and Ken have packed up a U-Haul to take an impossible amount of things home to California.  They have cruised for over five years now on their radical sabbatical, and it’s time to go back to work for awhile.  They have some great business opportunities that won’t wait.  They hope to continue cruising up the ICW to the Northeast in the next two years.  We plan to still be nearby to join them.  They stopped by for a goodbye visit with all of us, and we wished them well on their cross country truckin’ adventure.  

We strolled town and had a lovely dinner out at the Front Street Grill, Ray tried to get us to order Shrimp n Grits, but we declined…and a bite of his didn’t convince we northerners that we’d made a mistake.   The next morning they convinced us we HAD to have breakfast out at the Grocery Restaurant.  It is wonderful, and always packed for whatever meal they are serving.  We stayed in town all day, and Steve and Barb from Maerin, a Solo 43 (our sister ship) pulled in and joined us for Happy Hour. 

May 2009

Back-Back in the U.S.S.A. 

Florida and the ICW

What a wonderful welcome home.  Les and Rose were down visiting Bob and Cheryl on Kasekuchen.  As we came under the Las Olas Bridge, Rose and Cheryl were there hanging over it and shouting their greetings, the boys were back at the club ready for our lines.  It was a great American homecoming.   

Checking back into the USA in Ft. Lauderdale was easy.  Bob and Cheryl loaned us their lovely car to drive to customs on the base, everyone there was quite friendly and it didn’t take long at all.  I get my knickers in a twist sometimes when going through government processes, concerned that they will want to come down and take away all my hard won provisions and personal collection of Caribbean rums. 

The Coral Ridge Yacht Club is lovely and brilliantly located and soon I am back in the “real” world of Macy’s shopping centers, chain restaurants, etc.  We have a great time with the Dobbe’s and Klein’s - Iron Chef Bob cooked up a storm.  Gorgeous niece Gigi was in town visiting friends, so we had family time as well. 

We have done this stretch of the ICW before, back in 2001 on Wandering Star I, with then 13 year old Kei and our little Corgi, Scooter aboard.  The Intracoastal Waterway is unlike anything on the west coast.  It runs for 1240 miles from Key West, Florida to the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia.  Every few miles the scenery changes dramatically.  In this part of Florida we encounter many bridges that must be opened, so timing is everything.  If you miss an opening it often means you have to circle for a half hour or more, so we are on the ball and paying attention.  It is also a no wake zone, so you cannot push it.  

One of the reasons, among many, that we chose a 43’ Trawler was for her relatively shallow draft, we draw only 5 feet.  Most of the ICW has a mean low water of at least 6 feet, but there is little money for maintaining that depth in the non commercial areas and shoaling is becoming more common.  We watch the tides to make sure to avoid those areas during low tide, something else to add to the navigational mix.  The dredged channel is also very narrow and during the spring and summer months, the traffic is heavy.  We find ourselves “waked” by… Those Power Boaters!  We Trawler folk think like sailors when passed by a Go-Fast boat that pays no attention to the huge wake they throw out and rock us mercilessly.  Suffice to say, gone are the days where you can set your autopilot and throttle and flip through a magazine from the helm chair while on watch.  After two years of ocean cruising, I’m a tad bit stressed out with all of this…this…busyness.  I will be happy to get beyond the south Florida ICW traffic.

Each little berg has its own personality; some are imposing with grand mansions and gardens right to the water’s edge and unlike driving through posh neighborhoods where all you see are the ornate vine covered walls and gates, on the waterway you are IN their incredible “backyard” with luxurious pools and porticos.   The next town you go through may have only modest little houses, closer together with children playing along the banks, people fishing from rickety docks or off the side of a wall. Unfortunately, there are also more and more huge condominium complexes with private marina’s, that have little or no personality from our vantage point… that’s when the ICW earns its nickname, “The Ditch”.   

There are, however, still long stretches of undeveloped land with wild overgrown  shrubs and lush springtime green trees.  It’s quiet along these meandering waterways  usually we only encounter fishermen in small skiffs…unless it’s a weekend, and then add lots of family boats and jet skis, everyone out sharing the water.  It’s quite festive.

At Vero Beach we rented a car and collected my oldest friend Lorelei and her husband Conrad to ride along for a few days and experience the cruising lifestyle.   We stop at every little harbor and they show us around their Space Coast towns, including Melbourne Harbor, Eau Gallie, Cocoa and Titusville.  This is a lovely stretch of the ICW, where you really are on the Indian River, and there are many options.  It’s also easy to go outside and make the run on the Atlantic, or if you are a shallow draft vessel you can take the canal to the Banana River on the east side of Merritt Island.  It’s all Cape Canaveral area and well worth a visit to the Space Center.

The Titusville Municipal Marina is in a wonderful spot to watch a space launch and we lucked out again and were there for one of last the Atlantis launches. We had a front row seat at the end of the T Dock.  Best yet, we were stern to stern with Kasekuchen, and Les and Rose drove down again to play.  Dot and Ken had just arrived from the Abaco’s, and dropped anchor outside the marina, and Tim and Jan who we’d last seen in Nassau also came into the marina.  We had such a great time together watching the fiery blast off.  It had clouded up a bit, but what we couldn’t see, we ran inside and watched on NASA TV, and we could feel the energy across the water.

We hotfooted it north ahead of some rather nasty weather, but were able to stop for a few nights in one of our favorite places, St. Augustine and garnered a spot at the municipal marina which is right in town.  Wandering Star I was built at the Mainship factory up the river, so we’d visited a few times in the past. This time it was pure pleasure being tourists, just strolling the streets of old town, peeking into interesting shops and finding wonderful places to eat.  Loved a new little wine and tapas bistro, The Tasting Room on Cuna St., and of course La Pentola is a fantastic restaurant, and wonderful for lunch too.

We were flying home for son Kei’s college graduation in a few days, so we had to get a move on.  Insurance regulations require that the boat be north of Florida by June 1^st.     Jacksonville has a great airport and it is right at the Georgia border, so that was our next destination.  Jacksonville is always a bit of a drama for us with the wide and sometimes very shallow St. John River.  We’d shopped around for a marina that was closer to the waterway and the airport and booked at one we thought would be perfect for the weeks we’d be gone.  It was not a good choice.  We tied up and realized that this little marina’s dock system was not set up for a 25 ton vessel and would not hold us if the weather got dodgy…and dodgy was the forecast for the foreseeable future.  We had to find another marina and fast. A de pulled out of the slip, the skies were darkening and I started working the phones.  Our only choice at this point was to go further up the river…argg,   The electronic/paper charts are not much help this far up the river as the shoals shift like crazy on these rivers and this one is not well marked except for commercial traffic.   I was madly trying to negotiate a monthly rate and mindful of the fact that we had to get one right now, and fly out the next day.  

We were watching the depth sounder and praying for some markers that would indicate a deeper water route through the shallows.  Thank goodness, a faster trawler zoomed by us, so we hailed them on Channel 16 and they graciously agreed to show us the way.  We still had a very low bridge that we had to get opened, and now the wind is gusting in that manic way it does ahead of a squall and we could hear …shudder…thunder and see lightning close at hand - eek, a boater’s nightmare!  “Hurry, open open open”, I prayed to the bridge, and as it did, so did the sky…it just poured.  We hailed the marina, and the wonderful husband of the gal in the office at Ortega Landing came running down the dock to show us our spot and grab a line.  Phew.  Cheated death again.   Once the storm passed we jumped off, got our bearings and slowly realized that Ortega Landing was built on the same sight as the funky marina we stayed in nine years ago.  We are such homing pigeons, drawn again and again to the same places. 

We got home in time to watch our handsome son graduate cum laude from Chapman University.  Yippee.  He did it in four years, but like all his classmates in the current job market environment – he has no idea what is next.  But he is clever and will keep the college job and take on a few independent projects to try on careers.  Our advice, “Keep the overhead low and explore young man, explore”.

A little personal confession here.  Sometimes the constant moving and lack of personal space just gets to me.  I think I may be a “love the one I’m with” kind of girl…well actually; it’s more like, love the place I’m in.  We are living a gypsy lifestyle, but I am really a nester at heart.  I am never really ready to leave a place, no matter how exciting the upcoming destination.  When I am in a lovely port and start to find my way, I don’t want to move to the next.  When I am on the boat, I am not ready to go home and when I am home, I don’t want to leave.  I mention it because I’ve met a lot of gals who feel like I do.  We’re not malcontents, it’s just that sometimes, we women might need to linger just a little longer than our partners do.   

I felt that way after another whirlwind trip home, so I finagled an extra week at our little casita in Las Vegas while Ade flew back ahead of me.  I just puttered and attended to much needed tasks – and took some serious alone time… it’s good for my head, and I think for relationships.   He met me at the airport with flowers.  Ahhhh, what a guy, still romantic after 39 years!   

