After saying goodbye to our friends in Groton and a very long passage we arrived Oyster Bay. We very much want to come back and spend some time here.  The Theodore Roosevelt family has a long history here.

Our overnight anchorage brought us on the next day to Port Washington, NY. This is where we will stage to go through NYC and down the coast of NJ.

We have been through this route once before but I frankly did not recall the shall we say “larger” home along the shore as we enter Port Washington

Not likely to make our residence in this area…..very lovely.

No port visit is complete without a visit to the local Ice Cream store…good score here.

We truthfully had not planned it but the best day because weather, tides etc was actually September 11th. A quick call to the Coast Guard confirmed there were no planned security limitations! 

Looking east after passing under the Frogs Neck Bridge just after dawn.

Across from Riker Island I discovered the Vernon C Bain Correctional Center Barge. I never imagined such a thing.

This area of the East River us known as Hells Gate.  There are very strong currents in this area so timing of your passage is essential.

As you exit Hells Gate into the East River Upper Manhattan is presented directly in front of you. Directly ahead is about 92nd Street East.

No description required

Passing under the Verrazano Bridge 

Passing inbound ship as we transit the Ambrose Channel  bound for sea.

We were well off Sandy Hook, NJ by mid morning and heading down the NJ Coast.

We approached Atlantic City right out sunset and shortly there after the city treated us to a lovely after dark.

We rounded Cape May and proceeded up the Delaware Bay before dawn.

Mid morning we arrived east end of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal and luckily coincided with another favorable current.

After about 33 hours Magnolia dropped her anchor in the Sassafras River before continuing on to Annapolis

Magnolia was all settled in Onset, MA as we watched hurricane Hermine traverse FL and then made her way offshore. We were back and forth whether to move further west. There is always the chance of putting ourselves in a worse place. When our weather router suggested we get further west we were underway within the hour. Our community, our cruising friends come out of the wood work to help us.  We departed Onset and made a very long passage to Stonington, CT before we ran out of light. We have been there several times and felt comfortable getting in after dark if that’s what it took.

We did get to see this very handsome old yacht, think it might be a Trumpy.

Arriving Stonington, CT right at sunset.

We got the anchor down right at sunset.

We made the short hop from Stonington to Shennecossett and our friends Al & Michele (Kindred Spirit) sponsored us at there club so that we could get a slip. Of course midway through our stay we had to move slips and as usual Dan & Marcia (Cutting Class) were there to help. We feel very blessed to be part of the community, you never ask for help, its just always there…thank you.

Al & Michele whisked us off to their home where we had a mini hurricane vacation with friends! Michele was kind enough to turn her kitchen over to us for an evening. I love to cook for friends.

The next morning Michele insisted on making pancakes, did I mention, we are NEVER leaving here….

In the middle of the “hurricane” we went to visit Gillette Castle. I will let the Wiki Page tell the details but it was a fun afternoon land trip.

We even took the car ferry a cross the Connecticut River because none of us can bare to be off the water for too long!!

We even slipped a little visit in with Ted & Sally from Amici…

The next day with the hurricane roaring around us…we had to take advantage of the West Marine Labor Day sale and pick up some bottom paint.

We twisted Dan and Marcia’s arms to take us to Mr G’s in New London. They have really good food but what I really like to watch is Dan & Marcia. See they were school teachers in New London for years and years. We cannot stop here without someone saying Hi Mr C, Hi Mrs C etc. That is the up side of being part of a community for a lifetime. For a lifetime vagabond, so enjoy jealously watching!!!  Thank you Dan and Marcia! Of course as soon as we sat down we started yacking and I did not get a picture!!! 🙁

Thank you again to all our Shennecossett for welcoming us into their homes, Dean & Maryjo sorry we missed you this trip!!!

Wiscasset was not on our radar before heading for Maine. We have time and time again been rewarded by taking the less traveled road. We were certainly not disappointed by making the trip up the Sheepscott River to Wiscasset.

We have never been here before so it took a while to figure out how and where to anchor/moor. We like to anchor with our own ground tackle and after getting looking for an appropriate spot. We ended up mooring to a FREE town mooring.

View of Wiscasset water front as we approached.

Magnolia moored off the city dock, Wiscasset ME.

The Customs House at Wiscasset is this beautiful building on the water front dates to 1870.

We met Sam & Kayda through mutual friend Kindred Spirit and Cutting Class while we were all in Hope Town, Abacos, Bahamas.

We thoroughly enjoyed walking around the streets of Wiscasset and even took a tour of the historic Nickels-Sortwell House.

