Sailing with Nine of Cups
| Vessel Name: | Nine of Cups |
| Vessel Make/Model: | Liberty 458 |
| Hailing Port: | Denver, Colorado, USA |
| Crew: | Marcie & David |
| About: | We've lived aboard Nine of Cups since 2000 and have managed to accumulate 86,000+ nm under the keel since that time. We completed a circumnavigation in April 2015 and managed to sail around the five great southern capes. Come along with us for the ride! |
| Extra: |
07 July 2016 | Us: East Walpole, MA / Cups: Chesapeake, VA
Taking a breather ...
Since we'll be off the boat during July and August, we plan to post only three times per week. The Captain will continue writing a practical Blue View post each week, we'll keep you up to date on what's happening with us and then throw in some cruising nuggets as well.
06 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA
Keeping fit
We’ve written before about keeping fit on the boat. David is so much better at a regimented exercise program than I am. I have all the best intentions, but I can always think of something better to do than sit-ups, push-ups, leg lifts and running in place. It doesn’t take much to distract me. Walking, [...]
04 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA
Happy 240th Birthday, America
Growing up in New England, I took for granted just how lovely a summer’s morning can be in Massachusetts. It’s comfortably cool and everything smells clean and fresh. Spider webs glisten with morning dew and it’s just great to be alive and breathe in the new day. Being back at Lin’s house conjures up wonderful childhood memories of summer mornings past. And this is not just any morning … it’s the 4th of July, the best holiday of the summertime in the USA.
02 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA
Leaving Cups and a Road Trip
Leaving Nine of Cups is never easy. We know she’ll pout while we’re gone and so we do our best to make sure she’s as comfortable as possible before we leave. We were whirling dervishes trying to get everything ready.
01 July 2016 | Virginia Beach, Virginia
Hunting & Gathering - Virginia Beach
We had lots to do before leaving Cups. David was intent on getting as many chores done in advance of our departure as possible so that once we return in September, we can spend time sailing in the Chesapeake rather than doing repairs and maintenance. Much of what we needed in the way of parts and supplies, [...]
Darlington Historic Convict Site - Maria Island
Maria Island can be “toured” in two distinct ways: from an historical perspective and/or for its natural beauty, flora and fauna. The Darlington Probation Station is one of the eleven properties which forms the World Heritage Australian Convict Sites as is Port Arthur. Had we visited Darlington first, it would have been more awe-inspiring perhaps, but after visiting Port Arthur, it wasn't particularly impressive by comparison.
The island is split into two (north and south) by a tombolo, a new word for us ... a sandbar(s) which connects two land masses or islands. I love it when we learn something new and obscure … or did you already know what a tombolo was? We put on our walking shoes and packed a picnic lunch to take ashore. The day was warm and brilliantly sunny as we checked in with the park ranger and consulted the island map for trails. Historic Darlington is on the northern part of the island and we chose day walks in that vicinity.
The island was originally inhabited by Aborigines ~28,000BC and perhaps earlier. It didn't take long
after the Brits arrived to decide that Maria might make a good site for a penal colony and in 1825, 50 convicts and a military escort arrived to establish a station. The oldest extant building on the island is the Commissariat Store built in 1825 and used for storage. It now houses the ranger station and some orientation displays.
The convict site was short-lived and closed in 1831. A decade later, it was reopened and housed among others William Smith O'Brien, the Irish political prisoner whose cottage we'd seen in Port Arthur. Several Maori convicts from New Zealand, charged with “open rebellion against the Queen”, were also incarcerated here. The white-washed penitentiary built in 1828 which housed convicts nearly two centuries ago is now used to provide overnight accommodation for guests.
As we walked the well-marked dirt paths and cart roads, the remains of buildings and old foundations could be seen ranging from cottages to kilns to brickworks to cement silos. In 1884, entrepreneur and silk merchant, Diego Bernacchi, began a cement works harvesting the limestone from the island. Darlington township bustled for awhile, but the company went defunct, leaving the island and its buildings to fall into disrepair. In 1971, Maria Island was declared a wildlife sanctuary and in 1972 was proclaimed a national park.
Tomorrow we'll explore the natural beauty of the island.
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