Day # 40: Jamestown, RI to Bourne, MA

Our final day of the final leg of our 1,752 mile passage from Key Largo, Florida to Bourne, Mass was cold and rainy, but it didn’t dampen the thrill in completing our year-long journey. We bought the Periwinkle down south last July and started motoring north in March.

To borrow a phrase from Dr. Seuss: Oh, the places we have been!
I asked Ken this morning if he had a favorite harbor, a coastal city or town he’d call his favorite from the endless list of so many ‘greats,’ and without hesitation he said, “Annapolis.” Maybe it was the welcoming harbor. Maybe the Naval Academy. Maybe the 4th of July parade. Whatever the reason, the experience was unforgettable.

Long ago I heard this fabulous quote: ‘Pleasure not known beforehand is half wasted; to anticipate it is to double it’. And, though there is truth to these words, I have found the other side of that coin to be true. That is, in revisiting past experiences through memories and photographs the pleasure is doubled yet again.

To family and friends who followed our blog, or accompanied us on one of our legs, or supported us through interest or prayer: Your fellowship has heightened our pleasure. Thank you.

Day # 39: Mystic, Ct to Jamestown, RI

It’s called a stern gland, aka ‘stuffing box,’ and when the stuffing is worn water leaks into the engine area and if the water gets high enough in the pan under the engine it ruins the starter. Replacing that stuffing (which is actually a glorified cording) was Ken’s early morning project and thanks to help from Paul and a mechanic from the marina we managed to shove off by 10.

It was a cloudy-sunny-cloudy day with lots of rock and roll, high boat traffic, (we decided all the courteous boaters live down south!) with two close-by ‘May day’ calls: one, a 50 foot cruiser with a hole in the hull, taking in water 5 miles out, and two, a 48-footer on fire. We observed Tow Boat US and the Coast Guard escorting the cruiser safely to shore, but lost track of the burning boat.

En route to Jamestown we turned starboard to Newport to check out the anchorage outside Fort Adams. This is Jazz Fest weekend and the music carried across the water. With occasional wind shifts we could still hear it from our mooring across the bay.

It’s a spectacular evening. The nearby suspension bridge is lit like a Ferris wheel, the water is glass, and the moon subdued behind a cloud takes second seat to the array of tiny lights dotting the sea and the shore.

Day # 38: Guilford to Mystic

After all these miles and all this water, we saw jellyfish right here in downtown Mystic.

It’s great to be in New England waters, but I didn’t really know why until I asked Ken tonight if there was anything special about today’s journey. He immediately replied, “yes”, and then added ‘the water was deeper, and cleaner, and the shoreline was different. More homes, more life. It just feels different. It’s a rocky shoreline making the land appear clean and bright.

Speaking of life, it’s happy hour. The streets. The restaurants. They’re all happy and full. We ate dinner at the Engine Room, a converted brick factory where decades ago the Lathrop boat engine was built. It seems that the prohibition rum-runners preferred the Lathrop because of its mega power. Imagine a bootlegger being chased by boat up the Mystic River. (Try saying that 5 times fast).

I’ve decided that any town worth it’s salt should have a river or an inlet, and a train going through it. This will be the third night in a row we’re docked at a marina next to a railroad bridge passing through the heart of the town. There’s good energy around the movement of water, the movement of boats, and the movement of trains.

Day # 37: South Norwalk to Guilford

The definition of a perfect nautical day includes motoring 43 sunny, but pleasantly cool miles over barely bumpy seas, with good friends, good food, and solitude enough to revise a few haiku.

Guilford Town Marina offers friendly dockage at the edge of another historic village. This year marks the town’s 375th anniversary which features many well preserved 18th and 19th century homes as well as the 1639 Henry Whitfield State Museum, the oldest stone house In New England. Our 1.5 mile walk to town proved educational with date and event placards posted throughout the district. We enjoyed dinner at the Whitfield, overlooking the common, and walked back to the docks just before sunset. The place was booming. Both restaurants on the water appeared to be full, and folks were jogging, fishing, and enjoying the view from a long row of beachside benches. As we settle in at 10 p.m., the seas are calm, the stars are out, and there’s a nip in the air promising a comfortable night. Pleasant dreams!

Visitor’s Dock, South Norwalk, CT

An early start yesterday morning brought us back to port due to rough seas and small craft warnings. So, we traded today’s plans for yesterday and rented a car to drive back to Western Mass. My sister returned to work today, and I did food shopping and laundry while Ken checked in on Norpin. Early evening, our friends Paul and Jenny drove back to the boat with us. It was a nice 24 hour break, with the boat waiting in turn-key condition for tomorrow’s travel. Hard to believe we bought the Periwinkle last August in Key Largo, and we’re just a few days away from bringing her home. Cape Cod…here we come!

Day # 36: Flushing NY To So. Norwalk, Ct

We had plenty of chop today but with a following sea, and the wind and current working together it wasn’t much of a problem. Storms were reported for mid-afternoon so we started motoring early and quit early, docking at the Norwalk Visitor’s Dock in South Norwalk. This town is a boater’s dream: easy access from Long Island Sound, and the main part of town is a hop, skip, and a jump from the Dock. Once a booming oyster fishery, the city took a nosedive 50 years ago, but has made an impressive comeback. Today, Sono is an upscale neighborhood with something for everyone: galleries, restaurants, antiques, bookstores, boutiques, and even a supermarket, and a West Marine all within walking distance of the marina.
(I highly recommend the Burger Bar Bistro!)