We also toured the adjacent Wiscasset’s Sunken Garden. The garden has a very interesting start: “The story of Wiscasset’s Sunken Garden”

Sadly it was time to go already. It was a lovely weekend to spend with two truly special people. Thank you Sam & Kayda for sharing your town and your home…see you in the Abacos!

Early the next morning we cast off the mooring traveled the 20 miles down the Sheepscott to the open ocean basically travelled a straight line right into Cape Code Sound.

We need to transit the Cape Code Canal where the currents can be really strong with you or really strong against you. We like it right in the middle when there is very little current. Being a couple hours early we went down and anchored in front of a friends house on Sandwich Beach. Would ‘nt they be surprised to wake up and find us “parked” out front. Sadly they were not in town!!

The delay gave us the chance to make fresh water and fill our takes as well as wait for the current to shift.

Of course, the first thing we did was hit up Nana’s for a sundae…

Now as we sit in Onset, MA we wait for Hermine to figure out what she is going to do..we watch the scatter charts to see the models are all saying the Hurricane will stay out of New England. We are in Onset, right under the EE31 label.

and when she does get up here, how much weather. The line is our desired route and as you can see, we are not going anywhere till our traveler moves on her way!

We continued our travels west as we slowly made out way back towards the Chesapeake.

Departing Merchants Row and the Hell’s Half Acre anchorage provided some magnificent photos.

Getting out of the area around Hell’s Half Acre is a little like escaping from a maze. Merchants Row consists of many small islands and rock out cropping’s to avoid and find out way around. I have to say it was a lot more confusing than imagined to navigate towards open water.

After departing the area known as Merchants we crossed the eastern half of Penobscot Bay. In the middle of Penobscot Bay are the islands of North Haven and Vinalhaven. The passage between the island is know as The Thorofare.

The communities the line the banks look as if life has changed little in the last 100 years.

There are traditional gorgeous homes along the area.

Many many boat houses a long the shore.

I had to take a quick picture of this Krogen 42. The Krogen is a real ocean going trawler capable of going anywhere Magnolia can. If we ever make the Great Loop trip this would be the type of boat we would do it in.

Next stop was the town of Rockland

I wish I could say I took more pictures but I forgot except for one which I call “The Promised Land.” See I needed a tool I had found anywhere else and this was the first Home Depot I had seen since July 4th!

Departing Rockland early the next morning granted a us a lovely sunrise and an opportunity to remind Annette how late we slept in and how that sail boat beat us out of the harbor!!

The passage west to Boothbay was well outside the shelter of islands and we really were in the ocean…a little reminder that we have been transiting protected waters recently!!

The good thing about the rocky coast of Maine…light houses, lots of light houses to mark the passages.

We had not taken on fuel since our visit to Groton CT and still have over half left. Planning the trip back off shore to Onset, MA we like fill’er up. Having full tanks we could motor all the way to Maryland if we needed too!

We normally like to anchor on our own ground tackle but this particular anchorage really did “encourage” us to pick up a mooring ball. Not our favorite thing because you really really never know how well the mooring has been maintained. We quickly got settled and Annette went touring the shops in search of any must haves..I mean while found a bench over looking the main drag to watch the afternoon go by!

Some days you watch the show, some days you are the show…this port we were the show.

Inside the beautiful boat house lies a beautiful boat…you can see the wood stern exposed.

This is another one of my favorites. It’s name is Itaska. (http://www.myitasca.com/). I understand its forsale for ONLY 20M, but that does not include the helicopter….

Next stop, off the beaten path to Wiscasset! Looking forward!

Yes there really is a place but more on that in a moment…we had a terrific visit to in North East Harbor. We were able to do a few chores, some nice long walks and another visit with S/V Second Sally (Greg & Marie).

It was a little foggy when we departed Winter Harbor but as we rounded the tip of Mt Desert Island we were rewarded with just a bit of clearing which made view a little more beautiful and more importantly good visibility to get into North Eastern Harbor.

Normally the tides in NEH run about 8 feet but in this part of the moon cycle it has been closer to 12 feet…that is A LOT of water as you can see.  The dock ramp will tilt in the opposite direction at high tide!!

Annette selfie at Jordon Pond @ Acadia National Forest.

LL Bean Company sponsors a public Bus System (http://www.exploreacadia.com/) that provides transportation on Mt Desert Island and around Acadia National Forest. It is a terrific system though sometimes you have to wait a while on connections..

Overlooking the Bar Harbor water front..

