August 15th,2015

Up early to haul up the jib. Check the oil etc. Get a pump out (free). Say our good-byes to the Old Goat who helps with the lines and we depart for we think Sackett's Harbour . Change our plans but the wind is just great and we set our course for Kingston. Only bummer Moira doesn't get to go to the discount liquor store. We sailed all the way at 6 plus knots a beautiful day on Lake Ontario. The 3-5 foot rollers made Moira feel a bit squeamish but all was well.

Arrived in Kingston at Confederation Basin to spend the night. Moira is thinking that her Mom is still in Kingston hospital but finds out she is now home again in Picton.
Her operation is set for August 24 to remove a cyst and gall bladder. Moira is at least home to be with her and Marilyn.

We have sushi in Kingston. We check the washrooms on the way back to the boat and they are the most disgusting facility that we have encountered since we left Rockland Maine. How disgraceful to enter Canada and experience this filfth. Oh well .
Moira did not offer to clean the mess. Reported it twice as it was not even touched in the morning.




August 16th,2015

We are on our way to Picton. Beautiful day. We can't wait to get in touch with everyone and catch up. Just in time for Greg's Happy Birthday next Saturday.
It is strange to think this trip is over, we both have settled into the live aboard life style and will miss the adventure. We agree that this is not the end of our sailing just a turning point. We are going to sell Genevieve and look for another boat. As much as we love her it's time for us to move on and find a boat more suitable for Caribbean live aboard cruising. Our wish list includes; an aft cabin, two heads, shallower draft and self tailing winches. Any suggestions?

The sun is now up and it is another beautiful day.


August 04,
A sight-seeing motor sail up the Hudson is interrupted by the US Coast Guard. A large orange zodiac has snuck up from behind and we are informed we are about to be boarded for a mandatory safety inspection. From there boat they ask how many are on board and then they say “without reaching for anything are there any weapons on board” we have none so on they come and the rest is an uneventful quite pleasant routine inspection of the ships systems and safety gear. We are given a clean bill of health and sent on our way.



August 05,2015

Castleton-On –Hudson

The Castleton Boat Club is where we need to be to unstep the mast.
We dropped our wood supports that Tom Roach help build years ago off at the boat club at the beginning of the trip so all the stuff we need is there.

We are on their dock out front of the club and handy to the facilities. The wake from passing boats and large barges is a little bit unnerving because we bounce against the floating dock. The trains blowing their horns go by every half hour and the track is behind the club so you have to stop your conversations until they have passed by.

This is a powerboat club and they do all the work themselves, they have built a large hand operated crane but have upgraded to an electric motor to make life easier. It is a great deal for sailors to lift your mast, it is $50.00 and they give you a docking deal of $1.00 per foot with that. Normally $1.50 per foot. They will not help you as it is use at your own risk and they do not want to be liable if anything goes wrong.
Makes sense. They are very hospitable and make you feel right at home.

August 06th, 2015
Hang out and make plans to haul the mast. Do all the prep work and get Genevieve ready.

While we are doing this there is a huge black cloud about a mile down the river.
One of the powerboats had just left the dock and members thought they might be in trouble. People ran for their boats to go and see if they could help. It turns out it was not the member but he was on his way back to the dock with three survivors on board. Dad “Woody” , his son Max who is 12 and Sawyer who is five. His engine caught on fire and he had to abandon the boat and throw the kids overboard to save their lives. John and I took care of the three of them while the rest went back to talk to the police and the coastguard. We lent them cloths and dried them off and offered food that only Max ate..

The police arrived by boat and asked little Sawyer if he wanted to go with his Dad back to where their boat was or what was left of it and he said I am never getting on a boat again. He was very shaken up so they took Dad to fill in the police reports and Sawyer and Max stayed with us until their Mom arrived by car. It was very scary and emotional.

August 07th,2015

Normally there are other sailboats with crew around to help with the mast removal.
Not the case for us. So John convinces me that we can do it ourselves. Anyone who knows Genevieve is aware she has a 65 foot mast . It weighs a 1000 pounds.

