A Special Delay

Friday started out well; the weather was fantastic and we got up early to set sail. About four hours into our trip, Jared noticed a ticking sound in the motor. I immediately started to smell something burning, and we shut off the motor right away. Being the talented engineer that he is, Jared managed to take apart the motor to discover that part of it had been completely rushed off by the harsh salt water! He tried to fix it himself, but unfortunately did not have the correct tools onboard. The ocean was completely calm without one knot of wind, so it was impossible for us to sail to shore. Here’s where Tow Boat US comes to the rescue!

While Jared was trying to fix the engine, I started to hear blowhole sounds. I knew a whale was near! All of the sudden, one popped above the surface about 100 feet away from the boat. I was so excited; I yelled to Jared to come above deck. We looked around for a few minutes trying to determine where the whale had gone. The next thing we knew, there was a huge whale on the opposite side of the boat, right next to us! It was amazing to see the whale so close to our sailboat. We also discovered that Morgan is quite good at whale watching. She hears them before we do, so we can often catch a glimpse of them if we look in the same direction as her. We’ve seen about ten whales so far, but they don’t stay around for pictures. Jared researched the different types of whales, and we learned that we have been seeing Minke whales. These type of whales usually stay under water for up to 20 minutes, so that’s why it is hard to keep an eye on them. The experience of seeing a whale swim under the boat was worth the time it took waiting for Tow Boat US to come save us.

We were already four hours into our schedule, so we had to be towed all the way back near our starting point. Jared called ahead to a service marina in Kittery, Maine, and they allowed us to stay on their dock for free while they fixed the engine. It was nice to have a shower and electricity again! We thought we would have to order a new part, which would delay us for 5 days. However, the repairman was able to fix the old part in order to get us on our way. Jared will have to reinstall the part when we get back from our trip in August, but at least we won’t be delayed.

Since we were so close to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, we decided to take advantage of our night off. We crossed the river from Maine to New Hampshire and docked our dingy in Prescott Park, right across from Strawbery Banke. This is an outdoor museum near the waterfront that contains 40 historic buildings that depict life from 1695 to 1955. Each of the homes are furnished in period style and have adjoining gardens cultivated according to their eras. Portsmouth was originally named Strawbery Banke in honor of the berries that covered the banks of the river.

Portsmouth is a town full of interesting shops and great restaurants. We spend most of the evening walking around town. A local shop owner even told us about a casual restaurant/bar called the Rusty Hammer. After dinner, we walked back to Prescot Park and saw that the Wizard of Oz was being performed on a small stage. There were many children and adults enjoying the evening play. The area seems like a great place to live, and we enjoyed our quick time in Portsmouth :)

The Isle of Shoals

One Thursday, June 30^th, we sailed to the Isle of Shoals. This isle chain consists of 9 islands, 4 of them are in New Hampshire and 5 of them are in Maine. The islands’ long history is full of tales of buried treasure and bloody Indian attacks. Blackbeard the Pirate once landed on Smuttynose Island with his new bride (she happened to be his 15^th bride). The British fleet soon discovered his location, and he fled the island, leaving his bride behind. The ghost of Blackbeard’s wife, they say, still roams the shores crying, “He will come back.” Spooky!

The island we anchored next to is called Star Island, which hosts a huge retreat center. It used to be a famous hotel during the late 1800’s, which was frequented by Nathanial Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This island also has a scary history. Early in the old colonial times, the Indians from the mainland made a descent upon the islands and killed all the inhabitants except for a Mrs. Moody, who hid herself and her two small children underneath the rocks. As the Indians combed the island, she was unable to keep her children quiet, and eventually killed them with a knife. No dogs are allowed on Star Island….I wonder if this is because they can sense the ghosts!

Smutty Island is now home to over 3,000 pairs of seagulls, which make a lot of noise. Morgan had a great time trying to chase all of them!

Here are some more pictures of the harbor during sunset:

The Perfect Storm in Gloucester, MA.

After heading out of Boston, our next destinations were on the North Shore of Massachusetts, full of quaint towns, sandy beaches, artists’ colonies, and great seafood. On Wednesday, June 29^th, we headed to Gloucester, Massachusetts. This town is one of the largest fishing towns on the east coast. The true story of six fishermen from this town was told in the book/movie, The Perfect Storm. The movie was also filmed on location. Gloucester is a true working fishing village complete with rusty fishing boats and salty fishermen.

