Category Archives: Maine 2017

Dolphin Marina – Potts Harbor (Sunday, 7/9)
In the morning, Denise called for the launch at 8:00, and went for a run along a road that runs between Portland and Freeport, paralleling US 1.  She made it as far south as the other Catholic Church in the area (St. Mary’s) where they had a WWI memorial across the street.

There she turned around and headed back north.

Near the end of the run at the Town Landing Market she encountered a running group from Portland who were marathoners doing their long run; an out-and-back distance totaling 16 miles. They talked briefly and then they continued back to Portland.  It was hot and Denise was glad to be done her 4 miles, but was feeling a bit inadequate after meeting this group.  She went inside the Town Landing Market and got a coffee and a newspaper and walked back to PYC and took the launch back to the boat.

Shortly thereafter, we left and cruised to Dolphin Marina in Potts Harbor near the town of West Harpswell.  We had made reservations for one night at the marina, and after being on a mooring ball for 2 days, it was nice to be able to walk off the boat onto a dock, as well as have shore power.

We were immediately assisted by very knowledgeable dockhands and they bent over backwards to address any and all concerns.  After tying up the boat we checked in at the office and learned they have loaner bikes and that they would make reservations for us at the adjacent restaurant. As it was the busy season we made a quick decision to eat at the marina restaurant and they got us in for 6:30 with preferential seating.

We went back to the boat for lunch and to tidy up the place a bit, and then took advantage of the loaner bikes to go for a ride.

Initially we didn’t venture very far, just across the parking area to Erica’s Seafood and the adjacent lobster shack owned by her dad (Tom), who also runs the lobster boat that supplies her the fresh seafood.  Here Mark started talking with the owner about buying fresh lobsters and we ended up getting an education about the difference between hard and soft shell (called “shedders”) lobsters.  We learned we could buy fresh live ones for $5.99/lb, – a real deal. The only problem was that we did not have a pot big enough to cook them in on the boat and so we could not buy any from him. This now became our mission; find a pot to cook two lobsters and fit on the small burners on our boat cooktop.

We continued on with our bike ride now outside of the marina property.  The bikes are new and really pretty, but they only had a single speed.  This became an issue when we encountered a huge hill, but we still made the best of it and had an enjoyable ride. On the eastern side of the road was Basin Cove and on the left side was Broad Sound, both of which were lined with mostly trees and some homes overlooking the respective waterways.  Needless to say these all had spectacular views.

In the evening we went to dinner at the Dolphin restaurant which overlooks the marina and the adjacent Broad Sound.  The place was packed and we were grateful for the preferential treatment as we didn’t have to wait in line, and we got seats that overlook Potts Harbor. The food was excellent (lobster lasagna) and the atmosphere was lively and fun.

We went back to the boat and took in the spectacular views all around us. The water was calm and the setting sun and rising moon left us in awe of God’s great handiwork.

Snow Island (Monday, 7/10)
Since the sky turns bright about 30 minutes from sunrise, Denise was awake early and went for a walk around the marina complex.  There were several people up and about walking their dogs, and she met the owner of one of three houses that lined the marina property. Come to find out he was Bill Saxon, the owner of the Dolphin Marina. His sister owns the house next door and the Dolphin Restaurant and her son is Tom (father of Erica – owner of the seafood shack).  It is a family business that has spanned 2 generations and is doing very well.

Shortly after returning to the boat, the marina dockhand showed up with blueberry muffins and coffee; one of the perks they provide to their guests. We split a muffin (they are huge) and froze the second one, and Denise enjoyed the coffee.

Unfortunately, we were here for only one night and we decided to move on to our next venue.  This is a 5-star marina and we really liked this place.  We may just have to come back by here on our way home in the fall.

At 10:00 we left the Dolphin Marina and headed to Snow’s Island anchorage; a place that had been recommended to us and one that would shelter us from the wind that was predicted to blow hard in the evening.  It was 13 miles from the Dolphin marina and up Quahog Bay, passing Bailey’s Island and the Crib Stone Bridge along the way.

We had to navigate past a few rocks, many lobster pots, and a few lobster boats along the way.  But we arrived safely and found an unoccupied mooring ball in the quiet cove near Snow’s Island.

We ate some lunch and then decided go adventuring in the dinghy. We first had to get some gasoline as we were running low, but Mark had identified a marina that was not too far from the anchorage where we could buy some.  Our dinghy can go really fast when we are in flat water, so we made it all the way up to the north end of Quahog Bay in no time.  We were able to buy fuel at Great Island Boat Yard, a marina in Harpswell that was surrounded by lovely homes and lots of trees.

We looked around at all the boats and then got back in the dinghy to go back to our boat.  However, once out in the middle of the bay we encountered south winds that were predicted for the day, and an outgoing tide that when combined resulted in 2’ waves. This made our ride back to the boat a little bumpy, but as soon as we got closer to Snow’s Island we were protected by the land and things were dramatically calmer.  We had made a good call in finding this location for the night. We were well protected from the land to our south, and there were only a few other boats in the place.

The Basin (Tuesday, 7/11)
We left Snow’s Island around 10:00, later than our usual departure time because we did not want to arrive are destination too early.  We were timing the tides for easier entry into our next anchorage.

Our travels took us south out of Quahog Bay and around some rock-infested, but very well marked channels.  We entered the New Meadows River and headed north, passing Cundy Harbor on the left. Cundy Harbor is a lobsterman’s village with no cruising services, but has a reputation of the best lobster and lobster rolls in all of Casco Bay. Too bad it was just a little too early for us to stop and find out how good they really are.  Maybe on our return trip we can time it better.

Shortly after passing Cundy Harbor we turned right into a very narrow (150 ft wide) channel called The Basin Inlet. The entrance is not really visible until you are almost past it.  The guide book tells you to look for a house with “a pointed chimney just to the north of the entrance”.

We were able to make our way through the very narrow channel entrance, then turning north past the rock ledge that jets out , and motored all the way to the north end of the anchorage where set our anchor without issue. It was not quite lunch time, but we had arrived at The Basin – a very pristine area surrounded by trees and a few houses here and there.  The water was clear and cold and there was lots of birds all around.

Almost immediately a whole flotilla of mostly sailboats started to arrive one by one and began anchoring in the large pool east of us.  Come to find out they were from Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead and they were having rendezvous with our anchorage as their destination.  Over the course of several hours the large flotilla arrived and formed a large circle about 200 yards from us.  It was fun to watch them orchestrate the boats so they could do this, and even squeezing in some who arrived much later than most.

Although we talked of launching the dinghy and going for a ride, there was not much to go explore with the yacht club flotilla in the basin.  Fortunately, they kept to themselves and kept their partying noise to a tolerable level. We just sat back on the boat relaxing and reading, until about 4:00 when the fog came rolling in.

For dinner we grilled hamburgers on the bar-b-que and waited for the infamous sunset cannon blast by the yacht club. By now we have gotten used to this nightly ritual, but it still startles Denise every time!

Bath (Wednesday, 7/12)
When Denise woke up in the morning there was no evidence whatsoever of the previous night’s fog. The air was cool (cold in fact) and the anchorage was pristine. There was not a ripple on the water and the sunrise was spectacular.

We left The Basin at 8:45 and headed back through the narrow channel and back out into the New Meadows River, passing Cundy Harbor once again.  Further south we passed Sebasco Estates on our left, an old-school resort (i.e. the movie Dirty Dancing) that was recommended to us, but didn’t fit into our schedule for the week.  Perhaps on our way back we will put it on the itinerary.

Our journey continued south down the New Meadows River and out into the Gulf of Maine.  We rounded Cape Small and passed between it and Sequin Island to our north (another cool looking place to see but not suggested for overnight in windy weather).  We turned into the Kennebec River Inlet, passing the remnants of Fort Popham on our left and headed north.

The River has a few turns and curves, but is mostly a straight shot along tree lined shores with some rocks, cliffs, and a few houses scattered along the way.  There are also several aids to navigation (ATONs), including a lighthouse, a fog “gong” and a range finder – all very useful for the large boats that travel this river.  Because of its current, there are few anchorages and no marinas until the town of Bath, our destination for the evening.

We had reservations for a mooring ball at the Maine Maritime Museum, located just south of the town.  However, when we arrived there were no open moorings.  We contacted the Museum and had to wait while the “new person” got instructions from her supervisor; all the while waiting in the middle of the river as the swift current wanted to take us north.  Eventually, they figured out a mistake had been made and offered to let us stay on the dock behind the “Merrymeeting” tour boat for the same reduced price as a mooring, but we had to be off the dock by 9:00 am the next morning.  We accepted their apology and tied up to the floating dock, thinking their mistake was our good fortune.

After we secured the boat we checked in at the Maritime Museum office and found we would be in time to take the combined trolley tour of Bath Iron Works and the boat tour on the Merrymeeting.  So we went back to the boat, got a quick lunch, and then made our way to the pick up the tour.

Bath Iron Works (owned by General Dynamics) is a very large ship building facility that produces military boats for the US Navy.  The tour was not able to take us inside the manufacturing facilities, but we ran alongside (on the public road) and you can see into the large hanger bays where they do much of the assembly work. Currently in production (and we got to see) was the USS Monsoor; a Zumwalt-class (one of only 3) guided-missile destroyers that was named after a Navy Seal who died in Iraq in 2006.  It was very cool to see this and several other destroyers under construction in the facility. The tour then continued through the town of Bath and the history of boat-building in this area.

We then returned to the museum and boarded the Merrymeeting tour boat.  The boat took us south on the Kennebec river to Doubling Point Range Marker (ATON) that we had passed on the way into town and didn’t know what it was.  There is much history here – far too much to put in this blog, but very interesting.

Once back from the tour, we went into the museum and walked through the exhibits in the main building and in a few of the outer buildings, including where they would lay up the wooden ribs for the wooden ships using patterns drawn on the floor.

Across the campus from the museum is a restoration center where they had just begun work on the Mary E, believed to be the oldest Bath-built wooden schooner still afloat. It had come “home” for its restoration and a separate pavilion had been built just for it.  There is also building dedicated to the history of lobstering, and a lobster car (we have seen one similar in the Orlando area). Near there is a playground for children that is very unique with its boat-themed fort and an oversized wooden lobster trap.

Probably the coolest thing on the grounds is the sculpture representing the “Wyoming” – a life-size representation of the bones of a schooner.  The flag poles represent the masts and the other structures are its bow and stern. It gives you a great appreciation for how huge these big boats really were.

You can learn more about Bath Iron Works here and about the Maine Maritime Museum here.

The museum is about 1 mile south of the town of Bath and there is really nothing near it (except the Bath Iron Works). So we were debating about what to for dinner and talking with the captain of the Merrymeeting (since he was right in front of us).  He gave us dining suggestions and offered to give us a ride into town, which we took him up on.  His suggestion of “Salt Pine Social” was excellent and we had a very nice meal.

We then walked back to the boat passing the public dock and waterfront park where there was a concert going on; a local high school band playing patriotic tunes.  Small town America is so cool!  After the park we walked the street along Bath Iron Works and a huge dog park along the way.  We passed the IGA Market and debated about stopping but decided there was nothing we really needed to buy.

When we returned to campus we checked out the laundry and restroom facilities and found a few beavers hanging around the place.  We were able to sneak up on them and catch a few pictures before they scurried back into hiding.

Earlier in the day Denise had discovered that the dock we were tied to had a 50-amp power plug on the upper portion, so when we got back from dinner we connected the boat to it and had shore power for the evening.  This was very welcome as it was very buggy near the shore and we had to keep the doors and windows closed as soon as it was dark.

It had been a very fun day and the people we met in Bath were so great and friendly. We were very glad we made the trip up the Kennebec River and came here.

Here are some other pictures from the museum:

Robinhood (Thursday, 7/13 & Friday 7/14)
In the morning we wanted to make sure got off the dock by 9:00 am as promised.  As we were eating breakfast Mark noticed a fuel truck had pulled up for the Merrymeeting, and the captain was on the boat.  He immediately went to talk with the driver of the fuel truck and was able to secure some fuel for us at an excellent price ($1.98/gal).  Needless to say we filled the tank!

Right on time we pulled away from the dock and were on our way. Only this time we were not going out into the Gulf of Maine (Atlantic Ocean), but rather taking an inside route via the Sasanoa River to a marina called Derektor Robinhood (aka Robinhood) in Riggs Cove.  Although it wasn’t far (7 miles) we had to go through some very harrowing areas (known as “Upper Hell’s Gate”) and lots of rocks and narrow channels.

Of course Captain Mark got us there successfully, and we pulled into a slip dodging the lobster pot right in front of us in the fairway.  We had been watching the weather which was supposed to be bad the next day and decided that this would be a good place to stay if we had to. So we made plans for a two-night stay but agreed to advise the marina of our intention in the morning.

This is a cool marina village with a very long history and pays tribute to its roots accordingly.  Throughout the complex there are historical markers and description of their meanings.  There is a quiet cruisers library, a community room (for louder conversation), a boatyard, as well as restroom and laundry facilities.  There is also a restaurant (Osprey Restaurant and Tavern) on site and a marine hardware production facility (Spartan Hardware) that is housed in the former General Store building built in 1820 (restored in 2003).

But one of the best things this marina offers is a loaner car – this is a liberating perk when you don’t have wheels.  In the afternoon we borrowed the loaner car to drive the 15 minutes back into Bath and go to the IGA Market; we realized we could use some fresh milk and a few other items.  This actually worked out great as we really had not had a lot of time to explore the town of Bath when we were there and this gave us the opportunity to do so.

We first  when to the high-end cooking store; continuing our quest to buy a lobster pot so we could steam some lobsters right on our boat. However, we decided their prices were too high for our simple request, and so we continued on.  We also checked out the thrift store in town for a used one, but discovered it was mostly clothing items and a few children’s things.  We drove back to the marina in time for dinner at the Osprey Restaurant and Tavern. The food was good and very reasonably priced so we were happy to patronize this local establishment.

The next day the weather was rainy and mostly overcast skies, as predicted. We were happy to stay put a second day.  We hung out around the boat and the marina working on the blog, cataloging pictures and talking to a few of the local boaters.

Thinking it would be a good night for pizza, we sought out the advice of the dockhands for the best place to order delivery.  Their suggestion was to use the loaner car and go back into Bath. “The Cabin” is known for their pizza and garlic rolls (aka “knots”) – which was all Mark needed to hear. So, we did just that – making the trek along the two-lane road and over the Sasanoa River Bridge and back into Bath.  There we ordered a pizza and rolls that were really good (but still not as good as Antonella’s back in Winter Park). We returned to the marina full and with a big box of leftovers, and made plans for leaving in the morning.

Here are some other pictures from the marina:

Boothbay Harbor (Saturday, 7/15)
We Left Robinhood shortly after 10:00 so Mark could have a conference call with a client.  It was cool (60°) and overcast skies, but it was not raining or foggy.  We crossed the Sheepscot River and entered into Ebenecook Harbor, dodging lobster pots and rocks all along the way.

From here we rounded Cameron Pt and the very tight entrance into the Southport Cove area. It was here we saw several kayakers and one person in a canoe that found it warm enough to be shirtless.  Only in Maine do they think of temperatures in the low 60’s as “summer”.

We were concerned about going through the Southport Island Bridge as they have restricted openings. However, we managed to go through at near low tide and therefore we did not require us to have it opened as we barely made it through the 15’ clearance.

From there we continued through Townsend Gut, an area known for swift currents during tide changes, but we made it through without incident.  Not long afterward we turned north and headed into Boothbay Harbor. It is a busy harbor with tour boats and ferries, as well as lots of big and small pleasure boats.  We motored around the harbor, eventually pulling into Tugboat Inn and Marina where we had a two-night reservation in a slip.

After securing our boat and we were immediately greeted by a man who introduced himself.  “Howie” on “Joyful” was from Situate, MA is a friend of John C’s (in Staten Island). He approached us and wanted to know why we didn’t stop as John C had told him to expect us.  His boat (a Sabre 42) was on a mooring ball closest to the docks and he recognized our boat name as we were docking.  Of course we were impressed and explained to him how Mark’s work schedule had affected our plans, requiring us to go into Boston directly.  Shortly thereafter we met his wife, Joy and we talked for a while as they shared recommendations of “must see” places to visit while in Maine.  They had to leave as they had company coming, but we agreed to keep in contact and to look them up if we get to Situate on our way home.  What a small world this cruising community really is.

In the evening we met up with our business associate/friend Richard Deeran.  He is the owner of a software company in Portland that we have referred to our clients, and he owns the sailboat “Acadia” that Mark has helped deliver to/from the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands. Richard and his girlfriend Janice came aboard for drinks, then we went to dinner at “Ports of Italy”, an Italian restaurant a short walk from our marina.