April 2009

SKINNY WATERS…aka, Why Didn’t We Buy a Catamaran?

Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas

We made an overnight passage from the Dominion Republic to Turks & Caicos. 

Collectively, it is written that these two island nations have over 700 islands and cover thousands of miles.  Only about 30 to 40 are inhabited.  We will see only a few of them.

The Turks and Caicos are almost like a long coral reef.  They offer beautiful options for snorkeling and diving and for catamarans and shallow draft boats are probably great.  For those of us who draw 5’ or more, there are not as many options.  Providenciales is in the Caicos group of islands, and it was our best option for a quick trip.

We chose an anchorage on the south side of the island of Providenciales, or Provo, for an easy check in, and what we hoped was easy access to the town.  “Downtown” was a few miles away, and an expensive cab ride ($35USD+), so we four decided, against advice from the officials, that we needed the workout-you know, that ol’ “ it can’t be that far” mentality,  and started walking.  Town, as it turns out, is a real long walk…and to not much of a town at all.  Luckily, the nicest Canadian ex pat plumber in a work truck stopped and asked if we wanted to hop in the back….’you betcha’- we’re not proud and so in we jumped.  He dropped us in the center of “downtown”- basically an asphalt parking lot, strip mall with a supermarket shopping center, few other stores, mainly insurance agents, etc…. and that was about it.  We asked for directions to something…more?  No one would really talk to us. We walked a few more blocks and found a marine store, which as always, perked the boys up, but where’s the heart of this island?  We realized if we were going to see anything, we really needed a car…but no one seemed to know where we could rent one.

We reversed directions and found ourselves on Airport Road where we spotted a few car rental offices; we stopped at the first one.  A few guys were inside, one sound asleep at the reception desk, and the other two wouldn’t talk to us, despite our polite hellos.  Not surly, they just didn’t want to move a muscle or even think about giving us a car…we backed out, said goodbye with the same effect that our cheery hello’s got…nada.  Where the heck are we?  It was kinda surreal-part DMV/Post Office, and part Tangiers Island- we were the unseen.  Thus far, the T&C’s weren’t making much of an impression. 

We saw a Hertz sign a ¼ mile down the road and gave it a go.  Much better, we were sure that we would now be able to fall in love with the real Provo so many people seem to adore.   We did our usual figure eight sightseeing tour and found some places of mild interest, but nothing that grabbed us.  Voyager came in directly from San Juan and was going back to the US, so they were at Turtle Bay Marina on the north shore.  The marina is nice, and is where we would stay if this were a real destination for us.  It is closer to a good supermarket and other shops, a friendly atmosphere, fun restaurant and marine stores.   

The north side of the island is nicer, in my opinion, but our impression of the island is that it is a great place to own a second home or go to a destination resort.  It has beautiful white sand beaches, great diving and snorkeling, tropical weather, but if you are a deeper draft vessel your anchorage will be further out and you’d really have to have a car to get around.  Provo doesn’t seem to have a unique culture or heart and therefore slides off our minds like Teflon.  It seemed that the people were not very happy.   You often find that native people everywhere resent tourists, but this was different, this is how they were with each other.  Perhaps it was just that week.

We had one last dinner with the gang, Dot & Ken, Les and Rose.  We celebrated Ade’s birthday early, and quietly said good night, and goodbye for now, to our dear traveling companions of so many thousands of miles.  They are returning to the real world and new business opportunities and need to get to Georgia STAT.  They were always there for us, and also always wonderful company.  We will miss them so much.  Rose had surreptitiously baked Ade a Kahlua Birthday cake and had it all wrapped up and ready to take back to WS for his actual birthday.  That’s the kind of people they are. 

We are ready for the Bahamas!  The Bahamas are an archipelago that extend over 2000 miles in a general NW to SW direction and have over 600 islands.  They sit on a vast limestone reef and its name, Grand Bahama apparently came from the Spanish, meaning Great Shallow Sea.   It is skinny water and careful alert navigation is essential at all times.   

Our first stop was Abraham on the island of Mayaguana, a convenient little township in which to check into the country.   Now this place seems to have personality… it’s quite flat, lots of scrub bushes, not too many trees…white-white fine sand, gorgeous water, and about 10,000 conch shells piled high.   There are only a few people on the island, they all know each other, in fact, we think they are all related.  It was an Easter weekend and we didn’t know if anything would be open.  We started walking down the dusty road after we’d anchored in the bay and dinked in.  A friendly local gal, Winifred, picked us up, said she was sure we could check in, even though all offices were closed, and drove to several people’s homes to get to the official who could sign us in.  They tracked him down, and off we went to his office.  He’d changed into a suit and tie, was very nice, but explained that in “actuality it is only my clark” (love the way it’s said with an English accent), “who knows precisely how to process all the necessary papers”…  (He, in fact, hasn’t a clue how it’s done - typical boss-man, eh?)… “And pity, she’s out bush crabbing this morning, but no matter, she couldn’t possibly stay out all day, so we’ll just wait, shall we?”  Well Okey Dokey then!

It is Easter Saturday and we are just grateful we don’t have to wait until Tuesday, after the four day holiday.  We walked around a bit, watched  the colorful neighborhood drunk try to find someone to buy him a bottle, as the local Mom & Pop had cut him off, and just generally enjoyed ourselves taking in all the comings and goings at the crossroads of this small village. 

Still February 2009

SPANISH CARIBBEAN

Culebra, Spanish Virgin Islands

It was a fairly short hop to the Spanish Virgin Island of Culebra.  We anchored in Ensenada Hondo, right by the tiny town of Dewey and tried to figure out how to check in.  Technically, this is part of Puerto Rico, another US territory, and as US citizens traveling from one US territory to another we were told by a VI cruiser that checking in was not necessary.  Yeah, we’d heard that in Mexico too, and it turned out to be incorrect, so we decided to be safe and not sorry.  A fellow yachtie directed us to the town dock and told us to get the number off the sign posted on the pier.  A few phone calls later (Ade’s cell phone worked here) we were given a number and told that we were officially checked into Puerto Rico, which is required if you are going to stay there.  Once that was settled, we sought out the few places that were listed in the cruising guide, and took a nice long walk.  We people-watched at the harbor side Dinghy Dock and adjusted our ears to rapid Spanish again.  We even found little Mamacita’s colorful Bar & Grill on the canal that cuts from Ensenada bay to the ocean.  There is a ferry dock on the ocean here that brings Puerto Rican’s over for holidays.  Despite the ferry, Culebra is much like the old Virgin Islands, a nice quiet island with perfect weather, a little local color, and a great place to just hang out and read a good book.

Puerto Rico

The crossing to Fajardo on PR’s east coast was lumpy but uneventful. Puerto Del Rey marina is huge, over 1000 slips, and it’s near nothing, so for transient’s, not the best choice.  We were told it was quite safe, but laughed when after all the security gates, locks, etc., we saw that our dock was the one where the ferry dropped passengers off, so hundreds of people walked by, unescorted on a Sunday…really glad this is NOT where we decided to leave WS while we went home for three weeks.

Wanting to see something at this end of the island, we arranged for a taxi to take us to a popular beach area where we were told there was a boardwalk.  No boardwalk, just a family beach with lots of beer drinking locals out for a fun Sunday…not in the mood for that, we asked what else we might see.  “El Conquistador Casino and Resort” we were told…and as taxi fare was already at $40, we decided we’d better get out.  The resort is actually lovely, beautiful buildings and grounds cascading down a hill to a small marina.   We spent a few hours just strolling around, enjoying a late lunch and people watching.  We’d missed the Latin people; they are so…so…alive, so passionate about everything.  We had the doorman get us a cab, and guess what…another $40 to go the 8 miles back to our marina.  Glad we saw what we did, these cruisers probably won’t be going back to Fajardo.

We ran the length of the northern side of the island with fairly stiff winds at our back.  When we saw the impressive walls of El Morro it was time to navigate the tricky, in this weather, harbor entrance that would take us into San Juan.  We surfed our way in and found Club Nautico, a private club and marina deep into the harbor past all the cruise ship docks.  The yacht club is very safe, with good docks and a beautiful clubhouse and office complex, but for people without a car - a challenge to deal with.  A major highway runs in front of it, on a blind corner, and beyond it, two lane highway on and off ramps, one in each direction, and a raised, but not too high, highway bridge…what we in California call a spaghetti bowl.  At least eight lanes converge here.   After the first day, I learned that if I walked a block or so, I came to a spot where I had pretty good visibility and could run across two lanes to a V like median; pause, cross two more lanes with a small median; pause, and then cross two more double lane sets, and there, finally was a nice big sidewalk bordering the ocean and leading to hotels.  Like a bunny I would dash across two lanes. Stop. Dash. Stop. Run like hell… all pretty exciting, made all the more so by the fact that I actually scream as I do this…not blood curdling wail, but an audible AHHHHHHHHH.    By the time I get to El Malecon to take my walk, I am really warmed up.

