Saturday, November 3, 2018

Days 56-66: July 24 through August 3, 2018


July 24 through August 3, 2018, Days 56-66

Havre de Grace waterfront
Thank goodness Ed and Carol came through for us with the three cases of our favorite wine, Sauvignon Republic from Trader Joe’s, on July 24!  At the time we were docked at Tidewater Marina in the charming village of Havre de Grace on the Susquehanna River in the northern reaches of Chesapeake Bay.  The marina has only fixed docks which are not my favorite as the boat moves up and down with the tide rubbing against stationary pilings.  To protect Velomer, we have to set up fender boards to prevent damage from the rubbing.  I find fixed docks a royal pain in the butt!  When the tide is up we need to step way down to disembark and when the tide is out we need to step way up to do the same.  As someone with short stubby legs, this is not easy and more of an athletic event rather than simply stepping off the boat.  Offsetting this, the marina does have nice bathrooms and a courtesy car that we made full use of.


That night, after a full day of intermittent torrential downpours, Ed and Carol, Bob and I and two of Carol’s cousins and their wives went out for dinner at the Tidewater Grill (not associated with the marina) in Havre de Grace.  The food was fabulous and the company even better.  After many libations, ingestions, and conversations, Bob and I bid a farewell to our dining companions and walked back the short distance to Velomer. 

Barge traffic on Chesapeake Bay
The next morning we untied Velomer from the fixed docks and got underway shortly after dawn.  Our destination was Galesville, a small community with a great anchorage south of Annapolis on the west shore of the Chesapeake.  We were very vigilant about debris in the water as we had heard the night before at dinner that with all the rain in the area, the 18 dams on the Susquehanna River were scheduled to open to release some of the runoff.  With runoff comes debris such as tree branches and even large tree trunks.  Fortunately, our relatively early departure avoided much of the debris problem.  

The day’s cruise started smoothly, and then became a bit bumpy when we entered larger bay water. Velomer hobby horsed with the oncoming waves.  The waters calmed again once we entered Galesville Harbor.  We found a spot in between two anchored sail boats and dropped the Rocna anchor.  It was Wednesday evening and just as we sat down for our night glass of Sauvignon Blanc, sail boats began to amass in the harbor – it was Wednesday night races!  A real treat for us. 

That evening and after the races, I resorted to making Trader Joe’s frozen entre of lamb marsala for dinner – it’s quick, it’s easy and very tasty.  After heating in a 350 degree oven for the designated time, I put the steaming hot individual trays of food on our plates and we sat down to eat.  Bob picked up his tray, not realizing that it had just came out of the oven and was very hot, to put the lamb, rice and gravy  on his plate.  He dropped the tray and the hot contents spilled on to his right thigh causing severe pain and as we found out later, second degree burns with huge blisters. Ouch!

The following morning at 0830 hours, Bob retracted the anchor and I helmed guiding Velomer out of Galesville Harbor.  The low water alarm sounded several times on departure most likely as a result of sea grass as the alarm quickly ceased and we were once again in 10 feet of depth.  The bay’s water was unusually smooth with waves of less than one foot.  The cruise was punctuated by sightings of the occasional dolphin and pelican.  Our destination was Solomons Island also on the west side of Chesapeake Bay and on the north side of the mouth of the Patuxent River.  

While underway, we looked at the charts and reviewed the Active Captain web site before deciding on an anchorage along Mill Creek not too far from Molly’s Leg, a small island at the mouth of the harbor.  When we arrived at our anchorage, the area looked much too civilized with an abundance of waterfront houses, private docks and too busy for our liking.  We decided to move up the creek and found a lovely relatively secluded and protected anchorage just beyond green can “7”.  Velomer was secured by 1530 hours giving Bob and me time to chill, clean up from the day’s cruise, catch up on the log book and enjoy our bucolic surroundings for the evening.  We opted for a cold dinner that night.

We pulled up anchor at 0800 hours with me at the helm and headed south for Deltaville.  Ever watchful Nervous Nellie Bob began commenting on how close to the channel markers I was steering Velomer as I guided her away from Solomons.  I don’t mind constructive comments but enough was enough.  A few hairy eyeballs later, he backed off, especially after I said, “Hey, I wasn’t the one who hit the channel marker in Portland Harbor so shutta you mouth.”  Such is our dance.

