It's getting late to post pictures tonight, but if you want to see the project the girls did on Plymouth, I've added a link to it in the link list on the top right of the blog...
Sept 25 - 27 Newport (and Mystic)
Wednesday and Thursday we stayed in Newport as there were really high winds in Buzzard’s Bay and Block Island Sound. School was done in the morning and then we walked around Newport in the afternoons. Newport is a really pretty city with lots to look at.
On Friday there were heavy rains forecast so we decided to rent a car and go to Mystic Seaport. Mystic is a small town in Connecticut and there is a really large maritime museum there. They have been working on developing it since 1930 or 1940, We picked up the car a little after 9:00 and were at the museum by 10:30. It is a really wonderful place. Most of the small buildings there are original buildings that were built elsewhere in the 1900’s and brought to Mystic there are lots of nautical theme buildings as well as a store, a school, a bank, and cooperage, a blacksmith. There is a building that shows how rope was made that was originally part of a rope factory. The last surviving whaling ship is there as well. We had a really enjoyable day even though it was raining and we didn’t’ leave Mystic until about 4:00. We made a couple of quick stops on the way back and had the car back to Enterprise by 6:00
Sept 28 Newport to Stonington Connecticut
We decided that the forecast wasn’t that bad and we would leave Newport. We weren’t exactly sure where we would end up, but we had spent enough time in Newport. It was a very wet day, but after we actually got out of Newport Harbour the seas were fairly calm and it was a better day than we expected. We had kind of hoped to go to Block Island, but we decided that the weather wasn’t going to be that great for exploring and we were better off to go farther west. We decided on Stongington CT. It is a really nice little town with lots of older homes, full of character. There is a great playground here. Unfortunately it started to rain again when we were out for our walk so that wasn’t too great. The kids went for a swim when we got back to the boat. We had lasagna for supper which was quite a bit of work but everyone really enjoyed it.
Sept 29 – Stonington to Westbrooke CT
We got a fairly early start and left around 7:00 – it was still barely light and quite foggy. We decided to tow the dinghy, but took the motor off. We wanted to leave early enough to catch the favourable current going down Long Island Sound. It worked out well and we had 1 or 2 knots of current with us all the way. We had been emailing back and forth with Chris and Penny on Carpe Diem and they had found a great marina in Westbrooke so we headed in there and were tied up by 11:30. People are really friendly here. Someone lent us a car so the girls and I went and got lots of heavy groceries like soup, water and pop. Dave stayed behind and changed the oil. After we got the groceries put away and went for a little walk there was a little Sunday afternoon gathering at the BBQ shelter so we went over. There was a really nice lady (Linda) who makes jewelry and gave Annie a few pointers and gave her some of her old jewelry making tools. Someone else bought a pair of Annie’s earrings. There were also a couple of other kids around so the girls played soccer. We had a great BBQ steak for supper.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
September 24 -- Newport RI
Here is a picture of Kristen pickin some corn at Plymouth Plantation. Most of our Plymouth pictures are included in a project the girls did on Plymouth. We should get that uploaded in the next few days. Having some technical difficulties!
Sept 19 (Friday) – Plymouth Mass
We started the day with showers at the yacht club and then went down to see the Mayflower II. Last night, Dave noticed on a list of events, that today is Home Schooling day at Plymouth Plantation and a discount is available. What a discount! It was 50% off – enough to pay for our mooring tonight! We had a great day looking at Mayflower II which is quite a bit like Hector, and then taking the bus the three miles to Plymouth Plantation. The plantation is wonderfully done. There is an introductory movie about 1620, the Wampanoag natives that lived here at the time and the people that came on the Mayflower. There is a recreation of part of a Wampanoag village. There are wampanoag people there that are not in character, but are in costume and it is very interesting. They have some houses that are made out of big pieces of bark, tied to a structure made of bent saplings. These are fairly permanent dwellings and they do not move them around. Inside there are beds around the outside that are made of wood and covered in about 6 inches of furs. The insides of the walls are covered in woven mats. There are spaces in the ceiling for the smoke from the fires to get out. Apparently, with the fires going in the winter, it stays about 60 – 65 degrees inside the house. The wampanoag also had summer houses that were the same basic sapling structure, but were covered in woven mats made of bull rushes. They carried the mats from place to place so they were reusable. From the Wampanoag village, we moved on to a recreation of the village of Plymouth around 1625, a few years after the original pilgrims arrived. There were many characters in the town in role of people that actually lived there. It was wonderfully done and really interesting. On the bus we met another family with one 7 year old daughter they are just beginning a five year adventure on their trawler Emily Grace – named for their daughter. After our adventure at the plantation we got another bus to Walmart and got groceries (my Sobey’s blood felt really weird doing that!). When we were going back to the boat in the tender, there was this tiny, old lady and a younger man in the tender with us. They got out at a small open boat with the controls in the centre – the lady went right to the controls. I guess she is 88 and lives alone in a cottage out on one of the islands near the entrance of Plymouth. It is unusual for anyone to go with her. Pretty amazing! After the groceries were put away we went out for supper as a reward for the previous two long days of travelling.
