This new day dawned foggy - just like the three days before it. Up early to begin a transit, we waited an hour or so, then decided to head out in spite of the thick grey fog. We had 40 miles ahead of us and hoped the fog would lift. Light winds meant a motor sail to Martha's Vineyard from Newport. As we headed out of Narragansett Bay into the ocean and turned East it seemed to be getting brighter. We had poor visibility, so we passed the time chatting and hanging out. There is usually enough cell signal to text because we ware so close to shore on this passage. We were chatting with friends, Jim and Cynthia, who were socked in at Cuttyhunk, which we passed midway on our trip. Since the visibility improved on the ocean, they decided to head out as well from a foggy harbor.
Sharon went below to make a sandwich. When she came back up into the cockpit there was no visibility at all - the conditions changed dramatically. You could tell a boat had passed by the waves, but we couldn't see them at all. We were happy to have radar, AIS and a very robust automatic foghorn! However, we missed seeing the beauty of Gay Head and Menemsha Harbor. Bummer!
By the time we passed the entrance to Lake Tashmoo on the northwest shore of the Vineyard, the fog finally cleared. This made us very happy as the ferries were running like giant bugs between the Vineyard and Cape Cod. Whew!
Time on the Vineyard is always a favorite for us. During the years of docking Dream Catcher in the Newport area we made many trips to the Vineyard and Nantucket. We were thrilled now to be back after three years. We caught up with our friends Jim and Cynthia on Neverland, and got to share a few days with them in Vineyard Haven.
The bus system on the island is fabulous and inexpensive. We took a ride out to Menemsha, the other side of the Vineyard and 15 miles away, and enjoyed the sights together and found excellent lobster rolls. We walked all over Vineyard Haven and enjoyed fish and seafood from The Net Result, found some gifts at the Beach House and cruised LeRoux, a favorite kitchen store. We also took a bus out to West Tisbury together for a visit to the Field Gallery and the Artisan Fair.
Reminder to click on any photo to enlarge!
Field Gallery
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Whimsical Sculptures at the Field Gallery
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| A silly selfie of us and Jim and Cynthia |
We had a mooring reserved in Edgartown for the coming week, so we said bye to Jim and Cynthia for now and brought Dream Catcher around the island to Edgartown. We always try to choose a mooring on the West side of the Edgartown Harbor for the seclusion and views. This time they gave us a nice one right in front of Ernie Boch Jr's house, a huge car dealer in MA. Given what we know about Ernie Bock, Jr, we weren't sure whether we were happy about this or not.
Friends Bob and Siham came over on the ferry and spent a couple of nights. Jim and Cynthia came over on the bus for a nice lunch. Dave and Linda from Molly D, a brand new Island Packet 439, stopped over to introduce themselves.
It was a great week filled with lots of fun! Bike rides around town, to South Beach and to Oak Bluffs; lobster rolls for lunch, visits with friends, fresh oysters and lots of sunshine.
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| Ernie Boch's Estate with Lamas in the front yard |
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| Mooring Ball has his slogan "Come On Down" Sheesh! |
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| Bike Path to Oak Bluffs |
Eastern shore
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| Moon Rise from the boat |
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| Bob and Siham relaxing after shucking oysters for dinner aboard! |
A very happy night!
Katama Bay, Martha's Vineyard oysters - the end of the harbor.
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| We spent a few hours here catching up on wifi! |
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| Another moon rise |
Sharon enjoying a Worcester Mass brew at a harbor restaurant.
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| Sunset |
Our time on the Vineyard finally came to an end. We filled the water and fuel tanks, loaded the bicycles, and headed out again. We had to time our trip to make slack tide at Woods Hole. The current can run up to 4 knots - and you really don't want to do it at max current, whether against or with, as it can set you on the rocks. We passed through at the right time with little issue - except for a giant sport fisherman who thought he could just scream through at any speed, knocking us and others side to side. Oh well!
We sailed up Buzzard's Bay and into Red Brook Harbor where we poked our way into a sweet anchorage behind an island. We enjoyed a quiet evening close to the beach and among only a few other boats.
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| View from our anchorage |
The next morning we motored out of the harbor and headed north into the Cape Cod Canal. We made about 8 knots and even saw our speed over ground hit 10.4 knots. Always an adventure!
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| Boat speed against speed over ground in the Canal |
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| Bourne Bridge |
We turned north as we exited the Canal. The seas were flat and we still had current with us, so we kept going all the way to Scituate Harbor, where we found a mooring for the night. What a sweet little harbor - very protected, yet busy with local boat traffic. While there, good friends Barbie and Paul picked us up and drove us to Marshfield to see their sweet home on the shore. They also took us out to dinner at one of their favorite places. It was so good to see them! Such a treat. Unfortunately, we forgot to snap a photo - bummer!
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| Storm blowing through Scituate Harbor |
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| Scituate Light |
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| Molly D passing us going north |
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| Minot Ledge Light - blinks 1-4-3 for I Love You |
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| Boston Harbor Light |
After a couple good days in Scituate, we continued North to Hingham, where we'd planned to share time with our friend Andra in her lovely home. We found a mooring with Hingham Shipyard (a record for most expensive mooring). We enjoyed three wonderful days with Andra and her house mate, Diane. They were kind enough to let us do laundry, charge all our devices, tote us around town and show us their favorite spots. We took long walks on the river trail behind their house, on Nantasket Beach about 15 minutes away, and really enjoyed exploring this area we had never been before.
