Playing In Maine, Planning For Canada

Hello all,

Once again, we've done a terrible job of updating our blog and staying in touch with everyone.  And once again, the cause has been too much fun and adventuring on our part.  Right now, I'm sitting in the Somesville Public Library, in Somesville, ME, which is at the head of Somes Sound on Mount Desert Island.  We're stopping here for a few days to check out the local sites and hikes, and to reprovision for our trip east -- or north, or northeast, or really east, then south, then northeast again -- up to Grand Mannan and across the Bay of Fundy to Nova Scotia.  We've had an absolutely incredible time in Maine so far; lots of hiking, bi-valving (mussels and steamers), swimming (really just jumping in and then scrambling out as fast as possible) and exploring some of the coolest uninhabited islands we've yet seen on our trip.  We'll try to post some pictures as soon as we can, but here's a short recap of what we've been up to since our Duxbury stay:

• Had a fantastic visit with the Fox family in Cohasset.  For the most part, Chere served as a tender for the Fox and Davenport boys; at one point, we had Willy's Seacraft, his Laser, Sam F.'s Opti, and our dingy rafted up to Chere, while the Fox and Davenport boys took turns taking out this boat and then that boat.  Really, really fun to see the Fox crew again after being away so long;
• Had a ripping sail up to the Isle of Shoals.  By ripping I mean that we were tearing up the water with our main and spinnaker, consistently hitting 8 knots.  I also mean that we literally ripped our spinnaker during a dicey incident, when a gust wrapped the head of the sail around our furled jib, and we couldn't sock or drop the chute.  After I made a fun trip to the top of the mast in rolly seas, we finally brought down our battered sail, which is now getting fixed up in Rockland, ME.
• Spent two days catching up, exploring, and roasting mussels and lobster with Betsy's aunt and uncle -- Bill and Anna Clark -- in Muscungus Bay, ME.  An added bonus was the litter of yellow labs that Bill and Anna had on hand for our visit.  Also cool was the local tour that Bill gave us in his TDB 17 duck boat, including a trip to see the wreck of the Cora Cressy (sp?) -- a four masted schooner that, coincidentally, Betsy's grandparents had sailed on many, many years ago.  A great visit with great family whom we just don't get to see often enough.
• A week of exploring through Tenant's Harbor, Rockland, Vinalhaven and the islands of Merchant Row.  It's hard to describe just how beautiful these places are; those who have been there know.  But the mix of granite, pines, fields, islets, inlets and big water are tough to beat.  We also met up with Osprey again in Seal Bay off of Vinalhaven, where we spent a few days exploring some of the old quarries on the island and hiking the rocky shorelines.  We also had a phenomenal clam bake on the beach one night, on a small saddle of a sand between two islands, with views out to Mount Desert Island.  A spot and meal to remember.  Next was a night between McGlathery Island and Round Island in Merchant Row.  Once again, a spectacular spot with some great hiking trails and white sand/shell beaches.
• A great sail over to MDI with the Osprey kids (or, Osprets as we call them), and a reunion with Celilo in Somes Harbor, where we now sit.  Great to see Roberta and Mike again!

Again, our plan is to camp out here for a few nights while we get food, fuel and supplies for our next leg up to Canada.  We also plan to visit with our old friends Robin and Sid Graves, whom we last saw down in Exuma.  Should be fun. 

We'll post some pictures when we can.  In the meantime, the best way to reach us is by email, as we have very, very little phone service in Somesville.  Our best to everyone back home.

Back Home In Duxbury, At Least For A Week Or So

Ok, Ok, we haven't done a great job of updating the blog for the last few weeks.  We've been in a bit of a lazy fog since getting back in the states.  Not enough swimming, spearing and hiking, I guess.  But we've also been bouncing around different spots south of Cape Cod and catching up with lots of friends.  From Block Island we motored over to Cuttyhunk just in time for me to jump into the FISH tournament (fly fishing for striped bass) that I've been doing for many years now.  Kent Bartley picked me up on the Friday before the tournament to take me fishing around the Vineyard and Elizabeth Islands; I hadn't caught a bass yet this year, so I really needed the warm up, especially alongside a master fisherman like Kent.  As for the FISH tournament itself, it couldn't have been better this year.  Seeing all of those old friends and spending a few days fishing the Vineyard and Elizabeth islands took all of the bitter out of the bitter/sweet feeling of getting back up to New England after a winter down south.  Loads and loads and loads of fun.

After leaving Cuttyhunk, we spent a few days in the Elizabeth Islands and eventually caught up with Celilo, then Osprey and finally Zusammen.  Great to get the whole band back together.  And our old friends the Zibinskases came down for the weekend to get a small taste of what we've been up to all year.  Despite the full boat, it was a blast; close friendships and liberal cocktailing make small spaces feel larger.  Everyone had a great time fishing, beaching, swimming off the boat and just catching up.

We dropped off the Zibinskases on Sunday, spent the night in Hadley's Harbor and then picked up Betsy's Dad and niece Alison on Monday afternoon for the sail north to Duxbury.  The wind was super light on Monday, but it eventually turned to the south and filled in, so we threw up the cruising chute and had a nice little sail into Pocasset.  As we passed through Buzzard's Bay, Betsy's Dad -- it was his birthday -- recounted for the kids and Betsy and me many stories about sailing the same waters more than fifty years earlier on his grandfather's 75ft schooner "Senora".  It was a treat for everyone.  As was the poker game that all of us played that night, with said grandfather's poker chips to boot!  (Betsy won the game on the last hand).  We woke early today and steamed through the Cape Cod Canal with the tide.  By the time we reached the east end, the wind had picked up enough from the north to give us a good strong sail.  Two tacks and a few hours later, we were passing Gurnet Light and heading into Duxbury Bay.  We all commented on the trip in how strange it felt to be back home after such a long journey to places that were so different from Duxbury.  But the few quick trips we've made to shore -- one to pick up Betsy's Mom, who joined all of us on the boat for a birthday dinner for Betsy's Dad -- were chock full of visits with many friends.  And we'll see many, many more tomorrow when we make our first "official" trip into town for the 4th of July parade and parties. 

We're currently sitting on a mooring in Two Rock watching insane amounts of fireworks being set off from Plymouth to Kingston to Duxbury to Marshfield to Scituate.  We'll probably camp here for the next few days.  After that, we might move to the anchorage/mooring field behind Clark's Island, or in the Basin.  If we don't see you on the 4th (we'll be watching the parade right across from Sweetser's), give us a call or stop by the boat anytime.  We should be here for a week or so before moving onto Maine and other points East and North.  It's good to be home!