Sept 20 (Saturday) – Cape Cod Canal
The three girls went to shore to take Rudder for a walk and to find out about getting diesel in Plymouth. We learned that the town fuel dock wasn’t able to supply fuel, and that it was difficult to get a sailboat into the fuel dock at the marina. In the end, we got the tender driver from the yacht club to take us to the marina with our jerry can and we got 6 gallons of diesel, enough to get us to our next destination of Onset, Mass, just on the other side of the canal
We left Plymouth around 10 under sunny skies and light wind with the intent of getting to the Cape Cod Canal just at the start of the ebb current. There is a lot of current that flows through the canal, and you are far better off to go with the current. We arrived at the canal at 1:30 as planned. We heard on the radio that they were going to be lowering the train-bridge at the other end of the canal at 2:30 when a tall ship that was travelling with us was through. Of course it
could motor much more quickly than we could so we went as fast as we could so we wouldn’t have to wait 45 minutes for the bridge to go down and then up again after the train went through. Fortunately we made it! The canal is beautiful. In total we went under two fixed highway bridges and the train bridge. Just at the end of the canal we turned into Onset Bay. We were able to get fuel and then went and picked up a mooring off the town dock. The town is as quaint as we remembered. It doesn’t look like it has changed much since the 50’s. We got a couple of groceries and then made pizza for supper.
Sept 21 (Sunday) – Onset to Hedley Harbour
It was a beautiful, warm sunny day. The kids did a bit of school work and then went to town and got slushies. They had a great time swimming – the water was about 20 degrees. We went exploring a bit in the dinghy. Around 2:00 the current changed in the canal and we left Onset.
We headed across Buzzards Bay to a little anchorage near Woods Hole. There was a lovely breeze blowing – right on the nose. We decided to sail anyway and sailed back and forth across Buzzards Bay. There were lots of boats out there on such a beautiful sunny Sunday. Eventually we put the sails down and motored the rest of the way to Hedley Harbour. There were supposed to be a number of public moorings there, but when we got in the harbour there were boats on every mooring. We were just turning around to leave and someone said they were about to leave so we waited a couple of minutes and took that mooring. We were all tied up by around 5:30. It is a pretty spot, but the island that surrounds the harbour is privately owned and they don’t want anyone going to shore there. There is a little island at the end of the harbour and the public is allowed to go there so we were able to take Rudder to shore.
Sept 22 (Monday) – Hedley Harbour to Cuttyhunk
We left mid morning and sailed the 20 miles or so to the island of Cuttyhunk, the last island in the Elizabeth Island chain. By the time we arrive there the wind was blowing 15 – 20 NE and it was quite rough even inside the harbour. We had some lunch and then put the dinghy down and went to shore. We had a lovely walk around the island. There are quite a number of houses, but only about 30 year round residents. It would seem the
primary means of transportation on the island is by golf cart! We had a nice chat with a lady that has lived there year round for about 4 years. It can get pretty desolate in the winter when the harbour freezes over and there really isn’t much way to get to the mainland. The moorings are expensive here ($40)
Sept 23 (Tuesday) – Cutttyhunk to Newport RI
The weather doesn’t sound great for travelling the next few days so we figured we better leave Cuttyhunk. Block Island doesn’t sound that protected from the NE winds either so we headed to Newport Rhode Island, back closer to the mainland. We left around 7:30 after putting a reef in the mailsail incase it was really windy, and putting the dinghy back up on davits. Instead of a stormy day it is a nice and sunny day and we had a lovely sail with 10-15NE winds coming across our beam. We got to Newport around 12:00 and picked up a mooring at OldPort Marine for $45. It is $30 on a town mooring but it is a lot farther across the bay to town and we don’t want to have to cross the bay in the dinghy if it is rough. Dave and Kristen did the laundry and Annie and I went looking in shops. Annie and Kristen found Rhode Island charms for their bracelets – Kristen got a Nantucket Basket and Annie got a starfish.
We started the day with showers at the yacht club and then went down to see the Mayflower II. Last night, Dave noticed on a list of events, that today is Home Schooling day at Plymouth Plantation and a discount is available. What a discount! It was 50% off – enough to pay for our mooring tonight! We had a great day looking at Mayflower II which is quite a bit like Hector, and then taking the bus the three miles to Plymouth Plantation. The plantation is wonderfully done. There is an introductory movie about 1620, the Wampanoag natives that lived here at the time and the people that came on the Mayflower. There is a recreation of part of a Wampanoag village. There are wampanoag people there that are not in character, but are in costume and it is very interesting. They have some houses that are made out of big pieces of bark, tied to a structure made of bent saplings. These are fairly permanent dwellings and they do not move them around. Inside there are beds around the outside that are made of wood and covered in about 6 inches of furs. The insides of the walls are covered in woven mats. There are spaces in the ceiling for the smoke from the fires to get out. Apparently, with the fires going in the winter, it stays about 60 – 65 degrees inside the house. The wampanoag also had summer houses that were the same basic sapling structure, but were covered in woven mats made of bull rushes. They carried the mats from place to place so they were reusable. From the Wampanoag village, we moved on to a recreation of the village of Plymouth around 1625, a few years after the original pilgrims arrived. There were many characters in the town in role of people that actually lived there. It was wonderfully done and really interesting. On the bus we met another family with one 7 year old daughter they are just beginning a five year adventure on their trawler Emily Grace – named for their daughter. After our adventure at the plantation we got another bus to Walmart and got groceries (my Sobey’s blood felt really weird doing that!). When we were going back to the boat in the tender, there was this tiny, old lady and a younger man in the tender with us. They got out at a small open boat with the controls in the centre – the lady went right to the controls. I guess she is 88 and lives alone in a cottage out on one of the islands near the entrance of Plymouth. It is unusual for anyone to go with her. Pretty amazing! After the groceries were put away we went out for supper as a reward for the previous two long days of travelling.