The waters were calm as we started out but the seas built up to wave heights of 2 to 3 feet with sustained winds in the vicinity of 10 mph.  Fortunately, the day was mostly sunny with few clouds and absolutely no rain.  Once again we were delighted by marine life consisting of multiple fish balls, migrating Canada geese, blue herons, and best of all, a brief sighting of a large sea turtle that popped up by the starboard bow and quickly submerged.  Of concern was the new auto pilot that was operational but beginning to squeal again.  Will the auto pilot ever get fixed properly?

Initially we planned on anchoring out by Dozier’s Marina on the northern portion of the Deltaville peninsula.  We wanted to arrive in Portsmouth, VA, the following day (July 28) in a timely manner, so we decided to go the extra distance to the south side of the peninsula into Jackson Creek by Deltaville Boatyard.  We have stayed at Deltaville Boatyard several times in years past and knew the area fairly well.  The approach to Jackson Creek requires attention because a long sand bar blocks much of the entrance but is only visible at low tide.  This again is a critical place to follow the channel.  We delicately made our entry and found a great spot to drop the anchor and spent a restful night.

On the morning of July 28 we left our anchorage by 0730 hours heading south to Portsmouth, VA where we had reservations at Tidewater Marina (not to be confused with Tidewater Marina in Havre de Grace at the north end of the Chesapeake).  The last time we were at Tidewater was in April 2016 where we met Patty Johnstone, a dynamite personality, a tour de force and overall fantastic person who lives on her boat Sweet November.  The last two years have had their shitty aspects for both of us.  Me with the Amidon Appraisal debacle whereby my business partners turned out to be crooks who put me in significant financial debt and Patty with a husband who turned out to be a bigamist who has another family in Germany.  Both Bob and I were looking forward to seeing her and catching up on the gory details.

Our cruising day was longer than we had anticipated.  Our travels down the bay went smoothly.  I did observe a baby sea turtle surface briefly.  What a thrilling treat! We also got visits from several dolphins.  Once we came to the mouth of the Elizabeth River in Norfolk, vessel traffic picked up considerably with container ships, tows with barges, warships, tug boats, ferries, sailboats, and other pleasure crafts.  Lots of commercial vessels moving about.  We glided into the fuel dock for a fill and pump out.  While fueling, we saw a familiar figure walk up to us.  What a pleasant sight! It was Patty with her arms wide open and a big smile on her face.  So great to see her and to give and receive hugs!  Life is good!

Bob guided Velomer to the slip next to Sweet November and backed her in.  After three days of anchoring out, Velomer was ready to be washed down and Bob and I were ready to take a shower with relatively unlimited hot water at the marina bathhouse.  The next few days were spent tending to Velomer, getting information about auto pilot repair opportunities, catching up with Patty, doing laundry, shopping, reacquainting ourselves with Portsmouth, going to our favorite coffee shop, going to the Children’s Museum to get gifts for the twins.  We are on our way to Colorado on August 4 to visit with Phoebe, Erik and the twins.  We are so looking forward to our visit as we haven’t seen them since May!

Friday, August 3, 2018

Days 15-55 as the Adventure Continues


June 14-July 23, 2018, Days 15-55

On Monday July 23, 2018, we find ourselves safely docked at Havre de Grace (forget those French lessons – the name is Americanized as have-er-de-grayce) at the northern reaches of the Chesapeake Bay hoping that the weather improves.  The last 40 days or so have witnessed our passage from Kingman’s Yacht Center to the lovely Chesapeake with multiple stops in between.  We spent more than a week (an unplanned extended stay) at Kingman’s getting the auto pilot repaired (or so we thought) by replacing the hydraulic pump.  The tech said he would purge the hydraulic line but apparently didn’t, so the auto pilot continued to squeak but much softer than before. 

