Vero for Christmas

Well, we got a little messed up by the weather, so we spent two days in Melbourne, FL. While there I tried to hunt down my cousin that lives in Melbourne Beach in the winter. No luck as I had misplaced his phone, not published, and his email address. We moved on to Vero Beach, but I did search the we b and get a phone number for my cousin and after messages and tag we finally were able to get together in Vero Beach for dinner and food shopping for us. It was very nice to renew a friendship with lost relatives. Vero beach is also referred to as Velcro Beach by cruisers because of its cruiser friendliness. Free buses run to the stores and malls for provisioning and entertainment. Cafes with happy hours and a reasonably priced mooring field.
Some cruisers started a pot luck for Christmas day and 66 boats signed up to bring food and attend. A good time was had by all. We will be here through Monday at least as we are waiting for a UPS delivery. We hope you all had a merry Christmas and wish you the Happiest and healthiest 2009.

We have been in Florida since 11/30

We arrived at Fernandina Beach on November 30 and stayed until Dec 3. We met our friends Sandy and Jack Noble there and spent some time with them. We actually stayed an extra day due to the weather forecast of tornadoes and 60 mile a hour winds, neither of which happened. We enjoyed Fernandina Beach, it has lots of little shops on a very pretty main street. Another friend had a car, so off we went (three cruising women) to the grocery and liquor store. On Thursday, Dec 3 we arrived at a marina called Palm Cove. I had called the marina to check on the depth of the water because the cruising guide said it was only 6 feet(we need 5 feet) and they assured me the marina had been dredged and it was 7 feet. Well in we went, our depth sounder showing 4, 3, 2 feet. I think our boat was on the bottom that night, but nothing happened to it. We met another couple on a power boat and had dinner with them at the restaurant next to the marina, a very good meal. It was worth the shallow water for the meal. The next day we arrived at Camachee Cove Yacht Harbor, just north of St. Augustine, FL. This was a first class marina and actually my old employer writes the insurance for the boat yard associated with it. We stayed 2 days, the last day being very cold and foggy and rainy, felt like we were in Maine in the summer. We had the heat on at night. We left Sunday, Dec.6 and arrived in Daytona where we have been ever since. We spent a couple of nights off the boat at Helen and Ray Lanza's beautiful house in Deland. It was so nice to sleep in a king size bed, shower in a beautiful bathroom, watch tv and visit with good friends. I did laundry and more laundry, got a hair cut, Packet had a bath, we went to the movies, out to dinner. Dave and I went back to the boat on Wednesday and spent two days doing chores on the boat. On Friday Helen and Ray came for dinner and then on Sunday friends of theirs picked us up and took us back to Deland for a Christmas open house at the Lanza's. What wonderful friends we are so lucky to have. We were going to leave today, Dec. 14, but we woke up to pea soup fog(fog was so thick we could not see the end of the row of docks from our boat) and Barb was not feeling quite right(MS really is a pain in the butt at times) so we stayed. We will be going tomorrow and will go to Titusville (near the space shuttle area) and then on to Melbourne and finally to Vero Beach where we will spend the week before Christmas. Our plan is to be in Vero Beach from 12/18 until 12/27. Once we get there I will write again. Oh yes, it is finally warm, the last 3 days have been in the high 70's to 80 plus!!!