Sept 20 (Saturday) – Cape Cod Canal
The three girls went to shore to take Rudder for a walk and to find out about getting diesel in Plymouth. We learned that the town fuel dock wasn’t able to supply fuel, and that it was difficult to get a sailboat into the fuel dock at the marina. In the end, we got the tender driver from the yacht club to take us to the marina with our jerry can and we got 6 gallons of diesel, enough to get us to our next destination of Onset, Mass, just on the other side of the canal
We left Plymouth around 10 under sunny skies and light wind with the intent of getting to the Cape Cod Canal just at the start of the ebb current. There is a lot of current that flows through the canal, and you are far better off to go with the current. We arrived at the canal at 1:30 as planned. We heard on the radio that they were going to be lowering the train-bridge at the other end of the canal at 2:30 when a tall ship that was travelling with us was through. Of course it
could motor much more quickly than we could so we went as fast as we could so we wouldn’t have to wait 45 minutes for the bridge to go down and then up again after the train went through. Fortunately we made it! The canal is beautiful. In total we went under two fixed highway bridges and the train bridge. Just at the end of the canal we turned into Onset Bay. We were able to get fuel and then went and picked up a mooring off the town dock. The town is as quaint as we remembered. It doesn’t look like it has changed much since the 50’s. We got a couple of groceries and then made pizza for supper.Sept 21 (Sunday) – Onset to Hedley Harbour
It was a beautiful, warm sunny day. The kids did a bit of school work and then went to town and got slushies. They had a great time swimming – the water was about 20 degrees. We went exploring a bit in the dinghy. Around 2:00 the current changed in the canal and we left Onset.
We headed across Buzzards Bay to a little anchorage near Woods Hole. There was a lovely breeze blowing – right on the nose. We decided to sail anyway and sailed back and forth across Buzzards Bay. There were lots of boats out there on such a beautiful sunny Sunday. Eventually we put the sails down and motored the rest of the way to Hedley Harbour. There were supposed to be a number of public moorings there, but when we got in the harbour there were boats on every mooring. We were just turning around to leave and someone said they were about to leave so we waited a couple of minutes and took that mooring. We were all tied up by around 5:30. It is a pretty spot, but the island that surrounds the harbour is privately owned and they don’t want anyone going to shore there. There is a little island at the end of the harbour and the public is allowed to go there so we were able to take Rudder to shore.Sept 22 (Monday) – Hedley Harbour to Cuttyhunk
We left mid morning and sailed the 20 miles or so to the island of Cuttyhunk, the last island in the Elizabeth Island chain. By the time we arrive there the wind was blowing 15 – 20 NE and it was quite rough even inside the harbour. We had some lunch and then put the dinghy down and went to shore. We had a lovely walk around the island. There are quite a number of houses, but only about 30 year round residents. It would seem the
primary means of transportation on the island is by golf cart! We had a nice chat with a lady that has lived there year round for about 4 years. It can get pretty desolate in the winter when the harbour freezes over and there really isn’t much way to get to the mainland. The moorings are expensive here ($40)Sept 23 (Tuesday) – Cutttyhunk to Newport RI
The weather doesn’t sound great for travelling the next few days so we figured we better leave Cuttyhunk. Block Island doesn’t sound that protected from the NE winds either so we headed to Newport Rhode Island, back closer to the mainland. We left around 7:30 after putting a reef in the mailsail incase it was really windy, and putting the dinghy back up on davits. Instead of a stormy day it is a nice and sunny day and we had a lovely sail with 10-15NE winds coming across our beam. We got to Newport around 12:00 and picked up a mooring at OldPort Marine for $45. It is $30 on a town mooring but it is a lot farther across the bay to town and we don’t want to have to cross the bay in the dinghy if it is rough. Dave and Kristen did the laundry and Annie and I went looking in shops. Annie and Kristen found Rhode Island charms for their bracelets – Kristen got a Nantucket Basket and Annie got a starfish.
Friday, September 19, 2008
September 19 -- Plymouth Mass.
Hi all -- I'm sitting outside a little restaurant in Plymouth and it's too cold here to load any pictures today -- be sure to check out the link to the google map though...
Sept 13 – Sept 15 (Saturday – Monday) Boothbay Harbour
We decided to stay another day in Boothbay as it is such a pretty little town. We did school in the morning and then went to town in the afternoon. There is a great shoe store here and Dave got a pair of sneakers, Kristen got a pair of shoes and I got a pair of leather boat boots. We wandered around town, got some groceries and walked over the footbridge that crosses the head of the harbour. It used to be an opening bridge, and there is a house on the bridge where the bridge keeper used to live. Apparently there is a trap door in the floor of the kitchen that was used during the days of the rumrunners.
It was wet and windy on Sunday so we decided to stay put, and will likely also be here tomorrow. We got the schoolwork and laundry done in the morning. At 4:00 we went back to McSeagull to watch the football game – New York Jets against New England. New England won which was great for their QB who had never started a game before, but not so great for Brett Farve the new QB for New York. On Monday we got the schoolwork done and we were going to go bowling, but the bowling alley was closed. Instead we decided to walk to the Maine State Aquarium. On the not-to-scale map we figured it was 2 or 3 miles. It was a loooong walk. It took us well over an hour, and when we got there, of course, it was closed. We had a little look around at the displays that were outside and then walked back to Boothbay.
Sept 16 (Tuesday) Boothbay to Freeport.
We put the dingy up on the davits (not towing that again), left at 6:30 and had a calm smooth motor to South Freeport. The girls were able to get their schoolwork done under way. We arrived around 12:00 and got a mooring. We had a quick sandwich and had the marina shuttle take us to Freeport around 1:00. We had a busy couple of hours getting things that we needed – Cathy, Kristen and Annie got rain jackets, Dave, Kristen and Annie got jeans, Kristen found the Keen sandals she wanted for half price! Annie and I walked really fast to go the mile or so to the end of town, get a couple of groceries go to the school supply store and then walk back to meet the shuttle at 3:45. The lady that drove us back on the shuttle seems and seems to be running the marina is one of the girls that we remembered that ran the shuttle when we were here before. She told us a bit about her trip to the Bahamas with her parents and sister when she was in grade 8.