Acadia National Forest

One of the famous carriage road and bridges in Acadia

We enjoyed our visit but it was time to move on. Early in the morning fog was quite heavy and so departure was delayed.

We started to see some sun peak through so got on the move. The passage to Devils Half Acre was about 20 miles. We had planned a more direct route but the fog was bit heavier than forcast so we remained highly dependent on the radar for navigation so we decided to take a more round about route which kept us in deeper water where we have more room to maneuver, fewer lobster pots and less boat traffic.

Thankfully the “marks” show up on radar 1) so we dont run into them, 2) gives a good fix on our actual location.

Thankfully as we approached the anchorage we did get some clearing which certainly removed a great deal of anxiety that exists when entering a new anchorage in the fog!!!

We are expecting a front to come off the coast so we will stay here in this protected anchorage for a couple days for that to clear through.

We really enjoyed our stay in Onset. It is easy to be there, we were able to connect with our friends Frank & Elaine as well as a visit with Annette’s Niece Laura and Christopher. It was time to get underway though and first challenge is the Cape Cod Canal.

The canal connects Buzzards Bay with Cape Cod Bay and the currents can really rip through there. Definitely not against the current and I am not really that big a fan of going with the current full out either. I get nervous when sail boats go faster than 9 knts! With a current of 4 going through there….that is really fast!

Our friends Frank & Elaine have a home nearby so they were kind enough to come out and offer their support and a picture of us setting off in the canal.

Frank & Elaine on shore as we pass by!

We had a terrific passage…great sailing all the way to Maine. At the risk of attracting violence…”nothing says Maine in August like donning a sweatshirt.” Yes it was that nippy even inside the enclosure with the morning sun shining.

First good sighting of land after the fog cleared and the sun came up a little

Narrow passages between big chunks of granite…not that big a fan but no real problem either.

Note the reflection bench in the woods….I like that spot.

This house caught my eye out the port light…and below

Our first anchorage was Swan’s Island, ME. Yes this really is an island hence the Ferry Dock.

Our first walk around “town” was the guide to our first night visit. Walking past the local Baptist Church we noted the below sign. A bit later a visit to the local Lobster and Maritime Museum made us aware of a scheduled talk on the Sextants and Navigation.

The Admiral referred to the evenning as dinner and a show. Now the dinner was pretty good, the talk well the speaker needs some more practice. All in all, an evening well spent.

We are next off to Winter Harbor to meet up with our friends and mentors!

We cannot depart New England with out saying how much we THOROUGHLY enjoyed out time there. We were so able to see so many friends and some family!!! Thank you all. None the less it was time to get on the road and after a quick over night stay at Cutty Hunk, MA Magnolia arrived in Onset, MA.

Onset provides a perfect location to wait for a weather window for the overnight hop to Maine. As you can see Onset sets at the western end of the Cape Cod Canal. The current through the Cape Cod Canal runs as high as 5 knots in each direction depending on the tide. If your boat has a top speed of 7 knots selecting the time to transit is key!

Overlooking Oneset Harbor

The Admiral seems to be really enjoying the visit.

A required stop is Marc Anthony’s Pizza. Highly recommend the pizza!

I grew up with these in Detroit and was flabbergasted to actually see one still on a post. I SO SO wanted to pull it and see if it worked! My luck that darn thing would work perfectly and then I would be in trouble. (For those that do not know its a Fire Department Call Box)

I could kick myself once again! Our friends Elaine and Frank who lived in the same building as we met us for lunch and a small ice cream visit. Of course I missed the picture! Later in the same day Annette’s niece Laura and Chris stopped as they were passing through for a visit. Chris and Laura help us HUGELY on land catching mail and being our on land support group. No cruiser can live with out help like theirs. Thank you!

We found our weather window to depart and then it dawned on me…I wondered when I was going to have ice cream again. We quickly headed to shore to check that pre-departure requirement off the list!

As we wave good bye to Onset!

Passage to Maine, coming up!

Upon our return to Connecticut Magnolia took on a few provisions loaded up on fuel and water and at the suggestion of Kindred Spirit headed for Watch Hill. RI. We have never visited Watch Hill before so for us it was a no brainer!

The antenna is a data collector for tagged birds during migrations. It seems they just fly by and get scanned….super market style!

The beach walks in Watch Hill were spectacular!!

The boats at the town dock were pretty spectacular as well. We actually saw the vessel below pass us on the ICW in one of the Carolinas.

The Watch Hill Coast Guard Station. There has been a beacon here since 1745

Watch Hill proper,  the tallest white house is reportedly Taylor Swifts

At the last minute Cutting Class was able to get away and join all of us in Watch Hill.