After getting supplies at the local CVS, we decided to tour the town by dingy. It was fun to see all the different fishing vessels.

The Fisherman’s Memorial Statue, which is dedicated to all those lost at sea, can be seen from the water.

The next morning, we set off for the Isle of Shoals. Along the way, we also stopped at the tiny town of Annisquam, which hosts a fantastic beach. The sand actually glitters from the present of small pieces of oyster shells.

The locals cool off by jumping off the rocks into the ocean.

Boston: Day 3

On our third and final day in Boston, we started our day by having an early lunch at the Union Oyster House. This is the oldest restaurant in the United States, opened in 1826, and was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2003. Even though is has only been a restaurant since 1826, the building has stood for over 250 years. The restaurant’s claims to fame is that Daniel Webster was a constant customer, and it was the first place where a toothpick was used in the United States. However, I would have to say that the corn bread and oyster chowder should also be on that list.

This is one of the booths inside the restaurant:

After lunch, we decided to make use of our Old Town Trolley passes again. We rode the trolley from the waterfront to M.I.T. where we got off to take the subway to Harvard University (commercial vehicles are not allowed around Harvard). We took a stroll through campus and walked around Harvard Square. Here is a picture of the library entrance:

The famous John Harvard statue standing in Harvard Yard now has a nickname, “The Statue of Three Lies.” Its inscription states, “John Harvard, Founder, 1638.” First, there is no known portrait of John Harvard, so the sculptor used a model instead; second, John Harvard did not found the university (it was named after him because he donated so much money to the university); and last, the university was actually founded in 1636. It’s quite interesting that such an established institute’s centerpiece is historically incorrect!

We also decided to go back to the Old State House Museum (we received a free ticket with the trolley ride). There were numerous interesting artifacts, but the one I found to be most intriguing was the tea that was found in Thomas Melville’s boots after the Boston Tea Party.

Our final event of the day was a cruise on the Boston Harbor (this was also free with the trolley ride). We were able to view the USS Constitution. This ship was first used in the War of 1812 and is the world’s oldest warship still afloat. Every July 4^th, it still sails into Boston Harbor and continues to be commissioned in the US Navy.

We couldn’t leave Boston without eating some delicious Italian food in the North End. Jared received a recommendation from a fellow sailor at the marina, and it was definitely worth it. It felt like we were back in Italy! We spent one last night at the marina (I miss those wonderful showers) and set sail the following morning to head to Glouchester, MA. Here is a picture of me driving out of the harbor:

Boston: Day 2...A Day of Freedom.

Jared and I got up early for a FULL day of being tourists :) I had a whole history-filled day in store for him, and we started off by taking the Old Town Trolley tour throughout Boston. All of our tour guides provided informative historical information in a friendly Boston accent. We were able to see many sites that we wouldn't have seen by walking, which included Fenway Park (where the Red Sox play for you non-baseball fans), the Charlestown Navy Yard, the original Cheers bar (where everyone knows your name), Cambridge/M.I.T./Harvard, and many others. Next up on our personal agenda was the Freedom Trail. This is a 2.5-mile walk throughout the city that goes to key revolutionary and colonial-era sites. Of course I was prepared for this outing because I downloaded the audio tour on both my ipod and iphone for Jared and I to listen to while on our trip through history.

A 2.5-mile walk does not seem like much, but it gets quite long in 80-degree heat and 41 stops along the way! As much as I love history, I am not going to put my readers through all the background behind these "stops." I will highlight a few of our favorites instead. The first graveyard on the Freedom Trail was the Granary Burial Ground next to the Park Street Church. This cemetery is home to John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Mother Goose, Benjamin Franklin's parents, Robert Paine, and most importantly, Paul Revere. Bostonians really enjoy memorializing Paul Revere; there are numerous statues, memorials, and street named after him throughout the city. You can even visit his house. An interesting piece of history was that there were about 30 midnight riders during the Revolution, but Paul Revere was the most famous one due to Longfellow's poem entitled "Midnight Ride of Paul Revere." Below is his original tombstone (of course a bigger and better one was later designed for him).