East Greenwich, RI

Greetings from East Greenwich
From Kingman’s we motored to East Greenwich where we picked up Jim and Dede McGuire’s mooring ball and spent four great days visiting with fellow boaters whom we first met at Little Falls, NY in 2013.  As a former Coast Guard Coxswain, Jim is a veritable fount of information as well as a great story teller.  Dede is a bundle of energy and has her hands full keeping Jim out of trouble.  Jim and Dede’s house is literally a quarter mile from Greene Farm, the location of the burial service for Howard Wulsin to which we were uninvited.  Needless to say, Bob and I couldn’t resist going to the family cemetery at Greene Farm and visiting the site!
Howard's burial site at Greene Farm

Jim loves his sweets and ordered an
outrageous waffle, banana, vanilla ice
cream and chocolate syrup for breakfast!














Cruising to New York City

We left East Greenwich on Monday, June 25 in the late morning thinking we would cruise to the breakwater at Pt. Judith where we planned to anchor for the night.  We arrived at Pt. Judith much too early to stop for the night and decided to continue on to Fishers Island to an anchorage Jim told us about at East Harbor.  His description of the anchorage as very nice is an understatement. 
Fishers Island sunset
Phenomenal is a much better adjective – serene, excellent holding, scenic eye candy!  Our goal at this point was to make NYC by Thursday but a review of the weather forecast indicated deteriorating conditions which were a concern.  Based on the forecasts, if we didn’t make NYC by Wednesday, we would have to wait until Sunday for better cruising weather.  Waiting out for better weather was not a viable option as we made a commitment to attend a Schlegel family reunion on Sunday in Pennsylvania.  Plans and boats often lead to stressful cruising days which was the case here.

On Tuesday weather conditions were again favorable and we were able to get as far west along Long Island Sound to Northport Bay off Huntington where we anchored again.  The next morning we pulled up anchor and got on our way early hoping against hope to make it to Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn before dark.  We knew we had to time our passage through Hell Gate on the East River on the east side of Manhattan to pass on an ebb tide in order to maintain steerage.  Velomer has a top speed of 8 knots and the current on the East River can reach as high as 9 knots.  Therefore, if we timed our passage incorrectly there is the possibility of running 1 knot backwards, a situation we wanted to avoid like the plague!   We made Throgg’s Neck Bridge at the far westerly end of Long Island Sound at 1015. A small inlet known as Little Bay is located on the south side of the bridge where we planned to anchor to wait for a favorable tide.  Only a few miles separate Little Bay from Hell Gate.  

Garmin chart plotter with our speed in
the upper left hand corner -- 11.1 knots!
I consulted Eldridge Tide Tables for Hell Gate which indicated the beginning of the ebb tide at 1018.  Am I reading the tables wrong?  We can’t be this lucky!  OMG!  We are this lucky!  Full speed ahead.  We had ideal tide and current with us the entire trip along the East River!

New York Harbor is even busier than Boston with the addition of even more ferries, sea planes landing in the East River, tugs, police boats, helicopters swooping overhead.  Once we got around the Verazano Narrows Bridge on our way to Sheepshead Bay Yacht Club, the seas got wonky but still manageable.  Velomer bottomed out in the channel on the entrance to Sheepshead.  We got too close to the green can but overcame this problem by putting her in reverse and were able to dislodge.  Note to self – hug the red markers at the entrance to Sheepshead Bay!  We picked up a mooring and got settled in.

Soaking Up New York City

Brooklyn Bridge over the East River
Having grown up in Croton-on-Hudson, NY, the city holds a special place in my heart to say nothing of the fact that our son and his beloved as well as my beloved grand-puppy, Howie, live here.  This particular visit was especially exciting because I finally figured out the transportation system for the most part, or so I think I have.  I also discovered Net Cost, a grocery store chain somewhat similar to Whole Foods with high quality produce and prepared foods but substantially less expensive.  Our ten-day stay in New York was soul renewing.  We spent endearing time with Phil and Bettina learning about their trials and tribulations.  We spent time with Bob and Essie Schlegel, Bettina’s parents, and thoroughly enjoy their company. 