The restaurant was very crowded and we had no reservations, so we had to wait 45 minutes for a table. We put in our name and during the wait we walked around the downtown area before dinner. Richard took us to the other side of the harbor via a footbridge shortcut and then we returned to the restaurant in time to get seated.

The food was great, but it was past 8 pm by the time we got our food, which is very late for us to eat. It was well past 9:30 when we finally finished, so we walked back to the marina and said goodbye to Richard and Janice.

Boothbay Harbor and The Goslings (Sunday 7/16):
It was a foggy morning when Denise got up early to go for a run along the roads that form the perimeter of Boothbay Harbor. She ran through downtown, and then turned onto Atlantic Avenue on the eastern side, which runs past some antique and art galleries, as well as a few B&Bs and hotels. She also went past Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church and the Fisherman’s Memorial which is across the street and overlooks the harbor.

She continued south until she came to Lobster Cove Road and turned up it to find a small but challenging hill. She managed to get to the top without stopping, and there she encountered a deer that had stopped at the edge of the driveway of a house.  It was so perfectly still that at first she thought it was a statue. Quickly she took the picture, but before she could get a second one, it took off.  What a thrill!

She continued on with the run, passing Barrett Park on her right that overlooks a cove where several boats were at anchor.

From there she took a left turn on Park Street to form a loop back to town, encountering the mother of all hills. This one was a bit too steep, so she stopped and walked the last 50 feet to get over it.  But at the bottom of the hill she realized that her run would be too short if she headed back to the boat, so she took another left turn through a neighborhood and headed back south on Atlantic Avenue past the church, only this time passing Lobster Cove Road. She continued south until she got the desired mileage and then turned around, taking the perimeter roads back around the harbor until she reached the Tugboat Marina.

Here are some other pictures from her run around Boothbay Harbor:

Once back on the boat, there was time for a quick breakfast and showers, then we walked back to the eastern shore for 9:00 mass at Our Lady Queen of Peace, this time taking the footbridge shortcut and not the perimeter roads around the harbor.  On Saturday the church had held a rummage sale to benefit the school.  However, they still had quite a bit of merchandise left over and announced all things were half priced.  Still on our quest to find a pot that could hold 2 lobsters and fit on our small boat burner, we figured we should check out the sale. While they had no true “lobster pot”, we were able to pick up an old Revere-ware pot that would work and we were ecstatic that it was only $2.50.  When we went to pay, the woman mentioned everything was half-priced so it was only going to be $1.25.  There was no way we could do that and handed the women $2.50 – thanking her for the great bargain and feeling like we had accomplished a mission.

After church we walked back to the boat via the footbridge, and readied the boat to leave as the fog was lifting from the harbor.

We hated to leave, but needed to get back to Casco Bay and begin making our way to Portland, via a few stops over the next few days.  The first stop was the Gosling Islands, located just west of Harpswell, and about a 2 hour cruise to get there.

We left Boothbay under clear blue skies and headed out into the Gulf of Maine to fairly flat seas.  However, it didn’t take long before we encountered patches of fog, even heavy at times.  Fortunately, it didn’t last long and we were able to see clearly around the numerous lobster posts and navigate into the mooring field at the Goslings.

This is an area of three uninhabited small islands bordering on the south, and a big island to the west that is mostly privately owned residences.  When we arrived, most all the moorings were full of Sunday-Funday boaters, who were using their dinghies or small boats to go ashore to the remote islands.  They were rowdy and having a good time, but we just wanted to read and relax.

In the late afternoon many of the weekend boaters left the mooring field and we changed moorings to be closer to the land protection.  Eventually, the entire area settled down and it became very calm and peaceful.  We cooked up some hamburgers on the grill and enjoyed the quiet and pristine nature of the mooring field. This was also the night where the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) was supposed to be visible as far south as Pennsylvania, but it was not going to occur until almost 2:00 am. Although Mark got up at that time, he was unable to see anything – due in part to the light pollution coming from nearby Portland.  However, we were not disappointed with the area and we were really glad we spent the night in this very beautiful spot.

Freeport (Monday 7/17)
Despite a beautiful sunrise, we left the Goslings when it was overcast and rain was forecasted for the day.

As soon as we knew our slip was available at Brewers marina, we cruised the 6 miles north to South Freeport. We were assigned an inside slip that was well protected but a little tight to get into. However, Mark did a great job docking and with the help of dockhands had Island Office tied up in no time.

Here are some pictures from our route to South Freeport:

We had been in communication with our Gold Looper friends Jann and Bill Mellman, who were in the area now enjoying travels in their RV.  They were headed north and on to Bar Harbor, but were willing to spend some time with us. Plus, they had a car and wanted to go to LL Bean, and so did we. So they came down to the marina and picked us up, and then the four of us went into the town of Freeport – home of LL Bean.  It is amazing how this place has grown from a simple store that stayed open 24 hours a day/7 days a week – 365 days a year….to the shopping mecca it now has become.  LL Bean alone has 4 large stores (Flagship, Outlet, Outdoor, and Home store), and is surrounded by every other retailer you can think of.  There is also now a restaurant owned by Linda Bean and that is where the four of us went for lunch.  The food and service was pretty good, but the prices were (naturally) a bit on the touristy side.  We still enjoyed it, and especially our company.

After eating and shopping we headed back to the marina and said goodbye to our friends.  Before going back to the boat, we checked into the dockmaster’s office to inquire about a few things.  One of them was a tower we could see on land when we were coming up the River. He informed us that it was originally a tower and amusement park with a hotel, but these burned and all that remains is the tower which is currently on private land.  We also learned that this marina is the original Brewer’s Marina that started the chain, but that they are no longer affiliated with this now large marina management company.

In the afternoon Mark did some work and Denise walked to the Post Office (1/2 mile up the road) to mail a card, and then did some cataloging of pictures.  Here in the PO she found they had a sketch of the Casco Tower.

It had been hot most of the day, so naturally as afternoon turned into evening it got a little foggy. We were debating what to do for dinner as there was only one restaurant near the marina with average reviews on YELP, and all others would require a cab ride back into Freeport.  Also, we really didn’t have much food left on the boat as we were trying to empty as much of the fridge for when we would be gone.

We eventually decided to try the place nearby as we were pretty sure we had eaten there before with Aunt Judy when we were here in 2013.  We later confirmed that it was in fact the same place. Funny how life hands you these little coincidences.  So we placed a “to-go” order and walked from the marina across the gravel parking lot to pick up our lobster rolls and fried clams, and returned to the boat to eat them. It was delicious and we enjoyed every bite, all the while watching the fog get heavier and heavier. By the time the sun was completely down and darkness was all around us, you could barely see beyond the marina.

Here are some other pictures from around the marina:

Spring Point Marina – South Portland (7/18)
There was some fog when we woke and we were concerned with being able to get to Portland before it became really thick again like last night. So around 9:00 am when we saw it thinning out a bit, we decided to leave for South Portland where we had reservations to leave the boat for a week while we went home for the family reunion. It was a day earlier than planned, but we called the marina and they confirmed it was ok to arrive early.

The journey was less than 15 miles, but we had to navigate around some small islands, which can be nerve racking in the fog.

Fortunately, as we got closer to Great Chebeague Island the fog seemed to lift for us and we were able to get through the area without a problem.  Of course once back into the bay there was more fog, but it was still pretty light and we were able to get into the marina without incident.  We arrived in time to grab some lunch and watch a Coast Guard helicopter conduct exercises in the bay near the marina.

In the afternoon it started to rain as a fast-moving front came through. Of course this is when the Portland Mattress company showed up to deliver our new boat mattress.  We had ordered it nearly 6 weeks ago and arranged for them to deliver it when we knew we would be in Portland. Earlier in the day we had called and had advised we would be arriving earlier than originally thought, and they were able to put us on the delivery schedule for later in the day. Obviously all this was done before we knew it was going to rain.  And of course the brilliant-minded delivery guys didn’t think they needed to sit in the truck to wait for the rain to pass and proceeded to deliver our new mattress when the drizzle turned to pouring rain. As luck would have it, the new mattress was covered in plastic, but they had to remove the old mattress and it was not.  It is a good thing we had no intention on keeping it as it was useless once they took it off the boat. We offered to let them stay until the rain subsided, but they wanted to be on their way.  Within 15 minutes of their leaving, the rain disappeared and the sun came out, warming things up for the rest of the afternoon.

But by late afternoon that warm air resulted in more fog, and this time it got really thick.

By 6:00 pm we could not see the condos and building housing the restaurant at the top of the marina pier.  We walked the docks a bit and then hunkered down in the boat for the rest of the evening.

Spring Point Marina – South Portland (7/19)
Today we spent the day doing boat maintenance and getting it (and us) ready for leaving for the reunion.  First we used the marina’s loaner car to do a few errands.  Denise was able to get a pedicure and Mark was able to go to an auto-parts store to get new hydraulic lifts for our bed. Yes, the domino effect – our new mattress is heavier than the old one and lifting the bed to access the storage under it now was a lot harder to do.  Mark knew that the hydraulic lifts were standard auto part-type and we could buy ones with heavier lifting capability that would fit in the existing brackets.

In the afternoon, we took advantage of the numerous washers and dryers at the marina and did many loads of laundry including sheets, towels, rags, and clothes. We also defrosted our refrigerator and cleaned it completely, discarding a few items that had become science experiments, and polishing it up to look nice.  We also installed the new hydraulic lifts under the bed (a 15 minute project) and kept the old ones for potential spare parts.

In the evening we ate dinner at the new restaurant that had opened in the marina complex (Latitude 42 Degrees). The food was good however, the menu is very limited and we didn’t linger as we had packing to do.  Earlier in the day the fog had rolled in thicker than we had seen, and by the time we left the restaurant it was so thick you could not see more than one or two finger piers away from our boat.

Although located in South Portland and not close to the downtown waterfront, this marina has a lot to offer cruisers.  Despite rocking from boaters who don’t know what “NO WAKE” means, we liked many of the amenities like numerous clean washers and dryers, nice restroom/shower facilities, a cruisers lounge, a loaner and great staff.

Here are a few other pictures of the marina complex:

Spring Point Marina – South Portland (7/20)
Although wanting to go for a run in the morning before heading to the airport, there was too much to do and not enough time to get in the run.  The fog from yesterday had completely dissipated, and it was a beautiful morning.  We were homeward bound and looking forward to our family’s reunion week in Tybee Island, GA.

We have been very limited in access to good strong internet signals and we hope to update the blog and get caught up while at the reunion.

Portland Yacht Club – Falmouth Foreside (Friday, 7/7)
We left Kittery and the Badger Marina under cloudy skies and slight sprinkles, but fairly small waves expected, so that didn’t bother us.  Plus, the rain was forecasted to clear up.

But first we had to get some fuel, so we went to the self-service fuel dock on the Portsmouth side of the harbor. This is used primarily by the fishing boats in the area and it is not the cleanest place. In fact, it stinks of dead fish and the dock is very filthy with fish guts.  Plus, the pump is about 10 feet above the dock, so Mark had to either climb a ladder to the pump to turn it on (and give it a credit card), or walk around the side of the dock where the fishing boats are and take a gangplank up and the pump.  Then fueling the boat became a two-person operation; Mark handing the hose and nozzle down to Denise who put it on the boat and advised when ready for the pump to be put on – all the while dodging fish guts and hoping not to track them back onto the boat. Then this had to be reversed once fueling was complete.  Let’s just say it is all part of the adventure.

By the time we left the harbor and headed towards Portland the rain had stopped and we had a nice uneventful cruise up the coast. We could tell when we were approaching Portland as there are two lighthouses on Cape Elizabeth that are great landmarks.  One of the lights is no longer operational, but the tower still exists and is located now in the midst of a neighborhood.

We entered the channel past Portland Light and continued past Spring Point Lighthouse in South Portland,  and around Fort Scammell (House Island) and then turned slightly northwest and headed around Fort Gorges.

We then made our way past several large and small islands.  Soon we came into the mooring field for Handy Boat Marina, and then Portland Yacht Club (PYC) where we had a two-night reservation on a mooring ball.

Mark wanted to hose off all the salt on the boat before we headed to our mooring, so we got permission to tie to their “Float” (i.e. floating dock) to do this. (More about “floats” later). We approached the dock and as Denise was getting to ready to tie lines to the cleats, Mark says “we know that guy”.  As Denise looks up she sees a guy we met on the Great Loop.  After we docked the boat we were greeted by “Bob” (“Velo-mer”) a Gold Looper who is working as a launch driver at PYC.  We had no idea he was here and was delighted to see him.

We met Bob and his wife (PM) in Orillia, Ontario on the Trent Severn Waterway, and saw them again at Green Turtle Bay in Kentucky.  We had shared drinks and stories then, so it was a real treat having him assisting us at PYC.  We chatted for a while and he told us that he saw our boat name on the list and wondered if it was us. When Mark called to get permission to tie to the float, he was the one who answered and he knew right away it was us but wanted to surprise us. So he chuckled when we were surprised to see him.

While Mark washed off the boat, Bob showed Denise to the Yacht Club where she checked us in and got the lay of the land. Back at the float we all chatted for a bit, before he had to get back to work and we had to move our boat to the mooring – which he helped us locate by escorting us via the launch boat directly to its location.  Finding a specific mooring which you are assigned to can be a real challenge in a crowded mooring field.

Once tied to the mooring we organized our boat, and ate some lunch. Then a short time later Bob showed up in the launch boat with a “welcome” package.  It was full of New England products and was a very nice gesture and surprise.  He also offered us the use of his car to go anywhere we needed.  As he was off at 3:00 and we had stuff to do on the boat, we agreed to take him up on the offer for tomorrow.  We did however, make plans to have dinner together with him and PM tomorrow.

Later that evening, we went up the club for dinner and had a delicious meal.  This club does not sell alcohol, but you are welcome to bring your bottles to the bar and they will bring them to your dining table. Or, if you prefer you can sit in the bar and drink there, as all alcohol must come through them. We had our happy hour on Island Office, so we were good for the evening.

Portland Yacht Club – Falmouth (Saturday, 7/8)
Today we took Bob up on his offer to use his car; he had no need for it as he was working until 3:00.  We drove into downtown Portland, first to retrieve a package we had sent to the marina where we will leave the boat to go home for the family reunion.  Then we drove to a Hamilton’s – a marine store that Mark knew of – to pick up a copy of a Maine cruising book that had been highly recommended. This store was the only place we could find that had the very newly released 2017 edition.  We did this all-the-while negotiating around a road race (half marathon) that had a finishing line not far from the marine store.  The pedestrian traffic was crazy.  After that, we headed out to a Home Depot to pick up a few parts for our inline water system, and to the Walmart near the marina.  We were so grateful to Bob for use of his car as this gave us a chance to get some errands run, but also to see parts of the Portland area that we had not yet seen.

On our way back to the marina we stopped at the Town Landing Market to pick up some lunch for Bob.  They have a reputation for great lobster rolls, so we figured it would be a great way to pay him back for his generosity thus far. Once back at PYC, we took the launch (Bob driving) back to boat for our lunch.

When lunch was over we took the launch back to PYC as Mark had some computer work to do, and Denise wanted to catalog pictures (and work on the blog). Since we were on a mooring we had limited power and we wanted to have better internet service.

Around 2:30 Bob came and told us that a very fast moving storm was approaching, and offered to take us back to our boat.  Initially we figured we had sufficient time before our evening plans, so we were going to stay in the clubhouse. However, Mark realized all the boat’s hatches were opened and he needed to go back to close them.  While he was on the boat the storm hit with a vengeance with pouring rain and howling wind. Someone later told us they clocked it at 60 mph.

As fast as the storm came up, it went away equally as fast.  Within 30 minutes the rain had stopped and 15 minutes later there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Perfect timing as Denise took the launch back to the boat in time to get ready for church.  Given the perfect weather now, we walked to mass at Holy Martyr Church, just a half mile from the marina.

We arrived back in time for Bob and PM to pick us up and take us to dinner at “Buck’s Naked Bar-B-Que”.  We had an enjoyable time hearing of their plans to cruise the Bahamas in the winter, and then do the Loop again in 2018.

After a fine meal we went back to their boat which they keep in Yarmouth for continued conversations.

Finally, it was getting late and they took us back to PYC in time for the launch (which ends at 10:00 pm).

We really liked everything about the PYC. Its members are warm and friendly, and it is a beautiful facility in a great location.  We may consider revisiting it again on our way back home, should we need to come into the Portland area.

Here are some other things we saw in the area around PYC:

About “floats” & “launches”
Many marinas in these parts cannot have docks in the water year round due to winter ice.  So they use floating docks that can easily be taken out at the end of the season. The docks are usually attached to gangplanks that rise and fall with the tides (which can routinely be 8 -12 feet). For many yacht clubs they do not have marina, but only moorings – which are floating balls that are anchored to the bottom in some way and you can tie your boat off to it.  Then they do have some form of floating dock that can be used to tie up a dinghy, or for their launches to pick up or drop off passengers. However, sometimes the floats are stand alone in the water for boats to tie to, but are not tethered to any type of fixed structure.

