Many Adventures in Summer 2014

Pictures: Mike and Lori Wilson and Tammy Maitland in Cohasset Harbor; Justin Maitland and Jamie Pope (seated ) at the wedding rehearsal dinner with her sister and mother; on Naushon Island at one of the residences with our crews and Sally's cousin and family; Ken and John Campbell at lunch on Martha's Vineyard; Jean F., Tom F., Sally C,. and Ken on BREWSTER in Lake Tashmoo; Heidi and Barb MacLeod have the same taste in bathing suits (in Maine); Marblehead members of Class of '63 at the Hazens--Ken, Andy, Judie, David Santry; wave-worn rocks on Buckle Island Maine; Ken with Henry and Leo Bernard in Biddeford Pool, Maine; Pete and Eri on their boat, rafted with us in Cohasset; Victory Tugs at the Howell's dock in Church Creek, Maryland

The summer of 2014 was a great one for us, both for boating and for other family activities. We started with a June 19 mini-cruise with guests Lori and Mike Wilson, and Tammy and her significant other, Mike Mangan. These guests were visiting from the west U.S. for our son Justin's wedding. We met up with our other son Peter in his new boat, motoring over from Hingham and rafting with us off of Black Rock Beach. We ended the trip with a light dinner onboard, at the dock in the cove, in Cohasset Harbor.
The wedding of Justin and Jamie Pope was on June 21 and it was a perfect day. Lots of friends and family, with dancing until after dark on the longest day of the year.
With all the excitement of a wedding at our house, we didn't get an extended cruise started until July 5th (Hurricane Arthur passed 100 miles east of Cohasset on July 4th). We motored up to Marblehead for a couple of days, visiting Scott Stephens and Linda Wallace. Justin and Jamie drove up from Boston for breakfast and a visit on our second day. We left the North Shore for a trip to Cape Cod, planning to meet our Hull friends the Chisolms and Fishers on their boats.
We stopped in Red Brook Harbor on the Cape for a night, then the next day went with the Chisolms (BREWSTER) to Hadley's Harbor in the Elizabeth Islands. Sally C. arranged a visit for the four of us ashore on Naushon Island, including a walking tour of the east end of the island with Sally's cousin. We have been to Hadley's Harbor about two dozen times, and have never been able to walk on this private island, so this was a very special treat!
Our next stop was the Lagoon near Vineyard Haven on Martha's Vineyard. We spent two days there, meeting up with John Campbell in Oaks Bluff for lunch, and doing a little bike-riding. On July 11 we were in Lake Tashmoo (the other side of Vineyard Haven) in company with BREWSTER again and with EDGECOMB, Tom and Jean Fisher's boat. There was a fishing trip this day, with most of the crews taking part. Heidi was the renegade, and took off on her bike to explore down-island, taking in an antiques fair in W. Tisbury and lunch at Chilmark General Store.
Fishing was successful, and a big fish buffet was on the menu for the evening. BREWSTER has the biggest cockpit, so hosted this event. Additional activities with the other crews were walking to have lunch in Vineyard Haven, and shopping at the weekly farmer's market.
We had four more days in Martha's Vineyard, but Ken had a bad cough developing, so after going to the MV Hospital Emergency Room, he mostly stayed close to the boat and tried to recuperate.
Feeling better on July 16, Ken was ready to head back to Hadley's Harbor to meet up with several Marblehead boats. The Chisolms and Fishers had left a day or so before to go to Waquoit. The Marblehead group included Scott and Linda, the Dales and the Colemans. We joined them in cruising to Cuttyhunk where we spent the next two days. This is a quiet island, but we took walks, bought ice cream on the dock, shared cocktail hour with the other boats and one night watched a big evening bonfire onshore.
Before we went back to Cohasset we met up with EDGECOMB and BREWSTER again in Red Brook Harbor. We had a dinner ashore at the Chart Room one night. This place is always crowded in the summer, but if you eat in the bar section, it is usually easier to get a table.
Our last stop on this trip was an afternoon and night in Plymouth Harbor. It was a Sunday and there was a lot going on. There were some rain showers, but we took in a music event, beer at our favorite bar New World Tavern, and another bike ride.
We saw Peter and Eri on their boat in Cohasset on August 2, and then we left for Maine on August 4. We got fuel in Gloucester and stopped for the night in York, Maine. We met up with our friends the MacLeods at Harbor Island in Muscongus Bay for lunch and a swim. The water was comfortable (68 degrees).
Our main event in Maine was to meet up with Andy and Judie Hazen, and David & Susanne Santry in Lincolnville at the new brewpub that Andy and Judie own. We had dinner there, tnen the next day we all had dinner at the Hazen's house. We attended the Rockland "Boats, Homes and Harbors Show" the next day. Then we left to go to some of the islands: North Haven (Pulpit Harbor), Buckle Island and Swans's Island, where we saw Ben and Belinda Doliber from Marblehead. We had a tour of the island and a great dinner with the Dolibers, with lobster, garden salad, garden snow peas and coffee ice cream/hot fudge sauce.
It would seem hard to top our Swan's Island experience but next we went to Bucks Harbor on the mainland; new to us, we found out that the yacht club there has two moorings available to visitors "complimentary". We spent a night there sheltered from a major storm. We watched eagles training their eaglet to fly from one cliff to another. We walked ashore and found a great general store, and were treated to a surprise visit (surprise to all of us) by old friend Phil Bennett who stopped at the store and found us sitting on the front porch. Back on RISING TIDE we met the couple on the boat next to ours, two UMass graduates who have friends in common with Heidi.
The last visit in Penobscot Bay was to Belfast, where we attended the Harborfest. There was special music, rowing events, and a boatbuilding challenge. Lots of fun. On our way back to Massachusetts we stopped in Biddeford Pool and called our niece Cathy who drove over with her two boys Henry and Leo. They are young (ages 3 and 1) and fun. We had great weather and a great visit with the Bernards!
At the end of the summer we took two short trips, August 27 to Hull for 2 days, where Ken went lobstering with Peter Mahoney for one of the days, and to Cape Cod on September 18 for a few days. We anchored in Red Brook Harbor, then got a mooring in Marion, then went back to Red Brook to meet up with our friends on BREWSTER who are leaving for Florida and the Bahamas for the winter. We had great weather on both of these trips.
We left RISING TIDE in Duxbury after the Cape trip, and it was hauled out on Sept. 24. The last boating adventure we had was to drive to Eastern Shore Maryland in early October to check out the Lord Nelson Victory Tug boats that we have been investigating as our next boat. There was a gathering of owners and interested parties in Church Creek. We had a fun weekend talking to the people attending the rendezvous, checking out the boats, and taking a cruise on the Choptank River. We had great food, a time for "Tug Talk" and even a flood -- high tide and wind holding up the rise in water.