Here we sit at Plymouth Yacht Club enjoying the evening and having a few drinks while we await the completion of our laundry. What a cool place to hang out as the washer and dryer spin.
We have spent the last two days (when not hanging out at the yacht club) visiting Plimouth Plantation and the Mayflower II (a replica of the original Mayflower built in England and sailed over from Plymouth, England in the 50's)
Plimouth Plantation (the spelling comes from old records from the original settlement) includes a replica of the original settlement with people dressed and in character of the original settlers. If you talk about something that they didn't have or know about they will say they have never heard of it. This includes places. They speak in old English and actually discuss things as though they are from that time period. While the plantation is open they actually do chores and eat meals as they were done then. This includes gardening, and cooking in the fireplace. A little ways away is the Wampanoag village where descendants of actual Indians dress and cook and garden as they did in that time period.
There was also an exhibit on Thanksgiving, the myths and facts. Much of the way we see thanksgiving portrayed is actually different from the feast shared between the natives and pilgrims. Also many Indians consider the remembrance of this day a day of mourning as opposed to a day of thanksgiving because it marked the beginning of the decline of their cultures and many broken treaties.
Tomorrow we are off for the islands at the entrance to Boston Harbor.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Thursday, June 23, 2005
We cruised out of Nantucket under lifting fog conditions on Friday, June 17. We cruised into Falmouth Harbor where we tied up to the floating dock at the Falmouth Yacht Club. The dock wasn't really made for boats like ours, but was rather used for smaller boats to tie up to as they were putting in and hauling out. We would have taken a mooring, but they didn't have any available for a boat our size. So...we tied up for the night but had to leave the next morning as they would need it the next morning for members deciding to sail for the weekend.
Unfortunately their club was under contsruction as it was being remodeled and would not reopen for another couple of weeks. We had a place to tie up while we got supplies, but no electricity or facilities!!! It was almost the same as being anchored.
The next morning, after refueling, we headed for Buzzard's Bay via Quicks Cut. (Several people advised us not to go through Woods Hole as the currents can be dangerous and we followed this advice.) Our next stop was Quisset Harbor where we once again dropped anchor. Quisset Harbor is a pretty and serene harbor. Several large mansions look out over the harbor. Not only are these houses huge, they also come with acreage! Quisset Harbor is on the Buzzard's Bay side of Falmouth somewhere between main street in Falmouth and Woods Hole. We have been sightseeing in both Falmouth and Woods Hole, walking interspersed with rides on the Whoosh Trolley. While in Falmouth we ate at Betsy's Diner, and actual real diner. We also put the sail on the dinghy for some sailing in the harbor, which is fun for two but not practical for four.
This weekend we plan to cruise through the Cape Cod Canal and stop in Plymouth.
Unfortunately their club was under contsruction as it was being remodeled and would not reopen for another couple of weeks. We had a place to tie up while we got supplies, but no electricity or facilities!!! It was almost the same as being anchored.
The next morning, after refueling, we headed for Buzzard's Bay via Quicks Cut. (Several people advised us not to go through Woods Hole as the currents can be dangerous and we followed this advice.) Our next stop was Quisset Harbor where we once again dropped anchor. Quisset Harbor is a pretty and serene harbor. Several large mansions look out over the harbor. Not only are these houses huge, they also come with acreage! Quisset Harbor is on the Buzzard's Bay side of Falmouth somewhere between main street in Falmouth and Woods Hole. We have been sightseeing in both Falmouth and Woods Hole, walking interspersed with rides on the Whoosh Trolley. While in Falmouth we ate at Betsy's Diner, and actual real diner. We also put the sail on the dinghy for some sailing in the harbor, which is fun for two but not practical for four.
This weekend we plan to cruise through the Cape Cod Canal and stop in Plymouth.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Nantucket
We arrived in Nantucket on Wednesday, June 8 and anchored in the harbor. We have been visited with all kinds of weather while here. We have had both warm days and cool days (for us southerners anyway!) We've experienced strong winds with whitecaps in the harbor making for a very wet ride in with four piled into our little dinghy! Some days we elected to stay aboard and dry, reading ad playing games.
Friday, June 10 we visited the newly opened Whaling Museum. We found it informative and interesting with many exhibits including a fantastic scrimshaw exhibit, a movie on the spermwhale that wased ashore in '97 and the futile attempts to rescue it, but which ultimately resulted in a learning experience as they retrieved the oil from the headcse. The bones are now in the Whaling Museum. We stayed for the museums musical program which included recitations of abridged readings of Melille's "Moby Dick" (We actually braved the dinghy ride to come in that day and all got a little wet. Tracy encouraged the trip for that day so that we could attend the performance. We had an enjoyable time despite the drenching.)