Launches are no-frills low-riding boats that are used to ferry people to and from their boats located on moorings, which is the most prevalent way boats are “docked” or stored during the season. In the winter, boats are hauled from the water and put in either climate-controlled storage, or winterized and shrink-wrapped for storage “on the hard”.  At the start of summer or late spring, they are put back in the water on a mooring for the 10 -11 week season.

In some harbors the launch service is provided by the city (e.g. Port Washington, NY) and there is a fee for use each time. Most yacht clubs and some marinas provide a launch service which may be free, or included in your mooring rental (for transients). In most cases, it is a lot easier and faster to take the launch service than to use your own dinghy, which might be charged a separate fee at the dinghy dock (they want you to use the launch service). The downside to launch services is that you are dependent on their schedules and if your dinner or social engagement runs too late at night, you might not be able to get back to your boat before they quit for the night. So, you have to plan accordingly.

When you make multiple trips per day on the launches as we did at PYC, you get to know the drivers of the boats. We became very fond of Hannah at PYC and enjoyed talking to her about her future plans. She is going to Maine Maritime Academy and wants to drive big commercial ships. Not typically an occupation for a female, but she is going into it with eyes-wide open as she loves being on the water.  She is bright and we wish her all the luck!

Kittery (Monday, 7/3)
After a great and late evening in Annisquam, it was hard to leave to leave too early as we were a bit tired. But the sunny weather and calm waves called us to make the 28 mile run up the Massachusetts coast before it turned too windy.

We also had to time the tide so we could arrive at the Badger Island Marina in Kittery at slack tide. The current on the Piscataqua River is known for being one of the worst and docking can be unruly for all the marinas that are located on it.

But it was a great morning on the water as we cruised up the coastline, passing the Isle of Shoals to the east, and soon thereafter going into the Portsmouth Harbor Inlet.  Here we passed by state parks, private homes, the Coast Guard station, and eventually Portsmouth Naval Yard.

It was going up this river that we finally entered Maine; the state of our final destination for the summer.

We pulled into Badger Island Marina where we had reservations for 3 nights. Dave the dockmaster was very helpful in putting us in a slip very close to shore as to minimize the rocking from the wakes of passing boats, and to assist with the fast current – even though we arrived perfectly at slack tide.  Maneuvering into this slip was very tight and tricky, but Mark did an excellent job and with Dave’s help onshore we were able to tie up safely and without incident. We settled the boat, checked in at the marina office and ate some lunch.

In the afternoon we met up with Denise’s Aunt Judy and her Indiana cousins who were visiting Aunt Judy.  It was a special treat to see Greg Shatto and his family (wife Kelly, son Noah, and daughter Paige) again so soon.  After years of not seeing them, we were fortunate in visiting Indiana on a side trip when we did the Loop in 2015-2016.  Now in less than 2 years we got to see them again.

Together we walked around Prescott Park in downtown Portsmouth and enjoyed the fresh air and time to chat.  We strolled around the outdoor stage where the play “Merry Poppins” was running every evening, and the entire area surrounding it was decorated this theme. We also walked through the large gardens they have, including a beautiful area that has 3 fountains and lovely flowers.

We then attempted to see the restored old homes at Strawberry Banke.  Unfortunately, they were setting up for a special event in a big tent on the property and the museum entrance was around the corner and up a block or two.  As it was too far for everyone in our group to walk we opted to not go in and walked back to the car.

We had been invited to lasagna dinner at Aunt Judy’s and so we all headed to Somersworth (crammed into Greg’s truck) which is about 20 minutes from the marina.  After dinner we all headed back to the marina to watch the fireworks in downtown Portsmouth from the cockpit on our boat. Aunt Judy was kind enough to let us use her car, so we didn’t have to squeeze into Greg’s truck, but we did have to find a place to park both cars.  Mark has good parking Karma and was able to secure a spot right near the marina and we gave the marina parking pass to Greg as his was the bigger of the two and harder to find parking.

It was a great way to end a terrific day with family, and we made plans to connect the next day.

Kittery (Tuesday, 7/4) – Independence Day!
Even though we were a bit tired from yesterday’s activities, Denise got up and went running before it got too late and hot. She ran over the bridge back into Portsmouth, through the park and along the waterway until she could go no further.  She then circled back and ran around the streets of the downtown and then back over the bridge to Kittery until she finished 4 miles.

Here are a few pictures from her run:

Later in the morning we met up with Judy and the Shattos, as well as Judy’s daughter Linda who had driven 1.5 hours to visit with her cousins.  We all met at Odiorne State Park where they have the Seacoast science center.  In the science center is a terrific Aquarium and lots of exhibits about marine life in this area.  They have several tanks of differing types of lobster (blue and white ones – who knew?) and they had one that was a huge 24 lbs.  The building itself is an historical home and overlooks the Portsmouth inlet. You can learn more about this wonderful state park here.

We found covered shelter in a large vacant tent that had been set up for some special event and dragged a nearby picnic table under it to enjoy our lunch.  It was a beautiful day and although the water was too cold for us, the kids enjoyed sticking their feet in and getting cooled off.

In the afternoon we headed back to Judy’s house, but decided to stop along the way and get an ice cream at The Ice House in Rye, NH. It tasted great, but was still no substitute for our favorite in these parts: “Lone Oak”.

We had also stopped along the way and picked up some steaks and chicken as we decided to have a Bar-B-Que on this Independence Day.  Once back in Somersworth we enjoyed hanging out with everyone, including watching Noah build a model aircraft carrier, prepping for dinner, and playing cards.  We had a chance to meet Lynnmarie Judy’s good friend who helped her during Uncle Bill’s last days.

It was a great time, but eventually it was time to leave.

 Kittery (Wednesday, 7/5)
Today was a day to do a few chores on the boat and since we had use of a car, run a few errands.  In the afternoon Mark did a little work and Denise cataloged pictures and worked a little bit on the blog.

In the afternoon we made plans to join Judy, and the cousins at Newick’s for dinner.  This is a must-stop lobster house that Denise’s family has traditionally dined every time we visited Judy.  We had an enjoyable meal and loved spending time together, but unfortunately we had to say goodbye to Linda who had to drive back up north for work the next day.

The rest of us left Newick’s and drove up to Rochester, New Hampshire to go get ice cream.  No trip to NH would be complete without a stop at “Lone Oak” and Judy indulged us.  Not only is the ice cream there so good, their “small” is like a double at most other ice cream stops.

Unfortunately, the line was long and it took a while for everyone to get served, and it got quite late. We ended up driving back to the marina in Judy’s car so no one would have to make a round-trip at such a late hour, but not before having a plan to get it back to her the next day.

Kittery (Thursday, 7/6)
We started the morning getting a few work things taken care of, and then we took the car back to Aunt Judy’s.  She then returned us to the marina and we said good bye, promising to let her know of our plans for the return trip when we know something more definitive.

We spent the rest of the day working on the boat and making a tentative schedule of places to see once we were north of Portland. We met with Dave the dockmaster who gave us lots of suggestions of all the places to go in ME, and identified a few places to avoid. We learned he spent a large part of his life on Florida waters and lived there for a long time; most recently Palm Coast area.  We shared stories of cruising Florida waters and cruising up and down the ICW.  We were grateful for his advice and made notes on our charts accordingly.

In the evening we walked to downtown Kittery for dinner. We went to a restaurant called the Black Birch, but only after waiting 15 minutes to get seats at the bar.

Here we got to view the terrific farm-to-table menu and watch the bartenders in action.  The bar has at least 20 microbrewery beers on tap and each one is designated by a tap head that is a figurative representation of the brewery.

The other interesting thing about this place was the music. Instead of using internet radio, Pandora, or some other music forum, they were actually playing LP records on a record player. The sound was amazing!

We had a great meal and really enjoyed this little spot.  We then walked back to the boat and made plans to leave for the Portland areas in the morning.

Here are some other pictures from the area around the marina:

Marblehead, MA (Saturday, 7/1)
We got lucky!  We secured reservations on one of only 2 town mooring buoys in Marblehead, a place we both have wanted to go to for a while.  It is home of the Boston Yacht Club (one of the oldest in the country) and a huge sailing location. Since it is only 13 miles from Boston, it was an easy cruise and so we said good-bye to Boston and the Constitution marina. We had fun here and we were very happy that our unintended stop worked out so well.

It was an uneventful cruise to up the coast and when we rounded the point and entered into Marblehead Harbor.

Almost instantly we were amazed at how crowded the place was.  By far this was the most crowded mooring field we have ever seen. The boats are really close together and navigating around them to find the open mooring ball we were assigned was challenging.  We managed to locate it and luckily it was not too far from the dinghy dock on the western shore of the harbor, so getting to shore would be a breeze.

Also near shore was a park (Croker Park) located on a hill that overlooks the harbor.  We could see a tent and hear music performing and later learned that this was the weekend of the “Marblehead Festival of Arts” and the music venue was this park.  Wondering just how loud the music would be at bedtime, we were now wondering if we were lucky or if we would we regret this location.  We had flashbacks to our month in Key Largo when our boat was 100’ from the loud restaurant and bar near our dock.

We ate lunch and then launched the dinghy to go to the harbormaster’s office and check in.  It took us awhile to find him as we learned the Harbormaster here is also the Harbor Patrol (i.e. water police) and they were out patrolling the harbor.

Eventually, we were able to check in and then went for a walk to explore the area.  We walked around the neighborhood near the waterfront area, then up through Crocker Park where we learned about the festival.

Then we walked by the Boston Yacht Club and through the historic homes area where there are many (restored) homes that were built in the mid and late 1700’s.

We continued our adventure down Washington Street and to Washington Square, where we discovered the “art” part of the festival.  It was very interesting but small so it didn’t take long for us to get through it.

So, we continued on our walk and discovered “Schubies” – a local market with a huge deli, housewares and cooking store.  This was a foodie paradise and we spent lots of time here tasting samples and discovering new things (gadgets) that we really didn’t need.

After this we walked around the other shops in the area, and then headed back towards the boat, taking a different way. This alternate route took us past more historic homes and down to the handful of waterfront shops and restaurants that were very touristy.

We were trying to figure out what to do for dinner, and whether to go to mass now or in the morning.  The church was back in the direction we had spent all day exploring and we didn’t feel like walking back there. Plus, it was hot!  We opted for a cool drink aboard the boat.

On the way back we ran into the dockmaster and he suggested “Maddies Sail Loft” for dinner, a place we had walked past on our way back from downtown today. He also asked if we had gone to see the “Spirit of 1776” – A famous painting that is housed in “Abbot Hall”, which we had unknowingly walked right by when visiting the art festival. We made a note of it and decided to try and hit it on the way back from church tomorrow.

We headed back to the boat for refreshments and noticed a boat on the mooring behind us was a Gold Looper that we had seen before. We were unable to remember when we saw “Adirondack”, and we made an attempt to go by and talk to them, but they were not on the boat and we didn’t get to talk with them.

In the evening we took the dinghy back to shore for dinner at Maddie’s Sail Loft as suggested. When we walked up the stairs and entered the place (via the bar) we saw their t-shirts for purchase. On the back of the shirt is a list of the “Top 10 Sailing Bars in the World”, of which Maddie’s was one.  The funny part was we had been to 4 others of these on the list. I am not sure what that says about us!

We had a good meal and when we left the place was packed.  So, we were fortunate we had arrived early.  We walked back through the waterfront park before heading back to the boat for the night.  Expecting to be hearing the music festival all night long, we were pleasantly surprised when it stopped at 9:00 pm, allowing us to get a good night’s rest.

Annisquam (Sunday, 7/2)
Much to Mark’s chagrin we had to wake early and head back to shore for a 7:30 am mass at (surprise) “Our Lady Star of the Sea”.  It is a beautiful church with a large pipe organ in the balcony and lovely stained glass windows.

After church we stopped at Java Sun Coffee Roasters to get coffee for Denise (and breakfast muffins), preventing us from having to run the generator on the boat.

We were not in too much of a hurry to get underway as there was fog in the harbor, we were timing the tides for Gloucester, and we only had a short distance to travel for the day.

Given that, we decided to walk back to the boat via the route that would take us past Abbot Hall.  Although officially the museum didn’t open until later, we managed to sneak into the building when one of the art festival volunteers left the door ajar just as we were approaching the building.  We acted like we knew exactly what we were doing and went inside.  (Easier to ask forgiveness then permission…)

Once inside the building we discovered we were unable to get inside the room where the “Spirit of 1776” is housed, but we were able to see it through the glass doors.  We walked around the rest of Abbot Hall and then decided it was time to leave – before we got arrested for trespassing!

Once back at the boat, we noticed the fog had lifted and we made plans to leave.  Of course some lobsterman placed a pot right near where we would have otherwise maneuvered!  We wanted to see more of the eastern shore of the harbor, so we cruised around for about 15 minutes, checking out the other yacht clubs and mansions.

Here are some other pictures from Marblehead:

Once out of the harbor we made a direct course heading for the entrance to Gloucester harbor, passing Baker Island and other rock outcroppings and small islands.  We entered Gloucester Harbor staying closer to the western-most shore which allowed us to see Hammond Castle and some of the homes that are on the hills.

As we were not staying in Gloucester, we did not go to the inner harbor located on our right (starboard), but rather headed towards the waterfront walkway.  Here is where the Beauport hotel is a key landmark to the east, and the famous Gloucester Lobsterman Memorial was dead ahead of us.

After requesting an opening we turned into the narrow opening of the Blyman Bridge and entered the Annisquam River.  As luck would have it, there were a few other SPOREs ahead of us and kicking up the waves, making it a nail-biting passage.

We got through without incident and then proceeded through the shallow and narrow turns all along the Annisquam River.  We took this route so that we would not have to go around Cape Ann, and because we had reservations for a mooring ball at the Annisquam Yacht Club on the river.  We were here visiting Orlando friends who have a (summer) house in Annisquam and we had been in touch regarding our afternoon/evening activities.

After picking up the mooring ball and eating lunch, we took the dinghy to the shore that is just under the house owned by our friends Liz and Mark (and son William) Zeitler.  We were met at the dock by Liz with a big hug and her warm smile.  What a welcoming!

We walked up the hill and got a tour of her barn-turned house that had been in her family for generations.  It is not glamorous by any means, but it homey and has an awesome view of Ipswich Bay and the Annisquam River.

We met the company they had visiting; friends Randy & Sarah with their son Brian, and fellow-FSU alumni Hillary & Scott.  They all made us feel very welcome and we enjoyed getting to know them a bit.

We went for a walk to a vista to see the Annisquam Lighthouse and then climbed up to where Squam Rock was.  This is a rock that everyone tries to go up, but there is little room to get a running start which is required to get high enough on the slippery surface to gain footing and grab onto a crevice. William made numerous attempts, but was not successful.  On the other hand, Scott was able to make it on his first attempt, which is one more than Mark, Denise or any of the over 30-crowd made.

After our walk we determined it would be better if the dinghy was on the other side of the inlet near the yacht club docks.  This would make it easier to get back to the mooring in the dark, and we wouldn’t have so far to go.  Feeling adventurous Mark moved the dinghy by himself through the inlet, and Denise & Liz took the car down the hill to meet him.  Liz then gave us a mini-tour of Annisquam and then we went back to the house for happy hour.

In the meantime Mark Z. had been preparing a feast for us. He is an awesome cook and served a terrific dinner of lobster and corn. It was so delicious!

After dinner we went outside to watch the awesome sunset and to see the fireworks across the bay.

We stayed until we could no longer keep our eyes open, then Liz drove us back down the hill to the yacht club to get our dinghy so we could go back to the boat.  We thanked her for her wonderful hospitality and we promised to connect when we are back home. It had been a terrific day and we were beat!

Dering Harbor – Shelter Island, NY (Wednesday, 6/21)
We left the dock at Greenport right after Mark finished his client conference call at 9:00 and immediately went to the pump-out station. We were anticipating being on a mooring for the next few nights and wanted to start with an empty tank.  We had also topped off the water tanks to ensure we had plenty of water onboard for cooking, but also for showers. It is amazing what you take for granted when you can’t just turn a faucet and magically the water appears.  When you live on a boat (even part-time), you have to become your own utility company and make sure you have plenty of water, electricity (battery) and the sewage system is good “to go”.

After the pump out we cruised the 2 miles across the Peconic River to Dering Harbor and grabbed the mooring ball we had reserved in advance.  This requires a little skill to master the art of picking up the pendant (if there is one) to catch the line, and then securing your boat’s bridle system to the ball.

Mark was responsible for this part while Denise drove the boat; aiming perfectly and not too fast or slow to make the pickup. Unfortunately, it took two attempts because the current pulled us just a bit too far from the ball on the first attempt.  But we nailed it the second time around.