We are in St. Mary's

We ended up staying in Price Creek for 2 days. One day Packet jumped off the dinghy in hot pursuit of a pelican. When we weighed anchor on the 20th we had part of what looked like a crab trap attached along with lots of mud. We arrived in Steamboat Creek and anchored where the guide told us to, by the octagonal building, but we did not see the boat ramp and floating dock up river, so we took Packet ashore on private property, as the guide did not tell us the ramp and dock were up river and around a bend. We did find that the next morning. We by-passed Charleston, however we did see Alpha Tango( a boat we met at NEB) in the harbor. Maybe we will stop in the spring. On Nov. 21, Sat. we left for Beaufort, SC. We walked to town for ice cream and took the courtesy car for groceries and ate a Luther's. The town is nice, but there are only little shops filled with antiques, art, gifts, not a shop for restocking provisions unless you bike or borrow a car. we had had rain all day, but the late afternoon and evening in Beaufort was nice. 11/22 we arrived at a marina called Isle of Hope outside of Savannah. There we met up with a boat we had been with in Price Creek. this was an easy marina to get into, I did laundry, again nothing nearby, but they had 2 cars you could borrow. 11/23 we left for the Duplin river in Georgia. After we anchored we went in search of the sandy beach described in the guide only to find there was no beach due to high water unless we went out of the river and around the point. so we pulled up to the ferry dock, with signs telling all unauthorized persons not to land. Dave took Packet and spoke to a gentlemen who told us it was ok, the state of Georgia now owns the dock and the research center and we would be welcomed. There is the estate of J.R. Reynolds on the property, but it was quite a hike from the anchorage. We saw dophlins while we were going in and coming out of the river. On 11/24 we stayed at the Jekyll Harbor resort Marina, very nice. did laundry again, had dinner at the pub with Diva the boat we had met in Price Creek. 11/25 we arrived in St. Mary's for Thanksgiving. there were many boats anchored in the river, but we went through them all and anchored up river with plenty of room. Thursday, Thanksgiving about 200 plus cruisers ate dinner at a hotel The local people supply the turkeys and ham and the cruisers bring the side dishes and desserts. It was a lot of fun. There was music in the evening in the town park, but we did not stay for it. We have been here ever since, and hope to leave tomorrow(11/29). We have been resting and enjoying the town and the other cruisers, most who have left today. We will make our way to Daytona either in 3 or 2 days depending. We may stop in Fernandina Beach tomorrow if we can get a mooring. Oh, just so you are not jealous of us being in warm weather, it was in the thirties last night, had the heat on.

message to Sandy on Stillwaters

Hi, we cannot get into your blog sailstillwaters.blogspot.com and I do not have your email, please email us so we can find out how to get to your blog. Thanks. Barbara

Making our way to Georgia

We left Masonboro on Sat. 11/14 and at a very nice marina called St. James Plantation. Again it is a marina in a condo, single family house development. This one had 4 golf courses and 3 fitness centers. It was a little past Southport, NC. We only went a short distance because we wanted to make sure the engine was ok. It is, but now we think the prop needs to be adjusted, which Dave will do when we get to Florida hopefully in warm and clear water. we had no trouble with the Cape Fear river, only saw one freighter and the current and wind were together so we made good time and it was a flat ride. On Sunday 11/15 we arrived in Barefoot Landing, SC. We met a man on the dock who was living and working on his boat and we all went to dinner. The ride from Barefoot Landing to Georgetown was interesting. There are miles and miles of condo and huge homes and small homes with docks and then nothing but trees and grass. We made it through the area called the Rock Pile with little trouble. The water was very high due to high tides and all the rain. It was a little strange to see rocks on the side rather than grass and trees. The ICW was actually cut through this rock or fossiliferous limestone(from the waterway guide info). We stayed in Georgetown for 2 days to celebrate Dave's birthday with a dinner out. I enjoyed Georgetown because I could walk to town from the marina. We are now anchored in Price Creek about 16 miles north of Charleston. It is a creek that goes to the ocean and we are anchored in the middle with grass(marsh grass) on either side, there are no trees, so I am sure it is hot in the summer. It is supposed to be dog friendly, however the beach says no dogs on one side and the other side is a bird sancutary, but it is deserted so we took Packet anyway. tomorrow we will leave for another anchorage past Charleston on our way to Georgia. We may end up at St. Mary's, GA for Thanksgiving depending on the weather and if we stop in Beaufort. It is warm today, sunny, short sleeve and short weather finally. Happy Thanksgiving to all. The next time I write we will be in Florida, yeh!!

Finally leaving Masonboro

We have been in Masonboro since 11/5 and we now have a new turbo in the engine and the weather hopefully will cooperate for us to leave tomorrow. We had to have another mechanic fix the engine because the one from Mack Boring wasn't working out. It wasn't the exhaust but the turbo. The bad weather came in, rain and wind, wind and rain. We did enjoy our day in Wilmington and we met another couple in the marina who left today for the Bahamas. They loaned us their car so for the last few days we were mobile. We all had dinner last night at a restaurant near the marina. We may see them in Florida . So tomorrow we move further south, making it into South Carolina by Sunday. We hope none of you had any damage from the storm that dropped up to 5-8 inches of rain in NC.