Well we talked it out and discussed exactly how we would do it and I became the crane operator and John the deck hand. We were successful and managed with just one minor injury. The mast slipped on the hoisting rope and grazed John’s foot. We had a slight loop in the rope above the spreader and when the mast was vertical it dropped a few inches. When he yelled I raised the mast, took up the slack, caught our breath and carried on without any other issues.

The cradles needed some minor adjustments and it all worked.
The mast fit under the new dingy arch and we could pull the dingy up tight like it was meant to be.

We are ready to head to the New York State Canal System.

August 08,2015

We will take 115 miles of the Erie Canal System that is 338 miles in length. Then we will enter the Oswego Canal that is 24 miles long.

We have our fenders ready and decide not to use the fender board as it has got caught up in the past. Our lines are put in place to ensure that we can stay on the lock walls.

We get to the lock and purchase a 10 day pass for $50.00.

We go through the federal lock in Albany New York where we used our lines at mid ship with the lines running aft and forward.

The next Lock is Troy New York and to our surprise they have lines hanging from the lock itself that you just have to grab , Moira uses the boat hook at the bow and John grabs a line at the stern. This is great.

So we are committed and will go as far as we can before the locks close at 6PM.
We make it to lock 7 the first day and spend overnight on the wall at the lock.

August 09th,2015

They open at 8am and we are on our way. The lock staff are really nice people and
respond quickly when you radio ahead for the lock to be opened to pass through.

Today we make it to lock 17 and look forward to staying at a place called Little Falls.
Everything is good but after a few locks you feel really grubby.

At Little Falls the dock has power, WIFI and the cleanest facilities we have used on the whole trip.
Laundry available and reasonable. The Dock -master drives us into town for dinner and we are all set. We are exhausted from the pace we are keeping in the locks and decide to stay one more day.

August 10,2015

We tour the town.

The town had a population of 15,000 people now down to four thousand. As in most of upper New York the manufacturing plants have closed and are abandoned. It is sad to see that most industries along the canals are closed and the buildings are standing empty.

We visit some antique shops but most of the businesses are closed on Sunday and Monday.

August 11,2015

We depart for the next lock. It is not pleasant as we come down the slimy walls
And hold onto slimy ropes. We wear rubber gloves to protect our hands and that helps. We have both banged our heads on the mast and the wood supports repeatably, we know it is there but just can’t get used to this foreign object in our cockpit. Can’t wait until we are through and can put the mast back up. . Some locks with the current and the wind are very difficult and Moira strains to hold the bow in. It is a lot of work.

We get to Lock 22 where the lock person agrees to keep it open for us so we can get to the Marina located just after the lock. Mariners Landing is where we tie up. It’s closed but we need diesel so we will wait for them to open in the morning.

August 12,2015

We are headed to Lock 23 and then on to Lake Oneida, we motor across and turn into the Oswego Canal system which we reach at 12;30 pm.
Windy but the lake was calm.

We enter the canal and get ready with our lines for the lock. At Lock one they have the lines for us to use just the same as the Erie Canal. We relax and it all goes smoothly but now we are going down in elevation the reverse to the first 22 locks.

In Lock 2 we get a heck of a surprise, we are sitting high on the wall when we enter and there are no lines. We jump into action and secure the lines to mid ship but it is taking a while for us to grab the pole due to the height of Genevieve. The lock is now starting to empty and it is blowing hard. When Moira looks at the bow she realizes that the bow has been blown over towards the wall and the mast is on top of the lock wall and we can’t push it off. The water is going down fast, the mast is stuck on the ledge, our stern is being pushed down and we hear the first break of the mast head navigation lights. Moira is trying to push us off but we are really stuck and it won’t budge.

We are yelling and now screaming for him to stop the drainage but he can’t see or hear us due to the bridge blocking his view.

