After fueling, we slipped into the canal around 7:30am. Seas were calm and we turned on the Radar after a while because visibility became an issue. We kept careful watch until the fog lifted around 11am. We stopped the engine to clear out seaweed from the engine intake filter basket. This took only a few minutes.
As we approached Salem Harbor we noticed several sailboat races in progress. Deciding which path to take to avoid interfering, we made a last minute choice which easily led us into the Harbor. Without clear direction to the slip we had to rely on the dockmaster to guide us in. Mike met us at the dock and Jim made docking look so easy. We were docked right below the Victoria Station restaurant and Picklering Warf shops. This ended up being an enjoyable stay with Salem within walking distance.
We rented a car on Monday and Tuesday and went into Boston which was a traffic nightmare We walked around the Freedom Trail to the Old North Church after visiting Bunker Hill and the museum there.
Tuesday we discovered the massiveness of Massachusetts General Hospital. Jim had tests and a meeting with a specialist. We spent most of the day there.
On the way back to Salem we headed for West Marine, but for some reason our GPS took us to a random neighborhood. We skipped the shopping trip because we had to get the car back to the rental agency. We made it by one minute!
While in Salem we went to the local theatre to see 'Ted' which had been filmed in Boston. It was fun to watch the locals react to Boston humor.
We took a trolley ride around Salem, and visited a witch museum which was disappointing. It's amazing that such a huge tourist industry could be built on such a sad time in history.
We will be back in Salem in a few weeks. We left a few shops to be explored later.