After securing the mooring ball, we ate lunch, did a few things on the boat, and then went on a dinghy ride to the “town” area on this part of Shelter Island.  Once on shore, the first thing we had to do was check in and pay our mooring fees.  We went to “Jack’s Marine” (who owns the mooring field) which is a True Value store, but also sells all kinds of other things. Here they have paints, hardware, toys, housewares, boat spare parts and many other things; you name it, they have it.

We walked around briefly to the 3 other places that make up this “village”, including a beach shop where we purchased t-shirts.  Afterwards we took the dinghy around the harbor to see some of the other boats, as well as the sights on shore.

We had been in touch with Bruce (“Shenanigans”) who has a car on the island. He agreed to give us a quick tour of Shelter Island.  So at 4:00 we met back at the dinghy dock on shore, and then we walked to his car at the end of the “village”; about 400 yards away.  This is not a big place!

Bruce took us all around the north and western part of Shelter Island, including through some of the inland villages and the Shelter Island Country Club where we were able to shoot some pictures.

He told us that this club is open to the public and they have no irrigation, so in August the fairways turn brown and the rocks are exposed, making for an interesting bounce on the ball.  As we were leaving the course, we spotted two deer; a doe and her young fawn, but they moved too swiftly to capture a picture.

From there he took us by the north ferry dock (that comes from Greenport), on the western shore.  The commercial vehicles were already all in queue to get off the island after a day at work.  People in the “trades” cannot afford to live on Shelter Island, so they are forced to commute here daily via the ferry. At the end of the day they queue up to get back off the island, along with departing tourists and the usual commercial traffic.

From there he took us along the beach road past where Itzhak Perlman has a music training center (The Perlman Music Program) where young musicians of rare and special talent are welcomed into a richly supportive musical community. The center provides intensive summer (and other) musical training programs for students ages 12 and up.  Who knew this was here?

Continuing through the middle of the island we drove on beautiful tree canopied roads that were hilly in parts, but flat in others.  We ended up back north of Dering Harbor and then over to Little Ram Island where we were able to see Coecles Harbor; a place we had also considered visiting. It sits in around a natural preserve, and while beautiful we are not interested in visiting this part of the island by boat.  We were also able to see across the bay to the southern fork of Long Island and Bruce suggested we should definitely visit that part, especially Montauk if time permits.  We agreed and have decided to come back that way, since it is a short hop from Block Island.

Unfortunately, it was time for Bruce to take us back to Dering harbor. He had out-of-town guests who rented a house on the island and he needed to get back to them.  We thanked him for his generosity and shared wealth of knowledge about the area. We learned a lot and now know we have to hit a few other places on the way back home (like Sag Harbor).

Shelter Island looks very much like parts of Maine and New Hampshire, and even the homes have that New England look to them. We can see why many people like this area as it is really pretty and has a lot to offer, either by car (via the ferry) or by boat.

We made our way back to the boat via the dinghy and prepared a dinner of leftovers. We watched the sun set over the harbor and heard the cannon shot from the Shelter Island Yacht Club to mark the occasion.

Boston, MA (Thursday, 6/22)
We went to bed with plans of leaving in the morning to go to Cuttyhunk, MA which is in the Elizabeth Islands at the tip of Buzzards Bay.  From there we planned to cruise north stopping in Plymouth or Situate and get to Boston by Saturday. Unfortunately, the weather had other plans. We had checked the forecast for two days out earlier in the day and it looked ok for Thursday and Friday, but iffy for Saturday.  But when Mark checked the update at midnight; it was not looking good for Friday.

The sun was up at 4:45 am and so was Denise, with Mark rising at 6:00 am (ah the Summer Solstice) we looked at the weather and shelved going to Cuttyhunk.  While Thursday was going to be a good day, Friday was going to be windy and Saturday was going to be awful.  While we could still easily get to Cuttyhunk, we may not be able to leave there when planned. We knew we needed to get north of the Cape Cod Canal today or we may get stuck and not make it to Boston for Sunday.  So at 6:30 a.m. we left the mooring at Dering Harbor.

We cruised out of the area and into Block Island Sound under almost perfect conditions; light wind and 1 -2 foot swells with long periods in between. As we made our way east and got closer to Block Island, we encountered some areas where the currents created quite a chop on the water, especially when mixed with the wakes of passing sports fishing boats or other cruising yachts. Denise was really glad we came through here on a “good” day as we have heard stories about how rough this open water can be, even though the coastlines of Rhode Island and Massachusetts are well within sight the whole way. It was also helpful that it was still early in the morning as the winds had not yet started for the day.

We were going to need fuel before getting into Boston, and Mark had researched a place in New Bedford, MA that we could get a sufficient amount that would get us to Gloucester where it is significantly cheaper. However, it would be a 7-mile diversion up the Acushnet River off of Buzzards Bay – meaning a 15 mile round-trip excursion.  We had considered this as a stopping point early in our planning as there are two cities here; New Bedford, and Fairhaven on the other side of the river and both are behind a very large hurricane breakwater that protects the harbor. There is a very large fleet of commercial fishing boats that line both sides of the harbor, and there are working yards and marinas all around.

We arrived at Sea Fuels Marine and took on 100 gallons from a very customer-service oriented young man. He was great in helping us tie to the rough dock designed to handle large commercial boats, and was efficient at handling the fueling. In no time at all we were back on our way and out into the river.

As we cruised through Buzzards Bay we passed the Elizabeth Islands (and Cuttyhunk) and eventually Woods Hole to our right (starboard side) in the distance.  Here the Bay is at its widest, but begins to narrow as we continued northeast. Then Buzzards Bay turns into the Hog Island Channel and the community of Onset on the Left (port side), until it eventually ends into the Cape Code Canal.

From at least 5 miles before you come to the Canal you can see the railway lift bridge which is just inside of the Cape Cod Canal.  At the entrance to the canal is the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and their training vessel the “Kennedy” which is also visible from afar.  But before you get there you have to get through some swirly water.

The Cape Cod Canal can have currents that can run as fast as 5 knots, and when there is a tide that conflicts with the direction of the wind it can get really rough in this area.  Ideally we would have liked to have arrived at slack tide or with a tide flooding to the Cape Cod Bay, but we were too early for that and had to fight the remnants of an outgoing tide working against us.

Once in the canal we passed beautiful homes and scenery along the way, as well as a walking trail that lines many parts of both sides.

We went under two bridges; the Bourne Bridge and the Sagamore Bridges, and passed other boats of all types along the way. Fortunately, we did not encounter any barges or commercial traffic.

Throughout the day we had been calculating and estimating where we should end the day.  We had earmarked Plymouth and Scituate as possible stops but both left us with still needing to get to Boston under not so perfect conditions tomorrow. We had decided to wait until we were through the Canal and assess the situation then.  Since it was still early enough in the day, we had plenty of daylight left, and we had near perfect conditions on the Cape Cod Bay, we decided to press on to Boston. In the meantime we had called the Constitution Marina in Boston where we had reservations starting on Saturday and confirmed they could accept us a few days early. So we pressed on!

It really was a spectacular day on the water and there were a few pleasure boats that we either passed, or they passed us.  The Cape Cod Bay turned into the Massachusetts Bay and it was mostly flat seas with little waves. We were cruising a few miles off the coast of the mainland, and yet we could see Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod, nearly 15 miles away.

Soon we approached the entrance into the Boston area, but first we had to negotiate past numerous islands of rocks.  While the channel is well marked, it is narrow in some places and the rocks make it quite intimidating.  There were also a handful of other boats (sail and power) that were in the channel or trying to cross the channel, making it a bit stressful.

Finally we passed through the numerous small islands and entered into Boston Harbor. To our right was Logan Airport and to the left was downtown.  Here the boat traffic was much heavier and we had to negotiate around ferries, party boats, water taxis and other pleasure boats.  It was just like NYC harbor all over again.

We cruised through the downtown area and made a left turn up the Charles River to Constitution Marina.  We were assigned the end spot on the transient dock where Mark did an awesome job of backing the boat in front of a large power boat.  The dockhands were there to help guide us in, tie our lines and hook up our power.  We were very grateful for their assistance as we were quite tired.  We had traveled 165 nautical miles; our second longest day on the water since we acquired our Island Office.

In addition to being tired, we were hungry. After checking in at the office we took showers and walked the half mile to The Warren Tavern for some good pub food that someone else cooked and cleaned up the dishes.  The pub was founded in 1780 – kind of young by Boston standards – and still has all the earmarks of an old building from the 1700’s.  The food was your typical pub fare and delicious and filled us up.  Once back on the boat, it didn’t take long for us to call it a day; we were exhausted as it had been a long, but fun day.

Boston, MA (Friday, 6/23)
Happy to be tied to a dock and have shore power, we earmarked today to be a “work” day.  We both had some catch up work to do, emails, and office duties to do for the business.  Then there was the domestic work which needed to be done.  Denise did laundry and cleaned the inside of the boat, while Mark scrubbed the salt off the outside of the boat.

We also spent some time researching what we wanted to do in Boston over the weekend. While Denise would be here all week, Mark would not and we wanted to make sure he got to see some of the sights as well. It was a pretty uneventful day, but we got a lot accomplished and felt good about our weekend plans.

In the evening we went for a walk around the entire 250-slip marina. Since we were in the “transient dock” section we have limited visibility to some of the other boats, so we wanted to see more. We meandered up and down the piers and met some of the locals who had come down to their boats for the weekend. The marina was hopping as the season was in full swing and they were all out having cocktails or bar-b-queuing their dinners. We also encountered another Back Cove owner and stopped to talk with him for a while. We compared notes and shared ideas about things to do on our respective vessels.

Eventually we made our way to the other side of the marina where they have house boats that you can stay on. Yes, this marina has a “Bed and Boat” program where you can rent a boat to stay on just like a hotel.  Some are house boats, and others are sailboats, and they seemed to be quite booked up.  This is a good thing to know if you ever want to visit Boston and can’t get a hotel room.

After our walk we went back to the boat and called it a day.  We felt good about what we had accomplished and had a plan for the weekend.

Boston, MA (Saturday, 6/24)
We knew we had to do some provisioning for the boat and Boston afforded us plenty of resources, so today was errand day. It started with a walk to the CVS, nearly ½ mile from the marina.  This also gave us a chance to get the lay of the area around the marina, which is mostly residential with the exception of a Residence Inn right next door.

There is also an office building of some kind across the street and the Naval Ship Yard (which houses the US Constitution) about a block away.  Oh yes, in the backyard of all this is the Bunker Hill Monument. Not a bad sight when you wake up every morning.

After we returned from our walk we hailed an Uber cab to take us to a nearby shopping area that included a Target and a Costco. It was only 5 miles away, but too far and dangerous for us to ride on our collapsible bikes. Plus, there was no way for us to carry all our purchases back to the boat.  So after Costco, we used our iPhone app and requested an Uber cab.  This was the first time we had to wait a while (15 minutes) for an Uber driver, but eventually one showed up and delivered us back to the boat.

When we returned to the marina, we found the dockhands were in the process of repositioning our boat further down the dock to enable room for a bigger boat at the T-head. Originally we were on the very end with the bow sticking out a bit. However, a new boat would be coming in where the previous Burger yacht was and it needed more space.  So, the dockmaster and dockhands waited for us to get our purchases on board, then along with our assistance they untied our lines, electricity and water hookup. They pulled our boat about 50 feet down the dock and hooked it all back up as if we had been there all along.

During this process we met Bob (“Travail”) who was on the boat now right behind us on the dock. He is from New Hampshire and was on his boat visiting. He has 3 daughters and one of them (Lauren) who lives in Boston was staying with him on the boat. He had the boat in Boston (down from NH) for the next several weeks and was very helpful in sharing information about the area.  However, we couldn’t talk very long as we had to get moving. We had a baseball game to go to.

Our adventures for the day continued with an Uber cab ride to Fenway Park and to watch the Boston Red Sox play the California Angels.  Since Denise was a big fan of the Angels when she lived in Southern California, and her family has always been big Red Sox fans, this was a “Bucket List” item we could not pass up.

We arrived in time to grab some (not so healthy but delicious) food at the park and get to our seats for the “first pitch” and the National Anthem.  We had pretty good seats in the next to the last row on the first level, between home plate and first base so we were not in the hot sun or in the way of a fly ball that could hit us.

The game was exciting from about the 4^th inning and we enjoyed all the trivia and entertainment offered, including singing Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” – a now-famous tradition at Fenway Park. It got particularly exciting when the team manager was evicted from the game after a controversial call on the pitcher, that got disputed and tempers flared. In the 7^th inning the Angels got some hits, but the Red Sox could not answer back and the Angels won the game. We were a little disappointed, but ok because we had a great time.  A quick Uber ride back to the marina and we climbed into bed after another very full day on this adventure.

Boston, MA (Sunday, 6/25)
As much as we wanted to sleep in this morning, we had lots planned for the day so we had to get on with it.  We started with church at St.  Mary & St. Catherine of Siena, a combined parish the result of Catholic Church closings here over the last decade.  It was a beautiful old church and was the closest one yet to our marina; less than ½ mile away.

After church we played “tourist” for the day.  It started with us catching the “Trolley Tours” hop on/hop off trolley bus which we were able to pick up right near the marina. This is the same company that also does the ones in St. Augustine and a few other cities in the US.  Although there were numerous stops around the city of Boston, we stayed on for most of the way.  We wanted to get a feel for where things are in this city that we had driven through so many times, but never really visited.  It was great fun to ride past MIT and the Charles River, around Copley Square, near Prudential Plaza and by Fenway Park.  We covered a few other historic areas and neighborhoods, learning the history and hearing of the famous people who lived there.

Around lunch time we got off at Quincy Market and spent some time walking around seeing all the numerous shops and food stalls. Eventually we settled on one that offered a clam chowder lobster roll combination with a drink. This tourist-priced meal cost us $40, but was delicious and we enjoyed it.

After lunch we walked around the area and then walked to Faneuil Hall. We arrived in time to listen to the 15 minute lecture about its use as one of the first places where ideas for independence from Great Britain were formed.  Here was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others. The hall is still in use today for town business, and in fact right after the lecture there was to be a city maintenance meeting and they were setting up for it.

We walked back to the wharf area and investigated taking the harbor tour that was included in our Trolley Tours ticket, but there was a 45 minute wait for it. Since it was hot and getting late, we opted not to do this and instead went back to pick up the next Trolley Tour. By now the area was really crowded and there was a wait for the trolley. It was really hot outside and they passed out paper fans for people to use to try and keep cool. We were thinking a covered awning would have been a better investment.

Finally the next trolley came and we got on and finished the last few stops.  We got off where we started by the marina, which was also right at the Navy Yard where the USS Constitution was in dry dock for rehabilitation.  “Old Ironsides” was open for tours, so we decided to see this magnificent ship that withstood cannon fire and still stands today.

We walked back to our boat to get out of the heat, have some adult beverages, and eat dinner on board.

After dinner we explored the park on the other side of the highway next to the Residence Inn. There is a walkway that runs the perimeter of the water around our marina, under the Charlestown Bridge, and along the Charles River.  Denise wanted to understand how the path leads to stairs that can take you to the bridge as a possible walking/running route. To our surprise, on the other side of the Charlestown Bridge there is an entire lock system that allows boaters to traverse from the Boston Harbor to the Charles River. From our marina we had seen boaters stop just before going under the US1 Bridge but never knew why they were stopping; now we know they were waiting on the locks.

In addition to the locks, there is a large park area south of the bridge and all along the Charles River.  We took it only so far but it appeared to go at least to the next bridge – the new I93 Bridge that we have driven over many times before.

It was a great discovery and a great way to end our day weekend in Boston.

Boston, MA (Monday, 6/26)
Today Mark had to leave to go see a client in North Carolina.  So we were both up very early so he could get a cab to go to the airport.  Logan airport is so close and we can see the planes land and take off from the marina.  But we were told that he should allow one hour to get there as the rush hour traffic is so bad.  He took a cab and it took only 20 minutes, but it was better to be safe then miss his flight.

All day Denise kept to the boat.  She worked on office related matters, did a little work for the clients, read hundreds of emails that had been in queue, and did a little planning for upcoming ports of call.  It was some much needed quiet time and the day flew by.

Boston, MA (Tuesday 6/27)
Denise started the day with a 4-mile run down the path near the locks. She discovered that the park and route continued all along the Charles River, past MIT and further then she would run. There was one place along the way where she had to cross an intersection, but with a pedestrian crosswalk and several other runners also waiting, it was not a big deal.

After the run it was another day of sticking close to the boat and doing some reading.  The Waterway Guide we have includes places to go in Maine and there was much to learn.  So she read about the numerous places to go, and identified possible routes to take to get there.

Also during the day Denise talked with her Boston friend Nancy Lively; they had been trying to find a way to connect during the week, but it doesn’t look like she will get a chance to see her. She will try and connect with us when we come back down the coast on the way home.

