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!