Escaping the Cold

We are chasing summer and gaining on her!  In one week, we’ve sailed from Boston to Provincetown, to Martha’s Vineyard, to Block Island, to Sag Harbor.  When that North wind blows, we literally batten down the hatches and go.  This is because we are cold!  Just kidding mom, we have heat on the boat, but seriously, who wants to live on a boat in the winter?

Last night, I was too anxious to sleep.  Hurricane Paulette had passed Bermuda and we were scheduled to sail from Block Island to Sag Harbor on her outer edges.  The wind didn’t frighten me, but the potential for big waves and therefore seasickness did.  What contributes to seasickness? Anxiety and lack of sleep!  So there you have it, the recipe for a minor disaster. 

In the end, the sail was a piece of cake.  We left at 4:30am and rode the one to three knot current all the way.  A steady 18-20 knots of wind at our starboard corner made for a smooth sail and the waves behaved.  Not only that, when we arrived I was inspired by my Duolingo French class to make crepes and now I feel like we are on the French Riviera!  I have never made a crepe in my life, so I can proudly add this to my growing list of new cooking adventures.

So let’s backtrack a bit to our stupendous Labor Day Weekend when . . . wait for it . . . Grandma Polly came for her first sail on Gerty!

All that mask wearing and isolating paid off because we were able to have a safe family gathering of record proportions in Boston Harbor. 

The weather was steller all weekend and the Hammer’s squeezed in tons of outdoor activities.  We can’t thank them enough!

Look who else we found near Boston!  Zachary’s new home, new job, and well, new life in Brighton, Massachusetts is making him (and us) smile.

I found leaving our loved ones behind and the subsequent rainy weather in Provincetown downright depressing.  It’s a good thing those ginormous humpback whales showed up!  Right in the harbor!  A picture you ask?  I could barely breathe when that fluke rose up out of the water, let alone take a photo. Michael got a few photos of the splashes with his phone. This may seem strange, but those whales reassured us that everything would be okay.

And, a great sunset never hurts.

Michael was industrious in Provincetown, where he installed a second, totally awesome autopilot controller under the dodger.  Now we can steer the boat in the rain without getting wet. Yay!

I would say that I don’t know what I do with my time, when he is so busy with work and boat projects, if I hadn’t read yet another book on the topic of writing a book that suggested I keep track of my word count in google docs.  Shocker!!! 

Last remarks:

Shout out to Joaquin and Monica on Plan B.  It was so nice to meet you and we look forward to reuniting soon!

Welcome Kona, our newest (and furriest) cousin!

Thinking of Bermuda and hoping for a speedy recovery.