We finally rented a car, as Ade didn’t like my method for getting around, and went out for a night on town in Old San Juan- and just fell in love with it.  It reminds me of Cartagena.  The fact that the cruise ships dock right down town adds to the crowds and T-shirt shops, but also to the color and excitement of the waterfront.  Artists set up shop in the square and displayed some really lovely things, like the sea glass earrings and necklaces I bought.  Following the advice of a fellow we met in Culebra, we found that on the streets several blocks north of the piers had great restaurants that the locals frequent.  Baru was one he’d suggested and he was right.  It’s a Tapas restaurant (poor Ade was so disappointed, he thought I was saying Topless) and we shared several delicious dishes, and walked the cobblestone narrow poking our heads into interesting looking galleries and restaurants.    Another night we made our way to the resort area, and the old El San Juan hotel, where Ade and his buddy Jim stayed after their college graduation.  It’s still elegant and has great restaurants, we chose the Palm.  Not Latin, but very nice.

We found someone at the yacht club to watch and wash the boat each week; emptied the fridge, and buttoned Wandering Star up for our first trip home in seven months…the longest time ever.  We missed our families and friends.

HOME for three weeks

We were back aboard in no time, and the others had all caught up.  I finally finished Les and Rose’s Superhero capes that I’d wanted to make for them after they towed us off the coast of Columbia in October.  With no sewing machine on board, I just couldn’t execute my vision.  They got a big chuckle out of the Dobbe Wan and Princess Lena capes…now I dare them to wear them!

We all wanted to see Old San Juan again, so back downtown again - navigating our way through the particularly heavy and drunken cruise ship passengers and back up to Baru for dinner.  Dottie and Ken went off on an island adventure on their motorcycle for a few days, while we stayed at the club with Rose as Les had to fly home for a quick business trip.  We did the mad dashes across yet another set of major highways to the local Pueblo market to re-provision for the next leg of our journey.  Rose is much faster off the mark than I, she’s like a gazelle, and I think my screaming scared her.   I wonder if they will miss all of this nonsense when they go back to the real world of starting a new business.  We will miss them.  Dottie and Ken are going home too, but we have a few more weeks together.

The Dominion Republic, the country that shares the island of Hispaniola with the always impoverished and chaotic Haiti is not on most cruisers itineraries.  Strategically it’s in a brilliant location for a stop traveling north or south, but has few good anchorages, and it’s expensive to check into for just an overnight stop.  We determined, however that we wanted to see it, and decided along with Dot & Ken, on Puerto Plata, and the recommended Ocean World Adventure Park and Marina.   It’s a lot like Sea World with a much lower budget, but equally enthusiastic “trainers” who work with the animals and participate in the silly, but kinda cute, skits.  You know the “CLAP NOW” kind of enthusiasm, all in rapid Spanish and LOUD.  We had a back stage pass as our slip was right behind the set and seal pool, and when we’d hear the theme from the Pink Panther, we’d brace ourselves for Showtime.  I know I sound cynical, when in actuality; I laughed every time as the kids squealed and sang out, “Who Let the Dogs Out-woof-woof”, and clapped at the antics.  I’m a sucker for people having a good time.  It is also a Casino with a floor show; scantily clad beautiful girls with elaborate headdresses, gloved arms out and barely covered in feathers and sequins, prancing to canned music…of course we went, how can you resist a taste of the  Copacabana?.  It’s a good marina, but it is ¾ empty, and should probably lower its rates to attract more yachties as they would then feed the other parts of the operation, including the good and fairly priced restaurants.

We took a van/bus to the town of Puerto Plata for an afternoon.  Everyone was very friendly, but in particular one fellow who, at the end of our day, clung to us like saran wrap, showing us lots of things on our way to where he said we could catch the return bus to the resort.  He insisted, in that “me thinks thou protests too much” way, that he wasn’t doing it for money, he didn’t need money…only, after an hour of this…maybe - only if we wanted to, buy some milk for his daughter.  He took us to a squalid bar where the bus supposedly stops, or at least passes by, which by coincidence, sold the milk - which turned out to be formula at $25USD, along with cold beer.  But, hey, the free bus did go by, and he did run out in front of it to stop it, so I guess it was a win-win situation; sometimes being played is such fun.

We hired a car and driver to take us on an island tour - as much as we could see in one day, this is a big island and we would only scratch the surface.  You hire the guide, and he in turn goes out to a taxi van and hires the taxi.  The guide told us to call him “Macarena”, he considers himself quite the historian, and claimed many celebrity clients, none of whom registered with us.   We understood very little of what he said, it was an unusual kind of Spanglish he spoke.  Dottie and I fell into a fit of giggles when we thought he was taking us to a whorehouse when what he said was courthouse.  There are a lot of both on the island apparently.  He loved to point out hookers, and some looked like young teenage girls, others like peasant women selling fruit by the side of the road.  The taxi driver rolled his eyes at us from time to time.  We visited a cigar factory run by a lecherous Robin Williams look alike German ex-pat with tiny reading glasses worn way down a long nose with piercing, laughing blue eyes, show us how they roll cigars on our thighs.  We also found ourselves in Amber and Larimer workshops…you know the drill.

A big attraction was Playa Cabarete.  It’s a wind surfing and kite boarding beach that attracts hundreds of enthusiasts, and is such fun to watch.  There was every color of sail, and every level of boarder.  The learning curve seems quite steep and I know I am much to chicken to try it, but what a thrill it must be to catch the wind and just skip across the rolling surf.  Wow, most impressive.  We stayed for a few hours. I checked out the hotels there, and they are quite nice and seemed to be doing a good business.  I can see why it’s catching on with Canadians.

At the end of the day, Macarena was very pleasant and helpful though, and took us to the fresh market and helped us bargain for lovely fruit and vegetables, and stopped at the supermarket for other items we needed.   We thoroughly enjoyed our very full day, and our time in “The DR”.

Time to go, next it’s the Turks and Caicos, and my 99^th country!  WooWoo indeed.

 LIKE A VIRGIN- ISLAND-again

FEBRUARY 2009

British Virgin Islands

Woo Woo, we made it to Virgin Gorda at first light after a beautiful overnight run from Anguilla.  We first visited the lovely British Virgin Islands waaaay back in 1974 and it became one of our favorite places to charter sailboats.  We’ve not been back since the mid 90’s and see that it continues to change.  For us nothing can match the simplicity that was, when the Bitter End was just a small collection of cottages with a nice bar and fresh seafood eatery.  Chartering was a pretty new idea and brought work to the lovely gentle “Queens English” speaking locals.  Today, with the proliferation of charter companies, that attitude has changed.  Polite, but not what I’d call “welcoming”.  Nevertheless, the island is still beautiful, large boulders tumble down into the still sparkling blue sea, the trade winds blow, and the sun shines brightly.  Speaking of trades, they really are blowing this year and it’s cooler than the normally ideal 80 degrees in and out of the water.

After making landfall and checking into the country, we were off on a rip roaring dinghy ride to the Baths, the renowned beach at the SW tip of the island with large granite boulders extending out into the sea.   The waves crash into the rocks and form large azure blue pools with the light and rushing water altering the look every few seconds.  It’s fairly easy to clamber in, over and around these giants, and gentle enough to swim and splash in the pools, but getting to them is a riot.  You used to be able to just pull your dink up on an adjoining beach and walk over.  Now in order to protect the coral and I imagine with the crowds, there is a thick rope barrier to prevent you from dinking in.  You tie the dinghy to the rope and swim ashore, timing the waves to insure you are not picked up and deposited ON it, or into the rocks.  Not easy and I almost wimped out.  But after watching others do it, and especially ladies I judged to be older than me…well, I sucked it up and jumped in too.  Nothing motivates me like feeling like a complete dork sitting in a dinghy tied to rope while everyone else is in the water.  On the eve of my 59^th birthday, I guess I’m a little long in the tooth to use the high school excuse of “it’s that time of the month” to avoid doing something I’m afraid to do.

I survived that, took the obligatory photos for the “At the Baths” wall at home which shows the kids at various ages, and went back on WS for a nice afternoon nap.  It was dinner topsides on the fly bridge, and movies that Pat brought from her “For Your Consideration” collection.  As part of “the” Academy, she gets the great Oscar nominated films on DVD’s to preview, and she knows we just love movies and haven’t seen anything new for months, and the Oscar telecast is next Sunday, so we’ll be caught up.

The next day we cruised the length of the long mountainous island up to the Bitter End Yacht Club and took a mooring.  Tried more snorkeling, but “where oh where have all the fishies gone?”  We hopped on and off the dinghy with a little coral reef chart looking for the perfect spot…but never really found much, maybe we’re spoiled, or maybe things really aren’t as they used to be, people moved in, the sea life moved out.

