M/V MAERIN

A change of plans. In light of Andrea’s ankle injury and her subsequent hospitalization for repairs, the admiral opted to divert to San Francisco to help Andrea out, so will not be returning to Maerin. This change of plans has left the skipper and the dogs the choice of single-handing the remaining trip back to the Chesapeake, or finding some crew to accompany us. I sent a few emails out to some prospective victims, one of whom is an old high school pal of andrea who has long been a boating enthusiast and an occasional guest aboard. With family and job responsibilities I didn’t expect he’d be able to make the trip, but as luck would have it, he’s between jobs, and jumped at the chance to spend some time aboard and see a bit of New England. A wife who understands his passion for boating and the water, provided the requisite blessing to the departure, although as Jared shared, he was quite excited about the prospect, Jenn however was not quite as excited! So a flight was booked and Jared arrived Saturday afternoon. A seafood lover as well, the first meal on board was appropriate: fresh Maine lobster, mussels, and a bit of steamed fresh asparagus thrown on top of the mussels. Pretty tasty!

Sorry, Dan. You know, there’s still time to hop a ride if you want!

With new crew settled in, and provisioning complete, we departed Rockland Sunday morning bound for Jewell Island, about 60 miles. The cruise was relatively smooth with light winds and fairly calm seas, a good day for gaining sea legs. We arrived at Jewell Island just after 6PM and anchored in the small cove tucked in between two spits on the north end of the island. A welcome calm night after the rather “rolly” Rockland Harbor.

Jewell Island is state-owned, and the site of a WWII army outpost that housed a watch tower and anti-torpedo gun emplacements. The towers are still standing, and according to the cruising guides are an interesting visit. We made an early rise Monday morning, and took a half hour or so to have a brief hike on the island and give the pups a pre-cruise energy drain. We opted to forego the visit to the tower and gun placements, instead getting an early start for the day’s cruise to Newburyport, MA Monday. Our 60 mile run will bypass New Hampshire and into Massachussets. Jared is in minor overwhelm mode with all the information that’s being thrown at him, but is having a great time despite not being fully acclamated to the constant motion. He’s quickly gaining proficiency as a helmsman, especially with all the practice avoiding the 3 million lobster pot floats thrown down like some water-borne confetti, and the focus is good for when the queasies set in! Fortunately, we’re experiencing fairly benign sea conditions, but for a landlubber, benign may not be calm enough! It will take a day or two!