Sept 17 (Wednesday) Freeport to Portsmouth N.H./Kittery Maine
As much as we would have liked to spend another day in Freeport, today was forecast to be a good travel day so we put the dinghy up on davits and were underway at 6:00. We weren’t sure where we were destined for today – we hoped Rye NH, but we called there and there was no room. We tried calling the harbourmaster in York Maine, but we couldn’t get a hold of anyone there… We figured that we would find somewhere to stay in Portsmouth even though it would be a bit of a struggle against the strong current. It was a stressful day as it was quite foggy off and on after 11:00, but it was fairly calm and the kids got some of their schoolwork done. We finally came into Portsmouth and out of the fog around 4:00. There was a mooring field/anchorage near the mouth of the harbour, on the Maine side of the river in Pepperill Cove so we pulled in there and picked up a Pepperill Cove Yacht Club mooring. We called them on the radio and didn’t get a hold of anyone so we dropped the dinghy and the three girls took Rudder to shore and to find someone to pay. We found out that the PCYC is actually on the New Hampshire side of the river… so we figured if they came to get their money we’d be happy to give it to them. We had a great (short) walk to an old fort that is now a state park. The fort was built around 1840 and was manned through 5 wars including the Civil War, Spanish American war and World War I It was really neat to walk around and look at the battlements. Unfortunately we forgot to take the camera.
Sept 18 (Thursday) Portsmouth N.H. to Plymouth Massachusetts
We had a big day planned for today with a long destination of Plymouth Mass at 72 miles, or alternately Scituate Mass at 62 miles. Seas were forecast at 3-5 feet and winds of 10-15NE so it sounded like it would be a pretty good trip. Unfortunately it was quite a bit windier than forecast and the seas were more like 10-12 feet. Good thing they were behind us! We had no mishaps but didn’t have any lunch either!! School was called off for a "wave day". We made it all the way the Plymouth and were tied up on an (expensive) mooring at 5:30. The people at the yacht club are really friendly and that makes a huge difference after a long and tiring day. We had a little walk around town and looked through the fence at Mayflower II that brought 102 pilgrims from England to Massachusetts in 1620. Had a late supper and then off to bed.
Sept 13 – Sept 15 (Saturday – Monday) Boothbay Harbour
We decided to stay another day in Boothbay as it is such a pretty little town. We did school in the morning and then went to town in the afternoon. There is a great shoe store here and Dave got a pair of sneakers, Kristen got a pair of shoes and I got a pair of leather boat boots. We wandered around town, got some groceries and walked over the footbridge that crosses the head of the harbour. It used to be an opening bridge, and there is a house on the bridge where the bridge keeper used to live. Apparently there is a trap door in the floor of the kitchen that was used during the days of the rumrunners.
It was wet and windy on Sunday so we decided to stay put, and will likely also be here tomorrow. We got the schoolwork and laundry done in the morning. At 4:00 we went back to McSeagull to watch the football game – New York Jets against New England. New England won which was great for their QB who had never started a game before, but not so great for Brett Farve the new QB for New York. On Monday we got the schoolwork done and we were going to go bowling, but the bowling alley was closed. Instead we decided to walk to the Maine State Aquarium. On the not-to-scale map we figured it was 2 or 3 miles. It was a loooong walk. It took us well over an hour, and when we got there, of course, it was closed. We had a little look around at the displays that were outside and then walked back to Boothbay.
Sept 16 (Tuesday) Boothbay to Freeport.
We put the dingy up on the davits (not towing that again), left at 6:30 and had a calm smooth motor to South Freeport. The girls were able to get their schoolwork done under way. We arrived around 12:00 and got a mooring. We had a quick sandwich and had the marina shuttle take us to Freeport around 1:00. We had a busy couple of hours getting things that we needed – Cathy, Kristen and Annie got rain jackets, Dave, Kristen and Annie got jeans, Kristen found the Keen sandals she wanted for half price! Annie and I walked really fast to go the mile or so to the end of town, get a couple of groceries go to the school supply store and then walk back to meet the shuttle at 3:45. The lady that drove us back on the shuttle seems and seems to be running the marina is one of the girls that we remembered that ran the shuttle when we were here before. She told us a bit about her trip to the Bahamas with her parents and sister when she was in grade 8.
Sept 17 (Wednesday) Freeport to Portsmouth N.H./Kittery Maine
As much as we would have liked to spend another day in Freeport, today was forecast to be a good travel day so we put the dinghy up on davits and were underway at 6:00. We weren’t sure where we were destined for today – we hoped Rye NH, but we called there and there was no room. We tried calling the harbourmaster in York Maine, but we couldn’t get a hold of anyone there… We figured that we would find somewhere to stay in Portsmouth even though it would be a bit of a struggle against the strong current. It was a stressful day as it was quite foggy off and on after 11:00, but it was fairly calm and the kids got some of their schoolwork done. We finally came into Portsmouth and out of the fog around 4:00. There was a mooring field/anchorage near the mouth of the harbour, on the Maine side of the river in Pepperill Cove so we pulled in there and picked up a Pepperill Cove Yacht Club mooring. We called them on the radio and didn’t get a hold of anyone so we dropped the dinghy and the three girls took Rudder to shore and to find someone to pay. We found out that the PCYC is actually on the New Hampshire side of the river… so we figured if they came to get their money we’d be happy to give it to them. We had a great (short) walk to an old fort that is now a state park. The fort was built around 1840 and was manned through 5 wars including the Civil War, Spanish American war and World War I It was really neat to walk around and look at the battlements. Unfortunately we forgot to take the camera.
