Happy Birthday Captain!

We spent the Captain's birthday bouncing down the bay. We left Solomon's Island in the early morning mist, slowly leading a parade of south bound boats out of the anchorage.

Freedom is now settled on the East River of Mobjack Bay -- not much color on the trees down here, so we are enjoying Fall anew.

The Long Goodbye

Late summer and fall went by quickly as we brought Freedom back to the Chesapeake Bay, enjoyed a week long Rally with pthe Cruising Club of America and the Royal Thames Yacht Club, traveled (by air) to the west coast for the St. Francis Yacht Club's Men's and Women's Cruises and the National CCA meeting in Seattle, and made preparations to head south for the better part of the winter.

We planned, packed and provisioned in anticipation of departing yesterday October 29. Then Snowtober happened. With snow and gusts up to 40kts in the forecast we decided to stay put for another day, spending the day stowing gear, shopping at Walmart, napping and enjoying a second night of farewell drinks and dinner with friends along the Sassafras.

There was ice on the docks this morning as we pulled out of our slip at Sailing Associates and began our 1200 miles journey south. With the gulls as our escorts, we were ready.

Change in Plans

I was all set to post about last weekend's adventures on Monday morning. Freedom was being hauled for some repairs to the rudder and I thought I would pass the time by catching up with this blog and visiting the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

Unfortunately, Freedom needs more repairs than originally anticipated, so we have abandoned our summer cruise plans. In fact, after a few busy days of clearing out and off the boat, we are back home.

Keep reading as I post more stories and pictures of our travels. But for now, the reversing falls on the St. John River will have to wait.

Anyone Out There?

I have had a few requests for instructions on posting comments. here's the 411:

At the end of a post there will be a line saying (typically up to now) 0 Comments.
Click on that and a white box will pop up where you can write something.

Don't be shy! It's not hard, you don't have to say much, it's just that I always look forward to hearing from you. And then we can say goodbye to the number '0'.

So, let the commenting begin...

A Brief Interruption...

Please excuse this brief interruption in my happy, carefree cruise narration:

Dear Apple,

What do you have against Blogger, and the legions of bloggers who have purchased your expensive, yet oh so cool, iPad? All we want to do is post to our blogs, pictures included, from the road, or water in my case. And all you have done is made this impossible, reason unknown. Okay not impossible but awkward, and not "intuitive" like your products are said to be. So, today, Mr. Jobs and friends, call me annoyed.

First Mate Martha
Currently anchored in Woods Hole, MA

Posted above are 2 pictures Mr. J and friendsdidn'tt want me to put out there: Rainbow over Newport, and the Captain, Carla and Tyler enjoying the Calypso Deck in Edgartown.

Martha's Vineyard

We've spent the last two nights off Martha's Vineyard, first in Vineyard Haven and last night in the Edgartown Harbor. Not long after we moored in Vineyard Haven the Captain called my attention to a sailboat anchored about three boats away.I pulled out the binoculars to get a closer look and to confirm the Captain's suspicions. There she was: The Sabre 452 formerly known as Freedom: our 'old' boat, now known as Alliance. We knew she was also cruising up this way from her home port in Rock Hall, MD, but what are the chances we would all end up in the same harbor?

The shores here are dotted with shingled homes, some big, some small and and some mega-sized. And the harbors are filled with a similar assortment of boats. There is a lot to look at! We ate dinner at the famous Black Dog Tavern in Vineyard Haven (I know you've seen the t-shirts), and stopped for ice cream at Mad Martha's, where I also snagged a hat. Last night we avoided the crowds and stayed on board to enjoy Salmon BLT's on the Calypso Deck. It was a beautiful clear evening, with a cool breeze sending us all down below for fleece jackets. A welcome relief after the string of 100+ temperatures last week!

Heat Relief

One week ago: Even the swimming pool was too hot. Tonight: Wearing a fleece jacket. Sweet!