In honor of my birthday, we had a progressive evening and went place to place in the dinghy.  First it was cocktails at the BEYC, then to Dreamweaver for a fantastic dinner Dottie and Rose made of fresh caught Wahoo (Capt. Chaos caught it) and then over to Voyager for a riotous game of Cranium, and the rich Bread Pudding cakelike dessert Dottie and I learned to make in St. Kitts.   What fun, I love a fuss over moi!  Friends, food, wine, presents, cake and games…life is good, and in fact it keeps getting better.

Weather being so -so, and not clear enough to dive the Wreck of the Rhone, we decided to stay put and have a nice relaxing day.  We went ashore to explore other parts of the bay.  Posh Biras Creek Resort is “next door”, we climbed to the top of the hill and down to the beach on the other side at Bercher’s Bay.  We had lunch out at the waterside Fat Virgin Café, and tried the water again.  Pat and I cooked up some Caribbean favorites for dinner onboard, and we selected another great movie.

Our guests don’t have much time left, and we are determined to see our old favorite haunts and with that intention, we cruised all day through the BVI chain, planning to stop at the ship restaurant William Thornton on Norman Island for lunch, but it looked abandoned, so we just cruised into the bay, dropped the hook and had lunch aboard.  We continued onto Jost Van Dyke for a big Thursday night at Foxy’s.  Hmmm, apparently Thursday is no longer the big night at Foxy’s, now it’s Friday.  Darn.  Never mind, we had 6 members of the Big Bear Lake Yacht Club in attendance and we were going to have fun…no matter if we were the only ones.  With a little effort, we livened the place up and had a good time.  When Les and Rose went the following week with their young nieces, and on a Friday night, it rocked.  Timing is everything.

Wind and seas picked up and it was a nasty wet ride back to the boats, but we survived the night and even made it back on shore in the morning for a walk through the town.  As this was Bob & Pat’s last night aboard and we needed to get them within ferry distance of their flights out of St Thomas, we secured reservations at Soper’s Hole on Tortola’s West End, a nice, but very busy and pricey marina.  In tootling around Frenchman’s Cay we discovered a wonderful new restaurant at the little hotel that Bob & Pat wanted to take us to for dinner.  It was wonderful and a nice walk from the marina under starry skies.

After breakfast with Dottie and Ken, we learned that the marina needed our slip NOW as they had returning charter boats that they had to turn around, and guests that had to catch flights.  Panic!  The boys quickly went across to clear out of the BVI, we tossed Bob and Pat their luggage, thanked them for coming as they rushed to catch the next ferry to the USVI and we threw off the lines just as the charter boat was turning down the finger.  Before we knew it, we were out the channel, waving goodbye and on our way…somewhere.  Let’s see can it be that we were only in the BVI for five days, and somehow, it was enough?  Looked at each other, and said, “Yeah, we’re done”, let’s see what St. John has to offer!

USVI

St. John is one of the islands we have never explored, and we were ready.  We found a dock to tie to in Cruz Bay and checked back into the USA!  We’d been out of the country, well Wandering Star had, for a year and a half.  I thought Uncle Sam’s Customs official would come down, pull her apart, demand to see everything we’d purchased, confiscate our liquor and hand us a tax bill.  They could not have been more blasé.  “Your Passport please” and we handed them over, he scanned it, handed it back and said “Welcome Home”.  I asked if that was all, and he said, “Yes”.  Not a man of many words, so we picked them up and skipped out the door.

There is no place to moor, anchor or tie up in Cruz Bay, but not far away is beautiful Caneel Bay and a wide open anchorage.  We knew that Ade’s long lost cousin on his father’s side was due there somewhere, but Ade didn’t know what the boat looked like, and in fact had only seen his cousin once a few years back.  Ade’s sister and brother in law were also flying down to join them.  Amazingly, soon after we settled on our mooring, a nice guy dinked by and asked Ade if he was Bobby’s cousin.   It was Michael, the fellow who’d just sailed the boat down with him from Mystic, Ct.   “Joy for All Seasons” was nearby.  They were on their way to Red Hook to pick up Bobby’s wife Paula, and Don & Audrey.  Small world.  In the meantime, Dottie and Ken caught up with us and we had a dinner together before Dottie flew back home for a job interview.

Over the next days we cruised around St. John, had the gang over for drinks and nibbles, and enjoyed fantastic hamburgers on “Joy”.  Once everyone else flew home, we met again onshore at one of Bobby’s favorite haunts.  I spent lots of time in the square where local artisans had set up an open market for an art festival.  I found lots of little trinkets to share with friends back home.

We made our way to St. Thomas and soon realized that the marina had changed completely and that this IGY was so totally catering to mega yachts that it is not even practical for a 43′ to tie up - huge concrete docks and almost impossible for us to get on and off the boat.  We anchored out instead.  Met Les and Rose for happy hour and told them that we’d be heading back to St. John.  Too much city for us…we need a more gradual reentry.  Les is in the midst of forming a new company and needed to be in close contact with his partners and the real world, so they were staying put until their guests arrived.

We couldn’t get back to Caneel Bay fast enough.  We went ashore for lunch to the still elegant Caneel Bay resort, formerly one of the chic Rock Resorts developed by the Rockerfellers and catering to the elite, it is still nice, but less exclusive.   At the other end of the scale, we also spent a few days over in Coral Bay, this is where the real people of St. John live…some on their boats, others in artist cottages, or hippie huts scattered along the shore and in the hills.  It’s Funkytown to be sure.  We liked it.  Craziest dinghy dock we’ve ever seen with an astonishing assortment of boats behind Skinny Legs.  Too early to try that  renowned Bar & Grill, so we walked the entire bay, found lunch at the Aqua Bistro, provisions at the complete Lilly’s Gourmet Market and Deli, and finally tired, stopped back at Skinny Legs for happy hour.  We found the people to match all those dinghies’s…artists and sailors, and hippies in a time warp, with a few middle aged cruisers like us on the outer edges.

It was time to get some clean up done, so off to the quieter side of the island of St. Thomas at Red Hook.   American Yacht Harbor, another IGY marina, is still cruiser friendly.  As we were backing in, we realized that our immediate neighbors were Walter and Susan from Kingdom, a fun couple we’d met at Thanksgiving in Grenada.  We made plans to get together and later heard all about their amazing few months.  They had crew aboard, one of whom turned out to be a Cuban doctor with a Guyana passport who sought exile in the US once they arrived in the USVI.  What a story.

Red Hook is very convenient.  A good market is across the road, there are several great restaurants (fish at Off the Hook was very good), and a sophisticated Wine Bar & Restaurant for evenings when you want quiet conversation, not reggae. I was able to take long walks, but warned not to do it at night as apparently there is a crime problem.  I tried walking to a large shopping center with a K Mart, but after 4 miles realized I was either lost, or it was much further than described.   I was rescued by a bus-van that is very inexpensive and goes in a counter clockwise route around the island all day long, much like in the Windward’s.

We had only a few days before we were due in San Juan, Puerto Rico for our flight home for work, so we plotted our course and reluctantly made plans to leave the Virgins.  The weather was really nice now, and we would have liked to have had another week or two to just hang on a mooring in St. John.  This island is still like a Virgin.  Thank Goodness.

Leg XVI     Maine to Chesapeake Bay

(Logs are posted with the most recent entry first)

THE END

Bitter sweet words to be sure as we come to a close of this log that started with Leg I on April 22^nd, 2007.  If you have been with us for the entire voyage, thanks for the interest, moral support, and perseverance.  Jo and I both hope it was an enjoyable experience.  If you recently joined us, we hope you will go back sometime and catch up on rest of this adventure.

As our trip evolved, it became our mission to show what a safe, fun experience could be had in a small,  43-foot, unstabalized trawler without going offshore and facing the perils of the open ocean.  There is plenty of adventure in just seeing the Americas from coast to coast as I hope our humble attempt at writing was able to convey. In the company of good friends, this is a very doable trip and any well-found boat can do the same voyage!

Our mission now is to encourage others to follow in our wake. Toward that end we will be starting a website by years end about “The Big U,” Cruising from Maine to Alaska. In its pages, we hope other fellow travelers will share their adventures and add to the legacy for all to enjoy as they too voyage through the truly wonderful Americas.

Annapolis to Solomons - the final passage!

9/11   Saturday

From: Latitude: 38:58.58 N   Longitude: 076:29.13 W

To: Latitude: 38:19.93 N    Longitude: 076:25.50 W

Weather: cloudy   Wind: 270⁰ at 12-16 kts. SEA:  2

Barometer: 1007  Passage time: 6 hrs.