Our grandpuppy Doctor Howie Small wearing his PFD
aboard Velomer on July 4th.  One happy pup!
On Saturday the last day in June, Phil, Bettina and Howie boarded Velomer and we all went for a cruise to Sandy Hook where we dropped an anchor and spent several hours swimming, eating, and enjoying each other’s company.  While on the hook, we deployed the life ring only to find out the line tied to the ring became tangled up and took unreasonably long to untangle.  If this had been an actual deployment, we would have been in big trouble.  As a result, we re-tied line for easier deployment, so an important lesson – test all safety equipment to make sure it works properly before you need it.  On Sunday, July 1, we attended the Schlegel Family Reunion at Bob Schlegel’s brother’s house in Pennsylvania and met the extended family from the 90 something year old uncle to 7-month old baby Steven, the newest member.  The entire family was very welcoming.  I now understand what a terrific family Phil has married into.  The 4th of July included another cruise to Sandy Hook with Phil, Bettina, Howie and five of their friends for a picnic/swim and had a great time.  That evening we saw no less than 10 fireworks displays from our mooring in Sheepshead Bay – quite the show!

Phil and Howie -- Phil is trying to get my
I-Phone working well!
Our city sojourn included a visit with Karen Shatzkin, a middle-school and high-school classmate, reminiscing about the good old days and our various classmates; several visits with our friends Sam and Susie whom we introduced to each other (now in their 30ieth year of togetherness); and Bob, with Sam’s great assistance, getting and loading an I-Pad for boat navigation – no easy task for a reluctant PC user. On July 6th we departed SBYC and cruised to Sandy Hook for a third time where we filled with diesel fuel at the municipal dock in Atlantic Highlands and anchored off the Coast Guard Station to get an early start for Hoffman’s Marina in Manasquan, New Jersey.

Making Way to Cape May

Our early morning departure from Sandy Hook was well rewarded when a whale crossed about 100 feet off our bow as we rounded the hook.  Other events of the passage included large fish balls, fish schools just below the surface, and dolphins feeding and surfacing.  Our entry into Manasquan had to be carefully timed due to currents and tide.  We arrived about noon with plenty of time to shower, do laundry, and find a post office to mail apartment keys back to Phil and Bettina as we forgot to return them when still in New York.

At Manasquan we had to make the decision to travel south on the inside on the New Jersey portion of the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) or the outside along the Atlantic coast.  If we went on the inside the furthest we could get in a day would be Atlantic City and we would have to go on the outside the next day to get to Cape May.  If we went on the outside we might be able to skip Atlantic City and travel all the way to Cape May in only one day.  Personally, I really dislike Atlantic City and have no desire to spend any time there whatsoever.  In addition, the likelihood to going aground on the inside is rather high for a boat such as Velomer with a 4-foot draft.  In addition, the seas were forecast to really kick up in the day after tomorrow.  The answer was clear.  We’re going on the outside and cruising from Manasquan to Cape May in one day.  Adding clarity to our decision was the auto pilot which started to squeak even louder indicating air in the hydraulic line. Damn auto pilot!

Once again, our decision to go on the outside was well rewarded with dolphin sightings, more fish balls, skates, and a huge fish jumping out of the water just off our bow while I was at the helm.  What a treat!  While underway, Bob got on the phone with Garmin about the auto pilot, again.  According to Garmin, the hydraulic line needs to be bled and until it is, the auto pilot should not be employed.  This was not really too much of a problem as we were outside without too many turns and we had the benefit of not having to hear the irritating squeaking.  Fortunately, the Canyon Yacht Club and Resort Marina has a Garmin certified tech who could look into the issue and had a slip available for us.  The travel day was long --12.5 hours but well worth it.  The seas really kicked up the next several days and even the fishing boats did not venture from the docks.  

While at Cape May, the auto pilot was looked at by the Garmin tech.  After making multiple adjustments, the tech said he was able to solve the squeaking problem without power purging the hydraulic line and that we were good to go.  We certainly hope so as this is becoming a persistent problem!  Bob and I also did some exploring by bicycle and our big find was Swain’s Hardware Store that sells everything a hardware store should and then some!

Adventures with Sam & Susie

While in NY we invited Sam and Susie to join us on Velomer for a few days to get a taste of the cruising lifestyle as Sam has chartered a 42-foot trawler for a week in late August.  In addition to his somewhat limited boating experience, Sam has been taking multiple on-line courses on boat handling and has obtained a great deal of “book knowledge” about how to operate a boat.  He has also hired a licensed captain for the first two days of the charter to instruct him on boat handling.  His hands-on experience aboard Velomer will be a valuable in determining if the charter is a good idea.  Sam and Susie arrive on Thursday late afternoon on July 12. 