Rain threatened all day with overcast skies and no sun, but it was muggy and required the air conditioners; Denise felt like she was back in Florida. All around us it was raining, but our marina seemed to escape any of it. However in the evening it poured, with lots of thunder, lightning and wind.  It was quite spooky for Denise, especially being alone on a boat, but it died down in time for her to get a good night’s rest.

Boston, MA (Wednesday, 6/28)
The day was started with a little more office work for the embroidery business, but quickly moved into an adventure.  After completing her chores, Denise used the path and stairs to the Charlestown Bridge and walked across the river to the Boston Public Market, about 1 mile from the boat.

Here she found a place that any “foodie” would love.  Located near one of the big subway (called the “T”) and bus terminals in downtown Boston, it is full of vendors selling all types of fresh food items.  Everything from hydroponically grown and shipped lettuces, to cheeses, sausages, fresh produce, honey, and of course seafood. After walking around and exploring, she purchased some fresh cheese, and knew she had to eat lunch here. She scoured each vendor and decided on seafood ordering a delicious smoked salmon burrito.  The thing was so huge she could only eat half and took the rest home for dinner.

After the Public Market she walked back to the boat to store the purchases and decided to see what groceries she could get at the Whole Foods near the marina (by the CVS). However, this was not a successful trip.  When home, we only shop at Whole Foods for certain items (usually produce) because of how ridiculously overpriced the most basic items are.  Today’s experience was no exception and left her longing for a real grocery store where a bottle of diet tonic water doesn’t cost $4. How “organic” can diet tonic water be anyway? Oh how we really miss Publix!

This then became her mission to find a decent grocery store (thank you Google maps for locating a “Stop N Shop”), and develop a scheme for how to get to the closest one (3.5 miles away).

Boston, MA (Thursday, 6/29)
In the morning, Denise headed out to accomplish what she had planned the night before. Her mission was to get in a run, sightsee, and get to the “Stop N Shop”.  First she ran the ½ mile to Bunker Hill to see the monument and the park around it. Since it is visible from the marina and part of the Freedom Trail, it was easy to get to.

Then she took off to go to the store. Most of the area was residential streets initially, but then she came into a traffic circle that was very busy with cars and trucks.  She managed to get through successfully due to the kindness of a semi-truck driver who let her cross in front of his truck in a turning lane as there was no cross walk. Then she ran through another neighborhood until finally she reached the store.

Once through the doors it felt like grocery heaven. She could find all the products she was used to seeing and found more reasonably priced items, including diet tonic (2 for $1). Loaded with now bags full of groceries she took Uber back to the boat and spent a half hour trying to find places to stow all the items.

In the afternoon there was work to be done for a client, and a conference call with them.

Late in the afternoon, Bob (“Travail”) invited Denise to join him and his daughter Lauren (and two of her friends) for dinner.  They were going to get pizza at a well-known pizza place that was on the other side of the bridge in the area of Boston known as the North End.

We left the marina walking under the bridge and towards the locks but took a pedestrian path that passes along the back of the locks that we didn’t even know was there. This way negates the need to use the stairs and cross the river via the bridge. It was a great discovery as it saves time and is safer.  But what is also cool is there is a set of “chimes” (called the “Charlestown Bells”) that you can ring along the fence of the walkway.  I am sure most people walk this path every day and don’t even know it exists as it looks like it is part of the railing.  However, when you walk by if you push the levers the chimes are struck making a sound like hand bells.

We continued our walk until we had arrived at “Regina Pizzeria” a very small, but famous pizza joint. Even though we arrived at 5:30 pm, we still had to wait in line to get a seat. But it was worth the wait as the pizza was really good and by the time we got in the line behind us was quite long.  We ate, drank some beer and got to know each other a little bit. It is always fun to listen to young people and hear what they are talking about; their jobs, dating, hopes for the future.

After dinner, Bob, Lauren and Denise walked further into “Little Italy” where Bob insisted on treating me to Vittoria’s and a 3-dessert special: spumoni, Sambuca, and a cappuccino to top off the evening. No calories there!

We walked back to the marina via the same pathway we used to go to the North End and we were treated to an awesome sunset along the way.

It had been a fun adventure, all the while Denise was learning from a “local” about the places we passed for the best of everything Boston’s North End had to offer.

Boston, MA (Friday, 6/30)
Mark was supposed to leave North Carolina on an early morning flight and arrive in Boston by noon.  From there we were going to explore other parts of Boston in the afternoon. Unfortunately, his flight was delayed out of NC due to a broken plane and he was not able to get to Boston until late in the afternoon.

So, Denise went exploring on her own.  She walked to the “T” station near the TD Garden at the end of the pathway near the locks, playing the Charlestown Bells when she came to them (of course).  Then she took the “T” to Boston Commons and walked along Boylston Street to see the sights.

From there she continued to Copley Square where they were having a farmer’s market and to see the Boston Marathon Finish Line.

Her goal was to see if she could buy some Boston Marathon memorabilia (Like a “Boston Strong” shirt) at “Run Base”, the official store for the marathon. But, she could find nothing that warranted a purchase and moved on to the Prudential Plaza across the street.

It was really quite hot outside so she stayed inside walking back through the shopping complex and up through Lord & Taylor instead of on the street. Eventually she returned to Copley Square and walked around the farmers market before heading back down to the “T” station. From there it was a quick trip to the North station near the TD Garden where she passed the Bobby Orr statue.

All week long we had been looking at the Converse Headquarters, and knew there was a Converse store at the base of the building, not far off the pathway. So on the way back to the boat she decided to see what they offered in the store.

Their selection of apparel was very limited to a handful of t-shirts, but their shoe selection was extensive.  But the really cool thing was they offered the ability to print any image on certain model shoes, and they will do it while you wait.  The also offer the opportunity for you to custom make your own shoes from a large selection of fabrics, patterns and styles.  These are cut in the store, but shipped off for assembly elsewhere, and then they are shipped to you some 4 or 6 weeks later.  It was fascinating to learn about all this from Converse. Since it has been years since I have worn their shoes, I had no knowledge of even what styles they offer today, so it was a huge learning experience.

After leaving the Converse store, it was a short bell-chiming walk back by the locks to the marina and in time for Mark’s arrival.

It was good for Mark to be back home on our tiny house on the water but we didn’t waste any time before heading out to dinner. We decided to go to Giacomo’s; a place Denise had been too years ago with Boston friend Nancy and remembered how good it was.

There is always a line and so we left early to try and stymie the wait.  However when we arrived a line had already formed.

This place is small but the tables turn fast as they waste no time in getting your order and your food.  It was as delicious as remembered, and we had leftovers to take with us back to the boat.

Along the way back to the boat it started to drizzle a bit, so we HAD to dart into the 24 hour bakery and pick up a few cookies and sweets to take back with us.  Then it was back down the path around the locks, once again chiming the Charlestown Bells one last time before we head north.

Tomorrow is Saturday and we will leave Boston and head north to Marblehead.

Port Washington – Long Island, NY (Wednesday, 6/14)
The plans to go for a morning run were scratched as it was pouring raining when Denise woke up.  Instead she put her time into completing the last blog post and getting a few work-related items completed. The rain finally stopped mid-morning, and in the early afternoon Claire arrived. We were off for our adventures together.

Our first outing was a “planned-in-advance” pedicure at a local nail salon.  It was a ¾ mile walk from the marina and it was great as it gave us plenty of talk time while being pampered a bit.

We schemed our dinner plans for the evening, which involved eating on the boat and mapping out activities for the rest of her visit.  After the pedicures we walked to “Stop and Shop” (the large grocery store chain) which was in the next shopping plaza from the nail salon.  As it was getting close to dinner, we picked up a rotisserie chicken and some salad fixings and headed back to the boat.

We considered our options for the next day and decided to go to bed early and get a good night’s rest. This worked great for Claire, but not Denise who could not sleep and was up late re-downloading about 75 pictures from the cameras that she had accidently deleted from her computer. Of course this was after they were all catalogued and now this too had to be redone! UGH!

Port Washington – Long Island, NY (Thursday, 6/15)
As usual, the sun was up early and both Denise & Claire were awake with it. Because we were up and about, we chose to attend the 8:00 am mass at Our Lady of Fatima – the small Catholic Church we passed along our walking route in the village of Manorhaven.

On the way home, we stopped at “Bagel Time” for a coffee and ended up eating breakfast there. The food was very good and affordable – less than half of what it would be had we stopped at a Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts.  This was definitely a local’s place and the people were very friendly.  We learned they make all their bagels, breads, muffins and sweets on the premises every day.

From there we went back to the boat to grab our backpacks, water, the bicycles, and then headed out for exploring the town of Port Washington.  We took mostly the same route Denise had run earlier in the week, but deviated slightly to stay closer to the water.  We passed the Town Dock and Louie’s Oyster Bar & Grill, and biked to where the road turned mostly residential.  From there we zig-zagged through the neighborhoods to stay off the busy Main Street, but eventually cut over as that is where the potential shopping was.

The road was so busy with traffic we didn’t feel safe riding on the shoulder, and the sidewalks were narrow and getting crowded with nearing the lunch hour.  So we got off our bikes and walked them instead.  We passed numerous restaurants, nail salons, hair salons, shoe repair shops, a single sporting-goods store and eventually the train station.  However, there were not many places for us to do “retail therapy”, so we got back on the bikes and rode up to Port Washington Blvd before turning back towards the waterfront and the small number of shops near Louie’s.

It was here that we went into Atlantic Outfitters to ask if they knew anything about getting a harbor boat tour.  We spoke with the owner who told us to pick up the tours where you get the water taxi at the Town Dock, and then gave us a phone number to call.

While talking to him we noticed near the register there were a pair of model sailboat made out of milk/juice ½ gallon cartons. He mentioned they were his kids models used in the annual home-made sailboat regatta – open to all 3^rd graders and happens the first week of June every year.  Wouldn’t you know it, we just missed this event.  He told us that it is a huge deal that everyone in town looks forward to, and even if there is no wind, they still hold it; they just bring in big fans if they have to.

From there we rode to the Town Dock for a water taxi “tour” and parked our bikes.

We called and were told where to meet, and waited for the boat to arrive. Shortly thereafter, the water taxi showed up and Carolyn, the water taxi captain said she would give us a tour. However, we had to deliver a few passengers to their boats in the mooring fields and then we proceeded with the tour.

First, we learned that many of the homes across the Bay from our marina (in Kings Point and Great Neck) are owned mostly by “Persians”.  She took us by one house that is owned by a guy who came to the USA with $50 and started a pillow company, and by another home that was still under construction; cost: $70 million dollars!

We went by the Manhasset Bay Yacht Club and learned they hold sailboat races on Thursday evenings in the bay, and we talked about the Sands Point Preserve area where we are planning to go tomorrow.  Carolyn told us that she is in college at Sacred Heart University and has been working the water taxi for 4 years.  She is very capable at driving the water taxi and we enjoyed the information she shared with us.

Then we got back on the bikes and headed towards the boat, but got sidetracked to check out the area around Tom’s Point and the Manhasset Bay Marina.  Here we discovered Sheets Creek (and we were without a paddle), and a rabbit enjoying his day.

We also went by the restaurant La Motta’s as we were considering it for dinner.  But we were pretty tired from riding and since we still had not eaten lunch, we headed directly back to the boat for food and relaxation.

For the rest of the afternoon we hung out by the pool at the marina, and around the boat until dinner which we had at the Clam Shack at the marina. After dinner we worked on planning our adventure for the next day.

Port Washington – Long Island, NY (Friday, 6/16)
The weather forecast for the day called for rain, but not until mid-morning.  We were trying to plan our transportation mode and decided we would walk to everything close by, but would take Uber for the 2.5 mile ride out to Sands Point Preserve.

So we started out going back to “Bagel Time” for breakfast, and then walked back to the Stop & Shop to pick up a few things we needed for the weekend.  We made it back to the boat just in time as it started to sprinkle. After putting everything away and grabbing our backpacks and umbrella, we met our Uber driver and off we went.

Sands Point Preserve is a 216-acre park, on the original Guggenheim Estate, now owned by Nassau County, NY, but is maintained and operated by the Sands Point Preserve Conservancy.  It includes several historic mansions (owned by the Gould and Guggenheim families, circa early 20th century) and numerous walking paths, not to mention a spectacular view of Long Island Sound. Sands Point was the famed town of “East Egg” in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” and the estate reflects the opulence of that era. It was also home to orphan refugees during WWII and at one point was a US Naval Training Center (before it got moved to Florida).  You can learn more about the entire park here.

We arrived at the gate and paid for the tour of the “Falaise” mansion, and then walked up to Castle Gould to meet our bus that would take us to that part of the estate.  The Castle Gould is undergoing some renovations, so tours of it were not available, but we were able to get some exterior pictures.

The other estate home “Hempstead House” is open for tours, but limited to Saturdays and Sundays only, so we were not able to tour it.  It is this house that has been used in numerous movies (“Scent of a Woman”) and small screen shows (“The Americans”, “Boardwalk Empire”) to name a few.

We took the tour bus to Falaise where we were met by a docent who told us of this specific mansion’s rich history, as well as the biography of Harry F. Guggenheim (nephew to the founder of the Guggenheim museum). The house itself has been left intact with all its furnishings as he stipulated in his will when he died in 1971. It is a 13^th Century manor style home and has numerous artifacts, collectables and tapestries, not to mention collections of trophies; the result of his horse racing endeavors.  The terrace on the back of the house overlooks Long Island Sound and there is a simple, but elegant dining room that was used in the movie “The Godfather”.

Harry Guggenheim was an impressive business man (in mining operations), naval aviator, Ambassador to Cuba, founder of a newspaper (“Newsday”), and an avid horseracing fan. Additionally, he was good friends with Charles Lindbergh, who stayed at Falaise many times, and he was instrumental in securing funding for rocket pioneer Robert Goddard.  He truly had the golden touch with everything he did, except in his 3 marriages.

Our bus took us back to Castle Gould, and then we walked back to the gate where we got a cab to go back to the marina.  Despite the drizzle we found this to be a truly a fascinating place, and we really enjoyed this adventure.

Once we got back to the boat, it was really raining and we didn’t feel like venturing out too far for dinner. Usually when we get together we like to cook – really cook.  But the small galley on the boat was too much of a challenge, so we opted for the next best thing: TAKE OUT!  During our travels yesterday we found a bar-b-que place that delivered and we decided to give them a try, ordering a pair of hamburgers and sides.  Our order came 10 minutes earlier than expected, was hot and was super delicious!  Too bad for Mark who was flying back from a client site, as he missed the best meal.

Once Mark arrived and got settled in we looked at the weather and confirmed that we would still leave tomorrow and head to Port Jefferson.  Denise had made reservations for a mooring ball there, and then on Sunday we would press on to Greenport; weather permitting.

Greenport – Long Island, NY (Saturday, 6/17)
We had all agreed that we would leave at 8:00 a.m., but we woke up to very heavy fog, so it looked questionable that we would leave on time.

However, with radar and just enough clearing we were able to pull away from the dock at 8:15 and head out on to Long Island Sound.

The water was flat with almost no waves or wind, so it was really easy to cruise at 20 kts.  Periodically throughout the trip we would encounter really dense fog and could only see about 500 yards in front of us.  At other times it was clear and we could see the Long Island shoreline, but at no time were we able to see the coast of Northern New York or Connecticut.  Here are some things we did get to see along the way:

As we were approaching the entrance to Port Jefferson Harbor, we started to question if we shouldn’t go further north, taking advantage of the calm seas. The weather forecast for Sunday through Tuesday did not look favorable so going further north to Greenport would give us some protection in an area that had a lot more to offer than a mooring at Port Jefferson. This meant going another 40+ miles, (we had already done about 35 miles) and it would take another 2.5 hours. But first we had to identify a location to stay for several nights. We used Active Captain and the Waterway Guide as our resources, called our preferred location at Mitchell Park Marina (municipal) and secured a favorable rate and dockage.  So we pressed on to Greenport with Claire helping Captain Mark and Denise getting to relax a bit.

A big concern to get to Greenport was that we would have to navigate through Plum Gut at an incoming tide.  This is an area where the Long Island Sound meets with Block Island Sound, and Gardiners Bay.  The water rushes between Orient Point on the North Fork, and the land to its north, called Plum Island.  It creates a vicious current and can have some choppy waves. Ideally you want to hit it at slack tide.  We would be going through there at about 1.5 hours after the slack; it was going to be a little bumpy.

As we approached Plum Gut we noticed the Cross Sound Ferries were also coming through the narrow passage, so Mark slowed the boat to let them get ahead of us.  Meanwhile Denise was able to take a few pictures of the Orient Point Lighthouse, called “Old Coffee Pot” and the Plum Island Lighthouse.