Start Engine Hours: 2312   Fuel used/on board:  5768/562

End Engine Hours:  2318   Fuel used/on board:  5783/547+231=778

Distance trip/to Date: 44/14,668

This is it!  Our final day at sea and the completion of our 14,668-mile voyage we now call “The Big U” that started in Seattle some 30-months ago.

It was still overcast and cool this morning in Annapolis.  Yesterdays waves and wind are only a memory. The new classes of Midshipman were all out for their morning run around the Academy as we slip past the school’s waterfront and head out into the Bay.  Our last 44-mile, 6-hour passage will be in calm seas and little wind as we head south from Annapolis to the Solomons, our last destination.

Wandering Star’s autopilot steered almost the entire way as even the crab pot buoys seemed to be aligned for an uneventful day at sea. Lots of fellow cruisers are out and about, many, I am sure were trapped in various ports by the three days of storm and are finally heading home. Summer is over here and the cooler nights foretells of winter just around the corner.

We’ll leave WS in the care of Washburn’s Boatyard for the next several weeks while we head home to the west coast to see family and take care of some business.  We’ll also take a short vacation in Bali to see our good friends Roger and Suzanne who run an Ashram there. In early November, Jo & I will be back here to finish up some maintenance on WS before we head her south again for Key West and the Bahamas for the winter.

By 1:00 PM we are making the final turn into Solomons Harbor.  First, we’ll make a quick stop at the fuel dock to top off our fuel tanks to prevent condensation from accumulating and adding water to our fuel while we’re away. Being Saturday, the usual crew at the boatyard are off but Scott, who lives in the marina, is there to catch our lines and tie us up this last time.

Our good friends Bob and Cheryl on Kasekuchen, a Selene 53 parked next marina over, are quickly and graciously on the phone to invite us to dinner. Friends Jake and Susanne, on Annaruth, another Selene 53, are here too and a great night of catching up as well as sharing our previous to boating life’s stories. It seems only fitting that we share this happy occasion with new good friends as the evening subtlety reminds us of all the great occasions we shared with Les and Rose and Dottie and Ken to get here.  Also, how much we wish they could be with us now to help put a special end to this closing chapter in our Alaska to Maine adventure.

###

St Michaels to Annapolis

9/11   Friday

From: Latitude: 38:47.14 N   Longitude: 076:13.21 W

To: Latitude: 38:58.58 N    Longitude: 076:29.13 W

Weather: Overcast   Wind: 315⁰ at 16-40 kts. SEA:  4

Barometer: 1007  Passage time: 4 hrs.

Start Engine Hours: 2308   Fuel used/on board:  5757/573

End Engine Hours:  2312   Fuel used/on board:  5768/562

Distance trip/to Date: 25/14,624

Forty plus knot winds, angry five to six foot short, steep waves, blowing foam and spray reaching the top of the pilot house…sounds like a great day for a passage to Annapolis!  The good news was that the gale warnings were lifted this morning but someone forgot to tell the wind and waves. With the promise that perhaps the weather would be improving, we decide to press on for the 25-miles run to Annapolis across the Bay. While no where near as bad as it could be here under these same circumstances, it is still a bumpy crossing with the wind rattling the bimini on the Fly Bridge as the spray keeps the wipers busy.

The wind is coming out of the west so as we get closer to the western shore, the waves begin to subside with the shorter fetch and by the time we make the long channel that leads into Annapolis harbor, conditions have calmed down substantially. We head directly to our usual spot on the dock in the front of Pusser’s Rum Bar where Rook, the very attentive dock boy is waiting to take our lines. It’s a nasty, old wood piling waterfront that takes a few minutes of bumpering and line adjustment to get the old girl comfortable for the night but she soon snuggled in tight, safe from wind and wave.

Our immediate project is to get Little Dipper, the  wayward dinghy, pumped back up and lowered into the water for her trip to the dinghy doctor for repairs.  In a half hours time she is ready for the short putt across the harbor to the inflatable shop. Once delivered and hauled to the shop, the water taxi takes me back to WS.  Chores complete, we now have the afternoon off to relax with a movie after the strenuous days crossing.

One of the nice perks of our bar side location is the full room service catering that can be ordered right from our boat. Later,  Jo and I order a nice dinner of steamed mussels and salad to eat on board followed by a twilight walk around the still busy, Friday night streets of Annapolis  The midshipmen at the Navy Academy, now in Fall session, and the girls that they attract are very much in evidence everywhere. Fall is in the air but it is still just warm enough for a sorbet before heading home for the evening.

###

St Michaels

9/10   Thursday

Gale Warning - well the weather has continued to deteriorate over night and we wake up to formal gale warnings on the VHF from NOAA and 25-knots of wind.  While we probably could have made it across the Bay to Annapolis before the storm hits, we decide to stay put hoping for better weather tomorrow to make the short 24-mile passage.  We want to stop there and drop off our leaking RIB dinghy so it can be serviced while WS is in dry dock in the Solomons.

Baltimore to St Michaels

9/09   Wednesday

From: Latitude: 39:16.87 N   Longitude: 076:36.14 W

To: Latitude: 38:47.14 N    Longitude: 076:13.21 W

Weather: partly cloudy   Wind: 45⁰ at 16-20 kts. SEA:  2/3

Barometer: 1012   Passage time: 6 hrs.

Start Engine Hours: 2302   Fuel used/on board:  5743/586

End Engine Hours:  2308   Fuel used/on board:  5757/573

Distance trip/to Date: 38/14,599

It’s a nice day to cruise down the Chesapeake Bay.  Heavier weather is looming before the weekend but today is fairly mild with even occasional glimpses of sunshine.  We’ve decided to head for St. Michaels, a small town on the Chesapeake’s Eastern Shore. It has sentimental value for us as it was the first destination for the original Wandering Star almost ten years ago.  To get there we shall need to pass through the Kent Narrows directly across the Bay from Annapolis some 26-mile south of Baltimore.

The Kent Narrows is a narrow gap between a large, Bay side island and the mainland of the Eastern Shore.  It features some very shallow approach water, down to 7′ in places, but also has Harris’ Crab Shack, one of our favorite hangouts from when we were here for months getting WS I commissioned.  With dockside tie-up space available, we decide to stop in for a nice lunch before continuing on to St Michaels.

After lunch, we must get one more tiny bascule bridge to open before we can get through the Narrows.  The bridge attendant was not paying good attention and gave our right of way to a north bound sailboat without telling us a second boat was coming behind it a swell. Normally the boat traveling with the current - us in this case, has the right of way.

Naturally when we started into the narrow bridge opening, a 2^nd hidden boat was coming from the other side at the same time and only the combinations of my horn and the other guys quick reactions prevented a collision in the narrow passage.  The bridge operator apologized for his lack of care - too little too late - but it was still as near a miss as we’ve had this whole trip.

The rest of the voyage across Prospect Bay went without incident except that the wind is continuing to build, now up to 20-knots plus as the afternoon wears on so it is blowing pretty good by the time we arrive at St Michael’s Marina.  We decide to take an easier to get at side tie on their face dock rather that to try to back up into the now strong wind  into a narrow slip and are soon tied down safe and secure.

After a walk around town and dinner at a great little wine and pizza bar called Ava’s, we are back on board in time for our president’s health care speech and a good night sleep (not because we were much relieved by anything in his speech).

###

C&D Canal to Baltimore, Maryland

9/7   Monday

From: Latitude: 39:32.79 N   Longitude: 075:42.23 W

To: Latitude: 39:16.87 N    Longitude: 076:36.14 W

Weather: cloudy   Wind: 90⁰ at 10-16 kts. SEA:  2

Barometer: 1012   Passage time: 7 hrs.

Start Engine Hours: 2295   Fuel used/on board:  5721/608

End Engine Hours:  2302   Fuel used/on board:  5743/586

Distance trip/to Date: 52/14,561

It’s a log way to Baltimore!  While only 52-miles by water, it seemed to take forever when you’re fighting the currents.  First going out of the canal had us down to barely making 6-knots against the incoming ebb and then you must go quite far south into the Chesapeake Bay, cut across some shoals to the west, then back up north again a long ways, again against the current, to get into Baltimore’s harbor.  So we ramped up the RPM’s to 1680, burned more fuel than we like at 3.3 gallons/hour and plowed along to make it in 7-hours where it would have taken 9 at our normal cruising settings.

The voyage itself was somewhat rocky, not because of the weather but from the wakes of the dozens of high speed power boats heading in all directions trying to get home from their holiday weekend.  Once in Baltimore’s inner harbor, we took a slip in the East Inner Harbor Marina which is conveniently located next to all of the major tourist attractions; the aquarium, nautical museum, Orioles ballpark, and every major chain restaurant plus 20 some smaller places in the nearby Italian district. There are street performers, old ships on display and even a huge Borders Book store along with a nice shopping district here too. This is definitely the place to be in this city.