Next on my list of favorites was the Old State House. This was used as a stage for free-speech debates and taxation protests, and it front of it was where the Boston Massacre took place. The museum inside houses many artifacts from the Revolutionary period. It's amazing how this structure stands in the center of all the modern office buildings.

We couldn't leave Boston without getting an Italian cannoli (crunchy pastry filled with cream). Mike's Pastry is one of the most famous pastry shops in the city; the line was out the door! We enjoyed our time in Boston's North End by viewing all the Italian restaurants and shops.

Another favorite was the Old North Church. Prior to his midnight ride, Paul Revere ordered Robert Newman to hang lanterns to indicate whether the British were approaching by land or sea.."One if by land, two if by sea." The top of the steeple can be seen from all over Boston.

The inside of the church was immaculate, and I loved the "booths" that church members could rent in order to stay warm during the services. The church was originally constructed in 1723, but it is still in use today.

We were getting pretty exhausted as we crossed the bridge to Charlestown (stop #35). Here's Jared continuing to follow the red line:

We made it to the Bunker Hill Monument after about three hours. This monument was placed here to commemorate the pivotal battle that took place here in 1775 between the Americans and the British.

Even though I don't have a picture of it, we also went to the Boston Public Gardens to see the Make Way for Ducklings statues. The only other place that these statues are displayed is in Moscow, Russia. We both remembered seeing it in Moscow (we even took pictures by it), but we didn't realize that the matching statue was in Boston. By the end of the day, we decided to head back to the boat to make hot dogs and beans. Morgan was not allowed to go on the Freedom Trail, so she was happy to see us when we got back. I think we were in bed by 9pm that night ;)

Boston: Day 1

We sailed into Boston on the afternoon of Sunday, June 26th. This was our first glimpse of the historic city:

There were sailboats everywhere! We had planned to stay on a mooring at the Waterboat Marina, but they were completely full. Jared called the marina to ask for recommendations on where we should go next, and the man working, Larry, told us that we could use the dock for the same price as the mooring! I was extremely excited to have power and be next to a "real" shower :) Jared soon discovered that Larry was a retired ship pilot, and they had many things in common. Larry welcomed us with open arms, and allowed us to stay on the dock for the entire time we were in Boston! This was an excellent location because we were right in the middle of the city within a 5-minute walk to the Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

After getting the boat settled, our first stop was the Faneuil Hall Marketplace (per Jessie's suggestion). This is an area full of great shopping, pushcart vendors, souvenirs, street performers, and excellent food. The Quincy Market hosts take-out food from all over the world. Since Morgan was accompanying us, we decided to avoid the masses of people inside by going to an outside Mexican restaurant. Jared started counting the number of people who came by to pet Morgan, and he lost count after 30. She gets a lot of attention ;)

In the picture below, you can see the size of Quincy Market. It is literally filled with food stalls.

We spent the rest of the evening walking around the markets. Morgan had a great time because Jared allowed her to run through the water fountains with all the kids (see below). We also took a great nighttime shot of the sailboat at the marina.

Plymouth Rocks!

When we first sailed into Plymouth, we were surprised to see this huge monument surrounding Plymouth Rock. The people of Plymouth are definitely afraid of something happening to this rock because we couldn't get near it...it's locked up in a "rock" jail cell! At least it's surrounded by carefully combed sand and a beautiful marina.

Plymouth Rock has a long history, and it's been moved several times. This is actually only the top half of the original one. The date was originally hand-painteed, and it was not until the early 1800's that it was carved into the stone.

Next, we took our dingy to the dingy dock right next to the Mayflower II. This ship is a replica of the actual Mayflower that the Pilgrims arrived on. However, the Mayflower II has also completed a transatlantic voyage. It was surprising to see the size of the ship; we didn't expect it to be so small! It's hard to imagine all those people sailing across the Atlantic Ocean in it so long ago.

After walking through the quaint town of Plymouth, we arrived at Burial Hill, which was the site of the first fort and the burial site of many members of the original colony. It was interesting to see the old grave markers with a view of the Plymouth Harbor.

After touring the town, we ate our first lobsters of the trip for only $15 (for a whole meal). We couldn't resist putting Morgan in the lobster cutout. She's too cute ;)