Velomer departed for Chesapeake City on the C and D Canal at 0600 hours Friday morning.  We left at such an early hour to take full advantage of the incoming tide on Delaware Bay.  Our cruise up Delaware Bay was largely delightfully uneventful.  The highlight was upon the exit from the Cape May Canal when a pod of dolphins greeted us.  Our timing paid off when we arrived in Chesapeake City at 1400 hours in time to capture the last spot along the free municipal dock.  Electric service was available at $15 payable at the town hall.  The only problem was that when we plugged in the 30-amp power cord, we received a warning message on our electric panel of “reverse polarity,” not a good sign.  Susie and I went to town hall to pay and told of our reverse polarity issue.  The mayor himself came down to the dock to check out the situation stating that he was no electrician but would see what he could do.  The mayor, Bob and Sam worked on the reverse polarity issue while Susie and I explored downtown Chesapeake City, which is more of a charming little hamlet than a city.  By the time we returned to the boat, the reverse polarity issue had been resolved by repeatedly trying different things until something worked.  Not one of the three guys really knows what solved the problem, but it got resolved. 

The Chesapeake Inn in Chesapeake City is situated just inland of the municipal dock and is quite the hotspot complete with marina slips, dockside wait service, outside deck, outside restaurant seating and a live band.  The inn attracted several flashy Donzi speedboats that run at ridiculously high speeds and make an obnoxious racket.   Fittingly one was named Noise & Pollution.  Donzis are the archetypal penis boat.  If you don’t know what a penis boat is, visit donzimarine.com and you will realize what the term means.  All this activity made me doubt how quiet the night would be.  Fortunately after a great dinner, even better conversation and a fine evening overall, sleep was not a problem. 

The next day after a fine breakfast at Bohemia CafĂ© in downtown Chesapeake City, Velomer’s lines were disconnected from the dock and we were off to Georgetown Yacht Basin up the Sassafras River, a slow and pleasant journey of 25 miles.  The last time Velomer docked in Georgetown, Bob and I went to the Kitty Knight House restaurant where we had a delicious, reasonably priced dinner.  We were looking forward to doing the same this time around.  The restaurant sits at the top of the hill from the marina and is a hike, especially for folks who aren’t fairly active.  We arrived at the restaurant to be told that the menu is food truck venue.  Note quite understanding what that meant we ordered drinks first and then our food: coconut shrimp with cole slaw for Susie and me and brisket ends for Bob and Sam.  Total disaster!  The food was inedible for the most part and the drinks arrived after the food.  We found out that the restaurant was under new ownership/management as of two weeks ago and they were working out the kinks.  Ouch!  Hopefully they get their act together!  Sam was particularly diplomatic in making the owners aware of how dissatisfied we were with the fare.  Kudos, Sam!

Charmed by Baltimore

After lengthy discussion, we four decided to head to Baltimore’s inner harbor to take advantage of what Baltimore has to offer as well as to provide convenient transportation back to NY for Sam and Susie.  Dock lines in Georgetown were castoff at 0930 Sunday morning and we were off to Charm City.  Other than encountering several humongous container ships in the channel to Baltimore and a short lived torrential rain storm, the cruise was delightfully uneventful.  We arrived at the Inner Harbor Marina by the Rusty Scupper restaurant at 1630.  This marina is centrally located with easy access to the best of Baltimore.   The next day we four visited the National Aquarium which never ceases to amaze and educate.  From the informative exhibits to the helpful staff to the touch tanks where you can touch a non-stinging jellyfish, we were enthralled.  The major exhibit of the black tip reef containing manta rays, reef sharks, giant green turtle and a large variety of fish captured our attention for a long time as we studied the movement of the larger animals.