John grabbed the air horn and started blasting it like crazy to get his attention. The lock operator hears it, looks around the bridge and takes off running to the other end of the lock to reverse the water. He was quick to respond once we got his attention. All of us were really shaken up and realizied it could have been a disaster. The way John had the mast strapped to the supports helped and the mast flexed and the supports kept it in place it only moved back about 3 inches.

We talk about not being ready and the wind factor and he is just glad that we are okay with minimum damage. He updates the next lock attendant and we are treated with care. We were lucky that it was one of the young people as most of the locks are manned with older staff who may not have been able to react as quickly. We go through the rest of them without incident.

It is getting late but we get a call from the last lock before Oswego and he says hurry it up and he’ll stay on and let us through so we don’t have to spend the night between locks. What a day!

We arrive in Oswego and go to the wall and tell the marina manager the story and he says look at that mast over there off a 30 foot sailboat it snapped in half. The lock operator was getting a can of paint and wasn’t there to help the boater. So crap can happen and we are so lucky that we escaped unhurt with minimal damaged.

August 13, 2015

We have to hire the craine as the mast is too heavy to lift with the one they have on site. $350.00 US scheduled for tomorrow.

. We basically had to strip the boat to get her ready.


August 14,2015

The mast goes back in at 1:30.

It takes the full day to put all the canvas and sails back , the roller furling Moira’s lest favourite job as she is on the winch by choice. John tunes the rigging.

We will stay another night as we are done in and will leave the jib for tomorrow.

A very beautiful motor yacht pulls in beside us and the gentleman is very talkative and knows Genevieve . His boast is called the Old Goat and his name is
Jean Mc Carthy . (sp) He sailed on Red Jacket in the early years and knows Paul Falen and George Cuthbertson and on and on, well. He is from Chicago and has sailed all his life. He is about 83 years old and just a fantastic story teller. He has sailed in the Mackinaw Race 62 times.
What a history. Moira is trying to take the slime off the fenders with soap and he insists that she stop doing it the wrong way. She has to use lacquer thinner …
He has been through the locks as well and gets a dirty fender and his supplies and comes and shows me how to do it and we offer him our fenders because he is doing such a good job. Well that didn’t happen so we’ll do that job when we get home.
I hope we get to meet him again sometime and his wife who was on board. He was great.

July 30th, 2015

We are still in Newport and take a dingy tour of the harbour, we take it easy and
decide not to go and see another mansion. We spend all morning catching up on email and the blog. I needed to print some documents off and the Seafarers mission was there to help with whatever we needed including the WIFI access.

The port is beautiful and we go for a long walk around the town and then head to the yacht club for a cocktail and back to the boat early. We are heading to Sag Harbour tomorrow.

July 31,2015

We motor sail all day in big rollers.

We arrive in Sag Harbour the weather is still great. Contact the Yacht club on the VHF; I hear $2.00 per foot and we pull in. We have not been at a dock in ages. Well when we get there all the mega yachts are lined up and I ask the dock steward to confirm the price. No, must be a mistake because it is $6.50 a foot. The mooring balls are $2.00 per foot; we head to the mooring balls so we still have access to showers etc. When we get to the dock we find that the place we rented the ball from is the Harbour-master’s office and they are now closed so no shower key. We plead with another two dock employees from a private mooring company and they give us a key that has to be returned as soon as we are finished. So that works out. The showers are public and not that clean and they smell, but they worked.

We ask the dock workers where to eat as it is 8 PM and we want something fast and good. He suggests a pub on the corner. It is very crowded and noisy but the burgers are great.

We have noticed being 7 miles from the Hamptons that there are some very expensive cars and bars near the water. We pass on going into them because people are dressed in their finest pick-up gear. Stilettos on the dock???
Not our style. People are not overly friendly.

We walk down a sidewalk to return to the dingy and can’t get by on the sidewalk because this large SUV is sitting with their passenger doors open and texting and using their cell phones. My very patient and gentle husband has lost it and slams their doors shut so we can get by them on the narrow sidewalk. There was no confrontation but they got the message.
We are still following the Cruising Guide for the New England Coast but it was last updated in 1999. It described Sag Harbour as friendly and quaint it reminded us of Wasaga Beach on a Saturday night.

