June 3 & 4, 2018, Days 4 & 5

We awoke Sunday morning to the gently rocking of Velomer and clear blue skies.  We gave the Keurig one last chance to redeem itself but to no avail, so out came the French press.  During morning coffee on the flybridge, we planned our day and decided to restock fresh fruits and vegetables and anything else that we might want for provisioning.  A Whole Foods Market is within easy walking distance from the marina and that was our destination.  Much of our morning was idled away.  I broke down and got on line and ordered a new Keurig from Amazon which will arrive by June 6.  Bob decided to hose down the deck but neglected to close the stateroom window by his side of the bed and had to deal with minor flooding.  The dysfunctional Keurig was deposited in the dumpster.

The shopping center with the Whole Foods Market also has an Ace Hardware store, US Post Office, liquor store, pharmacy, hair salon, and bank with an ATM.  What more could a boater ask for?  We did our shopping and returned to the boat.

Constitution Marina is one of the best marinas we have encountered.  The location is incredibly convenient within walking distance to many of Boston’s attractions and shopping.  The facility itself has very attractive private bathrooms, a laundry room, swimming pool, lounge, large deck with grills and friendly staff.  Sunday mornings include bagels and donuts, and fresh pot of coffee is always in the office.  The best feature is the community of boaters many of whom are live aboards.  We met Tony and Phil with their ten-week old baby on the sailboat adjacent to Velomer, Chuck and Victoria on the Sea Ray on the other side, Steve and Sherri across the dock.  We also found out that Sunday evening was the “Start of the Season” party hosted by the marina with all boaters invited including us transients.  What a welcome to the area!

As expected, Monday’s weather was dreary with rain including the occasional downpour.  The bright spot was meeting up with our friends Sally and Randy who happened to be celebrating their 48^th wedding anniversary.  We had a fabulous three hour lunch at their favorite Portuguese restaurant in Cambridge where we discussed everything under the sun.  Sally, Randy and I go way back, more than 50 years.  I was with Sally when she met Randy and witnessed their budding romance.  Still very much in love, they can bicker like nobody else I know and it’s always a treat to watch the show.

We arrived back on Velomer stuffed to full capacity and enjoyed some quiet time.  About 2030 hours, I decided to use the marina bathrooms, put on my yellow slicker and headed down D dock.  The trek to the bathrooms is a good hike of about 500 paces along various floating docks.  Night was descending and the overcast skies limited whatever daylight remained.  I saw some activity where D dock joins A dock and thought that another dockside gathering was taking place.  I had to pass by the gathering to get to the bathrooms.  As I approached, I saw something across the dock and as I got closer realized it was police tape.  I looked closer at the gathering and realized the people standing around were all police officers.  One officer approached me and I explained I needed to use the marina restroom.  He lifted the tape and escorted me along the dock about 25 feet to another police tape cordoning off the area.  He asked me if I had any identification.  I said I only had my I-Phone with me.  He then asked my name which I gave him and my birth date which I also told him and he wrote this down in a small notebok.  I then asked him if he was going to send me a birthday card.  He smiled and replied, “Maybe next year.”  I didn’t think anything of this thinking maybe a boat had been damaged and the police were investigating.  A few by-standers were on A dock watching the police activity and I asked them what was going on.  They said someone had fallen into the water and died.  Not the answer I expected.

I used the restroom and walked back to D dock where the same officer met me and escorted me along the dock to the opposite side of the police tape.  Along the way I noticed something on the dock covered with a blanket.  I realized that must be the body!  From the size of the covered item, I suspected the deceased was male at least six feet, but the body could have been bloated.  How long had the body been in the water?  Who discovered the body?  Did the person drown? Was it an accident?  Was it foul play?  So many questions.  No answers!

When I returned to Velomer and told Bob of my experience, we closed all the curtains and double checked to make sure the doors were locked.  Just in case.