We made it through safely and were amazed at how calm the waters were once we were on Gardiners Bay.  We did notice the wind had picked up a bit, but not near as much as was forecasted.  We cruised past the Long Island Lighthouse, which is locally known as the “Bug Light” because of its appearance; when it was first built, it looked like a bug.

This marks the entrance into the Peconic River which runs completely around Shelter Island.

We cruised about 2 more miles with Shelter Island to our port side and pulled into the Mitchell Park Marina in Greenport. While there were several boats in the marina at the time, it was not full to capacity and we were given a favorable slip.  We settled the boat, checked in with the marina office, and went for a quick walk around the area to locate a possible wine tour for tomorrow.  Despite gathering information from a wine shop in town, we were not able to book anything that was affordable on such short notice.  We went back to the boat, got showers and made it to the 5:00 pm mass at St. Agnes Catholic Church.

Afterwards we had time to go back to the boat and have a drink before going to dinner at Noah’s; a local place that offered small plate meals as well as full entrees. Some of the food was excellent (peel & eat jumbo shrimp, roasted beet salad, lobster bisque), but other items were less than stellar (crab cake, spicy prawns). When we were done we walked around Front Street and the shops that line it, doing mostly reconnaissance for tomorrow’s outing.

When we went back to the boat, we evaluated all the options for getting Claire back to JFK on Monday. Since our plans had changed from Port Jefferson, we had different options this far north, and we had to get this figured this out.  The train is way too early (leaves at 5:30 am) and doable, but a last resort.  There were not rental car options available as they all are closed until Monday mid-morning, and are at least 25 miles away. It is not yet the summer season and the options were slim.  Fortunately, there is something called the Hampton Jitney and they have a bus that leaves Greenport at 7:00 am and can take Claire to the station in Queens, and then she can get a cab to JFK. The cost ($19) and the schedule meant it would work, so Claire booked a ticket.

It had been a big day full of fun and adventure and we had more on top for tomorrow.

Greenport – Long Island, NY (Sunday, 6/18)
Since we had gone to church last night, we were free to pursue other things in the morning. Denise went for a run out to a winery not far from town to check it out for a visit later in the day, and Claire went for a walk along the same route.  They met upon Denise’s return and walked back together around other parts of town, then made a rendezvous with Mark at the Dockside Deli for breakfast.

Here are some pictures of sites we saw on the morning run/walk:

We then went back to the boat to get cleaned up and then headed out for the day’s activities.

First up was the free tour at the Fireboat “Fire Fighter” located on the opposite side of the Ferry Dock, next door to the marina. It is a big red hulled boat that has been restored. It was in service for over seven decades protecting New York Harbor, and has the hard-earned distinction of being the most award-decorated fireboat in the world. At the time of her 2010 decommissioning she was the second oldest fireboat in front line service worldwide and as a National Historic Landmark is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  You can learn more about this cool boat here.

However, the fireboat wasn’t yet open for tours; it didn’t open until noon and we were too early. So we walked over to the East End Seaport Museum as their doors were opened.  This is located between the fireboat and the Greenport Train station and proved to be a very interesting place.

It was here that we first learned about the oyster industry and the impact hurricane Sandy had on this community.  Then our host, Brandon, told us all about the Long Beach Bar Light (“Bug Light”). Originally built in 1870, the structure was on screw piles and open underneath, which lead to its nickname “Bug Light” because at high tide it looked like a giant water bug. In 1926 a concrete foundation was added, and it stayed as such until it was burned on July 4, 1963 in a fire started by feuding young men from Shelter Island. In 1990 it was reconstructed and continues to be renovated now as a result of damage sustained by hurricane Sandy in 2012.  You can learn more about Bug Light and the East End Seaport Museum here.

Finally it was time to go tour the fireboat “Fire Fighter”.  We walked throughout all the decks except the engine room (the previous tour was still in process) and the upper deck; only Mark went as Denise’s fear of heights kept her and Claire on the lower level.  We went through it all quickly and then moved on to our next adventure.

Still full from our breakfast, we opted to skip lunch and headed out to walk to the Kontokosta Winery, a little over a mile away. Since we have never been to a winery in New York, we were not familiar with their wines and were excited to learn more. Here we shared two tastings between the three of us and ended up buying some of their Merlot as it was quite flavorful and not too expensive.  We also learned about how the building that houses the tasting room was made from 100% recycled/repurposed materials.  The bar was made from old wine barrels that had been opened and re-stained black for the dramatic color. It was a very beautiful building and we enjoyed hearing about their wines, which produce less than 4000 cases per year and is only sold at the winery. You can learn more about Kontokosta Wines here.

After the tastings we went outside and walked to the back of the property that goes all the way to the Long Island Sound.  It was still overcast and hazy, but it still was really pretty.

From there we headed back to the boat, promising Mark that we would not deviate any further.  However, once we reached town we agree to let Mark go ahead while Claire and Denise did a little window shopping. We arrived back to Island Office in time to have happy hour and enjoy watching the ferry from Shelter Island carry all the weekenders back to the mainland.

Soon it was time to go to dinner and we all decided that we should try Claudio’s, even though it was a bit of a tourist trap.  This restaurant is located on the waterfront, just steps from the marina. It is famous as it is the oldest same-family owned restaurant in the United States. It was founded in 1870, and the restaurant still houses the original (now antique) bar as well as photographs and artifacts from America’s cup defenders; including the great “J” boat racing ships. Since Mark is a former J-boat racer and Claire loves the sailing life, this was of particular interest to us all.  It helped that we had very good food, even though the YELP reviews were only mediocre: we must have hit it on a good night.

After dinner we walked around some more of the downtown area, but not much was open as it was the weekend and things were quieting down.  We ended up going back to the boat to watch some TV and do some reading before calling it a day.  When all was said and done, we had walked over 18,000 steps and 9 miles today.

Here are some other pictures of things in town we saw while walking:

Greenport – Long Island, NY (Monday, 6/19)
We started the day by seeing Claire off on her traveling adventure that involved (no lie) bus, taxi, planes, & automobile until she finally got home to Tallahassee.  She picked up the Hampton Jitney right near the train station and ferry terminal which was very convenient.  We had a great time together and we hated to see her leave.

For the rest of the day we stayed on the boat and did work for clients, cataloged pictures and worked on this blog post. The wind picked up dramatically and there were big waves and whitecaps in the bay between us and Shelter Island.

We had been watching the weather and decided that it would be too tricky to stop at Block Island on our way to Cape Cod as there was only going to be one really good weather day (Thursday) and the rest would be high winds and seas. So we made plans to go directly to Cuttyhunk (tip of Cape Cod) on Thursday. Then we would be in more protected waters to move up through the Cape from there for the rest of the weekend.

Our reservations here at Mitchell Park Marina were only through Tuesday, so we had to find a place to stay on Wednesday night.  We wanted to stay in the Shelter Island area, just move to a different spot.  Our choice was Dehring Harbor, located immediately across the Peconic Bay from us.   We had heard about this place from Bruce (“Shenanigans”); a guy who was in a sailboat across the dock from us in Solomons, MD. He keeps his boat on a mooring there and he told us to look him up when we got to this area.  Mark gave him a call and he helped us secure a mooring. He told us to let him know when we arrive as he will give us a driving tour of Shelter Island. This we are really looking forward to!

Sometime in mid-morning we noticed a guy delivering a bunch of boxes on a dolly to the sport fishing boat at the end of our pier.  The boxes had the logo “stidd” on them and we had a pretty good idea that the boat was getting some new Captain’s chairs.  We have stidd chairs on Island Office and love them. They are incredibly comfortable as they adjust every way possible and are built to last.  Later we learned that “stidd” is actually headquartered here in Greenport only half a mile away. Go Figure!

As the afternoon wore on, the threat of severe weather approaching meant we needed to plan our dinner accordingly.  Mark had been craving pizza so we walked to a place called “1943 Pizza Bar”; known for their really good brick oven pies.  They only make one size, (14”), and only have a few other items on the menu like salads and appetizers, but all the ingredients are super fresh and delicious. It’s a very small place and they turn tables fast, but many locals call ahead and come pick up their orders.  But they are never not busy, and they told us last Saturday they made 1500 pizzas in their small brick oven. The food was great and we took back plenty of leftovers back to the boat.  We will miss this place when we leave.

We made it back to the boat in time to beat the rain.  It started around 7:30 p.m. and by 8:30 p.m. it was pouring!  We finished the day watching the movie “Masterminds” – a true B-movie comedy based on the 1997 Loomis Fargo Robbery in North Carolina. It was good for a chuckle, but we could not believe that anyone would have really been that stupid. However, there is still $2 million not yet recovered, so maybe they did!

Greenport – Long Island, NY (Tuesday, 6/20)
The day started as the previous day ended; pouring rain which nixed Denise’s morning run.  Eventually, it cleared up and we were able to (finally) enjoy some nice weather.

We spent the morning working on updating this blog, and doing a few boat chores. Then we spent a huge part of the day planning out our stops for the next 2 weeks. We had already secured reservations in the Portsmouth, NH/Kittery, ME area for the July 4^th weekend, and for the upcoming few days. But we needed to schedule the remainder time.  Further complicating things, Mark was getting a request from the North Carolina client to visit the week of 6/26.

So, we redid our routing, deciding to bypass most of Cape Cod and consider it on the return trip in the fall (and hopefully better weather) and instead go into Boston. Not originally on our plan, but fits the schedule nicely and allows Mark to fly out of Logan airport. Denise will now have a fun place to safely stay, and maybe even see some old friends.

After this was planned and reservations secured, we went on a few errands including picking up milk and bread at the IGA.

We returned to the boat for some more work and (of course) happy hour before heading out to dinner at Front Street Station. Here we had mediocre hamburgers which left Denise longing for the juicy one from Harbor Q in Port Washington she had with Claire.

Tonight we were thinking about our time at Greenport, and we were very glad we made the decision to bypass Port Jefferson and come here. We may go there on the way back home, but without a doubt, coming here proved to be a good choice. The Mitchell Park Marina amenities are good with floating docks, good Wi-Fi and cable tv connections, and nice bathrooms. It was a bonus that the marina had a “book 3 days get the 4^th free” offer.  The only thing they do not have is a laundromat, but we are not quite in need of one right now so that is ok.

In addition to being a good marina to wait out the bad weather, the location was terrific. Everything we could possibly want is in walking distance, including a supermarket (IGA), drug stores, restaurants, tourist shops and a winery. The train station, ferry terminal and Hampton Jitney stop is within 500 yards, and the Post Office is across the green. They also had a cleaners that Mark was able to use to have his “work” clothes cleaned so they would be ready for his next client trip.

In the park there is a carousel as well as greenspace where people can come with their dogs, but also where they hold concerts in the park in the summer months.  In so many ways this marina reminded us of the city marina in Charlevoix, Michigan. However, the lack of information about town activities by the “summer help” in the office was quite different. Here, they are clueless and need a lesson in “Disneyesque” customer service. But all-in-all it was a great place to stop for 4 days and enjoy some classic boating grounds that many people will never experience.

Here are some other pictures we took of the area around the marina, and in Greenport:

Tomorrow we will move the boat to a mooring in Dering Harbor and will have more adventures there.

Manasquan, New Jersey (Thursday, 6/8)
It was a cool morning when we left Atlantic City, and fortunately there was only a slight breeze. So we moved forward with plans to go north up the New Jersey ICW, and left the docks as the tide was coming in. We wanted as much water in the narrow and shallow parts of ICW so we would have every advantage and prevent a mishap.

We had been coached on the route by Looper friends Evelyn & Clark Woodworth (“Sea Moss”/”Sunset Delight”) who live in New Jersey and knew the waters well.  Their helpful hints allowed us to cruise without incident, and for that we are grateful.  We found a lot of the way to be similar to parts of the Indian River in Florida where there is lots of open water, but only a small portion is navigable as the rest is too shallow for most boats.

Here are some pictures from the early part of the trip:

The natural beauty of the ICW was soon replaced by numerous houses that line the eastern shore as the ICW turns close to the barrier islands.  For several miles we traversed “no wake” zones and the communities of Beach Haven and Long Beach that had houses on the ICW and boardwalks or beaches on the Atlantic Ocean side. However, other than those areas, we were able to go full speed ahead at 20 knots.

Soon we came to Barnegat Bay, a very large body of shallow water that was full of fishing boats and other cruisers – far less than we were led to believe would be there, but we attributed that to it being a weekday.  It really is a beautiful body of water and it was enjoyable to experience this much-talked about cruising area.

Eventually we came through Bay Head Harbor and the Point Pleasant Canal, which is a two-mile long man-made canal that empties into the Manasquan River.  In this canal you have to go under two bridges, but we could clear them without requesting an opening.  The current was now running in our favor, so even though we were at “no wake”, we were picking up an additional 2 knots of speed through this narrow area.

Within no time we arrived at Hoffman’s Marina (west) where we assigned to an end-tie.  Normally, we would have liked this setup, but the swift current and the numerous boats passing by (ignoring a no-wake rule), made this an uncomfortable situation.  More importantly, the fixed docks were not conducive to our exiting the boat as there is a 4 foot tide and our boat was way too low to get off easily. Another contributing factor was the railway bridge about 100 yards away that would blow a loud whistle when it was ready to close or open (which happens about 2x per hour). When we checked in at the marina office, they were more than happy to accommodate us and found us a slip (with lower finger piers).  At slack tide we moved the boat and were much happier to spend the night in the new location.

Here are some pictures from the marina:

We were trying to decide what to do for dinner as there are several choices in the area, and we spent some time using YELP and Open Table to determine which option was the best.  We opted for one of the restaurants (“Waypoint 622”), located at the marina, which allowed us to do a quick load of laundry while we ate; taking advantage of the free laundry offered by the marina.

Waypoint 622 has outdoor dining and a bar area, but the weather was too windy and uncomfortable so we chose inside instead.  When we walked into the place we felt like we stepped into a scene out of “Good Fellows” or “Sopranos”.  The décor and atmosphere was stereotypical New Jersey restaurant, and they had a young guy singing Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin songs.  The place is not that big and it filled up quickly shortly after we arrived.  Our food was delicious and we couldn’t stop laughing at how art really does imitate life.

After dinner we walked back to the boat, picking up our laundry along the way.  We confirmed our plans to leave in the morning, cruising up the Atlantic Ocean and onward to Staten Island. The weather looked favorable and we were hopeful it would hold true.

Staten Island, NY (Friday, 6/9)
Again we woke up to a cool morning requiring long sleeves, and long pants for Denise.  We left Hoffman’s marina at 8:00 and made it easily through the railway bridge and out into the harbor.  There were lots of boaters heading out offshore; mostly fishermen who were anxious to finally have a good weather window.

Here are a couple pictures from the beach area around Manasquan as we left the inlet:

We entered the Atlantic Ocean and found very favorable conditions.  There was a 1 -2 foot swell from the east, and there was little wind, making it acceptable to cruise the 20 miles up to Sandy Hook before we would face a west wind.  We cruised about 3 miles offshore at our usual 20 knots, passing along beach clubs, casinos, condominiums and even Asbury Park’s convention center.

It was a pretty clear day, and very soon after leaving we could see the New York City skyline. It really is amazing to be 20 miles away and still be able to make out this very distinctive landmark.  Even if you are not a fan of NYC, it does evoke emotion as being as “American” as apple pie and baseball.

Before long we approached Sandy Hook and came up to Highlands Beach and Gateway National Recreational Area .  These beaches are really pretty with white sand and no development to interfere with nature.  This is just one part of the Gateway National Recreational Area which also includes parts of New Jersey and New York.  You can learn more about this great National Park here.

From there it was a short 6 miles cruise across Raritan Bay and into Great Kills Harbor on the eastern shore of Staten Island.  We pulled into a slip right near where we were nearly two years ago, and we were greeted with hugs by AGLCA Harbor Host John Calascibetta.  He had been awaiting our arrival and patiently rearranged things when we got delayed out of Cape May.

Also in the crowd of greeters were (now) Gold Loopers on “Conductance”, whom we had followed and eventually passed along the way in our run up to Manasquan two days prior.  After we got settled in we made plans to go to dinner with John & his wife Julie.  We both had work to do for clients, and Denise had two back-to-back conference calls that lasted until it was time to leave for dinner.

We traveled with John and Julie up the street to “Coles Dock Side” where we enjoyed great food and even better company.  The owner (Larry) came by and said hello to Julie & John as they are regulars.  He was noticeably excited as he was heading out to his house in the FL Keys for the week to do some fishing.

After dinner we returned to GKYC where there was a bi-monthly club meeting (men only) and the women (auxiliary) were hanging out waiting on the men to return.  Mark brought our dinner leftovers back to the boat, then headed to the bar at the club.  Meanwhile, Denise hung out with Julie and met some of the friendly woman at GKYC.  There she ran into Lars & Erja Odmark (“Ambikaart”) a Swedish couple who are doing the loop in a Mainship.  We talked for a while and agreed to try and get together before the weekend was out. Denise then headed to the bar to join Mark.