Early to bed so we can leave first thing in the morning.

July 31st, 2015

Let’s go we are off the mooring ball at 6am. It is lumpy and the winds pick up along Long Island Sound. There are 3-4 feet swells. We look up a number of options to pull into for the night but both agree that a dock would be great.

We contact Mount Sinai Yacht club, which is 2 ½ miles east of Port Jefferson. There is a dredged channel that is very narrow and the current runs at 2 knots. The club is a self-help club and they accept our club membership and give is reciprocal privileges for $2.00 per foot. This is great.

The membership and staff are really friendly and there is a bar and restaurant.

We are welcomed by a guy from Ralph’s Fishing Station and Marina he is the son of the owner and was visiting friends and invites us over for live entertainment in the afternoon. We go and the band is fantastic. We stayed for two sets then back to the yacht club for Karaoke and dinner.

August 01,2015 to August 02, 2015

Shop, laundry, supplies etc. Very restful and laid back. Planned our next steps.

August 03,2015

Depart Mt. Sinai early as we have to hit the tides at the right time. We are on our way to the East River that we reached at 1 PM. We decided to keep going passing Port Washington and heading for Hell Gate. We pass the mouth of the Harlem River and Riker’s Prison . There are jets flying overhead into the airport about every 5 minutes or less. It is imperative that we pick the current right. The westward (ebb) current is 4 ½ knots with 5-foot standing waves in places. It’s a conveyor belt slay ride flying past Manhattan at 10 + knots. We are within 50 yards from shore waving to joggers and feeling the vibe and congestion of the Big Apple. Ahead we can see the Statue of Liberty and we turn north into the Hudson River.

The ferry service is high speed and there can be at least five of these very large boats flying past you and causing huge wakes. You would think that they are racing and headed in all different directions. It is a very busy Harbour. We decide not to stay near New York as we visited there last March. Also Moira’s Mom is not good health and it’s time to hustle home.

We anchor just past the George Washington Bridge . It is a wake up call because we won’t be doing any more ocean sailing and we both agree that we will miss it.
We have had no major storms and the weather has been good making the summer all the more enjoyable.

August 04,2015

It’s 3 am and the lightning and thunderstorm wakes us up. We are not sure of the anchor holding due to the strong current and hard bottom so John checks it to ensure that we haven’t moved. We didn’t get much sleep so we get up and get ready to head out around 6am and the anchor chain has wrapped and tied itself around the anchor . Took a while to get it untangled. John is successful in getting it unwrapped . Lesson to be learned we didn’t back down on the chain and should have to straighten it out. We should know better by now.

The sun is now up and it is another beautiful day.

July 22,2015 PM

Through a maze of people arriving off the ferry we hear a loud laugh and recognize the voice of our daughter yucking it up with the captain of the ferry as they depart the boat. Danielle and Kristen have arrived and the laughter has started. We go straight to our new favorite bar/ restaurant “Slip 14 on the Old South Wharf and order lunch.
We load the dinghy and drag their small suit cases to the boat and decide to just hang out on the boat and watch the water traffic cruise by. We are at anchor just outside the mooring field with the big boats so there is a bit of a swell and boat wake to deal with but the view and company are outstanding.

Nantucket is a special place, a summer retreat for the well healed, a bit laid back in a Gatsby sort of way with pastel shorts and sweaters draped over the shoulders as tourists roam the streets deciding which restaurant to have supper at.

We have a quiet night as Kristen and Danielle have been travelling for two days with little sleep. Rossland to Spokane, fly from Spokane to Boston, spend the night in a hostel then early bus to Hyannis and then a ferry to Nantucket but they pulled it off and found us.

