Sometimes things just work out…

I’m sitting in the Captains’ Lounge, waiting for the Wash Cycle to finish, and I strike up a conversation with the guy who runs the marina launch. I mention my need for a marina Friday night, and he says, “Why don’t you go to Sandwich? It’s a little farther than Plymouth, but it will position you for a quick trip through the Cape Cod Canal.”

So I jump on the Dockwa App and request a reservation. I move the wash to the dryer, take Guinness for a walk, and by the time we return, I have a confirmation on the reservation. It turns out that Sandwich is a TINY harbor just inside the canal entrance. I can hardly find it on the chart, and I never would have found it without his suggestion!

I’s a manageable 5-hour trip from here, and the Windy App predicts winds <5 knots and swells <1 foot! We’ll blow right past Boston Harbor!

Then on Saturday morning, leaving Sandwich, it’s just a 1-1/2 hr trip to Cuttyhunk. I’ll just hope for an open mooring ball! With luck, I’ll have all day to enjoy the beaches and dune paths on Cutty.

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It’s 12:30, and I now have both routes planned and charted. Good to go.

And I’ve had time for a 2nd and 3rd cup of coffee. What a pleasant break from my normal time-compressed morning routine!

Time for a sandwich on my last two slices of bread.

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Somehow, it has now gotten to be 4:30. Where does the day go?

Well, part of it was grocery shopping. The nearest market is about a one-mile walk. Fun on the way over…drudgery on the way back! (Includes a gallon jug of water). Whew!

Definitely Miller Time.

And so friends, adieu for now…

Well, here we are, stuck in Plymouth by a full day of rain, fog, and (according to the Windy App) 4′ ocean swells. I just didn’t feel like facing it, so I cancelled my reservation in Plymouth for tonight. Fortunately, they agreed that the conditions were bad enough to issue a full refund. UNfortunately, they are overbooked for tomorrow night, so I have to scramble to find another marina. I want to be positioned to hit the Cape Cod Canal early on Saturday – hoping I can grab a mooring in Cuttyhunk Harbor (it’s first-come, first-served).

I had planned on two days in Cuttyhunk, so I will waive my second day to make up time and keep my other scheduled reservations. Too bad; I love Cuttyhunk. But I LOVE my foresight: I plan a layover about every 7 days to allow for unexpected delays.

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Here’s a photo of what it looks like on a boat on a rainy day: wet towels drying everywhere; a wet dog lying on his blanket; foul weather gear hanging from the overhead grab rails. You can see the fog through the window. And the boat is rolling uncomfortably; probably from the ocean swells reaching into the harbor. It’s not from boat wakes, because no one is moving!

But we got the laundry done, and we are re-charging ALL the electronics (shavers, hand vac, laptop, phone, etc.). Wires everywhere. Perfect. Later we’ll check the oil, coolant, transmission fluid, etc. Not a bad day.

And there’s a restaurant in town that serves Gyros, if I feel like walking a half-mile in the rain. What the heck…I have to walk Guinness again later anyway.

Since the Wi-Fi is excellent here, I’ll try to post a few more photos to my earlier posts, and I want to create one just for our visit to Pulpit Harbor (one of the highlights of this trip.

Talk to y’all later!

Salem is FUN! A town built on fortunes made in shipbuilding and by sea captains trading around the world. Some house carry historical markers dating them from the 1600’s!

There is a lovely Common in the center of town, surrounded by stately homes.

PLUS, witch motifs everywhere…and a memorial to the Salem Watch Trials.

PLUS, the House of the Seven Gables and the house in which Nathanial Hawthorne was born. They are clustered together in a beautiful waterfront site with other historic buildings and stunning gardens.

Here’s an image you don’t see everyday: Freedom parked almost right in front of the House of the Seven Gables!

Isn’t it beautiful? Painstakingly restored and perfectly maintained.

Here’s Hawthorne’s birthplace. Charming, no?

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For you die-hard nautical fans, the trip over was amazing. We had planned to go around Cape Ann, rather than taking the Annisquan River Canal, as we did on the way up. Cape Ann is one of the massive formations that juts out into the Atlantic, and I was concerned that this might expose us to rougher sea conditions, but the ocean was like glass. We cruised for almost 3 hours on Autopilot and never touched the wheel!

The only problem: still no pumpout.

Harbormaster: “Yes, the pumpout boat does run Wednesdays an Saturdays from 3-6.”

Me: “It’s Wednesday! Oh, Good!”

Harbormaster: “Let me check the schedule and see how many boats are already scheduled… Oh, it’s not running tonight. We don’t have an operator.”