Dean & MaryJo also from Schenncossett Yacht Club joined the festivities. They evidently know Exuberants son from work. Small world.

Sadly it was time to say farewell and get Magnolia pointed towards Maine. Here is Watch Hill from the sound side as we depart.

It has been a great month in visiting with friends, family and seeing new places. A real treat and so appreciate the hospitality here and up in Narragansett Bay! Magnolia is currently in Onset MA.

I promised two of my great aunts many years ago that as long as you had a family reunion, I would be there. This year was the 40th Anniversary of the current incarnation. We have some dear friends that loaned Magnolia a parking spot and allowed us to make the drive from Connecticut to Ohio…which was a LONG drive!

As we approached Mansfield OH, mother nature again wanted to make her presence known. Definitely a welcome back to the mid-west.

We met up with my cousin Sheridan and my god-son to tour the “Temple of Tolerance” which is actually listed on TripAdvisor directly behind the “Armstrong Air & Space Museum.” Yup you learned it here!

I am not really able to describe the Temple of Tolerance other than it feels like a Japanese Garden with a Ohio twist.

The “Temple” does have a whacky feel to it but the gardens and connecting paths certainly lend themselves to a contemplative atmosphere and a wonderful place to relax!

The highlight of the whole reunion was watching my mother head out for a motorcycle ride with my cousin Gary. Now there are a lot things I would not expect but this is not one of them!

Three generations of Bakers.

As we always try and do is meet Ted &Tina Tennar for breakfast on our way home. My old old friend Jack Tennar is the brother. We have spent time together many many times over the last 30 years. Thank you Ted & Tina for getting up early to meet us!!!

It was a short visit to Ohio but always worth it. I am lucky to have such a close relationship with so many of our relatives and that is really cool!

You are going to have to pay extra attention on this entry. Magnolia made a few stops over the last couple of weeks!

After departing Block Island, RI we made the short trip up to Newport, RI. It might appear that we were lost but we had not taken on fresh water since Baltimore so that was a top priority. We eventually anchored off Fort Adams where we anchored 2 years ago when we were here.

Newport is a really great place for us to visit, not just because my cousin lives there but the Bus system is terrific. Like any good cruiser, first stop in port, West Marine.

Though Jonathon was busy at work, we spent a fun afternoon with AnneMarie and Debbie. I thought after visiting with Ted and Sally on Amici and eating every clam on Block Island I would be clammed out…I could not resist another bowl of RI Style!

The challenge in Newport is always the anchorage. Its one of our longer dinghy ride anchorages and often rough because of all the traffic. We got lucky and were able to give AnneMarie and Deb a tour of Magnolia.

While in Newport a cruising friend offered us their mooring in Pawtuxet, RI. Since we had never been up Narragansett Bay it was a real treat.

Looking north towards Providence RI

The trip also gave us the opportunity to celebrate Annette’s birthday in a different location!

Our friends Al & Michele suggested we meet in Montauk NY. Another place we had never visited! It was a to day trip so we transited down the Narragansett Bay to James Island. Once again we had not taken on fuel since Baltimore so this was a convenient stop and also a great anchorage for the expected strong SW winds. Thats why we look confused on the track map.

We anchored just above the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge. It turned out to be a much more scenic anchorage than we ever expected. I could fill the entire post with bridge pictures!

Overnight winds blew through and we nice sail down to Montauk NY.

First time we have been to NY in a couple of years.

This is why we do this…getting to meet up with friends and family along the way..what real treat our life is!

Kindred Spirit at anchor..it does not look like it but that day was windy as all get out and kept us all at “home.”

Next stop, Stonington CT. This day we really made Kindred Spirit jealous…being former sailors themselves, Al & Michele watched us sail across Block Island Sound without burning a ounce of fuel.

The big reason we went to Stonington was to meet up with our friends on Cutting Class, Dan and Marcia. We had a lovely evening aboard Kindred Spirit

Magnolia made the short transit to Groton where Magnolia will hang on a mooring while we visit family in Ohio.

First thing, chores. Annette had her hair done and I got after the laundry in the nicest laundromat on the east coast!

We are moored right across from University Connecticut – Avery Point. 

A really beautiful campus and enjoyable walk. You can see Magnolia in the background below.

A great benefit of UCONN is their webcam (http://avptcam.uconn.edu/view/index.shtml) which lets us keep and eye on Magnolia!

Now we are off on our long drive to Ohio and then towards Mine next week!