July 23rd, 2015
We drag the bicycles to shore and Kristen and Danielle rent two for themselves and we head off to tour the island. First stop is the Cisco Brewery where we have lunch entertained by a great live band. We then head to Cisco Beach for a swim and cool off. It is hot.

July 24th
Walking tour of the Island. Some shopping laundry etc.

July 25th
We hoist anchor early and head for Martha’s Vineyard. The wind is perfect and we have a favorable current. Seven and eight knots across the bottom and we make Vineyard Haven by 1:00. Pump out, top up the water tanks, rinse the deck at the harbormasters dock then drop the anchor just outside of the break wall in 15 feet of water. Cocktails on the deck and we settle in for the afternoon watching the boat traffic and ferries. We have dinner at the Black Dog Tavern in Vineyard Haven beer and wine license only. Food was fantastic.

July 26th

We head to Edgartown to find a liquor-licensed town.
Most of Martha’s Vineyard is dry. We find a bar and the girl’s are ready to party.
The band is from Boston and the female singer is great. We dance until very late and
get a local bus to take us back to Vineyard Haven.


July 27th
A public bus takes us to the Gay Head Lighthouse and Cliffs in Aquinnah, we walk the beach and have a beer while waiting for the bus and we realize we are running out of time. If we are going to have supper in Menemsha watching the sunset we will need to abandon public transportation and find a taxi. When we call there are none available but there is one parked in the parking lot. Like vultures we circle till the driver and passenger arrive. It’s a private tour and not available. After explaining our situation we turn with disappointed expressions and head for the bus waiting area, then from the taxi we hear come back we will take you. This wonderful woman invites us in feeling sorry for us and we are back on schedule. This is a dry island in places just abolishing prohibition in 2002. The fish market (who cook what you buy) where we are heading is called Larsen’s Fish Market it does not have a license so no wine. As we are waiting for our lobster to be cooked Moira is outside making new friends and by the time our food is ready a box of Pinot Grigio has arrived and our new friends fill up clean paper chowder bowls of wine for us. Unbelievable, sunset, lobster dinner on a working fishing pier, good wine and new friends, it’s perfect.
We are back on the bus and make connections that get us to Oak Bluffs. This town is known for its collection of Gingerbread houses. We arrive just as it is getting dark but have just enough time to see the beach where Jaws was filmed.

July 28th
Another early start and we are off to Newport. Wind is light and weather is questionable but not threating. It Rains. We run through Woods Hole with a favorable current and do the 40-mile run to Newport in 7 hours. Anchoring is tight so we opt for a mooring ball, at a dollar a foot it is far more reasonable than the $5.50 a foot at the Newport Yacht Club or the $8.50 a foot at the Marina.
The harbour-master has given us a complete rundown of where to shower etc. We head to the Newport Yacht Club and use our QCYC reciprocal rights to get in the door and are welcomed to the bar, shower access and laundry facilities.

With no time to spare we head to town roam the historic streets and end up at “The Fastnet Irish Pub” and settle in to hear the band. A man “John” asks me to be his partner for some pool and we play Kristen and Danielle and get lucky and win that game. Another game against some locals, it’s odd but there is a growing number of young men hanging around and buying us drinks. Kristen and Danielle own the room and we all have a dance or two to this great blues band. Kristen dances with my pool partner, one last scotch that someone has given me and we head out with a crewmember from one of the mega yachts that needs a ride to his boat. As we are saying goodbye we learn that my pool partner is John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin, how about that for a night.
Feeling a bit sluggish from the night before we board a tour bus and learn a bit about the history of Newport. We tour the Vanderbilt 70 room summer estate “The Breakers” then head for ½ price happy hour at Benjamin’s recommended by a local.

The oysters and jumbo shrimp are a dollar each. Danielle and Kristen enjoy a 1-½ pound lobster each at $18.00. Great meal.

July 29th

Kristen and Danielle have to head to New York to meet up with a friend who will let them into the house that they are staying at. They are taking a bus to New York. We get to the city by 9AM have showers at the yacht club and then breakfast.

