Sunshine, swimming and friends - what could be better!

Wow!  Another month has gone by and still we are enjoying a dry, sunny New England summer.  For all of you dealing with sticky, hot weather, give a call and you can come visit anytime!

We got very lucky upon our return to Newport.  After a couple of nights on the hook (that would be the anchor to you landlubbers) we called for a mooring on which to leave Dream Catcher for several days while we drove north for appointments.  We were told there was no space available, but while we were chatting with the harbormaster, a voice came on the radio and offered us his personal mooring to use as he was heading to NY in his sailboat for the New York Yacht Club's Summer Cruise. We were welcome to use it for no cost!!  How lucky is that!  So, we tooled around the harbor, found him at the fuel dock, handed him a coveted bottle of wine and thanked him profusely.

Our time in Massachusetts was short and fun - dentists, doctors, and most importantly, a visit to Sharon's best hair stylist.  Time with family and lots of provisioning ensued.  And then, upon our return to Dream Catcher we connected again with our friends Cynthia and Jim on Neverland and shared a wonderful dinner at our mutual friends' Roger and Chrisy in their newly renovated Jamestown home.  So much fun!  We love these folks and so enjoy sharing time.  Thanks Roger and Chrisy for your always lovely hospitality.  (We were too busy chatting and catching up to remember to take photos!)

That same week in Newport Greg gathered all the parts and tools to install our new windlass, the machine that deploys and then lifts the anchor and 200 feet of heavy chain.  This project took a lot of planning to acquire the right windlass to fit the bow of our boat perfectly and was a step up from our old windlass (bigger and better).  Greg also had a backing plate custom made from a high end shipyard in town.   He was happy to find a reputable place that could create one out of metal and, in the end, was not expensive.  A naval architect had to create a perfect template, then a machinist carved a 3/8 inch thick alluminum plate to be a perfect match for the deck-mountd windlass (which was quite expensive)!

The project took about three days and required Greg to spend too much time inside that tiny anchor locker, folded up like a pretzel.  Sharon's job is to be the runner for whatever tool Greg needs.  The job went reasonably well albeit not without its hitches.  The space under the deck where the motor is attached to the deck unit is narrow and we had to jimmy the thing around a few times, but finally got it set properly.  Then, the electrical devices had to be changed: solenoid, switches, heavy battery cables.  The best part was turning it on and trying it out. A delightful success!

Greg inside the anchor locker, directions handy
(he is sitting on very bent knees wedged between two walls)

Once we were certain the windlass was installed and working properly, we headed north again to New England Boatworks to gather our new chain - the correct size this time!  Of course, it was the one day it poured.  Soaking wet, Sharon on deck with her foot on the control pedal and Greg on the dock assuring the chain was fed in without twisting, we easily slipped 200 feet of 5/16" chain down into the anchor locker, in a few short minutes.  As Sharon said then and keeps saying - the thing works like "buttah".  Smooth and silent.  Wonderful!  Such a welcome improvement to the Dream Catcher systems!

New Maxwell windlass - a beauty!

We followed all that work with a week on the hook at Wickford, just outside the main harbor.  We kept Dream Catcher in Wickford Marina years ago where we met our friends John and Grace. Our time in Wickford included sunny days hanging around, swimming, walking around town and a delightful evening at John and Grace's lovely home. We love these two!  Thanks for the special dinner John and Grace.  Oh ya, Greg worked most days...but, still had lots of time to enjoy

How fortunate are we to have met some wonderful people whom we hope will be lifelong friends along this fabulous journey we're enjoying!

During our second week in Wickford we picked up a mooring from Wickford Yacht Club (we had to pay for this one - darn!) so that we could head back north to Massachusetts.  This trip included a few more medical appointments while we stayed with Greg's mom, always enjoyable - and his siblings often stop by when we're in town.  Sharon also spent a delightful evening with her sister Cathy, we enjoyed a scrumptious dinner at our friends Marilyn and Bob's in North Reading, a too-quick visit with friends Kevin and Debbie, and a comfortable stay at Nancy and Ted's beautiful home, in Boxford lovingly dubbed "Moore's Country Inn."  You can see we fit a lot in!!