Jo and I did our usual walk about before heading for La Tasca, a Spanish tapas (small plates) bar we always seem to enjoy. Then it was a stop for ice cream before heading back to WS early as we are still trying to get over the all night run to get here.  Incidentally, today’s weather shows the expected waves hitting 18′ this week off the Jersey Coast so we certainly did the right things in heading here early.

###

Stamford to Summit North Marina, C&D Canal, Bear, Delaware

9/5-9/6   Saturday and Sunday   Overnight Passage

From: Latitude: 41:02.60 N   Longitude: 073:31.84 W

To: Latitude: 39:32.79 N    Longitude: 075:42.23 W

Weather: clear becoming cloudy   Wind: 90⁰ at 8-12 kts. SEA:  3

Barometer: 1013 to 1017   Passage time:  28.4 hrs.

Start Engine Hours: 2266   Fuel used/on board:  5656/674

End Engine Hours:  2295   Fuel used/on board:  5721/608

Distance trip/to Date:  215/14,509

The promise of big winds with matching seas early in the week off the Jersey Coast talked us into doing one last, 215-mile long, 28+ hour run all the way from Connecticut to the beginning of the Chesapeake Bay.  We had looked forward to a more leisurely final lap through NYC and even a stop in Atlantic City for the first time but getting stuck for a week that far north or a miserable ride down the exposed Atlantic coast were strong enough incentives for us to make a whole new plan.

As it turned out, the weather and timing could not have been more perfect.  We left Stamford at a lazy 0900, carefully timed to catch the 12:28 PM flood through the infamous Hell’s Gate into New York City’s East River.  And the gate to hell it was!  The current had us virtually surfing through the final gap at a blistering 13.9 knots even with the throttle pulled all the way back to idle.  We haven’t seen anything as wild and exciting as this since we left the fjords of SE Alaska so long ago. With the swirling currents and confused waves, it was all I could do to keep WS under control and pointed in the right direction. Once safe in the east River, the favorable push lasted all the way past NYC and out through the Narrows into the Atlantic Ocean.

Darkness overtook us shortly after we hit the New Jersey Coast but the full moon was already on the rise, the sea had a gentle 2-3 foot swell, and the night was clear for a stunning shoreline vista of twinkling lights as far as you could see.  There was even a fireworks show along the way as some little beach community celebrated the start of their big Labor Day Weekend.  We arrived at the Cape May breakwater as planned, right at 0630 and first light of the new day.

Sure enough, the ugly dredge we narrowly evaded last time by here in July was now working on the lower section of Cape May Bay.  This time, I did manage to guess the correct around it thus avoiding getting tangled up with the snakey, 3-foot diameter plumbing pipes that carry her tailings out of the bay.

Once past the dredge, it was still tricky to sort out the day markers and find the deep water path across the Bay’s inner pond to the canal out onto Delaware Bay.  Why they can’t mark this channel better is beyond me.  It has to be the worst navigation signing on East Coast. Cynically, one might think that it is because SeaTow and Towboats US both have bases here and need to make a living pulling visitors off the mud. Both of their advertising bill boards are on prominent display as you enter both ends of the bay…very suspicious.  But really they are wonderful when you call them for advise of how to get around dodgy areas!

By 0800, we were through the mess and out in Delaware Bay, steaming north for the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, the gateway to the Chesapeake Bay.  After 28-hours on the water, we were relieved to find that the Summit North Marina, located half way through this 12-mle long ditch, has room for us for the night so a quick right turn and we are soon secure for by 1330 in the afternoon.

Beside lots of bothersome bugs, this marina has a lot of good things going for it.  Helpful dock boys who gladly drive you to the grocery store and back, the cheapest fuel prices we’ve seen since the ICW, a tree covered park setting and even a popular destination restaurant called Aqua Sol we would loved to have tried if we weren’t so physically shot from being up most of the night.

So it’s a quiet dinner on WS after a quick trip to the store and early to bed for your crew…the bright lights of the party life will need to wait till we pull into Baltimore tomorrow and officially start this, the last week of our 126-week odyssey.

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Milford to Stamford

9/4  Friday

From: Latitude: 41:12.68 N   Longitude: 073:02.96 W

To: Latitude: 41:02.60 N    Longitude: 073:31.84 W

Weather: clear   Wind: 90⁰ at 8-12 kts. SEA:  2

Barometer: 1008   Passage time:  4 hrs.

Start Engine Hours: 2262   Fuel used/on board:  5646/684

End Engine Hours:  2266   Fuel used/on board:  5656/674

Distance trip/to Date:  28/14,294

This is still real summer cruising…with yet another perfect day on the water.  Too bad it can’t last but we sure are enjoying it one day at a time.  Today’s run was only 28-miles to Stamford and a rendezvous with Jo’s high school friend Patty and her husband John.  It is the start of the Labor Day weekend so boats are pouring out of the harbor, all off to a race or a final summer cruise with the family, as we make our approach to the narrow entrance channel.

Our marina, Harbor Park, was just about as far up river towards the town of Stamford as you can go. While far from as pretentious as some of our recent stops, it was an easy place for our friends to meet us, have happy hour on board and then take us to their home and back for dinner. We did not spend much time sightseeing but it was great to see their beautiful Connecticut home surrounded by acres of woods, where the deer come right up to the porch and eat the flowers out of the pots.  Jo had a great time catching up with her good friend and we all had a very enjoyable evening together.

It was back to WS fairly early for a good nights rest for tomorrow we will do our last overnighter of the voyage as we make our way back through New York City and down the New Jersey coast some 200-miles before more bad weather (high seas) arrive early next week.

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Mystic Seaport to Milford

9/3  Thursday

From: Latitude: 41:21.75 N   Longitude: 071:57.88 W

To: Latitude: 41:12.68 N    Longitude: 073:02.96 W

Weather: cloudy becoming clear   Wind: 90⁰ at 8-12 kts. SEA:  2

Barometer: 1012   Passage time:  8 hrs.

Start Engine Hours: 2254   Fuel used/on board:  5627/702

End Engine Hours:  2262   Fuel used/on board:  5646/684

Distance trip/to Date:  52/14,266

Off the dock at 0715 to make the scheduled 0740 opening of the Mystic Highway Bridge.  As luck would have it, the very busy commuter train bridge, just a couple hundred yards down stream was open long enough for us to slip through that as well.  We were then on our way the mile or so back down the Mystic River turning east to our next port of call, the Milford Yacht Club in tiny Milford Harbor.

We are still enjoying perfect summer weather and the sound was as smooth as it can possible be as well. Not even a ripple most of the 52-miles/8-hours to Milford.  I was even able to take time off to lie on the foredeck to read, snooze and get some sun…the first time in months.

Milford is mostly a commuter town for NYC but the yacht club was very active, friendly and comfortable with our side-tie dock looking right out the breakwater into the sound.  Thursday night is race night at the club so we had the extra treat of seeing their entire fleet of sailboats head out for an evening of racing around the buoys in the sound much like our old Wednesday night beer can derbies in Marina del Rey back home.

After our usual walk around this very small town, obligatory drink at the yacht club bar, we headed back to WS for a nice dinner on board and a quiet evening at home.

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Newport to Mystic Seaport, Connecticut

9/2  Wednesday

From: Latitude: 41:29.30 N   Longitude: 071:19.07 W

To: Latitude: 41:21.75 N    Longitude: 071:57.88 W

Weather: sunny and clear   Wind: 325⁰ at 12-14 kts. SEA:  2

Barometer: 1017   Passage time:  5.5 hrs.

Start Engine Hours: 2248   Fuel used/on board:  5614/715

End Engine Hours:  2254   Fuel used/on board:  5627/702

Distance trip/to Date:  38/14,214

A nice little run today with the wind and the waves still in our favor.  As you recall, we visited Mystic on the way northeast but want to return to spend more time with my cousin Bob and wife, Paula.  Jo was also able to finesse a hair appointment in the afternoon so all I had to do was get her the 38-miles by 1pm.  This sounds easy but involved leaving Newport in the early morning dark and timing it so we could pass through two bridges, one that only opens once each hour, and be tied up to the Mystic Seaport dock with enough time for her to walk the mile to the saloon.

As it turned out, we did it all with time to spare and I even managed to work in a haircut and see more of the wonderful Seaport museum in the afternoon.  Mystic Seaport is a very special place that is dedicated to preserving the history of the sea and I always wanted to bring my own boat here so we can check the box on this one too. By docking here we had full run of the place, even after hours when all of the tourist are gone so it is a very unique experience.

Evening was spent enjoying the hospitality of my cousin and Paula at their beautiful home on Mason Island with steamers, corn on the cob and swordfish stakes, Bobby barbequed to perfection.