They order a picnic lunch for the bus ride and we send them off. It was sad to see them go.

John and I had to move the boat to another mooring, which worked out because the mobile pump-out guy would come and pump us out Royal Flush, is the name of his vessel.

We clean the boat remove all the bedding etc. with the intent of another larger laundry facility. We just can’t get a taxi from the wharf.

We start talking to Greg working for Bowens Wharf and he says no worries I’ll take you to the plaza because he needed to go to a hardware store anyway.
Good news is we can pick up some supplies and water etc. There is a liquor store.
Very convenient and we can go have lunch and a beer during the wash cycle.

We contact the cab company again and a great taxi driver picks us up who gives us a tour on the way back to the wharf and also stops at a U-Haul rental store so we can fill our propane tank.

John and I get back to the boat it is s so quiet without the girl’s and we decide to get back in the dingy and head for dinner. The Sardella’s restaurant is Italian and they have great food and live entertainment.
Jazz musicians are playing, it was fantastic and they had great voices. The Jazz festival is this weekend in Newport and there will be 6000 people here on Saturday alone.

We will be heading out Friday morning so today we will try to visit one more mansion after we tour the Newport Marine yard. So much to do.

July 16,2015

Very quiet day do some emails and find that the WIFI is intermittent.
John is trying to do his OCADU stuff but it’s challenging when you can’t get on line.

We have met Alex and Ursula Zehnder from Sweden who have been traveling for eight years, sailed across the Atlantic and are now are headed to Shelburne and we exchange stories and discover they know Nomad who we met last year.
They are very pleasant. We both haven’t been in touch with Nomad and we leave saying we will both try to track them down.

July 17,2015

We are on our way to Martha’s Vineyard and have no issues leaving Kingman Marine. It is high tide.

The conditions are good and we head through Woods Hole, a very narrow channel and it is a challenge there are marks and buoys everywhere. On an ebb tide the current runs from the west out of Buzzards Bay through Woods Hole. The current is swift and we are hitting 7-9 knots. The waters are churned by the ferries coming from Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard headed to Buzzards Bay and New Bedford. There is no speed limit and it seems like every man for themselves. All boats due to the current including the ferries can create huge wakes as they drive through at their own speed to maintain steerage. Sail over power beware that in navigating this harbor respect for the law of superior tonnage will keep us safe.

Exciting passage and we arrive quickly at the other end safe.

We change our mind on our destination due to great weather conditions and good winds and decide to go straight to Nantucket. We sail past Martha’s Vineyard and will stop there on our return.

We are in awe and can’t believe the size of the yachts. Amazing eye candy.

Need diesel and water so we head to the Marina where we pay $4.99 US a gallon for diesel, ouch that hurts. We can’t get water there so we head to the public dock that is set up for huge vessels. We see a finger dock and decide to pull in but the currents and the wind are too strong for Moira to hold the rope on the cleat so John jumps to the dock and the bow starts swinging out. The bowline is too short and John says put another length of rope on it and throw it. Feels like pending disaster but I get that together and he catches the rope attached at the bow. No one comes to help. We manage to get the boat pulled in and get water and then pull off the dock tide is going out and we bump bottom again. We get off and head for an anchorage as the mooring balls are &70.00 per night.

At the mooring we call it a night, relax eat a can of Habitant pea soup, a bagel relax and read our books.

July 17,2015

Nantucket
We have anchored North East of the mooring field in 10 feet of water at low tide. It’s a sand bottom but the anchor is holding well and we are a 5 min. dingy ride into the center of the old port. We inquired about pulling into a slip for one night to charge batteries and were informed one nights docking would be $289 US add the 33% exchange rate and we decided to stay at anchor. We prefer this any way, no noise and much more private.

July 18-19

We will be waiting here for a few days while John fixes the batteries, seems we are not charging and the solar panel is not working so the alternator is having a hard time keeping up as we try to keep all of our technology charged like laptops and phones. We roam the streets and enjoy the scenery.