When we returned to Dream Catcher we brought Nancy and Ted back with us.  After a quiet evening on the mooring we headed out early Tuesday, down the West Passage of Narragansett Bay then east into the ocean.  The North winds kept the ocean swells easily manageable and we had a quiet and easy passage to Cuttyhunk (this is the island at the end of the string of Elizabeth Islands south of Woods Hole, MA). We anchored off the beach at Cuttyhunk and enjoyed fresh ceviche (Nancy's requested meal - this time fresh scallops and haddock from Dave's market ) and our now-famous Tomato Gazpacho with Lobster.  Yum!

The next morning, we continued north and east through Quick's Hole to Vineyard Sound and sailed all the way to Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard.  We have been living large this season on moorings and enjoying every minute.  We usually anchor off Chappy Beach while in Edgartown, but once again we got lucky and picked up the Wrigley mooring inside the harbor.  This kept us a bit more private on the south end of the harbor and away from the center of town.  The Wrigley mooring is just what it sounds like, the mooring in front of the Wrigley gum family's compound. Three houses away was Walter Cronkite's summer home.  And that's the way it was!  Down harbor, Walter's old yacht "On Assignment" has been renamed, but still graces the harbor.  Think about it: Walter's friend calls and asks "where are you today, Walter?"  Walter answers: "On Assignment!"

Edgartown's Harbormaster told us that any town operated mooring that is vacant must be reported to him so that he can rent it out while the seasonal owner is away.  Some mooring holders leave for an entire season, maybe to Europe for the summer.  We were the lucky recipients of this wonderful location.  Hmmm, lucky in Newport, lucky in Edgartown!

While in Edgartown, we enjoyed a yummy meal at Alchemy, (thanks for the treat Nancy and Ted), a trip to the Artisan's Fair in West Tisbury, some fun shopping in town, and another yummy meal at The Boathouse - thanks again for the treat, Nancy and Ted.  

Sharon, Nancy and Ted riding into town while Greg stayed back and got more office time in.

Friday we took another dingy ride to Katama Bay (this is at the South end of Edgartown Harbor) to see if we could get to the beach.  This Bay has become filled with eleven oyster farms.  The most famous (to us anyway) is Honeysuckle Farm.  Greg had their oysters at Alchemy last summer and proclaimed them the best oysters he has ever had!  And that is saying something given the amount of oysters Greg has had!

Katama Bay is pretty shallow and the dunes that protect it have recently been breached by the ocean. This helps to bring in briny, cold water and makes the oysters even sweeter.  There is quite an operation of oyster farmers in that far end of the bay.  So interesting.

The oyster "beds" before lowering into the water, each with its own buoy. 

An oyster farmer's operating platform. The wire drum is used to separate oysters from each other
before putting them back for another month.

Another farmer's platform

Greg trying to find his own oysters. No luck!

Saturday night, our friend, Bob came with the Falmouth Ferry "The Pied Piper" to Edgartown to spend some time with us.  We shared lots of Honeysuckle Oysters, some dry Riesling, lots of conversation, and a delightful meal at Alchemy again!  We had a yummy breakfast the next morning at Edgartown Diner (thanks for the treat, Bob) and a fond farewell before Bob headed back home to make dinner for his crowd.  It was a short, yet delightful visit with a promise to meet again in some exotic locale.

Greg, Sharon and Bob

Greg has been working hard through all of this as business has picked up.  Fortunately, his view from the boat is delightful and the cellular signal is strong.  After a few more days in Edgartown, we headed West through Woods Hole and picked up another mooring (free this time) in Hadley Harbor - an iconic spot for sailors in New England.  Next day we headed over to Quisset Harbor where we had dinner with a high school friend of Greg's. Terry Hammar and his wife Kasha were kind enough to pick us up from Quissett Harbor and drive to the restaurant and back.  We had a fabulous time!  Greg and Terry learned to scuba dive together when they were 20!  During college, paths diverged, and it's been decades since they got together.  It really was a wonderful evening.

Today we headed back to Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard, where we will gather Greg's brother, Jay, and nephew, Jack, for the trip back to Newport.  Weather looks like it will hold with Northeast wind for a Saturday return.  Then, we will hunker down to see what Hurricane Hermine does over the coming days.  

'Til next time -