Though we haven't done a lot of sailing, we have been enjoying this beautiful New England summer weather. We know many are suffering from extreme heat and as we check temps around the area, we are happy to be living on the water. The days have been mostly sunny, crisp and clear with a little humidity thrown in to make us eager to dive into the water.
It has been a busy time with friends and family visiting over the last month. July 4th was shared with daughter Courtney and fiance' Paolo. Besides enjoying their fun company, we got to see a couple of Courtney's childhood friends and their boyfriends and share a yummy Mexican meal at
Perro Salado in Newport. As Courtney and Paolo consider where to tie the knot, we visited a few venues in the Newport area and it was decided that they will wed at
Greenvale Vineyards - a beautiful vineyard overlooking the Sakonnet River in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. We are excited that the wedding will be within driving distance of our families.
 |
Courtney's best buds and their boys! (we missed you Aoife and Missy!)
Click on any picture to enlarge! |
 |
| Sunset on July 3rd |
The following weekend, Sharon celebrated her 60th birthday (What!?) with her sisters and niece. We enjoyed a weekend of shopping, eating and chatting while Greg did his best to be the supportive husband amid all that estrogen. It was great fun and a delight for Sharon to share it with some of her best friends.
 |
| The girls and Greg |
In between the fun, we headed north to our old marina,
New England Boatworks and
The Ship's Store to gather our new anchor chain. Unfortunately, the chain was the wrong size, so we had to order new chain and a new windlass (the machine that hauls the chain and anchor up from the bottom of the sea and back into the boat). As these are on order we'll install them when we return to Newport.
Dream Catcher has two anchors, so if we do need to settle down on an anchor for a day or more we have a backup. So, off to the Vineyard we went.
The day was a beauty, though light in the wind category, so we ended up motoring the seven hours and 42 miles, pulling into Vineyard Haven mid-afternoon. After a few days of hanging on the hook, we headed over to Oak Bluffs to gather our next guests. Oak Bluffs is a busy and tight harbor, but since we were there on a Monday, we were able to snag a mooring to ourselves, rather than rafting with other boats, which we hear happens on most summer weekends. The Rhode Island Fast Ferry deposited our friends Shirley and Tim around 6pm Monday night after a long day of travel from Kansas City. It was so great to see them both and share the next four days with them.
The next morning dawned sunny and warm and we enjoyed a delightful sail around to Edgartown where we nabbed a mooring way down the harbor in front of the Wrigley house (yes, the Wrigley gum people). Edgartown Harbor takes up most of Katama Bay. If you're an oyster lover you may recognize this name. There are eleven oyster farms in Katama Bay now, producing some of the best oysters anywhere.
We have been sitting here for several days now enjoying this spot - protected from wind and waves, yet far enough away from town to keep noise to a minimum. Tuesday night dinner on board was an Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with Lobster (definitely a keeper recipe). Wednesday more friends, Art and Eileen, arrived - more work mates of Greg's from past corporate life. After a lovely lunch in the garden at
Espresso Love, we did a historic tour of the Vincent House - the oldest house on the Vineyard from the 1600's, the Dr. Daniel Fisher House and the Old Whaling Church. As part of the
Martha's Vineyard Preservation Trust, these buildings have been spared demolition, and are lovingly and pristinely cared for. We were treated to dinner that evening at
Alchemy - yum! The next day, we all hopped on the bus (for $3 per person) and headed over to the Grange Hall in West Tisbury to the Artisan's Fair. After a few purchases, and with some time to kill before the next bus, we enjoyed a walk through the
Field Gallery and
Alley's General Store - icons on the Vineyard and a delight to browse.
 |
The gang after a yummy meal at Alchemy,
thanks for the treat, Tim, Shirley, Art and Eileen |
 |
| Old Whaling Church, Edgartown, MA |
 |
| Beautiful Trompe L'oeil inside the church |
 |
| Playing in the Sculpture Garden |
After a fond farewell to Eileen and Art, we enjoyed some down time onboard
Dream Catcher for the afternoon and evening. The weather has been spectacular and we all feel so fortunate to be able to enjoy the cool breezes off the water. Friday, we rented bicycles and after tooling around town and viewing all the beautiful homes hidden away on the side roads of Edgartown, we headed out to South Beach. But first, a visit to the Harbormaster's office assured us we could stay on the mooring through the weekend. While waiting for him to "check his lists," we watched this boat being hauled out of the water. After a three year stay in the Bay, check out the collection of muscles that had grown on the keel. Wow!
We rode the designated bike path to South beach and took a gander at the heavy surf. No swimming for us that day - we were almost blown off our feet, just standing there viewing the ocean. After a cold beer, we headed back to
Dream Catcher and laid low for the afternoon. Dinner was a special treat at
L'Etoile. A delightful table on the patio and delicious food, once again, a generous and delightful treat from Shirley and Tim - thanks! As we headed back on the launch, we all agreed it was a wonderful week on and off the water. Thanks to Tim and Shirley for joining us here on the Vineyard.
 |
| The Patio at L'Etoile |
 |
| An easy launch ride back to Dream Catcher |
We have spent another five days hanging on this delightful mooring. The weather has been perfect! While checking email the other night, we saw a blog post from our friends Jim and Cynthia on
Neverland. They are in Vineyard Haven! We met this wonderful couple in the Bahamas during the winter of 2015, our first trip there. They spend most of their time aboard Neverland, cruising the US East Coast and the Bahamas. We took the opportunity to text them and shared a wonderful lunch at the Seafood Shanty, where we could barely stop talking long enough to order. It was so great to catch up with them. We said "see you later", knowing we would see them again over the coming weeks.
When we got back to the boat and were settling in for the evening, we saw the fog was starting to roll into the harbor. Knowing that Friday was to be a rainy and foggy day, we decided to haul anchor and head over to secluded and protected Lake Tashmoo before nightfall. Within a couple of hours we dropped the hook again and did then get to settle in for the evening. The next morning was indeed rainy, so we were happy to be secure in this sweet spot. By mid-day, another text from
Neverland invited us for cocktails, two boats away! They too had made their way to the safety of Tashmoo in anticipation of a stormy day. We enjoyed seeing their lovely home and shared more time chatting away.
 |
| Neverland, home port Annapolis, MD |
With better weather than originally forecast, we decided to make the jump to Cuttyhunk - a short 15 miles away. Once again, we tried to sail, but the four knots of wind just wouldn't push us anywhere. By noon, we were settled off the beach on the hook and watched the boats pour in from the West. A very popular spot on a summer weekend, we were amazed at the parade that ensued. Since Sharon had never been on land at Cuttyhunk, we dingied in and enjoyed a walk up the hills. The panoramic views from the topmost point are spectacular. On our way back to our boat, we spotted our friends John and Grace on
Frances and had to stop for a chat. We hadn't seen them since we left Vero Beach in January and it was such a treat to catch up with them on their beautiful boat. We look forward to more time with them when they return to their home in Rhode Island after their yacht club's summer cruise.
 |
| Cuttyhunk Harbor |
 |
| Cuttyhunk's Post Office & US Mail vehicle |
This morning, we weighed anchor and headed back to Newport where we will pick up our new windlass and anchor chain and then spend some land time near what we used to call home - visiting doctors, hair stylists and family.
'Til next time -