Morehead City to Masonboro, not Wilmington, NC

We left Morehead city on Tuesday, 11/3 and headed for Swan Point Marina on the New river in Sneads Ferry, NC. We could not anchor outside of Camp Lejeune because you cannot go ashore and Packet needs to go ashore, hence the marina. we did hear gun firing the second night we were at the marina from Camp Lejeune, but at least the ICW was open for us to pass during the day. We also had an air show every morning, very interesting. We left Swan Point on Thursday headed for Masonboro rather than Wilmington. Wilmington is about 15 miles up the Cape Fear River which can be tricky if you are not going with the current. Besides the marina in Masonboro called and had room, so that is where we are. We will probably be here until Tuesday. We had the diesel mechanic from Mack Boring here yesterday and today, but they can't get the information they need until Monday. It is a nice place, again not near anything, but the dock master took myself and another couple to a shopping mall for groceries. Tomorrow he will take Dave and I into Wrightsville so we can see the town. We will probably take a taxi back.
We are thinking that once we get the engine problem fixed we will go to Wilmington for a day or two, just be be in the area in case we need Mack Boring again. for those of you who know about sail boats and diesel engines, we have been getting very black smoke from the engine and it keeps getting worse, not good. We think if maybe back pressure, maybe a new exhaust???
It was warm and sunny, but last night there was a frost warning, had the heat on and long sleeves in the morning. We have to get further south, I am tired of keeping both winter and summer clothes out!! Take care and keep in touch, we have phone service and would love to hear from you, also email us if you can't get into the blog and leave a comment.

Visiting relatives and friends in Moorehead City and Beaufort, NC

We left our friends in Washington on Thursday, 10/29. We had lunch with them on Wednesday at a little Tiki kind of bar called Back Water Jacks...Jimmy Buffet kind of place. On Thursday we arrived in a marina called River Dunes which we had heard about from Helen and Ray. Very nice place, new homes all around, nice docks, had a very good dinner in the restaurant, but it is not near anything. I think Oriental, NC is a few miles away. It is actually a harbor club development. We met some people from RI who were staying in one of the cottages while looking over the area for a possible winter home and some other Rhode Islanders on a power boat going south. We left River Dunes on Saturday, Halloween and arrived in Moorehead City. We had dinner with a cousin of Dave's which was very nice. Then on Sunday we saw our friends Janet and Tom who live in Beaufort. We toured the little museum that has a lot of local history including the story of Blackbeard the pirate. We then had dinner at their house. Today is is windy and drizzling and cold. Janet and I went shopping and now Dave and I are planning the next three days as we have to be in Wilmington, NC Thursday night (11/5) for our appointment with Mack Boring on Friday. We will staying at the Wilmington City docks, right in the historic district. Even though it will ad miles to the trip(about 15 up the river) I am anxious to see the area. We are all well, Packet is doing ok, I think he prefers marinas over jumping in and out of the dinghy. Oh, yes we did have one hot day....it was in the low 80's on Sat when we arrived in Moorehead City. Hope everyone is well..

Washington NC

We arrived in Washington on Monday, we didn't go into Bath but stayed another day at Dowry Creek. Our friends were waiting for us on the dock in the rain. What a welcomed sight. Our friends took us to the grocery store, West Marine, etc...had us for dinner Monday and Tuesday nights and we actually stayed in their house last night (Oct 27) It was a great treat, hot showers, good food and good company. We will probably leave here Thursday or Friday and head for Beaufort, NC and then on to Wilmington where we will have the engine looked at. We are still getting a lot of black smoke and the mechanic that looked at it in Washington recommended Mack Boring in Wilmington, NC (also he couldn't work on it for about 3-4 weeks....all the good guys are very busy). We are all well and enjoying our trip. Traveling on the ICW is a mixture of motoring through areas that are like canals(like the Cape Cod canal only with trees and stumps in the water) and crossing sounds. However even though the sound is a large area of water there is only a very small area deep enough to travel through, so we have not been sailing. The most we do is motor sail.