John spots we think secret service agents and lots of security so we have to follow to see what’s going on. It turns out after we ask a dock guy that it is John Kerry US Secretary of State on crutches headed for his yacht. Now that is a big sailboat.

July 20,2015

A van tour of the Island gives us a perspective of this very well off sand bar. We head to Siasconset. It is breathtaking the beautiful gardens and the beaches and architecture. Keep in mind these are summer homes and only a 100 according to the driver are occupied all year. The real estate her is very valuable small cottages with
Cedar shingles on small lots sell for 1-2 million.

July 21,2015

We visit the Whaling museum definitely worth the visit. Lots of history and huge whale skeletons.

July 22, 2015

The Whaling Museum ticket gives us access to another 6 historic sites, Fire Hose Cart House, Greater Light, Old Mill, Oldest House and Kitchen Garden , Quaker Meeting House and the Old Goal. Interesting tour. We are very hot and need supplies so we head for the store and back to the boat to cool off in the breeze. Get the dingy and head to the beach that is fantastic and John is dealing with a very aggressive seagull that keeps diving at him. We are very close to their nesting grounds.

July 23rd ,2015
We are at the library in the air conditioning. It is a beautiful building where we are catching up on emails and banking and stuff . John has college work to do; he is not totally out of the loop with the College. Duty calls and he needs to work on curriculum and catch up on work related emails.

In about an hour Kristen arrives by Ferry at Nantucket with her friend and ours Danielle Valade. We can’t wait, as there will be so much energy on the boat for the sail to Martha’s Vineyard then Newport and then Long Island sound.
You may not hear from us for a day or two.

In the words of Jordan Howard look out dad (Harry Howard Past Manager QCYC) there is a tornado on its way. ☺

July 11,2015

We decide to stay another day in Gloucester Massachusetts;
We are on a mooring ball in the outer harbour and it is very pleasant. The dinghy is working great and we are able to tour the wharfs and pull into some lovely restaurants and galleries.
In one waterfront bar we had the best oysters and a steamed soft shell lobsters, served on paper plates, it was delicious.

Checking in with the Harbour master we are told that there are no shower facilities. UGH.

We did some more exploring and tried to find the church where there is a memorial dedicated to the 10,000 Glouster fishermen that never returned from the sea. We walked it seemed for miles to find it was closed.
We did go to the Crow’s Nest. This is an old bar located near the ice plant away from the tourist area. It is filled with locals and fisherman still today who fondly remember their mates and the filming of the Perfect Storm. George Clooney was there when the movie was shot and in a photo album, there were some pictures of Mike Ironside who was a student in one of John’s very first film classes. John bought the bar t-shirt and we are off to the boat. On route we pass a rough waterside bar and the sound of a steel drum catches our attention. We find ourselves dancing to a great one-man steel band entertainer with an incredible voice and pleasant smile. We are pretty much the only customers so an opportunity to sing a Jimmy Buffet tune to steel drums just couldn’t be missed.

July 12, 2015

Up and at it very early to Salem that we need to get into at high tide. There is only 7 feet of water over a small sand bar when the tide is low near the entrance to a marina that we want to get to. We arrive at Salem at 9:00 am. All is well we arrive at the high tide.

We pulled into Pickering Wharf Marina. We need a shower and WIFI etc. This will be our first dock in weeks every other place has been anchoring or on a mooring ball.

The bad news is that the showers and washrooms are disgusting more so than some of the washrooms you may have used driving south to Florida on I 95.
There is no ice, there is no WIFI and when John came back with the bill it was $140.00 for the night. Talk about feeling screwed. Doesn’t help when our dollar last I heard was at $1.30.

We grin and bear it and go off to roam around Salem and get connected with the witch history. We buy a combined ticket package that takes us to three witchy places aka museums, dioramas and one live reenactment of a trial. It’s all very touristy entertainment like you would find in Niagara Falls but we get a feel for the town history. It was like the worst of Disney gone bad. Even the town people seem to think the whole Salem witch thing is overplayed. It’s as if they wish the whole thing never happened.