Sept 18 (Thursday) Portsmouth N.H. to Plymouth Massachusetts
We had a big day planned for today with a long destination of Plymouth Mass at 72 miles, or alternately Scituate Mass at 62 miles. Seas were forecast at 3-5 feet and winds of 10-15NE so it sounded like it would be a pretty good trip. Unfortunately it was quite a bit windier than forecast and the seas were more like 10-12 feet. Good thing they were behind us! We had no mishaps but didn’t have any lunch either!! School was called off for a "wave day". We made it all the way the Plymouth and were tied up on an (expensive) mooring at 5:30. The people at the yacht club are really friendly and that makes a huge difference after a long and tiring day. We had a little walk around town and looked through the fence at Mayflower II that brought 102 pilgrims from England to Massachusetts in 1620. Had a late supper and then off to bed.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Friday - Sept 12 -- Boothbay
Water in the dinghy after Hurricane Hanna
Tuesday Sept 9 – Northeast Harbour
On Tuesday we did a little school in the morning and then caught the bus to Bar Harbour again, but this time we took Rudder with us. He was really good on the bus. From Bar 
Harbour we caught another bus to Sandy Beach and from there we walked past Thunder Hole to Otter Point. It is a really pretty walk. At Thunder Hole the waves come in a narrow break in the rock and into a low cave so it sounds like thunder when it hits. There can also be some pretty big sprays of water when it hits. We just got on the bus again at Otter Point and the rain started pouring down. We hadn’t shut all the windows on the boat, so when we got back to Bar Harbour, Annie Dave and Rudder headed back to the boat and Kristen and I went to get groceries. On the way back on the bus, Chris and Penny got on too so we had a chance to catch up with them. They are heading out tomorrow for Carver’s Cove, then Christmas Cove and then Portland.
After supper we went over to Seahawk and the kids had a rousing game of Pit. We got home around 9:00.
On Tuesday we did a little school in the morning and then caught the bus to Bar Harbour again, but this time we took Rudder with us. He was really good on the bus. From Bar 
Harbour we caught another bus to Sandy Beach and from there we walked past Thunder Hole to Otter Point. It is a really pretty walk. At Thunder Hole the waves come in a narrow break in the rock and into a low cave so it sounds like thunder when it hits. There can also be some pretty big sprays of water when it hits. We just got on the bus again at Otter Point and the rain started pouring down. We hadn’t shut all the windows on the boat, so when we got back to Bar Harbour, Annie Dave and Rudder headed back to the boat and Kristen and I went to get groceries. On the way back on the bus, Chris and Penny got on too so we had a chance to catch up with them. They are heading out tomorrow for Carver’s Cove, then Christmas Cove and then Portland.After supper we went over to Seahawk and the kids had a rousing game of Pit. We got home around 9:00.
Wednesday Sept 10 – Somes Sound
Dave went to town in the morning and did the laundry and checked email. We left Northeast Harbour at 12:30 after school was finished. Our first stop was the fuel dock that was at the mouth of Northeast Harbour. Next we went into Southwest Harbour to go to the marine store. It was pretty windy and we had a bit of a time finding a rental mooring. Then we got really wet in the dinghy going to the store. It wasn’t as easy as I had thought it would be! We picked up a few things we needed and then left there around 3:30 or 4:00 to go up to Somes Sound. This is apparently the only fiord on the East Coast on the US. It is really worth seeing – there are steep cliffs and high hills covered in trees and rocks. We picked up a mooring in Somesville at 5:00. At the top of the sound is a really pretty little town that was originally settled in 1761. Everything was closed when we got there but we saw a library, a museum and a bookstore. We had pizza for supper. After supper we went exploring in the dinghy and just around the other side of the island there was a campground with wooden platforms for the tents. It looked like a great campground.
Thursday Sept 11 – Carver’s Cove – Vinalhaven Island
We went back to the village in the morning to go to the bookstore. We bought a couple of books and then dropped the mooring at 10:30 to head back down the sound. We motored most of the day as we were going into the wind (again) and we were zig zagging between lots of little islands. We saw several beautiful schooners sailing off in the distance. It was nice and calm and the girls were able to get all their schoolwork done under way. Around 3:00 we were able to put all the sails up and we had a glorious sail in the sunshine and sailed the rest of the way to Carver’s Cove. We dropped anchor at around 5:00. As we were dropping the anchor, the girls noticed that there was a line caught around the propeller. Dave tried to get the line free from the dinghy but there was just no way to free it. Finally, I went swimming (the water wasn’t that bad – warmer than the air) and after 4 or 5 attempts I got it off. Then I got the piece of seaweed out of the knot meter so we could see how fast we were going again. Funny thing… looking back in our log to our last trip, I went swimming to clean off the propeller and free up the knotmeter on Misty on Sept 10 in Tenants Harbour which is just on the other side of Vinalhaven.