We are in North Carolina

We finally left Solomons Island on Monday, Oct. 19 and headed to Deltaville Va. We spent quiet night in a small anchorage in Jackson Creek. All the houses surrounding the anchorage had private docks, but we managed to take Packet ashore at a small marina. On Tuesday we left for Norfolk Va. It was cold in the morning but we had a quiet motor sail into Norfolk. We stayed at a marina (Waterside) due to the fact that we were going to have get up early. Behind the marina was a food court with a Hooters, and Outback(where we ate) and other restaurants. There was also a park with water fountains. We were at a place called Hospital Point where the Inland Waterway actually begins. This mile 0. Wednesday was our first experience with being at a bridge at a scheduled time for the opening. It was a little stressful as there were many boats waiting for the bridge to open. Dave did a great job keeping Lafalot in line. After the bridge we had to go through a lock, which proved to be very easy. We arrived in Coinjock, NC in time to tie up at the marina(there is a marina on each side of the ICW here) and go to the restaurant at Coinjock Marina to have their famous roast beef(32 ounces for Dave, 16 for Barb, needless to say we took some back to the boat). On Thursday, Oct. 22 we arrived at the Alligator River Marina. This was our last night with our friends Helen and Ray. It is a small marina situated just before a swing bridge. It has a gas station and small restaurant and a field where Packet could roll in the grass(he was a happy camper). We had a delicious pork roast dinner that Helen cooked and said our good byes. They are headed home to Florida after being on the boat since last May. We will see them again when we get to Florida. We are now in Dowry Creek, NC. We took an extra day here for rest and relaxation, but also because we had very high winds today. Tomorrow we leave for Bath, NC and then up the river further to Washington to see some friends. The weather is finally starting to be warm(I am going to put away our winter hats and gloves that we needed while in Maryland) and the flies and mosquitoes are telling us that yes you are in a warmer climate.

Change in plans, that's what cruising is about

We did not go to St. Michael's, but went to Annapolis instead. We spent Saturday, 10/10 at a dock so Dave could go to the boat show and we could attend a dinner of fellow Island Packet owners. We left on Sunday, stopped in the anchorage to visit with Rick Nutt, an IP owner we had met in Portsmouth, RI and then we went on to the Rhode River. This anchorage was just beautiful. There was a little island that we could take Packet on. We took a dinghy ride and followed the river into another smaller river. There are so many rivers and creeks we could explore for weeks and not see half of them. We had a very peaceful night and left on Monday, 10/12 for Solomons Island where our friends were having work done on their boat. We are still here due to the weather, but what a nice place to be. We are on a mooring at a marina that has a nice laundry and nice showers. It is only a dinghy ride away from a small shopping center. We took a bus to a super Walmart for groceries, etc. There are 3 malls and the bus would stop at whichever one you would want to go to. Today, Thursday is very rainy and windy. We will stay here until the nor'easter passes, maybe leaving Saturday to get further south. We are having fun, and it is a great help being with Ray and Helen and also meeting other boaters along the way who have had the experience of going south.

