Nantucket by Bike

Sconset Light 10/19 to 10/21  Nantucket 3 day weekend with Barbara Nantucket by bike. No car. This worked out really well. The island is just the right size to be explored by pedal power. There are scenic bike paths all over the island. We had to avoid biking in the historic town. Cobblestones are not pedal friendly. Most restaurants were in hoofing distance from the B&B anyway. Sat- Biked to 'Sconset Bluff Walk, nice walk. 25 miles of riding. Fun day. Sun- Biked to Madaket. This had one of the nicest sections of path that I've been on, interesting Fall scenery. We curled up behind a deserted dune on Madaket Beach and meditated/napped to the call of seagulls and the whisper of waves. The Chestnut House We stayed at a charming B&B, the Chestnut House. Very nostalgic. We stayed here in our first year of Marriage, almost 100 years ago. Mon- Whaling Museum for a rainy morning, headed home early. We wanted to do a beautiful 6 mile hike at Sanford Farm/Ram pasture but we got rained out. Beautiful weekend overall. Brant Point Lighthouse

Nantucket Dinghy Ride

Sept 13-15 A few other boaters told me not to even consider taking my 12' dinghy across the 10 miles of open ocean from Chatham to Nantucket. I took that as an invitation. This was my furthest Island crossing and the first time that I couldn't see any land when I was in the middle of a crossing. It was a nice way to get in touch with a feeling of true insignificance in this vast world. I loved it. Fri- Wind 10-15 MPH, ENE, gave me a following sea off my rear quarter for the crossing. I cruised at about 5 to 8 MPH. One piece of chop broke over my rear quarter from behind and got me a little wet but wasn't big enough to flood the boat. After that I kept one eye forward and one eye back. No problem. Anchored for night near Millbrook Creek, nice spot! Kite spot near Pokomo, one boat for company Sat- Kited near Pocomo, hiked to Alter Rock. I enjoyed the hike but not super scenic. Anchored for night in entrance to Coskata Pond, tide dependent. Sun- W wind 5-10 for return, dropping to no wind, foggy. Easy crossing. Entrance to Coskata Pond I can take Nantucket off my boating bucket list! It's still a pretty long list.

Travels with Martha

Memorial Day Weekend- What a beautiful 3 days for boating and exploring Martha's Vineyard! How did I love the long weekend? Let me count the ways. Had a super easy light wind crossing from Falmouth Sat Morning. Visited Mytoi Japanese Garden on Chappaquiddick. Kited at Katama Bay. Anchored and took the Chappaquiddick ferry to Edgartown for a hot shower and supplies. Walked most of the Joseph Sylvia State Beach looking for kite launches, found some. Explored Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary by packraft and on foot. Tied up at the Dinghy dock in Oak Bluffs for a Lobster Roll. Had a super easy light wind crossing back to Falmouth Monday evening. Mytoi Japanese Garden Anchorages   Friday Night- Falmouth, Eel Pond, off Waquiot Bay, N wind.   Saturday Night- Edgartown, Chappaquiddick Point, in no wake zone, SW wind.   Sunday Night- Sengakontacket Pond, Bran Point cove, SW, NW, NE wind.     Next time- Anywhere around Felix Neck in Sengakontacket Pond, very quiet, pretty.     Next time- Caleb Pond, off Katama Bay, a few houses but very scenic, not official anchorage? Shear Pin Rd, Lighthouse Rd, and a fish. This must be Chappaquiddick. Low Bridges   Kennedy Bridge on Chappaquiddick- I fit under at dead low only.   Sengakontacket Pond, Center bridge, (Jaws bridge)- I fit under at dead high or low.   Sengakontacket Pond, North Bridge- I fit under at dead low only.     I used to fit under all these bridges but my boat keeps growing, (windshield, roll bar). Packraft on my roof. Now I don't fit under any bridges. Motor trouble? Yeah, it's still not running right.

Congrats Ben!!!

5/19/19  Ben- It seems like just a few minutes ago you were helping wooly bears cross the street. You were catching tadpoles and falling into vernal ponds. You were a tadpole yourself. Now you're measuring the electrical potential of stem cells as they differentiate into bone or muscle cells. I don't know exactly what that means but I know that I've loved watching you grow into the miraculous adult version of yourself. Much love to a budding scientist! Ben Cooper, Bachelors of Science in Biology, Summa Cum Laude, Highest Honers Thesis.

Chatham, Ups and Downs

4/27/19 Anchored in Stage Harbor- Winds blowing to 30, temp down to 42, no moonlight, patchy clouds and some drizzle. Yay, first night on the water this season. After the clouds clear, the stars seem to burn extra fiercely in the black night sky. My winter sleeping bag is soft and toasty, perfect for these temps. I had almost forgotten how much I love sleeping on the boat. I'm in one of those, just happy to be alive moments. Stage Harbor Sunset That feeling lingers until the next day when I take the motor up to full throttle. It only hits 4400 rpm. The entire top end is gone. Along with my vacation plans to go to Nantucket for a week starting next weekend. I'm not making that trip with an unpredictable motor. I also discover that the weepy leak on a seam I thought I fixed last year is still crying. Yeah, that about sums up boat ownership. A rapture of stars at night and tears in the morning.

Hemlock Gorge

Paddling: Charles River, Newton at Needham St to Lower Falls pedestrian bridge. Water was pretty high and fast. It was fun to paddle through the Hemlock Gorge! I just had to be careful to pull out before the falls. Those drops don't have a soft landing. 3.5 miles. 4 waterfalls to portage around. 2.5 hours including short walk back to my house from the river. Waterflow was 650 CFS on Charles in Waltham.