Friday Sept 12 – Carvers’Cove to Boothbay
The forecast was for calm seas and light winds so we left the dinghy in the water with plans to tow it instead of putting it up on the davits. About an hour after we left the seas were getting pretty choppy and confused so I went back to look at the dinghy line and it was starting to fray. I put a chafe guard on it and we decided to hope for the best. A little while later I looked back and heard a snap just in time to see the dingy float away from the boat. We were able to go back and pick up another line in the dinghy and get it reattached to the boat. I tried to make a new chafe guard but ended up cutting my thumb instead. The wind continued to pick up, as did the seas. It was overcast and we had occasional showers. The bow kept getting buried in the waves and the waves would wash over the deck. At one point the boat really slowed down and we were only going about three knots instead of our usual six. This continued for a little while and then Dave decided to go see if we’d picked up another line in the propeller. There was no line caught in the propeller, but he could see a line dragging in the water on the starboard side of the boat. He went forward and found that we had caught a lobster buoy in a wire stay that runs from the bow spit back to the bow of the boat. We must have snagged it one of the times the bow went under the water – what are the chances?? We’d been dragging a lobster trap for a couple of miles (that will be pretty confusing for some lobsterman won’t it!). We finally got to Boothbay at 5:00 and picked up a mooring off the Tugboat Inn. We went out for supper at McSeagull’s we ordered way too much food and ended up bringing enough back to the boat for lunch tomorrow. In Misty’s log we had a similar day going to Boothbay with large confused seas – we sent the dogs below and Simon managed to turn off the main battery switch!
Dave went to town in the morning and did the laundry and checked email. We left Northeast Harbour at 12:30 after school was finished. Our first stop was the fuel dock that was at the mouth of Northeast Harbour. Next we went into Southwest Harbour to go to the marine store. It was pretty windy and we had a bit of a time finding a rental mooring. Then we got really wet in the dinghy going to the store. It wasn’t as easy as I had thought it would be! We picked up a few things we needed and then left there around 3:30 or 4:00 to go up to Somes Sound. This is apparently the only fiord on the East Coast on the US. It is really worth seeing – there are steep cliffs and high hills covered in trees and rocks. We picked up a mooring in Somesville at 5:00. At the top of the sound is a really pretty little town that was originally settled in 1761. Everything was closed when we got there but we saw a library, a museum and a bookstore. We had pizza for supper. After supper we went exploring in the dinghy and just around the other side of the island there was a campground with wooden platforms for the tents. It looked like a great campground.
Thursday Sept 11 – Carver’s Cove – Vinalhaven Island
We went back to the village in the morning to go to the bookstore. We bought a couple of books and then dropped the mooring at 10:30 to head back down the sound. We motored most of the day as we were going into the wind (again) and we were zig zagging between lots of little islands. We saw several beautiful schooners sailing off in the distance. It was nice and calm and the girls were able to get all their schoolwork done under way. Around 3:00 we were able to put all the sails up and we had a glorious sail in the sunshine and sailed the rest of the way to Carver’s Cove. We dropped anchor at around 5:00. As we were dropping the anchor, the girls noticed that there was a line caught around the propeller. Dave tried to get the line free from the dinghy but there was just no way to free it. Finally, I went swimming (the water wasn’t that bad – warmer than the air) and after 4 or 5 attempts I got it off. Then I got the piece of seaweed out of the knot meter so we could see how fast we were going again. Funny thing… looking back in our log to our last trip, I went swimming to clean off the propeller and free up the knotmeter on Misty on Sept 10 in Tenants Harbour which is just on the other side of Vinalhaven.
Friday Sept 12 – Carvers’Cove to Boothbay
The forecast was for calm seas and light winds so we left the dinghy in the water with plans to tow it instead of putting it up on the davits. About an hour after we left the seas were getting pretty choppy and confused so I went back to look at the dinghy line and it was starting to fray. I put a chafe guard on it and we decided to hope for the best. A little while later I looked back and heard a snap just in time to see the dingy float away from the boat. We were able to go back and pick up another line in the dinghy and get it reattached to the boat. I tried to make a new chafe guard but ended up cutting my thumb instead. The wind continued to pick up, as did the seas. It was overcast and we had occasional showers. The bow kept getting buried in the waves and the waves would wash over the deck. At one point the boat really slowed down and we were only going about three knots instead of our usual six. This continued for a little while and then Dave decided to go see if we’d picked up another line in the propeller. There was no line caught in the propeller, but he could see a line dragging in the water on the starboard side of the boat. He went forward and found that we had caught a lobster buoy in a wire stay that runs from the bow spit back to the bow of the boat. We must have snagged it one of the times the bow went under the water – what are the chances?? We’d been dragging a lobster trap for a couple of miles (that will be pretty confusing for some lobsterman won’t it!). We finally got to Boothbay at 5:00 and picked up a mooring off the Tugboat Inn. We went out for supper at McSeagull’s we ordered way too much food and ended up bringing enough back to the boat for lunch tomorrow. In Misty’s log we had a similar day going to Boothbay with large confused seas – we sent the dogs below and Simon managed to turn off the main battery switch!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Tuesday Sept 9 -- Northeast Harbour, Maine, USA
Annie starting her shift at 9:00pm
(more pictures will follow on next blog update!)