We are in the Chesapeake Bay

On Wednesay, 9/30 we left Port Washington and headed through the East River through New York City. It was very impressive to say the least. We saw Lady Liberty from a distance, we did not sail directly in front, but it was ok. We did not encounter any large ships and the trip through Hell Gate( which can be be tricky) was very calm. We spent the night at Atlantic Highlands, we were officially in the Mid-Atlantic states and out of New England. We had dinner with several other boats. It was very windy and getting in the launch and to shore was wild and wet. On Thursday, 10/1 we left for Atlantic City. This was a very long day, leaving in the dark or as cruisers say 0-dark hundred, it was cold and damp. After 11 hours of motor sailing we arrived at Atlantic City at a very nice little marina at the Gardner Museum. Had dinner ashore at a little pub with Ray and Helen(our buddy boat and guide). On Friday we left for Cape May. We managed to sail with just the jib up part of the way. Very rough going into the inlet to Cape May. We anchored across from the Coast Guard Station. We stayed on our anchor from Friday to Monday morning when we went into a marina. My sister and husband visited us on Sat. and my girlfriend from high school and her husband visited us on Sun. We went into Cape May both days and were very happy to see them all. We also thank them for taking us to lunch and shopping. This was the first time we had left the boat unattended at anchor for any length of time. Our sailing friends will understand why this would worry me. But all was well and the boat didn't drag. On Monday we went into a marina to fuel up, get water, do laundry and get ready for a very long day through the C&D canal to the Chesapeake Bay. We went around the end of NJ(Cape May) into the Delaware Bay, through the C&D canal to Georgetown, MD about 11 hours! We had the current with us all the way. We traveled 97 miles, a record for sure. The Canal reminded us of the Cape Cod canal, but not as pretty and more bridges to go under.
The other boats that came into Georgetown with us left Thursday to go to various places south in the bay. However, I was not feeling well so we decided to stay until Sat., mainly due to the direction of the wind. It was coming from the south today and is due to blow 15-25 with gusts tonight. Hopefully the marine forcast is still correct and the wind will change to the north for tomorrow when we will leave early and head for St. Michaels. Meanwhile we catching up on chores and I am catching up on sleep. And it is a beautiful harbor we are in so life is good.

Port Jefferson and then onto Port Washington

We left Essex on Friday and motored sailed to Port Jefferson. We got a mooring for the night. Went into town for Packet's walk, ice cream and purchased some sword fish. The ferry comes and goes next to the mooring field, but wasn't a big problem. On Friday we left Port Jefferson and had very rough seas and high wind coming out of the channel, but once we turned the corner we had a nice sail down to Port Washington. While we have been here we have seen Marty and Edie from Alpha Tango, have gone to the farmer's market, did grocery shopping and laundry and went to the movies. There are 2 shopping centers here and the water taxi will take you to a marina which is just across the street from them. We have had dinner, martinis and dessert with our friends which makes this trip a lot of fun. We are traveling with Helen and Ray Lanza on Rigamarole. They did this trip last year. It makes it nice for us to have someone who has the knowledge and experience of what to expect. Tomorrow we will leave for New Jersey. It should be fun to see New York city from the water. We hope to be in Cape May for the weekend and may stay until Monday before we start up the Delaware. We are all well and Packet has adapted to boat life and only going ashore once or twice a day sometimes(like today because of the high wind and seas)

leaving New England

Left Portsmouth, RI on Sunday Septemer 2o, 2009 arrived in Fishers Island, NY about 5:30 pm. Monday headed up the Cnnecticut River for Hamburg Cove across from Essex,CT. 2 very peaceful relaxing days here and to Essex today. Dinner at the Griswold Inn in Esssex tonight to celebrate our 42 nd Anniversary a day early. Hauled the boat here to adjust the prop pitch to gain a little speed down the NJ Coast..

Safe & Preparing to head South

We arrived safely in Portsmouth, RI at the marina at NEB. We will do maintenance and prepare the boat for the trip down the Inland Waterway. The plan at present is to leave here te Monday after the Newport boatshow and head down through Long Island Sound through the City and on down through the Chesepeake Bay. We will update sporadically till then.

Ducking out of harms way.

This week we aggresively moved South toward home starting Tuesday after 2 delightful days in peaceful Jewell Island in Casco Bay , Me. we sailed directly to Pepperrell cove in kittery, Me. From there to Gloucester, MA and the next day to Onset, MA after an encounter with super thick fog on the West end of the Cape Cod Canal. Not knowing what the next few days will bring from hurricane Bill, we decided it will be best to hang here till Monday and then head home to Portsmouth, RI. We feel safe here and are with friends from another boat at our marina who have made the same decision. We'll let you know how it all works out.

End of East

We arrived in Boothbay harbor on Wednesday after two really peaceful days in the Goslings. The wonder of Maine sailing is that you can be one of one or two boats in a harbor by yourselves during the week. We were nestled in among ledges in a well protected mooring field and were fortunate that the weather that was forecasted did not develope in our area, because Packet does not like thunder and lightening.
Boothbay is one of our favorite harbors and we decided to extend our stay here and relax.
We are making this our furthest point East on this trip. We will be slowly heading back to RI to do preparations for our anticipated journey south for the winter. We plan to leave Boothbay on Sunday if the weather holds.