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Sandwich Marina to Newport, Rhode Island

9/1   Tuesday

From: Latitude: 41:46.24 N   Longitude: 070:30.21 W

To: Latitude: 41:29.30 N    Longitude: 071:19.07 W

Weather: sunny and clear   Wind: 90⁰ at 10-12 kts. SEA:  2

Barometer: 1017   Passage time:  7 hrs.

Start Engine Hours: 2241   Fuel used/on board:  5596/733

End Engine Hours:  2248   Fuel used/on board:  5614/715

Distance trip/to Date:  51/14,176

No rush to leave this morning till the tide turns to ebb at 0828.  Jo had 30-minutes for a short walk to the store while I got the boat ready so by the time she got back it was time to leave. Then it was quick run west on the 10-miles of canal reaching a speed of 8.5 knots by the time we got to the Buzzard Bay end.  With calm seas and the 12-knots of wind at our back, the rest of the 51-mile trip into Newport was as nice as it gets out here.  This shallow bay has the reputation for being really nasty when a strong prevailing wind is against the opposite tide so we were very pleased with our warm and sunny day when it couldn’t be more like a lake.

Everyone connected to boating for any length of time has heard of Newport Rhode Island as it is a hub for sailboat racing.  It was best known for hosting the America’s Cup (1930 to 1983) when it was the exclusive property of the New York Yacht Club who borrowed the facilities of the Newport Yacht Club here to run their race. While those days are long gone, the town still has the remnants of its past glory in the nautical shops, atmosphere, and street names. Once Jo & I were welcomed and secure by the great club crew at NYC to our dock for the night (at $5.75/foot and still the cheapest in the harbor), we did not waste any time getting off and exploring its old brick paved waterfront..

Tourist shops are much the same in every town so you look for the unusual or something unique to the area. Here, we found a huge second hand consignment shop full of nautical antiques and old model ships. There was also a very special modern school committed to the training of young people in the restoration of old wood ships which looked like fun at any age.

After very over priced drinks at the Black Pearl, a classic tourist trap bar, it was getting dark and cooler. George, our dockmaster, steered us to the locals favorite Brick Road Restaurant for a nice dinner with a great salad bar (something that’s become quite rare) before returning to WS for an early night’s rest after a perfect day.

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Boston to Sandwich Marina, Cap Cod Canal

8/31   Monday

From: Latitude: 42:22.28 N   Longitude: 071:03.35 W

To: Latitude: 41:46.24 N    Longitude: 070:30.21 W

Weather: sunny becoming cloudy   Wind: 70⁰ at 8-12 kts. SEA:  2

Barometer: 1011   Passage time:  7 hrs.

Start Engine Hours: 2234   Fuel used/on board:  5579/750*

End Engine Hours:  2241   Fuel used/on board:  5596/733

Distance trip/to Date:  49/14,125

It is a beautiful, pre-dawn morning as we leave Boston and sail out of the harbor into the sunrise. The sky is clear, the ocean is smooth, and the boat is running great while we cover the 49-miles to the eastern entrance to the Cape Cod Canal.  As you may recall from our eastbound passage, timing is everything transiting the canal and even more important heading west as the current can run over 5-knots east to west on the flood. So you must be riding on the ebb to make it through the 10-miles of waterway in any sort of  reasonable time.

Our plan is to spend the night in the small Sandwich Marina at the Cape Cod entrance, then head through at the beginning of the ebb first thing in Tuesday morning.  After our 0530 departure from Boston, we arrived at the east end at 1230, too late to go all the way through today but with just enough ebb left to easily get the ½-mile up the canal to the marina…perfect timing if I do say so myself.  Dockmaster Dave soon had us secure in a nice slip in this old but comfortable marina.

What was totally unexpected was the quaint town of Sandwich. While rich with the early history of our country, being one of the first areas settled after Plymouth, it later became the American center for the art of commercial glass blowing.  This large and profitable industry was based here for many years dominating the local economy of the whole area. All that is left now is an incredible museum with some of the most beautiful glass on display to be found anywhere and most of it made right here.

Jo & I had a delightful afternoon wandering around and enjoying this undiscovered gem before heading back to WS for the evening.  The weather returned to gloomy late in the day with low’s predicted in the 50’s for tonight, it feels like we are getting out of New England just in time…winter is on the way!

*Note: took on 360 gallons of diesel at $2.60/gal. to bring total back to 750gal. on Board.

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 Boston

8/29-8/30   Saturday and Sunday

While “hurricane” Dave didn’t mineralize, it sure dumped a lot of rain on us all day Saturday so we just stayed snug in our little boat most of the day.  Sunday was as nice as Saturday was miserable so Jo & I were able to spend the day walking around Boston, taking in a movie, and then joining the multitudes meandering the streets of the Italian section searching for the perfect place to have dinner. Tresca Restaurant looked like it would do nicely and served one of the best Cioppino’s I’ve had anywhere outside of San Francisco.  Then it was early to bed with a predawn departure planned for the morning.

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Kennebunkport to Boston

8/28   Friday

From: Latitude: 48:21.29 N   Longitude: 070:28.43 W

To: Latitude: 42:22.28 N    Longitude: 071:03.35 W

Weather: mostly cloudy   Wind: 70⁰ at 10-15 kts. SEA:  3

Barometer: 1014   Passage time:  11 hrs.

Start Engine Hours: 2223   Fuel used/on board:  5551/450

End Engine Hours:  2234   Fuel used/on board:  5579/422

Distance trip/to Date:  73/14,076

Can you believe it, as we left Kennebunkport, yet another hurricane was boring down on New England.  We had planned to visit Gloucester one more time but it is too vulnerable to wind and weather and not a good hurricane hole. Our plan now is to take refuge from Daniel at our favorite marina way back on the Charles River on the north side of Boston but we had to get there today before it hits us tomorrow.  This made for another long day at sea but well worth the eleven hours it took to cover the 73-miles for the peace of mind in Boston Harbor.

As it turned out, old Daniel fizzled out before it made it to Massachusetts, thank God, but we’ll still get hit with the moisture it was carrying. Constitution  Marina only had one slip left with everyone running for cover and it is all the way at the end of the last gangway overlooking the special dock where the square rigged warship “old Ironsides,” (US Constitution) has a permanent home.  I can look right out of my pilot house window as I write this and see her in all her glory not 100-yards away.

We’ll hunker down here for a couple of days and let Daniel pass on before we continue our journey south.  For tonight, it was off in a light sprinkle of rain to our favorite pub for a brew and some crab stuffed mushrooms before dinner and rerun TV on board.

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Kennebunkport

8/27   Thursday

We took the day off here to play with cousin Kathy and husband David.  It’s the first time we’ve been able to get together in way too many years so we made the best of this opportunity by having lunch on board while pouring over the family albums going back to our common great grandparents.  Kathy has done a remarkable job of keeping all of our clans history together so it was great fun sharing all of the memories and family we have in common..

Then it was off in their car for a driving tour of the surrounding countryside.  This is a real treat for Jo & I who usually have to walk, or at best bike everywhere and usually don’t get much beyond the waterfront. Today we went south all the way down to the village of York with its neat little lighthouse, perched on a rocky point (we passed it again at sea on Friday) and popular beaches.

Once we were back on board, it was time for happy hour followed by a very good dinner in Kennebunkport across the bridge at Grissini’s Italian restaurant.  It was after 10pm when we finally had to say goodbye with the promise that it won’t be so long till our next time together.

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Boothbay Harbor to Kennebunkport

8/26   Wednesday

From: Latitude: 48:51.04 N   Longitude: 069:37.59 W

To: Latitude: 48:21.29 N    Longitude: 070:28.43 W

Weather: sunny turning mostly cloudy   Wind: 230⁰ at 10-15 kts. SEA:  4

Barometer: 1001   Passage time:  8 hrs.

Start Engine Hours: 2216   Fuel used/on board:  5532/474

End Engine Hours:  2223   Fuel used/on board:  5551/450

Distance trip/to Date:  50/14,003

We finally hit 14,000-mile mark for the voyage on the 50-mile slog back to Kennebunkport. And what a slog it was, the sea decided to be as ugly today as it was nice yesterday with nasty 5′ short interval waves right on the nose beam most of the way. Luckily, the wind stayed mild so new wind waves did not compound the problem but the spray was flying as WS did her best to keep on an even keel for most of the 8-hour trip.

At one point, we seriously considered turning off at Portland and calling it a passage but with 10-miles to get in there from our course line as we passed and only 20-miles to continue on, we decided to stay the course.  As it turned out, we made the right decision  as the seas began to moderate and were downright mellow again by the time we reached Kennebunkport’s breakwater.  Just as well too, as I was not looking forward to surfing WS into the small, narrow entrance to the Kennebunk River.  Chick’s Marina was a welcome sight, even with the highest docking rates on the trip, and the dock boys were there standing by to tie us up in short order.  Then it was the all call to mops and hoses for the next hour as the crew scrubbed her down fore and aft to get all the salt off  and  so we could forget that passage in short order.