About that time the club meeting let out and the bar filled up.  Drinks are known to be cheap, and the volunteer bartender was quite busy, so it took Mark a long time to get his bill. While waiting for the bill, we noticed John Scarcella (not to be confused with John Calascibetta) was at the bar and we went over to talk with him.  Mark had met John when we were here in 2015 when he and his family were planning on leaving for the Loop in the coming weeks.  Although we had followed their progress and we seemed to leapfrog around each other during our adventure, it wasn’t until we were in Miami Beach (and nearly home) in April 2016 that we finally connected again.  They too have completed their Loop and are now Gold Loopers as well.  We hung out with him until his wife and son made it clear it was time to go. As we were preparing to leave, he offered us his car for use the next day so we could run some errands and we made plans to connect in the morning.

Staten Island, NY (Saturday, 6/10)
It was a beautiful morning, although the temperature had risen in the last 24 hours, and a heat wave was headed our way.

Denise went for a run, intending to go out to a park that forms the eastern shore of Great Kills harbor. However, the walking path was overgrown and a sign indicating the trails were under rehabilitation discouraged her further progress.  Instead she ran up and down Hylan Blvd, with a few side street distractions, including one along the water that made for a great shot of Raritan Bay.

After breakfast and showers were done, we were able to connect with John S. and use his car to run several errands.  We did a major provisioning of groceries, liquor and even got to hit a credit union ATM for some cash. Mark was also able to get a badly needed haircut while Denise worked on cataloging pictures.

We hung out on the boat the rest of the afternoon, constantly stopping to talk with the nicest people at GKYC.  We were visited by Santiago, the guy who helped Mark with our “boat issue” in 2015, and others who remembered us from our 11-day visit here.  John C. had come by and gave us some freshly caught striped bass he received from another member, and John S. came by as we compared stories of our Loop and learned more about him and his service in New York City, eventually retiring with FDNY.

Later in the afternoon, we used John’s car to attend the 5:00 mass at St. Clare’s Catholic Church.  It was only about 1.5 miles away, but with the hills and having to cross Hylan Blvd, we chose to drive.  It was a beautiful church located in a middle class neighborhood, and was very warm and friendly.

Although there were many dining opportunities and John S. had again offered us use of his car to go anywhere on Staten Island, we opted for eating the fresh fish John C. had shared with us instead.

Tomorrow we would leave for Long Island and we still had some planning to do.

Here are some pics from of the GKYC area:

Port Washington – Long Island, NY (Sunday, 6/11)
As much as we hated to leave the family-oriented GKYC, we had places to go and left for Long Island just after 8:00 am.

Knowing we needed to get fuel eventually, and not wanting to pay New York prices, we headed south across Raritan Bay to Brown’s Boat Yard up the Cheesequake Creek Inlet.  It is a much protected inlet with lots of nature around, but the fit into the slip to get the fuel was a bit tight.

After filling the tanks and getting a free (with fill-up) pump out, we headed back out onto Raritan Bay and chose to take the longer (and less scenic) west side run up Staten Island to New York Harbor.

The channel in this area is known as “Arthur Kill” and is heavily traveled by industrial barges and tows.  Initially the coasts on both Staten Island and the New Jersey side are mostly residential, but quickly turn commercial.  On the New Jersey side are numerous docks and fuel depots, and on the Staten Island side there is a power plant (or two) other industrial areas.

Eventually, we came up to the former landfill on Staten Island that is now being converted into a park.  Because it is so large in height, you can see it for miles coming up the Arthur Kill channel.

At the foot of the landfill is a refuse off-loading plant where household trash is collected and put on barges to be shipped to “who-knows-where”.

John C. (at GKYC) had given us all the information about this area as well as the stories about two of the bridges that are under construction along this route. One such bridge is the Bayonne Bridge, which is being raised from 150 feet to 215 feet. They are literally building the new bridge above old one and this marks the transition into the Kill Van Kull channel that eventually dumped us into New York Harbor.

And then we entered New York Harbor.  The last time we passed by here it was windy and cool, but not much boat traffic.  Today was the complete opposite; it was hot, no wind and there were so many pleasure boats, ferries, sightseeing vessels, container ships and tugs churning up the waters. Mark was able to slow the boat down for a few classic pictures of the NYC Skyline and Lady Liberty, before turning into the East River.

We passed along Governor’s Island and headed up the East River going under the BMW bridges (Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Williamsburg). This was new territory and we have never been here before on our boat. We then cruised the route that took us west of Roosevelt Island and gave us ample opportunity to take some very cool pictures of the area:

And as we were cruising along who should pass us in the opposite direction was the motor yacht “Magic Days”, whom we last saw in Atlantic City.

About the time that we approached the Hell’s Gate area and Riker’s Island, we were infested with millions of tiny bugs  that attached to the ceiling inside the boat.  We had been running with the back door open which was fine when we had open water, but now that we were in the confines of the East River, it got hot…and now we had bugs.  The Captain ordered the door closed, and the generator and air conditioners on. For the next 15 minutes Denise vacuumed until all the bugs were eliminated and everything was put back to normal.  Then it was time to make lunch and there was little time for pictures.

Eventually, we passed LaGuardia airport where the planes were landing overhead and there were lots of recreational boats on the water.

Although the waterway opens up and is quite wide, there is still a channel and many of the power boaters go full throttle, creating a huge wake. It is the equivalent to a 4’ wave in the ocean and really rocks our boat.

Shortly thereafter went under the Throgs Neck Bridge (I-275), passing the State University of New York Maritime College on our port side, and the US Merchant Marine Academy at Great Neck on our starboard side.  This is the dividing line where the East River officially becomes the famous Long Island Sound; a new body of water for our Island Office to experience.

We cruised past City Island and made a right hand turn into the Manhasset Bay where we were instantly aware of the very large mansions lining the edges of the bay.  These houses are the largest we have seen on this trip, and are reminiscent of those on Lake Skaneateles that Denise experienced on the Loop adventure.  We are in “Great Gatsby” country and these homes look the part.

As we approached the Brewer Capri Marina West where we had reservations, we attempted to contact them regarding our slip assignment.  However, after numerous attempts via phone and VHF radio, we were unsuccessful and this became frustrating.  Instead of motoring in the harbor we pulled up to the fuel dock and got the attention of the dockhand, who contacted the marina manager via VHF and he directed us to our slip. Of course all of this after he told us his VHF radio did not work.  Go figure!

We pulled into the slip and looked around to find we were the smallest boat in the “yacht” section of this marina.  The next smallest boat was the Hinckley Sedan next to us and was at least 45’ (and probably worth $2.5 million).  We were definitely playing with the “fat cats” now.  We chose a marina, and specifically this place, as Mark has to leave to go see a client and we needed to be able to get off the boat and into shore easily.   A mooring ball for the week was just not going to cut it.

Once we got the boat settled we were able to discover more about the marina and were really happy we chose this place. The floating docks are wide (they drive golf carts on it) and the finger piers are long and in great shape.  There is a pool, laundry, restrooms and showers all just a short walk away, and an on-site casual restaurant (Butler’s Flat Clam Shack).

Not long afterwards,  the manager rode by in a golf cart and welcomed us. When we told him of our attempts to make contact earlier, he apologized for the lack of response. He also advised that a package for us had arrived and he would have one of the dockhands bring it by.

We then went to work cleaning the salt off the boat.  Usually Mark likes to do this by himself, but today he allowed Denise to come behind him and squeegee the windows and dry the stainless.  He was definitely hot and a bit tired.

Later over cocktails, we contemplated what to do about dinner. In addition to the on-site restaurant there are a few restaurants in walking distance (1/2 mile away), and we could always take the water taxi across the bay where there were more options.  By this time fatigue (or alcohol) had set in and we opted to eat leftovers on board.  A few other yachts pulled into the marina, and a dockhand brought our package down to us.

We did manage to get in a walk around the docks before calling it a night, and captured a great sunset on which to end the day.

Port Washington – Long Island, NY (Monday, 6/12)
Sunrise continues to get earlier and earlier, so Denise expected to be wide awake the minute the sky started to turn daylight (around 4:45).  However, since no alarm was set she actually slept in until 5:30, and then headed out for a run.  As we are docked on the northern part of Manhasset Bay and the town of Port Washington is on the southern end, she thought it would be a good to run the 2 miles there and then back, and it was.

Initially the route was a residential area, but quickly changed to the main street in the village of Manorhaven where there is park that runs along the water.  The park has tennis courts, a swimming pool, baseball fields and an outdoor hockey rink (open in winter).  Here you can also rent paddle boards and kayaks, when the park is open – which will not officially begin the summer season until this coming weekend.

Just past the park, the road intersects with Shore Road where she picked up the “Bay Walk” – a paver-laid pathway that runs most of the shoreline around into the town of Port Washington. Along the path there are plaques describing the local birds, fish, and flowers, as well as some art depicting the history of this area. 

There is also sculptured art and a nautical bench the result of a 5^th grade art project from the local school – Sousa Elementary.

Continuing into town there is a baseball field, amphitheater and “town dock” where you can pick up a water taxi to take you out to your boat on any of the numerous moorings. 

Here there is also Louie’s Grill; a popular restaurant that overlooks the bay and has a large dock you can dinghy to or take a water taxi to for dinner.  It has been around since 1905 and is known for being a great venue to see spectacular sunsets, but more recently was made famous as it was used in the movie “Meet the Parents”.

Realizing she had gotten distracted by the sights and that it was getting late, Denise had to quickly run back to the boat as she didn’t want to miss Mark’s departure. He had arranged for a cab to pick him up at 7:30 and take him to LaGuardia airport – at least a 90 minute drive at this hour, even though it was only 17 miles away.  She did made it in time to say goodbye and see him off, and he successfully arrived at his client.

For the rest of the day Denise stayed close to the boat, doing work for clients and working on cataloging pictures. Occasionally, she would step outside and talk with the crews who worked the yachts in the nearby slips, but for the most part stayed on the boat. Part of the reason was the desire for some quiet personal time, but also because it was really hot outside, with temperatures in the mid 90’s.  Before long it was time for bed and the end of another day.

Port Washington – Long Island, NY (Tuesday, 6/13)
Today was household chore day.  First was a trip to the dockmaster to buy quarters, then the laundry, and finally the boat cleaning.  The guest quarters needed to be prepared for Claire’s visit (Denise’s sister), which included finding a place for all the stuff currently stored on the bed. Then the bed had to be made up, and the rest of the boat got a good vacuuming and some much-needed TLC.

Add to this was the fact that it was another blistering hot day, with the high temperature reaching 95°. Denise put up the canvas on the back of the boat to try and keep it a little cooler inside and keep the AC’s from having to work so hard.  It was HOT!

Also during the day, Denise did some research about places to stay in Maine, connected with friends who have a house in Gloucester, Mass, and another business associate who spends summers on Penobscot Bay in Castine, Maine.  All of which adds to the excitement to finally reach our planned destinations for the months of July and August.

Later in the evening the 3-masted sailing vessel “Sound Waters” pulled into the marina and tied up across the dock from our boat. Apparently they are a charter boat from Connecticut and had just the working crew aboard.  It is a beautiful vessel and in mint condition, but did look a little funny parked next to a big yacht.

It had been a physically exhausting day, and Denise had all she could do to stay awake until 9:30 pm – not long after the sun went down.  Tomorrow Claire was coming and who knows what kind of adventures that would bring.  One thing was for sure; the weather was going to change and thunderstorms were predicted during the night.  The skyline at sunset gave a hint of what was to come.

 

Atlantic City, (Tuesday, 6/6)
We ended Monday with the intent to get up early and head to Staten Island, NY via an off-shore passage in the Atlantic Ocean.  So at 5:30 am we untied the lines and headed out of Cape May inlet to fairly calm seas. It was very overcast and even though sunrise had occurred, the sky was dark and very ominous with rain certainly ahead of us. Despite passing several fishing boats who were coming back into the harbor, we pressed on because radar showing the rain substantially ahead of us, and the seas still pretty flat as expected.  As intended we cruised close to the shore and in the shortest most direct line north.

Within 45 minutes things started to get a little uncomfortable. First we hit fog, and for this we were grateful we had radar. But it didn’t last long because the wind kicked up, and with the wind brought the increase in waves. They were primarily on our bow and the interval frequency increased. Then things got a little choppy and we decided to head into safe harbor at the first opportunity we could – this was supposed to be the calm part of the trip and it was only supposed to get worse as we moved north.

Although there are numerous inlets along the New Jersey coastline, there are really only a few that are to be entered, especially under rough sea conditions.  The inlet near Atlantic City (Absecon Inlet) was the next acceptable one, and this was 20 miles away.  So we braced ourselves for a rough 60+ minutes until we could enter a protected harbor.

With every passing mile, Denise got calmer knowing we were heading into a safe harbor.  But when we crossed the other (non-transiting) inlets of Townsend and Little Egg Harbor the currents and an outgoing tide made things very rough.  And somewhere along the way, it started to rain. Atlantic City could not come soon enough.

Eventually we came to the Absecon Inlet and as if we were not sufficiently challenged, there was an incoming tug towing a dredge, and a second tug behind it.  At the same time, there was another dredge heading out of the inlet, making passing the slower tow a bit gnarly. As usual, Captain Mark did an awesome job of negotiating around them, while staying far enough off the jetty at the southern end of the entrance.

Finally in the harbor we attempted to contact the Farley State Marina (marina at the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino) our targeted spot for the night.  However, the marina was not yet open – it was only 7:55 in the morning and they get in at 8:00 am.  We slowly came through the narrow entry into Clam Creek and remained in the harbor until we were able to contact the marina and secure a transient slip for the night.  Happily they had so much availability we could choose our slip and preferred side to tie to on E dock.  By 8:20 we were in our slip, secured the boat, and turned on the heat to dry out the boat and get warm.

All day it was rainy, windy and miserable and we watched several boats come into the marina, most of which had come up from Cape May via the Atlantic Ocean. All of these boats were bigger than ours and all were covered in salt and had also been surprised by how fast things deteriorated today.

Eventually the rain stopped, but the wind and overcast skies kept us in the boat the rest of the day.  We used this opportunity to get some work done for clients, and to re-plan our trip to get to Staten Island.  We decided to leave tomorrow and go up the ICW to Manasquan, and then we will be forced to go out into the Atlantic Ocean for the remaining voyage up to Staten Island (about 30 miles). This is not Mark’s preferred way as the ICW is longer in miles due to the endless winding – not unlike the ICW in Georgia – and because it is really shallow in parts. It will require constant attention to prevent running aground.  However, if we can take it up to Manasquan, then Friday when the weather is supposed to be better, we can make the journey from Manasquan to Great Kills Yacht Club on Staten Island, and then on to Port Washington on Long Island by Sunday.

The Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino has several restaurants, including a Chart House that overlooks the marina. Tuesdays through Fridays in their bar area (only) they have a happy hour special on drinks and appetizers. So we decided to try it out and make it our “dinner”. It worked out great as we shared four separate appetizers, a couple of house drinks, and a great view of the marina and Atlantic City skyline.

After dinner we walked over to the hotel and casino to see the place, and maybe try our luck at a little slots.  As soon as we walked into the non-smoking section of the casino we were hit with the awful smell of cigarette smoke.  It was so bad that we immediately turned around and went back out to the lobby area, and eventually back to the boat. We settled in for the night and watched another few episodes of “House of Cards” on Netflix until we could no longer stay awake.

Here are some pictures from the hotel and casino:

Atlantic City, (Wednesday, 6/7)
When we woke up this morning it was a cold 53° and very windy.  Denise attempted a run, but after 2 miles and 3 loops around the Golden Nugget and the surrounding properties, she quit.  There were just nowhere to run that was not on a highway or in an area she felt safe.

Before breakfast we had talked to our dock neighbors about the weather and plans to move north, and like them, we decided that we too would sit tight another day. It would be a big risk to travel the narrow ICW in with the high winds where we could easily be blown out of the channel and run aground. Plus, it was better to stay here one more day, then move to Manasquan and sit there for two days; this marina had more to offer. So, Mark got on the phone and rescheduled our reservations for the upcoming days and extended one more day here in Atlantic City.

During our two days here, we also made plans for Denise’s sister Claire to come visit us while on Long Island.  Mark has to go to NC next week to see a client and this will give Denise some company. Then she can cruise with us to a few spots on Long Island, not unlike when we were on the Michigan coast during our Great Loop adventure.

We also spent the better part of the day formulating our trip itinerary for the days after Port Washington on Long Island.  Our primary concern was getting to Portland where we can leave the boat for the week we will be at the family reunion. Secondarily, we wanted to make sure we have time to get to Rockland, Maine (birthplace of our Island Office).  Even allowing for weather days, we do have time to do this and will also be able to spend some time in the Portsmouth – Kittery, Maine area and visit with Denise’s Aunt Judy. We cannot wait as we have visited this area many times and will be thrilled to now see it from the water.