On to cruising

New Radar is working. Bill paid. Happy with service and personnel and facility at Brewer So Freeport, Me. Left in mid afternoon heading for the Goslings. Arrived and picked up mooring and will spend tonight and tomorrow on the mooring as rain and thunder/lightning is expected. Will finish up wiring and plan t sail to Boothbay Harbor on Wednesday.

lost in radar land

After a great visit with our grandsons and Craig and Kevin and Julie, we started on our radar problem. On Monday, August 3, we had the radar scanner taken down and found a broken wire. We called Raymarine,the manufacturer and we were told it would take 4 weeks to test it and repair it. We went to the marine shop at the marina and we were told they couldn't work on it for 2 weeks, but they had someone who would be at the marina and could look at it. So, we waited all day Monday and no one showed. We ordered a new digital radar scanner to be delivered to Brewers in So. Freeport which is where we are now. We left So. Portland about 4p.m. on Tuesday after waiting for the fog to lift, fog so thick the fishermen were staying in port.
On Wednesday on a mooring Lloyd, the expert from Brewer's worked all afternoon trying to put in the new cable, which was of course bigger than the old cable, down the mast. It kept getting stuck. He came out again on Thursday a.m. and had the same trouble. You see, with the new radar scanner there is new wire, can't use the old stuff. So we made the decision to have the mast pulled out. That took all Thursday afternoon. On Friday the new wire was put in and the new scanner was attached and the mast was put back in. Now all that had to be done was to wire it inside the boat, which Dave and I can do. Or at least Dave can do it, I could only help to pull the wire through and behind lockers. We thought we would be fininshed on Saturday, however Dave had cut his finger(small cut) and it had become infected. So off to the walk in minutes before they closed on Saturday. there was one advantage to this, though, we got to go to Dunkin Donuts for a ice coffee for me. We sure do miss the Coffee Grinder in Newport. I did meet a woman in the laundry here at the marina on Friday and she took me to the grocery store. Taxis are hard to come by and are expensive here. The marina loaned us a car to go to the walk in,I guess they felt sorry for us, or figured it was the least they could do with all the money we have spent. Dave and Peg Nelson, I would have called you for you cousin's name and number but phone cover is hit or miss, mostly miss. Actually, as I type this we are down the river about a 1/4 mile from the marina and I am getting better internet connection than we were dockside. We hope to leave tomorrow after finishing the wiring and will probably only go to some island close by to plan our next leg, hopefully it will be sailing and not repairing. We are both fine. Helen and Ray, we met Donna and Dennis last night, had a drink with them and actually felt for a while that we were cruising.

In Maine and this will catch us up

Monday July 27th we left Pepperrell cove to go to Potts Harbor in Casco Bay. But because of waiting for weather to clear we left later than expected and after motor sailing for a few hours decided that we better find a closer port to duck into. The best place appeared to be to anchor in Biddeford Pool so we headed in arriving late to get the dog ashore. We got anchored, but I managed to catch the dinghy towline in the prop. As I had got down to look at this the yacht club launch came by to tell us we should move as an extremely low tide was expected. After jogging the engine and cutting the line we were free to move. We moved reset the anchor, put the engine on the dinghy and I took the dog and headed for shore. As we went through the churning waters in the pool the engine stopped. Again another launch operator rescued us and I got the dog to shore and we were able to return on the reserve fuel in the tank. We watched the tide finish going out until about midnight then were finally able to sleep soundly till morning. The next day after taking the dog ashore and heading out to complete the trip to Potts harbor, after some miscommunication and misdirection and lobster pot minefields we were able to spend a restful night with a good meal ashore in Potts harbor. Then on to South Freeport for rest and relaxation for a couple of days with a side trip to L. L. Bean to do a little shopping. Next head to South Portland on Friday to meet family late Friday and to try to solve a problem with the radar scanner. Problems with telephone reception in South Freeport at the mooring made communicating with Raymarine difficult. We dodged fog and rain and waited patiently to cross to South Portland in limited visibility without the aid of the radar. Had an unexpectedly great meal at Joe's dockside restaurant while awaiting our son Craig's arrival with the three grandsons.
In the morning we all had breakfast while waiting for are son Kevin to arrive with his wife Julie.
We went for a day sail in splendid weather with great winds enjoyed by all. Dinner was at 3$ Dewey's in Portland in a real casual Brewpub style restaurant. Kev and Julie headed out for home and the rest of us went back to the boat. Sunday brought fog turning to Pea soup fog as we took a little trip to Portland Head light and the fort from the land side. Craig and children left after lunch and we caught up with laundry and rest. I got on line to do research into the possible options to solve our radar problems and to do some research on the voltage regulator and alternator. We will probably be in Portland surroundings until the Radar problem is solved.