Friday Sept 5 – Saturday Sept 6 – Shelburne to Northeast Harbour, Maine, USA
We left as scheduled at 7:00. We didn’t have any difficulty getting out of the marina as the winds were calm, but it was incredibly foggy. Carpe Diem left with us as planned. We took quite a while to get out of Shelburne Harbour as went really slow in the fog. We saw quite a few seals, a couple of loons and some harbour porpoises. The fog continued as we went offshore and that kept the seas fairly calm. The winds were light so there was no sailing. We all took turns resting through out the day in preparation for our night at sea. When Kristen and I were resting, Dave and Annie saw a yellowfin tuna jump out of the water. A little while later I saw a small whale right off the bow of the boat -- probably only about four feet off the starboard (right) side of the boat. Before we left, Dave had done some back of the envelope estimates of where we would be at what times to gauge how the strong tides and currents around the end of Nova Scotia would affect us. The times were amazing close! The seas were quite calm at suppertime so I made ham steak and hash browns. After supper the wind came up enough to sail so we put the headsail out. Kristen and I did the 7-9 shift as night fell. The fog was still all around us until the sun was gone and then the fog lifted and the moon and the stars came out. The wind continued to pick up over night but probably never went over 20 knots. Around 4:30, the motor quit. There was quite a bit of sea and we were low on fuel so sediment in the tank was getting into the engine. Dave changed the fuel filter and bled the line and got the engine going again, but a few minutes later it died again. We called Carpe Diem to see if they had an extra jerry can of diesel and they did, so we decided we would continue under sail until Carpe Diem caught up to us (we travel a little faster then they do and the were about 10 miles behind). We had a lovely sail as the sun rose, but the fog was rolling in again. When we got fairly close to Maine we reduced sail and waited for Carpe Diem. They caught up to us mid morning and after a few conversations back and forth on the radio, they found us in the fog. While we were waiting, we put the dinghy in the water, so when they arrived, Dave rowed back to them to get the jerry can and then rowed back to us and put the diesel in. In rolly seas this sounds a lot easier than it was!! The engine worked fine then and we set off in the fog up, through the lobster trap buoys for Northeast Harbour. The harbour is really busy with boats getting moved around in anticipation of the coming storm. We picked up a mooring and called into customs. It took most of the afternoon before the customs man came but eventually we got cleared through customs with no problems. We had a walk around the town before we went back to the boat for supper and a well-deserved sleep. We saw Glass Slipper but John and Cindy weren’t around. There is another family here that is just beginning a two year cruise and they have four kids on board.
Sunday Sept 6 – Monday Sept 7 – Northeast Harbour
On Sunday we did school in the morning and then took the free bus to Bar Harbour in the afternoon. Annie, Kristen and I had planned to get showers in the morning when Dave was doing some work on the engine, so Dave took us to shore – unfortunately had dinghied back to the boat with the shower bag! We went over to visit John on Glass Slipper and catch up on their latest adventures. Cindy had gone home for a few days to see her Mom. We had fun shopping in Bar Harbour and the girls got charms for their charm bracelets. Annie got an anchor and Kristen got a lobster trap. We went out for supper with Chris and Penny at the Tan Turtle Tavern. It was great!
On Monday we planned to go the Natural History museum in Bar Harbour so we planned to catch the early bus. Things didn’t really go as planned… It took a lot longer than expected for Dave and Chris to go to the fuel dock to fill the jerry cans… then we took the computer to shore to get on the internet and that didn’t work out so we needed to take it back to the boat before we left. We finally got to the museum around 11:30, only to find out it was closed on Mondays. We got sandwiches for lunch and then Dave decided to go back to the boat. We stayed in Bar Harbour and walked across the sand bar to Bar Island. After that we went to the whale museum and then headed back to NorthEast Harbour and got a few groceries. We had hamburgers for supper and made cookies to take over to SeaHawk after supper. SeaHawk is the boat with the four kids. We went for a little walk in town and then went over to SeaHawk around 7:00. They had just gotten back from a long hike and were pretty tired. We had a nice visit and were back on Bird around 9:00.
We left as scheduled at 7:00. We didn’t have any difficulty getting out of the marina as the winds were calm, but it was incredibly foggy. Carpe Diem left with us as planned. We took quite a while to get out of Shelburne Harbour as went really slow in the fog. We saw quite a few seals, a couple of loons and some harbour porpoises. The fog continued as we went offshore and that kept the seas fairly calm. The winds were light so there was no sailing. We all took turns resting through out the day in preparation for our night at sea. When Kristen and I were resting, Dave and Annie saw a yellowfin tuna jump out of the water. A little while later I saw a small whale right off the bow of the boat -- probably only about four feet off the starboard (right) side of the boat. Before we left, Dave had done some back of the envelope estimates of where we would be at what times to gauge how the strong tides and currents around the end of Nova Scotia would affect us. The times were amazing close! The seas were quite calm at suppertime so I made ham steak and hash browns. After supper the wind came up enough to sail so we put the headsail out. Kristen and I did the 7-9 shift as night fell. The fog was still all around us until the sun was gone and then the fog lifted and the moon and the stars came out. The wind continued to pick up over night but probably never went over 20 knots. Around 4:30, the motor quit. There was quite a bit of sea and we were low on fuel so sediment in the tank was getting into the engine. Dave changed the fuel filter and bled the line and got the engine going again, but a few minutes later it died again. We called Carpe Diem to see if they had an extra jerry can of diesel and they did, so we decided we would continue under sail until Carpe Diem caught up to us (we travel a little faster then they do and the were about 10 miles behind). We had a lovely sail as the sun rose, but the fog was rolling in again. When we got fairly close to Maine we reduced sail and waited for Carpe Diem. They caught up to us mid morning and after a few conversations back and forth on the radio, they found us in the fog. While we were waiting, we put the dinghy in the water, so when they arrived, Dave rowed back to them to get the jerry can and then rowed back to us and put the diesel in. In rolly seas this sounds a lot easier than it was!! The engine worked fine then and we set off in the fog up, through the lobster trap buoys for Northeast Harbour. The harbour is really busy with boats getting moved around in anticipation of the coming storm. We picked up a mooring and called into customs. It took most of the afternoon before the customs man came but eventually we got cleared through customs with no problems. We had a walk around the town before we went back to the boat for supper and a well-deserved sleep. We saw Glass Slipper but John and Cindy weren’t around. There is another family here that is just beginning a two year cruise and they have four kids on board.
