One Month Later

The farm auction was a success. Some things went for more than expected and some didn't. But we were happy that it all WENT. Although, Steve says that while some of it may have changed ownership, it isn't going anywhere. The family may have done a little shopping. Steve and I managed to control ourselves by imagining what it would be like to tow a dinghy full of farm implements up and down the coast.

We got up to Fargo to see my sister Mary and her family and their beautiful new kitchen makeover. All the nieces and nephews are getting so grown up and smart and wonderful. This is our niece, Abby, holding Rex, the cat who swallowed a basketball.

We've been back at home for a few days now, hanging off Gary and Alex's mooring ball, getting a weekend's worth of shopping and provisioning put away. It looks like we'll be having a mini North Dock reunion over the 4th. Rob, of Cosmos Mariner, is here and Chris and Anne, of Mr Mac, are on their way, to be here Saturday. It will be a great reason to break into the really good bottle of tequila. Something tells me that Gary and Alex won't be throwing out invitations to come and stay quite so freely after this summer. They are the best of hosts, generous, fun, they even manage to have a lobster man at their dock, so the fresh fish is plentiful. What more could we ask for? If only Gary would wire the mooring for 110 and get in the fresh water hookup...

Niagara Falls

Almost 30 years after we got married we made it to the "#1 Honeymoon Destination in America!" It was a beautiful, sunny day and the falls were spectacular. The huge clouds of mist felt great. I had to keep reminding myself that it was fresh water not salt and that it would dry in a minute or so.

From the American side, looking across Bridal Veil Falls, the Maid of the Mists tour boat is on the left, Ontario farther left.

Steve, contemplating a rare breakage of the rules. He came to his senses and stayed on the right side of the rail.

It Was A Duesy Of A Day

I don't even know where to start to write about yesterday. It was such a GREAT DAY. To start: we're in Newburyport, MA, hanging on the mooring ball behind our friends house. Gary and Alex split their time between their boat, the m/v Rhapsody in Blue, in St Pete where we met them and their home on the Merrimac River in Newburyport. Gary has his own plane, which we remembered when he buzzed us as we came into the river from the Atlantic. I mean, he really buzzed us, doing almost 200 mph, I couldn't even get a good picture, he went by so fast at right about mast height

To continue with my GREAT DAY. Gary is an exceptional pilot and can fly, well, everything. He volunteers at the Owls Head Transportation Museum in Owls Head, Maine. They have a big collection of WWI planes and Gary is one of just a few people who can fly them, actually he's the only person who can fly all of them. Anyhew, Gary flies up in his plane, about an hour trip, flies the museum's planes for them for the air shows and then flies home again. So for my GREAT DAY, I got to go along. In the really fast acrobatic plane. To Maine. I got to meet Melvin the Maine dairy farmer. I had a lobster roll for lunch. We did a roll on the way home. It set a new benchmark for the best day ever.

. Gary and Carl, the museum curator, doing a preflight inspection on the 1912 Curtiss Pusher.

Gary checking the 1917 Fokker Triplane before flight.

The museum has a 1935 Duesenberg (car) and from reading the info I learned that that's where the expression "It's a duesy" came from. Duesenbergs were so well made that they literally became the standard for all the others to try to meet.

We had the alarm set for 5 this morning but were both awake before it went off. We were even up before Adjima had a chance to walk all over us to see who would get up and feed her poor starving self.

We had to hit the current just right to go through the Cape Cod Canal. As you can see, we had a rocking good trip as our hull speed is usually around 7.5. The canal spit us out into Cape Cod Bay and we managed a few hours of great sailing before the wind died altogether.

We got into Gloucester in the late afternoon and grabbed a mooring ball in the inner harbor. This is a working harbor and there are boats of every kind all over. Great place to sit in the cockpit and just watch the world go by.

There are large groups of Eider ducks here, first time I've ever seen them, this is the southern edge of their migration. The down from their nests is collected for clothing, pillows, comforters, etc. Eider Down, I never knew. They're very pretty, very sharply black and white.

The Plan, As We Know It

Block Island disappeared in the fog off our stern yesterday morning and we had another lovely day sail, this time to Woods Hole, MA. Or rather, to an anchorage looking at Woods Hole, called Hadley's Harbor. The inner harbor was infested with moorings, so we chose a spot outside, and had it all to ourselves.
Today we're off to Onset, at the west end of the Cape Cod Canal. We'll do the canal tomorrow (?) and then we're off to Boston and then Minnesota. I know it sounds funny, but that's the plan.