We also got to see friends Kevin and Debbie and their sweet little beach cottage in Hull (Nantasket Beach). All of it was so great.
Finally time to move on. We left in the early morning and motored into Boston Harbor and found Peddocks Island, where we dropped the hook in Perry Cove. It was clearly a Sunday afternoon recreation spot for small motorboats - lots there for an afternoon. We enjoyed hanging there the rest of the day and were left alone as they all left when sunset approached. It was a unique, quiet evening with the Boston skyline to the west of us.
The next morning, a sunny one, we motored into the city of Boston and took a slip at Charlestown Marina, just north of Boston's Italian North End. We had been to this marina back in 2016 but it had grown by 50% since then. The docks are beautiful and it is an easy walk into the city. With several items of business while in town we headed off that afternoon to the Apple store where Greg could get some tech assist. We walked across the bridge past the Boston Garden (where the Bruins and the Celtics play), up and over Beacon Street, through the Boston Public Gardens and on to Boylston Street.
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| The arch in the middle is Rowe's Wharf |
Sharon doesn't remember ever walking the Public Gardens in the summer - what a joy!
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| The famous Swan Boats |
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| One of many rose gardens |
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| The Statehouse |
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| The Hancock Building and Tower |
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| Sights in Beacon Hill area |
We accomplished our business and walked back to the North End to share dinner with Greg's brother Jay and fiance' Lisa. A great day and lovely evening!
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| Jay, Lisa, Sharon and Greg |
The following day, Greg took off early to head to see his Mom and sister, Pam, in New Hampshire - but first he stopped for fresh lobster rolls and sweets from Modern Pastry to take along - what a guy! He had a great trip and was fortunate that Pam's daughter-in-law and her two girls were there. Such a treat!
Sharon was lucky to have her niece Elizabeth and sister Cathy come into the North End for a nice stroll and lunch.
That evening, friends Bob and Siham met us in the North End again. We definitely did our best to enjoy the North End! And it was so great to get to see everyone!
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| Elizabeth, Sharon and Cathy |
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| A whimsical entrance to a restaurant |
While we had hoped to spend another day in Boston, we decided to head out to our next destination in order to beat some inclement weather heading our way. Again, an easy motor day - no wind, flat seas.
We arrived in Salem Harbor in the early afternoon and picked up a mooring on the Marblehead side. Since it was to be a rainy afternoon, we put up the cockpit enclosure and settled in for a relaxing few hours. The rain, indeed, did come. We were happy to be at our destination.
The next day was a dreary one as well, but our friend Renee picked us up and off we went to a yummy lunch at Turner's Seafood Restaurant. After lunch we walked over to the
Peabody Essex Museum where we enjoyed the afternoon viewing several maritime exhibits and a unique one featuring historic moments in Salem.
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| This describes the photo above and below |
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Above were from the maritime exhibit at Peabody Essex
 | | Sharon and Renee in the garden at Peabody Essex |
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| The water feature in the garden |
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| Renee's beautiful window boxes |
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Sharon, Renee and Greg
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That night we shared a yummy dinner and wonderful conversation at Renee's house in Marblehead. While in the Salem/Marblehead area, we had the opportunity to drop in at childhood friend of our daughter Courtney's, Aoife. We were fortunate to spend time with her and her husband, Chris, and got to meet their 1-1/2 year old Nessa. So fun! We all got lucky Friday night with fireworks in the harbor. It was a great show and the best part was at the end when the entire harbor blew their horns and cheered!
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| Fireworks in Salem Harbor |
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| Greg, Sharon, Nessa, Aoife and Chris |
Our last day together was filled with fun stops at
A&J King Bakers,
Wilson Farm in Lexington and Wegmans! That evening we shared a yummy meal at
5 Corners Kitchen in Marblehead. We said our goodbyes and headed back to
Dream Catcher on the launch late Saturday night. It was such a great visit!
The next morning we were off to Rockport. Another motor on flat seas, it was only a three hour trip. Rockport holds a special place in both of our memories. The kids learned to sail there at the
Sandy Bay Yacht Club and Greg crewed regularly on small racing sailboats. Sharon would often visit the town with friends and family. Great shops, beautiful views and oh the gardens! We snagged a float and tied up for three days (this time a day longer than planned due to weather). We walked all over town, hit the shops and galleries, caught up with acquaintances from times past, and loved being in the shadow of the clubhouse. This would be a town we could live in for sure!
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| Sandy Bay Yacht Club |
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| On the float in front of the club |
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| The Opti's stored for the evening |
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| The bigger kids getting the 420's ready for a sail |
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| Inside the clubhouse - burgees from all over the world |
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| The Optimists at rest |
Fabulous gardens everywhere
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| Public Garden beside a bubbling brook |
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| One of several public beaches |
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| A public footpath and overlook |
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| A whale to climb on |
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| The side of Motif #1 that you rarely see |
Tomorrow we continue north to Maine, a 60 mile sail with a plan to stop for the night in Biddeford on the recommendation of our friends on Neverland. Thanks for following along.
'Til next time -