We recover our senses and go to the Peabody Essex Museum. It is fantastic but we are slowing down as we have been walking for hours.

Time for a drink and as we head back to the boat we hear music, great music, some good old blues and rock and roll. Our spirits lift as does a “Dark and Stormy” we get a second wind and stay for two sets and have a burger for dinner. So much fun.

July 13,2015

Still at the wharf, I decide that we need to do at least one load of laundry so head off to do that and to see if I can find a grocery store. No luck but found bagels and cream cheese. We are leaving as soon as we get organized.
A new dock person shows up and I (Moira) register the complaints about the facilities and ask him if we were charged for hydro. Yes that was $25.00 so I pointed out that we didn’t use any and we at least got that money back. I feel a little better.

We are off to Scituate Harbor .The wind is just right for sailing so we hoist the sails,
change our destination and we sailed all the way to Plymouth and drop the hook behind Clark’s Island. There is only one other boat. We will motor up the channel two miles to Plymouth tomorrow and rent a mooring ball.

John made corn beef hash for dinner and we will have an early night and will tour Plymouth Tomorrow.

News on the Moms front…

Helen was at a party in Orillia with sister Mary. Helen claims that there were no drinks involved but she missed her footing on a bottom step and did a face plant badly hurting her face and her arm. She is back at Shannon’s who claims that she looks terrible. Her hand is cut but the hospital couldn’t stitch it because her skin is so thin. She could use some love sent her way.

Margaret has had another bout with the tube from her badly infected gal bladder
hanging on by a wire. Marilyn had to get her to emergency in Picton Sunday night and the drain has now been replaced. She saw another specialist today. This Doctor will refer her to Kingston to see if it is possible to get the gall bladder removed. The doctors are concerned that this may be a serious step to take with Mom because she is frail.
We talked to her tonight she is such a trooper and she is in good spirits. She could also use some love sent her way.

July 14, 2015

Head to Plymouth,
There is no room for us at the Yacht club or anywhere in the inner harbor so we grab a mooring ball outside of the break wall and dingy into the harbor masters office. Once again no shower facilities so it’s off to the Yacht club to see if they will accommodate a couple of visiting sailors. They check our Yacht Club membership cards and open up their facilities to us. We tour the Mayflower, do a narrated bus tour of the town and head back to the boat to get cleaned up for dinner. The Harbor Master recommended we eat at the East Bay Grill and we enjoy one of the finest meals so far this season. A beautiful location, outside dining in perfect weather and a fun server all add up to a perfect night.

July 15,2015

With a bit of a hangover we untie ourselves from the mooring ball and make the run for the Cape Cod Canal. The current runs at four knots and we have to hit it with the falling tide. The Canal is wide but there is lots of boat traffic from barges to tour boats. We are averaging 9-10 knots all the way through.

We decided to head to Pocasset, Kingman Harbor Marina to get supplies and fuel etc.
That did not go well. The tide was low and we are told by their dock person that they have a mooring ball for us on the inside. We know that we are at low tide and so does she but she insists that we can get on mooring ball V7 which we find is in 6-7 feet of water. We have told her more than once that we draw 7 feet 4 inches and she says so you draw seven feet not to split hairs. What we don’t know is that there mooring cement blocks are about two feet above that and we hit the keel dead into one but we were in neutral and moving slow.

We immediately call her on the VHF to say we hit and now we are riding up on ground. Oh too bad, wait for the tide to come in and when you get free you can move to one of the outside moorings.

She finally comes out in the tender to show us the way out to the mooring ball. We are aground again. The depth sounder picked up the low water but not the mooring anchor. We call her back and advise this is not acceptable so she finally assigns us a deep water mooring. So two hours of frustration and we still have to go in to do laundry and the stores are closed.

Moira is not pleased.

We will be staying another night waiting for some weather to blow through and then we are off to Woods Hole and on to Martha’s Vineyard.