Where we have been for the week

We arrived in Portsmouth, NH area on Monday night and anchored in Pepperrell Cove in Kittery,Me across the river. Tuesday was raining and we dragged the anchor in the afternoon. We reset the anchor and did not leave the boat without one of us aboard all day Tuesday and Wednesday am. Wednesday am I fell into the water and drowned my Blackberry Storm. Because we had friends coming for dinner and Barbara's Birthday on Wednesday we Rented a mooring from the Portsmouth Yacht Club. We also needed somewhere to have my replacement cell phone delivered. On Thursday the weather was lousy so we extended our rental to Friday. Friday night we broke a pump on the boat and had to have the necessary parts sent overnight to arrive Saturday so we extended our rental to Sunday. The weather was forecasted to be bad today so we extended it to Monday. Tomorrow we plan on leaving though the weather does not look great for Tuesday either. The people and the Portsmouth yacht club Staff and members have been generous in their help and hospitality. We have also met nice people in Kittery and overall enjoyed our visit here. We plan to be in the Casco bay area tomorrow night and will update the blog as soon as connections are possible. For our cruising friends we want you to know that this is a pretty cove, but you rock and roll and swing with strong currents, commercial traffic and eddys so a one night stay is probably best.
Dave & Barb

Sunday Scituate to Rockport,MA

We left Scituate Sunday for a very clear motoring day to Rockport. We had been to Gloucester before but had never ventured to Rockport as the harbor is small. One of our fellow Island Packet owners reccomended a stay at the Sandy Bay Yacht Club at the head of the harbor. I was up all night adjusting the lines because of the nine foot tide change and being on the fixed pier in front of the club and tired when we left. The people were very friendly and Rockport is interesting for its artist colony but a quick tour was enough for us.

Next leg toward Maine

Today a break in the weather forecast allowed us to liesurely run through the Cape Cod Canal and up to Scituate, MA, his is a great little harbor with all kinds of cruising ammenities closeby the water. There is also bowling and movies. Tonight and tomorrow night there is a carnival and fireworks. Plan to be here tomorrow night too as the weather looks bad and I need to have my mechanic look at the engine. We hoe that all that goes smoothly so we can leave Sunday to Gloucester for a day or two.

Dave, Barb & Packet

Finally the Dream begins

Left Monday for Cuttyhunk Island for a couple of days. Winds blew and seas rocked to get the crew queasy. Arrived about 7:00 pm and on the third try got our new anchor set and the dog ashore. Anchor held well and got a good night's sleep. Tuesday is a lay day to just relax and enjoy Cuttyhunk Island. Wind is forecasted to be from the northwest about 20 knots Tuesday night, so we will move to a mooring inside the inner harbor. Went to the dock to get fresh caught swordfish and Ice cream treat. Leaving for Onset Wednesday am. Wind for the right direction to run to Onset. All ok till wind picks up and we need to shorten sail. We learned that our newly installed Gybe EZE works great after Gybing with full main out at 20 knots.

Still at the Marina

We are still in the marina finishing projects and preparing to sail to Maine for the summer. We are trying to push to get a few more projects done and get underway. We hope to leave this weekend and will head to Cuttyhunk, MA as our first stop.