Rhode Island to Connecticut and points South

Rhode Island to Connecticut and points South

Time slips away with good friends on board.  After finally leaving New Bedford we made a stop at Bristol, RI to visit the town and the Herreshoff Museum.  They also house the America’s Cup Hall of Fame which seemed appropriate as we are contemplating a trip to Bermuda next spring to watch the races.  Any interested in crewing should give us a shout!

Artful Farmer's Market in Bristol

Seniors Protesting in Bristol

On our way around to Mystic CT, we spent a couple nights with fellow Krogren owners Mark and Mary on The Good Life.  These are special friends who were among the first Krogenites to orient us on our first months aboard.  Every time I open Active Captain in Blue Charts I thank Mary for her sage tips and advice. It was good to see them face to face and not just stalk them on our Krogen app.

In Mystic we met up with Aramco buddies, Arch and Susan.  Days were spent chatting about their most recent three- month cruise in the Pacific and generally catching up on a couple years of adventures. We appreciated their flexibility in planning and the effort they made to drive from Pennsylvania to see us. While in Mystic we also made a flying run back to Newport to check out dinghy options at the boat show.  Our trusty work horse has a persistent leak and needs to find a retirement home.

With the dink needs in mind we stopped on the Niantic River which was conveniently near the Defender store and our cruising friends Dan and Jodi. They graciously let us use their dock in the secure anchorage at the head of the river and helped us take delivery on the new dink.  As a bonus we got a tour of their new boat as well as their gorgeous restored historic farm house. These two are master craftsmen and decorators both inside and out. We look forward to seeing the results when they finish restoring their new motor sailor.
  

Erben Renewal and Water Hog at rest on the Niantic River CT

Our next stop on the North Fork of Long Island was also a visit with another set of Aramco friends, Steve and Irene.  Sadly, we only spent one day in Mattituck where they have a gorgeous canal vacation home.  It was barely enough time to hear news of the five boys and their folks.  Busy does not describe their lives and we are grateful they found time to visit with us.

Since the weather was favorable we made a jump from an anchorage behind Montauk on Long Island directly into Cape May, NJ.  Not only was the weather kind, but the currents were with us and we made the trip in just 28 hours.  Speedy for our slow girl.

Although we intended to stay in Cape May a couple days, after a run to the market in town and take out from The Lobster House, the next morning we headed up the bay for a stop on the Cohansey River. Since we made quick progress with a favorable tide on the Delaware Bay, we arrived with time to dink into the charming town of Greenwich.  The Greenwich Boat Works Marina kindly let us use their dock so we had a relaxing walk through this historic town. We were surprised to learn they had their own Tea Party back at the start of the Revolutionary War. Needless to say the tiny town is full of 18^th Century homes as well as a tasty deli/restaurant.  We will have to return to catch the museums on a weekend.

Delaware Bay Traffic

NO IDEA

Chesapeake City was our next stop where we again crossed paths with Krogen Forever Exploring and a lunch with another Aramco friend. We had been trying to meet up with Judy since our trip through Detroit in 2013.  The wait was all worthwhile because in the meantime she has relocated to Delaware a little more than 15 minutes from Chesapeake City. We enjoyed lunch with Judy and her daughter, Sarah, on a beautiful afternoon.  There was a lot to catch up on but so inspiring to hear of her life in Delaware.  Active retirement almost covers Judy’s schedule of tennis, pickle ball and line dancing balanced with more sedate fun like bingo…..almost makes us boaters feel like slackers.

Exiting the C & D canal we made our way into the Chesapeake Bay hoping to make a few stops on our way into Solomons, Maryland for the Krogen gathering.  We had intended to hop around to favorite spots, but the weather had other ideas.  We spent a night on the Corsica River and made a quick trip into Centreville – a short walk from their river front park and then went on up the Chester River to Chestertown.  Instead of a few nights there, we spent four – enjoying the town’s amenities between rain showers and wind gusts.  We had visited here in 2014 but enjoyed the handy bakery, organic market and full grocery not far out of town.  Then the shops were also a nice diversion on rainy afternoons when we needed a break from reading or old movies. 

Finally, the weather turned more favorable for the last runs into the Patuxent. We met up with Bill and Lisa on Changing Course to catch up on their trip to Nova Scotia after we parted ways back in Maine. We managed to fill the days before the rendezvous in spite of less than perfect weather.

But now pesky Matthew is lurking out there. Mother nature always has the last word on our plans.  We are hoping he heads east sooner rather than later and spares the US coast and off shore islands. If he should head our way we will hide once again up a creek off the mighty Patuxent River.