Shake down cruise, NYC to Mt Desert and back to Newport

If you can possibly manage to take a trip like ours, please do so.  You will be rewarded in so many unpredictable ways.

On leaving New York, we made our  way East on Long Island Sound, then on to Buzzard’s Bay, the Cape Cod Canal, and Down East to Maine. Rosa has been wonderful in all breezes, and we’ve sailed most of the 900 miles we traveled.   Her spinnaker brings her to life when there’s a soft wind at our back, and she’s nicely stable even in high winds and waves. Motoring has its uses though, and is especially valuable in giving us the freedom to navigate in strong currents (tidal and river).  Her cabin provides shelter at the end of the day, her anchor keeps us safe even in high winds, and her gentle rock lulls us to sleep.  In all respects our cutter Rosa dos Ventos has been a delightful maritime companion. 

Caring for our boat has taken more time (and money) than we’d expected, but each breakdown or mistake leads to a more thorough understanding of Rosa and her systems and the learning required to ‘right the wrong’ is extraordinarily satisfying. As we intend to live on (and with) this boat, we want both to care for her and to know how to do it.  Old friends John Hammond and the Mezzanottis (Richard and Carol) have provided amazing help.  Many new friends from marinas and from other boats have helped as well, and will be fondly remembered as we use and reuse the systems we now associate with them.

October marks the beginning of the next leg of our journey, and we look forward to determining how the change in emphasis changes us.  The summer and the coast of New England let us visit friends and familiar places (see below).  From now on, the coasts will be new to us and our friends much further from each other.  Each day so far has been full of fresh air, satisfying learning and good people.  Rosa is our home, and we have solved problems of computer access, windlass dysfunction, odor, GPS failure, fog, and leaks.  We eat really well, walk wherever we want to go (or use busses see Ted below), and certainly sleep well.  We do miss our Vermont friends, and hope they will stay in touch (and visit!).

Filters for new Spectra Watermaker.  As you will note Barbara starts with this image of her OBSESSION, and you are treated to this rather technical manifestation or our much loved desalinator (needed to match B's technical obsession with at least a bow to this complicated piece of technology that has made our lives better).

 



Ted at the helm of our dinghy in Newport Harbor, and later waiting for the #60 bus in Newport.  He got to know this route well as it was the way we got to West Marine and the DePaul Diesel... .


Motoring through the Cape Cod Canal for the first time

 

 Friends and family were welcoming along the coast of Maine, especially Nick and Cindy Clainos in Kittery (left),  Bob and Donna Hamill (below),

 

 

and Percy Grant and Nan Hunter (below sailing with Barbara).  We loved seeing Roberta and Larry Coffin (who were inspiring to us in planning our voyages),  cousins Nancy, Oscar and Mike Boyson, and Sandra and Martin Dominguez (see photo of his seafood paella).

 

 

 

Weather of all kinds passed over (squall above), as did vessels of all kinds (Bounty below).

 

It felt wonderful to arrive at our family home in Sawyer Cove with Ted and Rosa, having travelled by boat the whole way!  See 'Rosa' outlined on our chart plotter in Sawyer Cove. 

 

 

Walks on Isle au Haut (Ted at left, and Cadillac Mt (Barbara at right) stretched our sea legs and rewarded us with great views.

The view from our deck one morning at Tenant's Harbor was lovely,

and characteristic of Maine too.

 

A week in Europe in September completed all Ted's remaining professional obligations, and gave us a chance to walk around Brussels:

 

Now we are back on the coast of New England, and have spent a few weeks at Portsmouth RI completing some work (including both solar and wind systems) on the boat.  We look forward to cruising slowly South, to seeing many of you, and to posting more frequently!