Our biggest concern cruising this part of the east coast (in addition to weather, fog and rocks) is the exorbitant amount of money they charge for overnight accommodations. Marinas are anywhere from $3 per foot + $15-$30 per day for electricity (highway robbery) and mooring balls can be as much as $60 per night.  Normally we would just plan on anchoring out, but in many areas of Long Island this option is very limited, and it is 100% dependent on good weather.  Boy do we miss some of the marinas on the Western Rivers where they only charged 50 cents per foot and no charge for electricity!

As weather would have it, by mid-afternoon the winds had died down and the sun came out. It ended up being a very pretty day.  We got to talk with some of the boats that were still in the marina, including the crew and eventually the owners on “Magic Days”.  This was a boat Denise saw in Solomons, MD, then we saw it again in Cape May. Now they were on side-tied on the dock behind our boat.

It was not the only large yacht on the transient docks: there were two large Viking sport-fishers who were heading down to NC for the marlin tournament; a Hatteras cruiser from Ocean Reef; and a few other cruisers, including “Pegasus” who was at Zahniser’s in Solomon’s.  Here are some of the boats:

 

Soon it was time for dinner and we opted to eat on board the boat.  Together we cooked some delicious fajitas and finalized our plans for moving to Staten Island on Friday, including stopping along the way to top off our fuel tanks before entering New York.  We watched another few episodes of “House of Cards” and wrote this blog before calling it a night.

Tomorrow we will move the boat from Atlantic City to Manasquan and then Friday cruise the 30+ miles to Great Kills Yacht Club on Staten Island.

Here are some more pictures of the area around the marina and the Golden Nugget:

Delaware City, (Sunday 6/4)
We left the Delaware City Marina early in morning, wanting to get to Cape May before the winds picked up and the weather got bad.  So, we left early but not quite as early as many of the sailboats in our marina who had a long day ahead. Ah the benefits of cruising at 18 knots versus 8 knots!

We pulled the boat away from the dock, cruising through the harbor entrance, and out into the Delaware River. We left Fort Delaware to our port (left) side and headed south into the shipping channel without incident or any traffic for miles.  It was a very calm day and the sun was shining bright and we were happy that conditions were about as perfect as they can get on the Delaware River.

It is easy to navigate this area as the channel is very wide to accommodate the large containers and tows that take this route up to Philadelphia, and because you can use the Hope Creek Nuclear Power Plant as a reference point;  you can see it for miles.

It was a pretty easy day, passing several communities on the southern banks of the river (in Delaware), and lots of low lying areas on the New Jersey side. There were quite a few boats on the water, mostly recreational fishing boats and sailboats, several were ones that had left Delaware City hours before us.  We passed by the Ship John Shoal Lighthouse which stands 50 feet above the water, but seems much larger as it is visible for many miles.

The closer we got to the Cape May Canal entrance, the more boat traffic picked up, and so did the waves. The area where the Delaware Bay empties into the Atlantic Ocean frequently has higher waves than anywhere else along the river, and today it was as expected. Fortunately, it was not nearly as bad as the rough seas we encountered 2 years when we had our “unfortunate” incident.  Denise breathed a sigh of relief when we had less than 8 miles to go, and was delighted as we approached the entrance with the only challenge was the ferry ahead of us.

We entered the Cape May Canal and were greeted by the pair of dolphins that usually hang out there, and the “welcome” station on the northern banks at the David Douglass Sr Memorial Park.

As we moved further up the canal towards the ferry terminal we could hear some cheering crowds and an announcer. We realized there was a road race in progress and the finish line was right along the waterway. This was the third athletic sporting event in the last week, and with no races scheduled until November, Denise was feeling like there was a message here.

As we cruised past the ferry’s and moved further into the canal we encountered a whale –watching boat that was hogging the center, and right behind him was a Coast Guard patrol boat. It was a busy Sunday morning in Cape May.

Knowing we would need fuel eventually, and not wanting to pay New York prices if we didn’t have to, we decided to stop and get fuel before getting to the South Jersey Marina. We located Miss Chris Marina up a side creek, and navigated the very calm waters into their fuel dock. It was very shallow and we kicked up some sand in the process. However, we were able to pull into the dock and fill up the tank which didn’t take very long because we were only half empty.

Within 20 minutes we were back out into the Cape May Canal and moved through the harbor, negotiating around a marked shoal area and some very confusing red & green markers (which switch sides at this point).  Then we came down the fairway to the marina that is bordered on both sides by commercial fishing boats; this was very unnerving, but Mark was able to manage quite well while Denise prepped the boat for docking.  We were greeted by a very competent dockhand who was most helpful in assisting us get tied up and then let us be to settle in.

Safely in port, we grabbed some lunch on board, then Mark washed the boat while Denise cataloged pictures and posted the last blog.  Ah, the feeling of being caught up!

Before long it was time to head to 6:00 pm mass at Our Lady Star of the Sea. We had attended here two years ago and really liked the church that sits right in the heart of Cape May.  The marina has a shuttle service now (they didn’t two years ago) and took us the 1 mile to the church and came and picked us up.  It was quite windy and a little chilly after mass, so we were grateful for not having to walk back to the marina.

We had a quick dinner on board the boat, watched another episode of “House of Cards” and called it a day!

Cape May, (Monday, 6/5)
We started the day off with a big breakfast at the Saltwater Café – the restaurant located at the marina that gives you a 10% discount if you are staying at the marina.  They are only open for breakfast and lunch, so we decided to give them a try and we were glad we did; the food was really good.

Today was a work day… a real work day!  We both had work to do for our clients as well as lots of administrative items to do for the business .  But before we got down to it, we had laundry to do. Unlike other marina’s laundry facilities, this one is first class!  It has very several very efficient washers and several dryers that actually dry the clothes in a single 45 minute cycle. This means it takes a lot less time to do the laundry.  It also has a large flat panel TV that you can watch while waiting on the clothes to be done.  Two years ago we crammed about 10 of us in here to watch American Pharaoh win the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown of horse racing.  Today, sadly Denise watched the news conference telling of the horrific workplace shooting near her home in the Orlando area.

And then the rain came. It started raining around noon and continued off and on all day and into the night.  Not wanting to venture out, we opted for a dinner of leftovers and worked into the evening.

Once again we cannot say enough good things about this marina. We were so impressed with it during our stay last time, and they did not disappoint this time either. Everything here is first class and it is a standard others should all seek to replicate.  Of course, it helps when the boats they let in the marina are of high caliber as well.

Tomorrow we will head north to Staten Island, NY via an off-shore passage into the Atlantic Ocean.  The rain is supposed to stop during the night and the wind is supposed to be calm in Cape May, but a bit breezy by the time we get to Sandy Hook at the tip of New Jersey. For this reason we are leaving very early in the morning and hope to be there before the big waves and winds kick in. We have a contingency to pull in if it gets too rough, but there are limited acceptable entrances back into protected waters along the New Jersey coastline. For this reason many cruisers only make this passage in the fairest of conditions.  But we have to leave the marina as they have a huge fishing tournament this coming weekend, and our slip is already rented.

So, we will be up at 5:00 am to leave as early as we can see in front of us, and hopefully have an uneventful passage up the New Jersey coast.

Rock Hall, MD (Friday, 6/2)
Unfortunately, today is the day we had to leave Solomons and head north.  It is easy to see why people come back here, and most likely we will too on our way home.  It’s a wonderful community and it has a lot to offer those who like to spend time on the water.

Regrettably, we left Zahniser’s Yachting Center around 8:00 and moved to the city dock for a free pump out. This took about 20 minutes and then we got under way, heading out of the harbor and onto the Pax River.  From there we turned north and headed up the Chesapeake Bay under spectacular conditions.  These are the days that make us fall in love with boating.  Calm seas, lots of sunshine and plenty of scenery.

We passed the Cove Point Lighthouse and the Dominion Cove Point LNG platform.  We remembered this structure from our prior trip up the Bay two years ago, and still find it fascinating that such a place stands out in the middle of this body of water.  Of course it has a security zone around it that is heavily patrolled, so we didn’t get too close.

We continued cruising north right through the middle of the usual fishing boats, and eventually passing Annapolis to our west. Naturally, there were plenty of sailboats there enjoying the day, and probably in a race (there always seems to be one there).  We cruised under the right section of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, not wanting to travel (and burn unnecessary fuel) by going under the center spans which were too far west from our direct course routing into Rock Hall.

Entering the Rock Hall harbor is a bit tedious as there is a big shoal area to its west, so you must head east of the shoal and ride the coast into the well-marked but narrow channel.  Once behind the breakwater we could see these huge triangle floats in the water that were to mark the swimming race course for the triathlon taking place tomorrow morning.

According to the charts we could take the channel around to the north, making a semi-circle to get to our marina, or go straight up the middle; a shorter route. However, the shorter route had Active Captain reports of being shallow so we opted for the longer, but deeper channel around to the north.  As luck would have it, the boat in front of us chose the direct route and ran aground.  We were grateful we had already taken the more prudent path and easily navigated through the harbor and into our slip at Rock Hall Landing Marina.

After we had settled the boat and checked in at the marina office, we settled into an afternoon of things to do: work and getting the last blog completed and posted.  Mark did manage to get a nap and Denise did manage to get a few work things accomplished.

Also during the afternoon Mark looked at the weather forecast for the next few days and from that we decided to re-plan our itinerary.  We had a few good days of travel, but the winds are forecasted to pick up to 25 kts and we didn’t want to be on the Delaware River heading to Cape May, NJ in those conditions. So we decided to forego our trip to Havre de Grace and head straight for Delaware City, DE on Saturday, and then early on Sunday make our way to Cape May before the winds really take off.  Having decided this, Mark called the marinas and adjusted our reservations accordingly.  After Sunday, all bets are off, but with a little luck we will get a good window to move from Cape May to Staten Island by the early part of next week.

Once our work was accomplished we took showers and made our way to the Waterman’s Crab House, a pretty famous restaurant in these parts. This is located adjacent to the marina and overlooks the harbor, with indoor and outdoor seating available.  The place was busy, but not so crowded that we could not get a table right away in the covered area outside, affording us a view of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

The people in the boat next to ours recommended the blue cheese and crab topped hamburger, which Mark ordered, while Denise got a crab cake sandwich. Both were delicious and we were happy to give the locals some business.  We also noticed a sailboat was in the very middle of the harbor, and we later learned they had run aground trying to transit the middle of the harbor as well.

Rock Hall is a town with a population of 1,200 people and they very much depend on fishing and tourism to drive their economy. So, tomorrow’s triathlon is a big deal as there are 1,000 participants for the event, and other spectators and support personnel who will also be here.  Unfortunately, because the swimming will take place in the harbor and starts at 8:00 a.m., we will not be able to leave until they are done this part of the event.

Here are some pictures of our marina and the surrounding area:

We ended our beautiful and fun-filled day with a spectacular sunset over the harbor!

Delaware City, (Saturday 6/3)
The day started out a little cool, but the sun was shining bright. Denise headed out for a run and to explore the downtown area that we did not get to see yesterday.  It is only a half a mile from the marina, and is quite small, but adorable.  From there she ran down the main road to the marinas north of us, and where there are many homes and a few condos right along the water. There is a wetlands area, a Waterman’s Museum, and a few other interesting sights. She came into an area that was known as “Gratitude” and still houses a working marina, shipyard and yacht sales. Turning south she passed Ferry Park, a beach area that overlooked the Chesapeake Bay, and from which you could see the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.  Here are some pictures of the Rock Hall area from her run:

In the meantime, the skies turned overcast and a very slight breeze picked up. Denise was happy for the cool air while running, but felt for the athletes who were about to jump in the 70° (so they said) water. Once back at the boat, we ate breakfast and then walked down to see the start of the race.  We were able to capture some of the athletes in the water, and also getting out and then running to the transition point.  We also noticed the sailboat that ran aground yesterday was no longer there, and had been told they had to be pulled off as they were in the very middle of the course.

Here are some pictures from the Triathlon events we were able to witness:

While waiting for the harbor to re-open to boating, Mark changed the fuel filters on the boat. Something we knew was necessary so he went ahead and took advantage of our “wait time”.

Finally around 9:15 the last swimmers were completely out of the water and the CG Auxiliary opened the harbor for all boats.  Along with many other boaters we left immediately, cruised around the north channel of the harbor, and exited to the Chesapeake in a direction to avoid the shoal area.

We were thankful that it was overcast as it would have been really hot if the sun was out as there was no real wind to speak of. The Bay was pretty calm and we were grateful for an easy passage. The only thing we had to worry about was a freighter that we wanted to pass before we got up to the C&D Canal, and we managed to do that.

However, by the time we got up to the area where the Sassafras and the Susquehanna Rivers simultaneously dump into the Bay, not far from the Aberdeen Proving Grounds (military base), the northwest wind  had picked up and we encountered a bit of a chop.

Fortunately, we only had to deal with this for a short time.  Soon we encountered the high cliffs of Turkey Point Lighthouse Park and the Elk Neck State Park to our west, and we entered into the Elk River.  The Chesapeake Bay was over; well at least until we return in the fall.

Not long afterwards we came up on a cruising yacht that looked very familiar to us.  We encountered “Lady Catherine” when we anchored at Pine Island, just north of St. Augustine; our first night on this adventure.  This time we talked with them on the radio and learned they were headed to Connecticut and Cape Cod for the summer where they will have several charters, then return south in the fall. They told us of their delay in Beaufort, NC as they were hit by a steel boat and it took 4 weeks to get them repaired and back under way. We wished them better luck and hope to see them again on the water.  We are always grateful for our “uneventful” adventures!

Continuing on, we entered the C&D canal and cruised its 12 miles peacefully. We passed by Chesapeake City, crossed into Delaware, sped under a handful of bridges, and encountered only a few other boaters along the way. One of the cool things about the Canal is that there is a bike path (called the Michael N. Castle Trail) that runs along the northern part of it.  Since the weather was so bad the last time we went by here, we did not know this. However, today there were many cyclists out enjoying the now sunny, but cool weather.

As we approached the Delaware River, we came up on a tow pushing a barge.  After communication with him we were able to sneak past on his port side and run up river outside the shipping channel to Delaware City; his destination as well. However, were going into the Branch Channel and he was going to the terminal dock actually on the Delaware River, so we were able to zoom past him and get in before we even were close.

We passed by Fort Delaware on Pea Patch Island to our East, and started to enter the Branch Channel just as a ferry boat was leaving. This is a very narrow entrance, so we chose to stay outside, let the ferry boat pass, and then cruise up to the Delaware City Marina.  Here we were met by two dock hands who did a fantastic job of helping us pull into a side tie, then turn our boat completely around for easy exit, all while fighting an incoming current that can run as much as 3 kts.  We were grateful for their help and expertise.

Once we had tied everything securely and settled the boat, we did a quick cleaning; Mark on the outside and Denise on the inside.  We then walked up to the Marina office and met Seth and Tim. Seth is young man who is learning how to work the marina office and has Tim (the marina owner) as his coach. We discovered he is going to do a study-abroad program at Oxford, and is an Eagle Scout. Together the two were so nice and friendly and told us everything about the area.

During the afternoon Denise worked on cataloging pictures and writing this blog, while Mark reviewed weather, planned the departure for tomorrow and took a nap.  In late afternoon we went exploring the town and seeing some of the sights.

Here are some pictures from the marina and the town:

Although we were planning to eat dinner on the boat, we got intrigued with “Lewinsky’s on Clinton” and had to stop in for at least a drink.  Well, one drink led to dinner and then our plans were changed in a blink.  The place is like an old time bar, with some references to Bill Clinton – although the name comes from the street which it is on.  And yes, they do sell cigars.

Delaware City is an interesting place. In addition to being surrounded by state parks and having some great cycling trails all around, there are a few other things that we learned about from the locals. First, it is home to the American Birding Association (www.aba.org) and has the largest species of variant birds in the US.  In fact, outside of Florida it has the largest heron and egret population.

Another thing we learned is that the area is full of haunted places, including Fort Delaware, which has been featured on the show “Ghost Hunters” numerous times. The fort dates back to 1815 and was used in the Civil War and Spanish-American War (1898), with over 2000 souls buried there. You can learn more about this historical park here.

There is also a hotel/restaurant in town that has a former chamber maid that haunts the place, and recently showed herself during a Chamber of Commerce event. Needless to say, this place doesn’t seem to be able to stay in business, despite numerous attempts.

After dinner we walked back to the boat and started into the latest season of “House of Cards”, racking up three episodes before we had to go to sleep.  Tomorrow (Sunday) we will  leave early to cruise down the Delaware Bay to Cape May, NJ before the winds start to really blow, and hope not to repeat what happened the last time we were there.