We found Nemo at the National Aquarium



Hogfish at the National Aquarium
















The following day we walked to the American Visual Art Museum within two blocks of the marina.  Panned by the New York Times as not a serious art museum, the exhibits were mesmerizing in their messages, creativity, cleverness and emotional impact.  Many if not most of the artists whose works are displayed have not had formal art training.  Many have been institutionalized for mental issues.  The museum is the brain child of its director, Rebecca Hoffberger, who is criticized by the NYT article as a high-school dropout.  In any event, Ms. Hoffberger is a dynamic art enthusiast who is a master marketer and knows how to get things accomplished.  More power to her.  The museum shop, Sideshow, is as interesting as the exhibited art.  Lots of very intriguing items from the standard T-shirts, jewelry, toys, scarves, mugs, curios.  We spend almost as much time in the gift shop as in the museum itself!  We liked the museum so much we all became members.  Susie and Sam want to bring their daughter there and we definitely want to go back while still in Baltimore! Sam, a renowned and awarded artist in his own right, also made contact with Rebecca as to the possibility of displaying his photography as a visiting artist.  Go Sam!


Exterior of AVAM in Baltimore showing
4-story sculpture
My Favorite -- Bra Ball by Emily Duffy at the
American Visual Art Museum in
Baltimore that includes 18,085 bras from across the country

 

PM and Susie showing off cool sunglasses from AVAM
Sam and Susie departed for New York that afternoon in another torrential downpour after we all enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Rusty Scupper, a far superior repast than the other night in Georgetown!

Post Sam & Susie

Bob and I made the decision to stay at the marina for the week to take advantage of the weekly rate and continue our exploration of the city.  Guests are wonderful and it’s wonderful when they leave.  Velomer is a very comfortable for the two of us but a bit tight with four.  Good thing we are close friends!  The remainder of our time was spent doing laundry, restocking the coffers, revisiting the aquarium and art museum, doing boat projects, and running between the raindrops of the multiple torrential downpours which were inevitably followed by hot steamy sun.  We also experienced the onslaught of the welfare ducks. 

Solo welfare duckling!
The marina had its own flock of welfare ducks that hung out between the granite block lined bulkhead on shore and the finger piers of A and B docks.  The flock was just over 30 ducks strong of which 10 were hatchlings ranging in size from the puny (but adorable) runt to the larger more robust duckling (also adorable).  The ten followed a female duck and whether the female was the same duck at all times I don’t know.  I find it hard to believe that one female duck had all these chicks, and I also find it hard to believe that of all the female ducks in the flock only one of them had chicks.  The female with the ducklings may have been the designated child care provider for the day.  In any event, the female and ducklings would approach the boats within the marina and look all cute and adorable and basically beg for food – bread crumbs, crackers, chips, whatever.  The poor unsuspecting boater, thinking “Oh my, how adorable!” would provide said tender vittles.  Then on to the next boat and then the next.  Great racket and hence the descriptive adjective of “welfare.”  By the end of our stay, some of the more adventurous chicks would split off from the child care provider and beg on its own – the risk taking entrepreneur of the ducklings!

Cargo ship encountered coming out
of the channel from Baltimore.
We left Baltimore Sunday morning and cruised up to Tidewater Marina at Havre de Grace, again through torrential downpours where we await our great friends Ed and Carol who were kind enough to go to Trader Joe’s in Jacksonville and get three cases of our favorite Sauvignon Blanc.  Yeah!  Hurry up Ed and Carol!

Sunday, June 10, 2018


Days 6-9:  June 5-8, 2018


The morning of June 5th, I somewhat expected the marina to be buzzing with discussions of the previous night’s events, but no such occurrence.  I did hear hushed tones among the marina staff and asked outright what happened after I described my previous night’s experience.  Apparently, one of the live-aboards had a guest who had a heart condition staying with him.  After the guest left to use the restroom but didn't return, the live aboard contacted the marina manager who searched the marina and found the body in the water.  No official word on the actual cause of death but I speculate that the guest had a heart event, fell in the water and was either dead when he fell in or died in the water.  So, foul play was ruled out.  I felt a bit safer.

