Claudios! Day 5

A huge thanks to Chris and Tony for awesome hospitality in Greenport!

Fischer's Island - Day 4

We spent a long day on the water, travelling to Fischer's Island. School officially started on Zusammen! Tyler's teacher has sent a detailed outline of what she is teaching the class for the week, so I intend to follow it pretty closely. Both kids seemed eager to begin school work, and as long as we took breaks every hour, stayed very focused. We spent about 3 hours on work, covering Social Studies, ELA, Math, and Music. All was review, so no challenges yet. I was very pleased that the kids remembered all their music! We've been off for the month of August, so I didn't know what to expect. Fischer's Island is beautiful. We only went to shore to get gas and water, but its a lovely, quiet community. I have visited several times before in my college days, when my good friend Mary Cairns was at her house there. Such great times we had! Tomorrow we are going to Claudio's Marina in Greenport. The marina is owned by Chris Claudio's father, and he has arranged for us to tie-up on the dock for a couple of nights. It will be great to have access to shore without using the dinghy or launch service. Thanks for much to Chris for arranging.

Cuttyhunk and Newport (Day 2 and 3)

We spent a great Saturday at the beach with the Marstons. The waves were crashing and the men and Tyler and Emma all were out surfing. In the evening we were joined by the Fairfax's and all went ashore to the Scott compound. We had a great time touring their picturesque property, enjoying cocktails and watching the sunset. Thanks so much to Ted, Jane, and Duncan! By the way Ted, the corn was the best ever, thanks! On Sunday we had a nice sail to Newport, and tied up at third beach. The Williams were in town so stopped by for a farewell bottle of champagne at the Marstons. Great to see the Williams again before we head out. We're hoping to catch up with them in Annapolis. Molly arranged a babysitter for the evening, much appreciated, as it's probably the last night in a year that we'll be out with only adults. We had a fantastic meal at Zelda's, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that chicken fried lobster is not a mix of both chicken and lobster! John loved his meal (the lobster) and my scallops were also delicious. Monday morning Bob took us back to Zusammen (twice) and we headed south.

Day 1

Yesterday around 3 PM we hoisted the large Ensign from our backstay and NBYC burgee after saying goodbye to the Davenports and Karen who both came down the dock for a visit bearing gifts. Great pals old and new! As we pulled off the dock and passed nun 12 we bade goodbye to the club on the radio and were sent off by the launch drivers David and Tapley. We both commented on the sad and excited feelings we were having as we raised sail and headed South. All of our chips are in the pot at this point!
We closed out our mailbox, made a last run to the bank, collected the cushions, picked up the life raft and dropped off the truck. Our whole life is packed up in Zusammen for the next year. Feels great and a little scary.
A light wind sail down to Cuttyhunk and an exciting surf session catching the last of Hurricane Katia capped off the day. Ted and Bill Shea made the ride down to ride a few waves and came along side with a send off gift and a recommendation that it was "just for medicinal purposes". Hope to see those guys South at some point.
Beautiful sunrise and FAC conditions. I am going to go for a paddle before the crew gets up. Bob and Molly should be in the harbor here in the next few hours.

We leave tomorrow!

Tomorrow is departure day! Small hop to Cuttyhunk, but we'll be on our way by tomorrow afternoon. Last tasks are to close my South Dartmouth P.O. Box, and drop off the Tahoe.

We spent all day yesterday in Marshfield. We met with both the kids contact teachers, and Mrs. Scollins, principal at MES. The school has been so supportive, I really feel lucky to be connected to such a great group of teachers. Tyler will take a math assessment test tomorrow that his classmates are also taking. Guess that means school is open on Zusammen! He's quite happy about it and wants to begin at 7:30 a.m.. Don't think my coffee will have percolated by then, so that won't be happening!!

We visited the dentist and pediatrician yesterday as well. We have cancelled dental insurance, and discovered yesterday that it really DOES make sense to carry insurance. Even though the kids only had cleanings and sealants, the bill was staggering. Oh well...the price of a beautiful smile, well worth it.

Last night we had a fantastic dinner party at the Strenge's house in Marshfield. The Meade's and the Henning's (missed Fred) were also there and we had a great time.

Today we did errands, got the kids new foulie jackets, groceries, West Marine stuff. Hopefully we have everything covered for a few days anyway! We went to the Hausladen's for dinner tonight, which was great. A very nice way to spend out last evening.

Last trip to Storage!

Last swap out of gear. We're off soon!

Labor Day Weekend Shakedown

We caught up with the Marston and Marshall families in Cuttyhunk on Friday Afternoon and all shared the Scott's mooring. Ted, Jane and TJ all came out for a sundowner.
We left Cutty the next morning bound for Kettle Cove with Wahine sailing alongside. Liza and Maddie were on Wahine and Tyler and Emma on Zusammen. The breeze was up around 25 and we had a sleigh ride East running over 8 knts regularly. We swung through Kettle and the wind Wes too West for a comfortable stay, so we kept rolling East to Cutty. Somewhere along the way, as Liza and Maddie were laying on the foredeck chatting away, a big 'Dancer passed Bob and the bow of Wahine buried on the second wave. The girls were covered, Bob thought they would go over and then when the deck cleared and the girls looked back at the cockpit with shocked faces, Bob starts laughing and the Girls start belly laughing as well. Wish we had a picture.

More significant challenges struck with the refit work over the weekend.  The new holding tank pump leaked in the sail locker on Sunday.  The whale pump screws were driven in and all missed their pre-drilled holes and the gasket leaked waste on the spinnaker ad into the locker.  A nasty mess we are hoping is remedied on Tuesday AM.

The truck was sold this evening to Doug C.  and we had a great final dinner at the club with the Woodcock family.  We're closing in on the final days before departure.  It's been great to have such enthusiastic support from the club and the members.