Summer 2011 update

Jay and Laura, Ben & Shelby, RISING TIDE at anchor in Pocasset, Mass.

Ken worked determinedly this spring to get RISING TIDE ready so we could follow through with our cruising plans. He replaced the steering cables and pumps in both steering stations, built a two-bench-and-table dinette, added an anchor windlass, and more anchor chain. (And many other projects!) I upholstered the dinette benches, and the fold-out couch, and generally assisted in most projects. Ask us sometime how much fun it was trying to prime the old steering system before we realized that it all had to go!

We hoped to cruise to Maine to attend a mid-July wedding, travel back to Cohasset for a late-July wedding, then a multi-week trip to Cape Cod and Buzzards Bay in August. All went well. Ben and Shelby Hazen threw a wonderful “country” wedding with an outdoor ceremony in a cleared field, live music from a guitar/fiddle quartet, a huge banquet held under an equally huge tent in an adjacent cleared field, and lots of fresh beer from Andrew Brewing Co. – Ben’s and his father Andy’s company.

After the Lincolnville (near Camden) wedding we traveled to Islesboro, Searsport, back to Camden, Vinalhaven, Rockland, Boothbay, and quite a few other spots in-between. Then, back in Cohasset, we attended Jay and Laura Bertovitch’s wedding. (Jay often sailed with us when it was just us and Pete taking a trip and Pete needed company.) This was another outdoor wedding, on another beautiful day, looking off at Little Harbor from Greg and Ellen Bertovitch’s lawn. Then back at Cohasset Harbor we celebrated at Atlantica restaurant, including special fireworks later that night over our boat.

The final part of our boating travels included a trip to Provincetown for a lobster feed at Long Point with the Hull Yacht Club, then continuing on with several HYC boats to warm water in Pocasset and Cuttyhunk. We took a side trip into Westport, Mass., and enjoyed the area – near enough to Horseneck Beach to walk there and the Tripp Marina had showers and a laundry. We finished up our time in southern waters with 5 days in Lagoon Pond, part of Vineyard Haven, Martha’s Vineyard, and a couple of days in Marion.

Two quick weekend trips to Marblehead rounded out our summer. The boat ran well and we only had one “accident” – a lobster pot warp wrapped on our prop, that I freed up with three freezing dives into the cold Islesboro, Maine, water.

Next up: another long cruise this fall to Florida and maybe the Bahamas. We expect to leave in two days!! (October 8).