Block Island

The great thing about last night's storm, the rollers from Europe smashing on the breakwater.

When we first started sailing 7 years ago, Block Island was a fantasy place to me. Way too far to get to in our little boat. Farther than the Bahamas. Even more distant than the Caribbean. Waaaaaaay up past the Chesapeake. Up there where it was cold and the tides and currents were forces to be reckoned with. I'm having a hard time believing that we're really here. It's been a dream for too long. It seems like we got here too easily, things are going too smoothly. ??

Enough pessimism. Block Island is beautiful, hilly, cliffs on the south end, a light house on each end. About 10 square miles, 1000 full time residents, triple that in the 'season', as many as 12,000 for the 4th of July. Real estate prices that are astronomical. A 2 BR 1 BA with a view, is listing for 1.2 million. A 1.75litre bottle of Capt. Morgan is $40.59. Good thing we are always well stocked. New Shoreham, the only city, is the smallest city in the smallest state. Spring is following us north, everything is blooming and green, and of course the pollen is here, too.

Time to take off the gloves

and do a blog entry. Today was supposed to be nice until mid day and then the rain would start and the winds pick up to 20-30 toward evening. The rain started at 0845, the wind soon after, both have kept it up all day. It's also only in the very low 50's (very low, like 49). The cat yawned this morning and I could see the steam from her breath. So we're baking. A lot. Brownies this morning, bread for dinner. We ate fresh, hot bread, fragrant with butter and strawberry jam, not bothering to sit, instead, standing over the stove for warmth, listening to the driving rain and howling wind outside. I have to admit that Adjima is so cold, we warmed up the bread brick in the oven and slipped in between the layers of her fleece bed. Yes, she has us well trained.

This is uncharted territory

for us, at least. We left New Jersey yesterday morning and had a lovely all day, all night sail to Block Island, RI. The weather couldn't have been better, well, yes it could. The previous post of me freezing on watch is nothing compared to last night. BUT... knowing that I'll be complaining about the heat very soon, I'll keep quiet about the lack of it. This photo is the east end of Long Island, which we rounded in the wee hours. We're now showered and fixing a hot meal, the dinghy is in the water, prepped for a shore adventure tomorrow. More pix to follow.

Cool Running

Sitting at anchor; Sandy Hook/Atlantic Highlands after a wonderful night sail from Cape May. After idling out the channel with the current and waiting, the forecast actually became true. Breeze filled in off our stern and we spent the night running down wind. 9-13 knots relative, jenny and jigger, with a gentle rocking-surfing-rolling motion that wanted to put me to sleep, knocking out 5-7 ½ knots all night long with just rushing water in the background. Ahh, but it can’t be all perfect as it was COLD, and there was a “little bit” of traffic south of New York Harbor. Here is Captain Morgan, err… Captain Lynn going on watch fully bundled against the cold, and you can see it wasn’t even dark yet!

And those who understand how the commercial fishing boats work with their endless lights of every imaginable shape and size ALWAYS ON can appreciate this. After the 0200-0500 watch, Lynn described the mass exit of the fleet from a coastal port “they came out of port heading to the ocean just like a Roman Candle, spurting color in our direction.” At least one adjusted course as she safely navigated through.

Now we’re checking the weather to see if a departure for Block Island is in order.

40 degrees 25.0 North
74 degrees 01.3 West

'Twas Brillig on the Chilly Sea,

er we did gyre and gimbol on the wave,
all mimsy were the sailors three,
and the mome rats were grave.

Apologies to Lewis Carroll, but that poem (or my version of it) has been running through my head for 2 or 3 days now, especially during my night watches. That and "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" by John Denver. Where did that come from? I haven't even heard it for years. I only know 4 lines and sang them about a thousand times last night. I hate it when that happens. I tap my teeth together when when I hum, so usually end up with a headache to boot.

Anyway, we're safely anchored in Cape May, NJ. It's cold and rainy, so pizza crust is rising as an excuse to turn on the oven.

N 38 Degrees 57.009
W 74 Degrees 53.298