Needless to say, it will be a quiet night tonight.  Just hanging on to stay upright for 8-hours tends to exercise every muscle in your body so its not surprising to feel as tired as we did and ready for a good night sleep.  We’ll take the day off tomorrow for a visit with my cousin Kathy and husband David who will drive over from Massachusetts.  In the meanwhile, the weather will hopefully sort itself out before we head off for Gloucester on Friday.

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Southwest Harbor to Boothbay Harbor

8/25   Tuesday

From: Latitude: 44:16.45 N   Longitude: 068:19.52 W

To: Latitude: 48:51.04 N    Longitude: 069:37.59 W

Weather: mostly clear with some fog   Wind: 225⁰ at 5-8 kts. SEA:  3

Barometer: 1012   Passage time:  10.5 hrs.

Start Engine Hours: 2205   Fuel used/on board:  5506/499

End Engine Hours:  2216   Fuel used/on board:  5532/474

Distance trip/to Date:  74/13,953

We were off the dock before 6AM for our 74-mile return trip to Boothbay.  Much to our surprise, the outside ocean was calm today compared to just yesterday’s huge swells.  Local patches of dense fog provided the challenge for most of the morning. Were it not for the lobster trap buoys, cruising in fog is not much different than the overnight passages with no moon that we are so used to from the Caribbean.  Up here we also need to watch our radar for the lobster boats that dart around without much regard to where they are headed, thankfully not the big commercial container and cruise ships that were the bane of our existence in the warmer waters.

Our old friend (as of our last visit), dock master Judy was there to greet us as we pulled into our slip at Boothbay Marina. After over 10-hours at sea, it was all we could do to get WS tied to the dock before we were off to the dockside pub for a Guinness and some oysters followed by a great dinner at Kaler’s, a locals favorite fish place much like our old Crab Cooker in Newport Beach back home.  Instead of crabs though, it’s a $12.99 one-pound lobster dinner that packs them in even on a Tuesday night.  I’m about done with lobster but we did try a lobster roll (like a tuna sandwich made with lobster, mayonnaise and lettuce served on a hotdog bun) as an appetizer and it was quite good.

Not much energy left in the crew by the time we got back on board so we called it an early night after only a half-hour of rerun TV and internet email.

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St Maarten and Anguilla                                                                  February 2009

Okay, geographically this is part of the Leeward’s, but this felt like a new chapter…

We set our course for St. Maarten, thinking it would be a quick stop for us as we were to meet friends and Big Bear neighbors Bob & Pat in the BVI in a week’s time…or so we thought, and then we heard it… that  engine noise, the choking one that says “help me I need fuel”, and then confirmed by a look at the dropping rpm gauge…”no no no no no, don’t you dare you miserable piece of %&$#@ “- stop that thinking Jo, breathe, center - “I take that back, you lovely wonderful, fantastic hard working engine - I know you are fine, all is well”…rumble rumble….”oh crapola!- pleeeese don’t stop!”  Ade slowed her waaay down and she stabilized.   She would not allow us over 1000 rpm’s.    Our floating pit crew, Ken on DW and Les on V were there hovering, helping us call marinas to see if there was a Cummins mechanic on the island and where we should go.  For usually lucky people, our luck ran out on the mechanic…the one and only Cummins guy was at the airport and on his way off island for a class, and yes, he was taking his diagnostic computer with him…won’t be back for a week.  But we didn’t have a week - guests were coming - they already had their airline tickets…to St. Thomas!

To enter Simpson Bay, where we definitely wanted to be, and where we were able to secure a slip at IGY, we had to pass through the cut, which has a drawbridge that opens on a limited schedule.  Thankfully we got that far, dropped the hook and hoped that she would start up again when it was time to pass through.  She did, and we had Les & Rose in their dink, the IGY dockhand in another and then Dreamweaver close behind just in case she decided to stop mid transit.  Our own little parade.  As we passed thru the drawbridge, we got our first taste of what this Dutch side of the island was all about, the deck at the SMYC was jammed with happy hour enthusiasts shouting out a warm welcome.  We were escorted to a slip in the lovely Simpson Bay IGY marina.  Phew!

Ade, Ken and Les figured out what they thought it was, and a call to Hatton Marine in Seattle confirmed that it sounded like a fuel pump problem.  We did not carry a spare, cuz apparently ‘IT NEVER GOES OUT’  - oh yeah?  There were no replacements on the island, but thankfully Hatton had one in stock and would FED EX it to us, but with a very haphazard air schedule, we learned we would not have it for several days.

Okay, well now, what about dear friends on their way.  I was heartsick, what do we tell them, we might make it to the Virgins?  We might be stuck in St. Maarten for a few days or a month?  We didn’t know for sure if it was the pump, and if not, then we would be stuck until the St. Maarten mechanic returned, and then, who knows?

I bring this up because it is a very real problem that we all encounter while cruising and meeting guests.  Stuff happens, plans don’t always work out.  Well, there is a perfect solution.  Pick great, understanding, ‘we are in it for the adventure’ friends and no matter what you throw at them, they are game!  Such are our friends.  Bob & Pat took their original flight to STT, then purchased a one way to St. Maarten and met us there.  They said they’d figure out how to get back for the return flight from wherever we were.  Aren’t they terrific?

That settled, and we in a more accepting place on the current engine glitch, we realized that we were “stuck” in a wonderful place.   It is filled with more Mega Yachts than we have ever seen, even in Ft. Lauderdale, St. Bart’s, Antigua or Seattle, those big babies were all in St. Maarten in February.  Jimmy Buffet’s beautiful Wedgewood blue and modest by comparison “Continental Drifter” was there, as well as the huge “Limitless”, which apparently belongs to the owner of the Limited.  We peeked in her “garage deck” and if you can imagine this, she carries two pristine Chris Crafts along with several jet skis and other water craft.  I think Wandering Star could fit on her decks.

We’d figured out how to get into the exclusive other IGY at Isle de Sol where they were all berthed.  We announced to the guards that we were going to the public “Sand Bar” restaurant and after they made note of our passports, etc., they allowed us to pass into this rarified gathering of the world’s best yachts.  We quickly realized that there were very few owners aboard; it was mainly idle crews having a wonderful time.  In fact, these boats are seldom used by the owners-especially these days, and the charter business is way off.  So we mingled with the impossibly young crews.  They are from all over the world, have great stories to tell, and are so darn cute.  We all wished we’d known about these jobs when we were 20!

Simpson Bay is a great location. Jimbo’s restaurant was right there at the Marina and was our internet gathering space.  Dottie and Ken were there most days clicking away, when he wasn’t helping out with various mechanical issues.  The boys found fantastic marine stores with everything  (but Cummins fuel pumps), great supermarkets, even another really good hair dresser, a first class movie theatre, top notch restaurants and bars with live music, and a really helpful and friendly cruising community.  We danced like we’d not been able to since Mexico.  Lagoonie’s was crazy on 007 night.  We wore sort of costumes and sipped apple martinis, but Les and Rose really got into it with circa 1960’s groovy James Bond outfits.  Other than a tree falling on me and knocking me to the ground, (a huge free standing teak trunk)  while I was boogying - and let the record reflect that it was a stranger that danced into it, thus pushing it ON ME,  it was a fun night.

Bob & Pat arrived in good spirits on Thursday night.  The next day we took the dink over to Marigot Bay on the French side to spend some Euro’s and enjoy a nice sidewalk café lunch.  It was Ken’s birthday and we’d cooked up plans for a great celebration at a few of the local haunts. The pump finally arrived and Ken and Les came over to help out with the installation.  Apparently Les has also been a diesel mechanic and was limbering up to climb into our engine room and take it on.

Bob decided to escort us girls to downtown Philipsburg for a look around.  We poked around the shops and craft/artist stalls and wandered the almost deserted beach.  We came across an adult toy store and left poor Bob on the steps for an hour…he refused to accompany us inside- good thing, we were in hysterics looking at the “toys”… do people really use…oh, never mind.

We returned to the boat, and to our great relief heard the engine purr once again-it was the fuel pump - yippee.  Thank you guys!  Trip On!   We had a weather window and so the intrepid three once again made plans to move onto the BVI, via Anguilla.

Anguilla is just a three hour run and it was a beautiful day, so we waited for the 11AM opening and headed out into the Caribbean Sea.  It was a Sunday afternoon when we arrived and all the little beach shack restaurants were busy.  A great bluesy group was playing at Johno’s and they were fantastic.  We shared a few of the local dishes and the non-skippers had a few beers.  The music and people watching was great.  Wish we had more time here…but a weather window must not be ignored in these circumstances…maybe we will be back!  As the sun set, we were off again.