After spending the following two days aboard waiting for the winds to die down, we were quite ready to go ashore on Monday. We visited several historic sites. One of the sites was an Old Mill that does actually operate and grind corn during the season. Unfortunately the mill will not be up and running until next week. We enjoyed the tour anyway.
Fortune smiled on us Tuesday and we visited the Maria Mitchell Museums and Aquarium on their opening day for the season at no cost. We finished off the day with a slide show on a trip to the Galapogas Islands.
Tomorrow we plan to depart for Falmouth and then work our way over to Buzzards Bay and then up through the canal, perhaps arriving in Sandwich early next week.
In the meantime, one of the best things about cruising life is sitting near the shore with the gentle beeze blowing in your hair, listening to the soft flapping of a flag and the playful splash of a duck nearby knowing you can just sit there in the heat of the sunshine with no particular place to go and nothing that needs doing asap., just enjoying God's world.
Friday, June 10 we visited the newly opened Whaling Museum. We found it informative and interesting with many exhibits including a fantastic scrimshaw exhibit, a movie on the spermwhale that wased ashore in '97 and the futile attempts to rescue it, but which ultimately resulted in a learning experience as they retrieved the oil from the headcse. The bones are now in the Whaling Museum. We stayed for the museums musical program which included recitations of abridged readings of Melille's "Moby Dick" (We actually braved the dinghy ride to come in that day and all got a little wet. Tracy encouraged the trip for that day so that we could attend the performance. We had an enjoyable time despite the drenching.)
After spending the following two days aboard waiting for the winds to die down, we were quite ready to go ashore on Monday. We visited several historic sites. One of the sites was an Old Mill that does actually operate and grind corn during the season. Unfortunately the mill will not be up and running until next week. We enjoyed the tour anyway.
Fortune smiled on us Tuesday and we visited the Maria Mitchell Museums and Aquarium on their opening day for the season at no cost. We finished off the day with a slide show on a trip to the Galapogas Islands.
Tomorrow we plan to depart for Falmouth and then work our way over to Buzzards Bay and then up through the canal, perhaps arriving in Sandwich early next week.
In the meantime, one of the best things about cruising life is sitting near the shore with the gentle beeze blowing in your hair, listening to the soft flapping of a flag and the playful splash of a duck nearby knowing you can just sit there in the heat of the sunshine with no particular place to go and nothing that needs doing asap., just enjoying God's world.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Arrived in Marthas Vineyard
We departed Charleston at 3:00 AM the morning of Sunday, May 29. The weather forecast predicted southerly winds for the next 3 days. Unfortunately the weather prediction was wrong. The first day we had little to no wind and motored. Michael did catch a couple of Mackerel that day though, one of which had a big bite tken out of it's tail! Monday the winds picked up. The only problem was that it came from the northeast, just the direction we were trying to go. For the next several days we had wind on the nose and a short period of gale force winds. We considered changing our plan and heading for the Chesapeake or Delaware Bay, but ultimately remained committed to our course.
Friday night found us east of Atlantic City in dense fog. Visibility was just about nil! The fog stayed with us until Sunday morning and finally dissipated as we neared Vineyard Sound. We elected to stop at Oaks Bluff on Marthas Vineyard and take a break before continuing on to Nantucket. It was a relief to get a good nights sound sleep, not having to get up after about 3 and a half hours sleep because it was your turn back on watch!
Oaks Bluff is a cool little place with all these neat little cottages. The history of the place is that it used to be a camp area where Methodists used to get together for vacation and fellowship and big tent meetings. Over the years people began to build platforms and then walls and eventually these adorable cottages were the result. They are painted very prettily and manyof them have intricate trim work.
Tomorrow we are off for Nantucket. I will try to get some pics posted in the next few days.
Friday night found us east of Atlantic City in dense fog. Visibility was just about nil! The fog stayed with us until Sunday morning and finally dissipated as we neared Vineyard Sound. We elected to stop at Oaks Bluff on Marthas Vineyard and take a break before continuing on to Nantucket. It was a relief to get a good nights sound sleep, not having to get up after about 3 and a half hours sleep because it was your turn back on watch!
Oaks Bluff is a cool little place with all these neat little cottages. The history of the place is that it used to be a camp area where Methodists used to get together for vacation and fellowship and big tent meetings. Over the years people began to build platforms and then walls and eventually these adorable cottages were the result. They are painted very prettily and manyof them have intricate trim work.
Tomorrow we are off for Nantucket. I will try to get some pics posted in the next few days.
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