Someone asked me recently how we know where to stop along the way. As we anticipate how far we’ll travel each day, I refer to a cruising guide to check for anchorages, marinas, mooring fields, access to towns, water depths in and outside of channels, and time /distance off our main route. They also provide some historical information about ports and they include shoreside and emergency service info. (I also call the Chamber of Commerce to ask about walk-ability to town if the guide is unclear, and when I call ahead most dock masters, if asked the right questions, are helpful and informative. Google is another excellent resource). The cruising guides, published by Maptech, are softcover, spiral bound and each one is approximately 500 pages covering a particular section of water. You might say they’re the nautical version of a AAA guide. The Maptech guide I’m currently using covers Cape May to Long Island Sound, but doesn’t include Buzzard’s Bay. I’m confident we can manage our way back to our home port of Bourne when we reach the end of Long Island Sound.

The birds all along this journey have been delightful as well as entertaining. This evening as we dined on our back deck, a great egret fished from the adjoining pier. She perched patiently for well over an hour, watching the water directly in front of her. Just before the kill, she’d crouch for a few seconds readying her take-off…then a quick dive, and a quicker exit boasting a small silver fish flapping from her beak. We witnessed three helpings before we went below to clean our dishes. It appears to be a bird’s life: off to bed with a full belly with no purchase, no prep, and no clean up!

Day # 35: Manasquan, NJ to Flushing, NY

Gutsy is 17, leaving your family behind and crossing an ocean with a ship full of strangers to start a life in a new land with empty pockets and a heart full of hope.

Day # 34: Atlantic City to Manasquan

The fluke fishing tournament in Point Pleasant this weekend has filled the local marinas. We were lucky to find a slip at Hoffman’s in nearby Manasquan. Strategically located near the inlet opening we’ll need to motor less than 5 minutes in the morning to access the outside.

Today’s trek began on the ocean side but after 30 minutes of what warned rough seas the captain headed back to Atlantic City for a go at New Jersey’s Intracoastal route. I didn’t even know we had another option! And what a delightful option it was. No chop, a cool breeze, and bright sun. This was a 60 mile day of action packed water, lined with well loved homes.

Safe and beautiful, with a brief horse fly infusion, the day ended late…too late for any local exploring. A shame because Point Pleasant’s beach and boardwalk were described as ‘must see.’ We stayed in tonight, dining on cooked-to-perfection pork chops and fresh grilled vegetables.

Tomorrow: Lady Liberty!

Day # 33: Cape May to Atlantic City

The day started early with a great debate about the weather. A chance
of showers in the morning with thunderstorms predicted for the afternoon; northwest winds at 10 to 15 knots and 3 to 4 foot southerly 8 second swells.
We decided to go for it. At 3 miles off-shore it was an overcast rolling ride as opposed to the chop in the Delaware Bay.We experienced a bit of light rain, but for the most part stayed ahead of the storms. As we approached the harbor, the sun came out in time for us to photograph the cityscape’s casinos, beaches, and boats.

Atlantic City boasts the oldest boardwalk in America, and I must say it is a lively and impressive place filled with bikinis, strollers, skateboards, rollerblades, restaurants, shops, a band stand, chair taxis, white sand, and lots of birds. One of my favorite moments today was watching a 30-something year-old spunky young man as he exited a food joint with a large order of fries. As he stepped onto the boardwalk a swarm of starving terns swooped in for the kill, er…, actually, for a free lunch. The man panicked a bit, quickly covered his fries, and ran back to the lunch counter. By now he had attracted an audience who waited (with me) to see round 2. It was’t long before he attempted to run (not walk!) about 75 feet down the boardwalk, where he stopped at a shaded table to enjoy his snack. No such luck! The flock was at him again. Not sure how things ended up but my money is on the birds.

Speaking of money, we saw them all today: Caesars, Bally’s, Nero’s, Showboat, Revel, Harrah’s, Capricio, The Water Club, DiNapoli, Borgata, Tropicana, and Trump’s Taj Mahal. I’m not a gambler, but my sister will always remember her casino stop on the Atlantic City Boardwalk as the day she almost won a lot of money. Something about a pooper as opposed to a present.

Day # 32: Delaware City, DE to Cape May, NJ

Happy 65th birthday to Ken who spent most of his special day bouncing off his captain’s chair. The Delaware Bay was smooth sailing all morning but the afternoon proved a choppy ride. After hours of seeing very few boats and miles of whitecaps, the Cape May canal was a welcome change with its ferries, parasails, fishermen, beaches, boaters, and glorious homes. Our evening was way too short, but we managed a swim before dinner and then walked several streets admiring the Victorian, Edwardian, and Carpenter Gothic B & B’s.

At this late hour there is lightning all around us with thunderstorms expected through the night. If the weather clears we’ll enter the Atlantic in the morning to motor the 33 miles to Atlantic City. My fingers are crossed for clear skies and calm seas.