We treated ourselves to breakfast at the little shop on the corner near the marina, mailed some letters at the mailbox in front of the nearby district courthouse, and enjoyed City Park with its fountain and fish sculptures.  The day was overcast with intermittent showers, a perfect day for inside projects and just chilling.  That afternoon we took a walk to the Constitution and around the Navy Pier neighborhood as well as a dock walk around the marina.  The crafts within the marina range from near derelict boats in need of extensive refurbishing to large luxury yachts with cleaning crews busily polishing and shining all surfaces.  This is a marina of contrasts, a microcosm of the macrocosm, right here!  That evening while having our wine on the flybridge, we watched as a storm moved over the Boston area.

Bob pets the fish sculpture!




















Old Ironsides in her glory!

A storm moves over Charlestown. 
Note the Bunker Hill Monument in the right background
The next day, at the request of the dockmaster, we moved Velomer from D dock to T dock as the regular occupant of our D dock slip was returning to the marina.  T dock provided us a better view of the harbor but was closer to the Charlestown Bridge.  As a result, the noise level was a bit higher particularly at night.  I’ll take the view, thank you!  We met Carol Jackson for lunch as she was in Boston for the day and we had a wonderful time catching up.  After lunch, we checked the marina office and found that the new Keurig had arrived!


Velomer on T dock near the Charlestown Bridge (background)





Carol Jackson joined us in Boston.

Our new Keurig coffee maker!




















That evening Bob’s cousin, Annie, and her husband, also Bob, came for a visit aboard Velomer.  Annie’s dad, Howard, recently passed away.  Howard, who was well into his 90s, was Bob’s mother’s first cousin whom we met decades ago in Tucson, Arizona and thoroughly enjoyed his mellowness and gentle ways.  We inquired about services for Howard and Annie replied that it was Howard’s wish not to have an obituary, funeral, or even a memorial service.  She did say that the internment was to be at Green Farm in East Greenwich, RI, the family homestead with a cemetery.  As we may very well be in that area aboard Velomer in the next week or so, we inquired about the date and time with thoughts of possibly attending.  At that point, Annie’s husband piped in, “Sorry, you are being disinvited.  Close family only.  I’m lucky I get to attend.” We’ve never heard of an invitation-only internment! Despite being disinvited, Annie and Bob’s visit was delightful.

In 1972, Annie’s husband kept a boat, which he described as” little more than a shed on a raft,” at the marina.  He abandoned it and apparently the marina used his boat as the location for vending machines after that.  We took a dockwalk to see if his boat was still around.  If it was, it was unrecognizable.  After many goodbyes and promises to keep in touch, Annie and Bob drove off.
The next morning, Thursday, we made coffee with the new Keurig.  I still felt a little bit guilty but thoroughly enjoyed my freshly brewed coffee on the flybridge.  The weather was slightly better than yesterday but still chilly with overcast skies.  Our morning and afternoon were filled with boat maintenance/projects.  

Bob continued to clean and polish/wax the exterior fiberglass.  I cooked one of our favorite dishes – chicken, tomatoes and okra – along with daily cleaning.  Our only “have to complete today” task was a visit to Ace Hardware to pick up our order of a Meyer’s hand cleaner refill bottle.  Of course, you can’t go to the hardware store and buy just one item so we also got shop towels and Minwax satin polyurethane to touch up the interior floor in the saloon.  As we were in the same shopping center as Whole Foods, a visit there was also indicated.  While at the center, Bob started up a conversation with a local and found out that there will be a parade on Sunday celebrating the Battle of Bunker Hill.  This will be a great way to spend part of Sunday.

CHHS 50th reunion -- a private event with Joyce Stevens!
Friday involved continued projects such as repairing/replacing some of the canvas snaps and tie-downs, more exterior fiberglass cleaning and polishing/waxing (a never ending activity) and general cleaning, organizing to keep things orderly on the boat (also a never ending activity).  The highlight of the day was having lunch with my high school buddy, Joyce Stephens, a classmate I highly regard – she doesn’t beat around the bush and tells it like it is.  She has been a North End resident for more than 30 years and knows the area so well.  She is a great resource for finding whatever you need from foodstuffs, to good restaurants, to where to find clean and safe public bathrooms, to specialty hardware.  Our 50th high school reunion is coming up this fall and we decided to have our own private HS reunion and took a class picture!

While in Boston we also had a visit by my sister and brother-in-law, Alice and Bob Roemer.  Great to catch up with family!