Sunday Sept 6 – Monday Sept 7 – Northeast Harbour
On Sunday we did school in the morning and then took the free bus to Bar Harbour in the afternoon. Annie, Kristen and I had planned to get showers in the morning when Dave was doing some work on the engine, so Dave took us to shore – unfortunately had dinghied back to the boat with the shower bag! We went over to visit John on Glass Slipper and catch up on their latest adventures. Cindy had gone home for a few days to see her Mom. We had fun shopping in Bar Harbour and the girls got charms for their charm bracelets. Annie got an anchor and Kristen got a lobster trap. We went out for supper with Chris and Penny at the Tan Turtle Tavern. It was great!
On Monday we planned to go the Natural History museum in Bar Harbour so we planned to catch the early bus. Things didn’t really go as planned… It took a lot longer than expected for Dave and Chris to go to the fuel dock to fill the jerry cans… then we took the computer to shore to get on the internet and that didn’t work out so we needed to take it back to the boat before we left. We finally got to the museum around 11:30, only to find out it was closed on Mondays. We got sandwiches for lunch and then Dave decided to go back to the boat. We stayed in Bar Harbour and walked across the sand bar to Bar Island. After that we went to the whale museum and then headed back to NorthEast Harbour and got a few groceries. We had hamburgers for supper and made cookies to take over to SeaHawk after supper. SeaHawk is the boat with the four kids. We went for a little walk in town and then went over to SeaHawk around 7:00. They had just gotten back from a long hike and were pretty tired. We had a nice visit and were back on Bird around 9:00.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Mahone Bay to Shelburne - September 4
On Thursday we spent a little while looking around Mahone Bay. We got a demonstration of how pewter is made at the Amos Pewter shop. In the afternoon we went and picked up our jib, and then went to Lunenburg to the Fisheries Museum. We had supper with Mum and Andy at Magnolia's grill which was great.
Some pics from Brooklyn -- a picture Annie took of Dave when she was up the mast, a picture of Kristen when she was up the mast, a picture of the wharf in Brooklyn
On Friday we left at 7:30 after we put the jib on. We motor sailed to a nice little marina in Brooklyn, just outside of Liverpool arriving in the middle of the afternoon. People are really friendly here. The marina is all run by volunteers, and the dockage is paid by donation. There is a wonderful playground built by Bowater Mersey on the site of the childhood home of Hank Snow just a couple of block from the Marina. Annie and Kristen each took a turn and climbed up the Mizzen mast on the mast steps. We planned to leave on Saturday, but there didn’t seem to be much point as we don’t have a good forecast for crossing to Maine. We have decided that we will cross over from Shelburne which is only 55 miles from here, and we won’t be able to leave for Maine until Wednesday or Thursday. On Saturday morning, Annie decided to fly her kite on the wharf. Unfortunately it took a big swoop into the spreaders on the mast and the tail got stuck. Eventually we had to pull the kite so hard the tail broke. After lunch I had to go up the main mast to get the remaining part of the tail of the kite out of the spreaders. On Saturday night, Wayne and Claire who are active volunteers at the canteen invited us to their house to watch a movie in their home theatre. It was an amazing theatre. The screen is as big as the wall and there are three couches set up on different levels one behind the other just like a theater. We watched Spiderwick Chronicles.
on Sunday, we left Brooklyn for Carter’s beach after lunch. On our way out of the harbour we met Carpe Diem who were just heading into Brooklyn. By the time we arrived in Carter’s Beach, the forecast had changed to N30 and more high winds for Monday. In addition, we weren’t really sure where the anchorage was that everyone talked about, and it didn’t look very well protected. We decided that we would be better off back in Brooklyn, so we turned around. By then the thunderclouds had formed and we ended up sailing through a thunderstorm. Dave stayed at the helm and I went below and played cards with the girls. We back in Brooklyn by 7:00 and the dock is full of boats.
Monday Sept 1 – Tuesday Sept 2 – Brooklyn
It’s another wet and windy day. Once again it is best to stay put. We organized a Highland Dance concert for 4:00 in the afternoon, so the girls ran through the dances that they were going to do. We invited the other boaters we knew and let Clair, Wayne and Roger know. Clair thought it was great and called a bunch of the club members. In the end there were around 25 people in the little clubhouse. The girls did a great job. After supper Annie, Kristen and I went to Clair and Wayne’s to watch Jurmanji with Robin Williams, but after a little while the girls got scared so we stopped that and watched Pirates of the Caribbean instead. Once again it was 10:00 before we got back to the boat.
On Tuesday the forecast was for high winds again, so we decided to venture to Liverpool (on foot). We left around 9:30 with two bikes and Rudder. It took us about an hour to walk to town, with stops along the way at the Home Hardware Building Center and the Adventure Outfitters. In Liverpool, Dave went to the Cap site and to the Bank. We also went and looked around a couple of little stores. There was a family dentist in town, so I took Kristen in on the off chance that they could replace the filling that had fallen out. Fortunately, she was able to do it right away! We had lunch at subway and picked up a few groceries and then headed back to the boat. We were back around 2:00 and all quite tired from our adventure. Dave finally got the package changed on the BlackBerry so we would have coverage in the States, but then we couldn’t send any emails. It took another couple of phone calls to make some changes to the configuration and then we waited a while and by morning it was working again.
Now it’s Wednesday – more high winds forecast and it’s pouring with rain… Another day in Brooklyn.
Today we were finally able to leave Brooklyn. We had a bit of a choppy day and the wind was on the nose again. We left a little before 7:00 and were tied up at the Shelburne Marina at 3:00 after getting 100l of diesel. Dave changed the oil and I did the laundry. We are waiting to see what will happen with Hurricane Hanna - it is supposed to hit this area on Sunday so we aren't sure if we will cross to Maine before or after.
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