Me: “Oh, s____!” Really.

Contrast this situation with our marina in Key West, where they could pump you out right at your slip!

Oh well, no biggie. We’ll get it done in Plymouth, our next stop…Home of Plymouth Rock!

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BTW, since we finally have decent Wi-Fi, I may go back and insert some photos in earlier posts. I note that I have to go all the way back to my Newport post. I’ll start with the most recent and work in reverse chronological order.

Lots to catch up on tonight…sorry I’ve been so negligent, but I have been concentrating on lining up routes and marinas for my homebound trip.

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First, let’s talk about my return visit to Boothbay Harbor. Like Rockland, it was even better the second time. I loved my marina, and Kim, the owner, was a great guide to the many restaurants scattered along the waterfront. The view from one of the restaurant decks was as beautiful as Southwest Harbor. And that’s saying something. Classic Maine…dozens of boats on moorings and two lighthouses on the bluffs.

And harbor seals. I love harbor seals! Their heads look like dogs as they swim along.

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Today, we left for Kennebunkport at 7 and tied up in Kennebunkport at noon. Gorgeous sailing conditions. Did the whole trip on autopilot and hardly touched the wheel.

K is different from every other stop we’ve made…it has beautiful beaches on the coast, but the town is several miles up a very narrow river, lined with homes, rocky banks, marinas, and moored boats. The town itself is very cute, and the shops are much more upscale versus Boothbay Harbor.

The only problem is that my waste tank is full, and no one offers pumpouts. “Oh, yeah. The pumpout boat sank 5 years ago, and the town never replaced it.” That has GOT to be in violation of some state or EPA statute. We are not allowed to discharge waste overboard, but there are no pompous stations. Usually, every marina with a fuel dock also does pumpouts.

It is a nuisance just to explain this, because the spellcheck insists on calling them pompous instead of pumpouts. LOL!

No worries…the marina has a very nice restroom. It’s just a minor inconvenience. Although I AM drinking a LOT of water!

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Meanwhile, Guinness is amazing: he walks everywhere off the leash, and he has learned to wait for the “Cross” command before he crosses a street! He creates a lot of interest wherever he goes. People get a big kick out of watching us share an ice cream cone.

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Tomorrow, we sail for Salem, MA, so we are leaving Maine behind…many fond memories. This has been a very good trip so far: we only got beat upon day, and that was our leg up the Jersey Coast. Every other day has been smooth seas!

We woke up today to 63 degrees, blinding sun, and glassy seas in the harbor.

It made me realize that I haven’t said much about the weather, except for the two days we encountered some rain. It’s amusing that I haven’t, because – if you recall – that was the primary reason we undertook this trip.

It is typically so hot and humid in the Chesapeake from mid-July to mid-August, that Cathy and I would sometimes not go to the boat for four weekends straight. In contrast, I remembered how pleasant it was last July when we bought the boat up in Massachusetts.

Well, the plan seems to have worked. At least on this end.

Frankly, I haven”t spent a moment following the weather on the Chesapeake, so you all will have to tell me how it was. But up here, it has been perfect. Mornings in the 60’s, highs in the mid 70’s.. And every day except two has been sunny. And I’ve been traveling for three weeks at this point. Very lucky.

Because it’s cooler, and because the water is colder, I haven’t even been swimming. You rarely see anyone swimming up here. And no water sports…no water skiing. No one pulling inflatable tube full of screaming kids. Just beautiful stately boats, beautiful stately homes, and mountainous terrain covered with evergreens.

As we were running down the Eggemoggen Reach, I said to Connie that I felt we were running down Sir Francis Drake Passage in the BVI’s. Because the land on either side was so mountainous/hilly.

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One thing is very different today, however…Guinnes and I are back to our old bachelor life…just the two of us. And Alexa, of course.

Connie left yesterday for a long trip back to Aspen, requiring two connections. Ouch. As luck would have it, she got stuck in Denver because of weather in Aspen. Sheesh.

It was very nice to have company for a week.

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The weather today is so perfect that I wish we were traveling today. But I really need one more day to rest and clean the boat. Maybe we’ll just take a little ride today – maybe to one of the little harbors around here.

Then tomorrow, we’ll get an early start and ZOOOM! The boat is really running well, so if we leave at 7, and if the seas are as glassy as they are today, at this point (8:30 AM) we’ll have been underway for 1-1/2 hours, so we’ll already be halfway to Boothbay Harbor. Wow! maybe I get to sleep late again tomorrow.

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Gotta run. Guinness just put his paws on the keyboard – I guess he needs a walk!