Lloyd and Sharon
This has been the summer Lou and I have dreamed about.....living aboard, an engine without problems, beautiful days with a few foggy/rainy ones to remind us of the beautiful ones, fabulous friends who have been great boat buddies, and a fun filled week with family on Mt. Desert Island. Maine,(sailing in Pebnobscot Bay was even more wonderful than we imagined.)
Last week we were in the eye of a 4 day nor'easter. That resulted in heavy rains and high winds. When we tried to stop in Marblehead, we were encouraged to move on before the 7 to 11 foot waves started rolling in. We went on to Jim's in North Weymouth and were well protected in the Back Rive. (Thank you Jim!)
Lou and I took this time to get off the boat and be tourists for a few days. We went to Plimouth Plantation and thoroughly enjoyed the actors who played the parts of actual pilgrims. Then, we went aboard the replica of the Mayflower. Oh my gosh! I got a refresher on my history of these settlers. They were English who fled England over the church and lived in Holland for 11 or so years. Life was very difficult in a foreign land, and the men had diffculty finding work. Besides, they wanted their children to remain English. So, they signed an agreement with a group of investors who bought the ship and agreed to feed and cloth the pilgrims in exchange for 7 years of work for The Company. At the end of 7 years each person would be granted 20 acres in the winderness. That was more land than nobles were given in England. So, while the work was extremely hard and the weather severe, people were willing to take this risk for a better life for their family.
Once we toured the Mayflower I realized that the sail across the ocean was even more difficult than I had imagined The exact dimensions of the replica of the merchant ship Mayflower are:
106.5 feet long, 90 foot hull, 25.5 foot beam, and 13 foot draft. There were 102 passengers traveling in the hole for approximately 3 months. I could barely stay down below for 10 minutes. Once they arrived in Plymouth Colony they faced farming in a wilderness, having to grow all their food, untold dangers, and living in 1 room dirt floored mud sided houses. It is unbelieveable to see.
So that's enough history. We've started talking about our "adventure" and I want to write it down so I don't forget:
PEOPLE WE'VE MET:
*Bob and Camille in Bristol, RI, aka the Commodore and his wife. They invited us for dinner, talked about sailing spots, gave us charts, and introduced us to lacrosse.
*Jim Halpin lives on the Back River of the Fore River in North Weymouth, MA, which is near Boston. He arranged for us to use his friend's mooring both on the way to Maine and on the way back to Bristol.
*A perfect stranger we met on Martha's Vineyard who shared stories about the Methodist Camp Meetings and the cute Victorian cottages.
*Another perfect stranger we met at the Boston Yacht Club in Marblehead who was full of stories about where to go and where to stay on our journey up to Maine.
*The lady who Marlene and I talked to in Marblehead who's house was built in the 1600s.
*The barber who cut my hair in Rockland, Maine, who had been cutting hair for 50 years.
*Sarah Rogers who encouraged Lou's new interest in drawing and painting.
*The librarians we met in several of the little ports. In Castine I met the Director of the Library who grew up in Keane Valley, NY, and knew our friend Norm from Colorado.
*Judy who is a waitress in Braintree, MA. She was so interested in our trip that she wanted our blog address and didn't charge us for breakfast.
*Seeing Don and Louise Tuski in Bath, ME. Don was the former President of Olivet College in Olivet, MI. He is the new President of the Maine College of Art in Portland.
OUTSTANDING EXPERIENCES
*Whale watching near Bar Harbor, Maine.
*Seeing and feeling the power of the tides in the East River, NY, and the Kennebec River in Maine.
OUTSTANDING FOOD
*Lobster stew in Tennants Harbor, ME
*Peach Shortcake at the Ebb Tide in Boothbay Harbor, ME
*The Front Room in Portland. We would fly to Portland just to eat there again.
*Kelly's Landing (thank you Cyndi) near N. Weymouth for their twin lobster dinner for $20.
OUR BOAT BUDDIES
*Cyndi McChesney from Colorado. She lived through the "night of the mosquitoes" and was still smiling. She introduced us to Jim!
*Mike and Marlene Cosgrove from East Lansing. Mike learned to helm through a gazillion lobster pots going into S. Freeport and pretty heavy fog going out. Marlene was a handy galley winch who was always happy.
*Dave Himes from Chicago who was living one of his dreams and planning to check it off his bucket list. Dave loved every part of every day.
*Sharon and Lloyd Slinglend from Trenton, MI. They are our old (read that as OLD) friends who met us in Boston. They have sailed with us in the Detroit River long before Tequila was remodeled. One 4th of July we wore every jacket we could find and were still cold. Hopefully this week will be filled with warm suuny days.
Our big thanks to Cyndi and Sharon who each helped us see a whale.
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