Bio-bay on Isla Vieques

If Puerto Mosquito on Isla de Vieques is not officially one of the top ten natural wonders of the world, then it should be. This bay is beyond words, full of living stars. This ecosystem is very fragile The water is warm, shallow, salty, and unpolluted by boats, cars, boats, and electric light. (It must stay this way for the beauty to remain.) The red rooted mangroves surrounding the bay produce minerals and vitamins which help the dinoflagellates in the water flourish. These tiny creatures live in Mosquito Bay and give off light – bioluminescence-- when they are disturbed, appearing 100 times their actual size. In a gallon of normal sea water there are usually 20 – 50 of these creatures, but a gallon from “bio-bay” has 500,000-700,000, making it the brightest bioluminescent bay in the world.

We took a tour of this astounding bay with our friends from Bojangles and Chasseur. It was a partly cloudy night with a waning crescent moon low in the sky, perfect for our adventure. We kayaked through the dark water that illuminated with our every touch. Jumping fish streaked like comets across the inky black surface. When we reached a deep spot in the bay the symphony of colliding kayaks echoed, boom, bang, crash across the water. Abandoning our kayaks we plunged into the water. The excitement of seeing our arms glow with microscopic plankton, our legs outlined with an eerie shimmer, and our friends sparkling crazily was beyond reason. Hollers of “Look at this … Watch me … Try this … This is so cool!” filled our ears. After hearing those exclamations we changed our minds, this shouldn’t be just in the top ten, it should be the first.

– written by the whole family while sitting on the steps of El Fortin Conde de Mirasol in Isabel Segunda, Vieques.

St. John -- USVI

Pardon the long delay in posts. It can be attributed in part to lack of wi-fi connections and part to “island time” mentality that has the days slide one into the next.

Over the past two weeks we spent time cruising around St. John, doing some volunteer work, visiting favorite spots we found when we were down here four years ago, and hiking and snorkeling with Bojangles and Stolen Hour (two other family boats that were part of the Carib 1500). We also had an amazing “shore leave” in St. Thomas. John and Joanne hosted our family at their home, treating us to great cooking, helping us with Christmas shopping, and letting us relax around their pool. Additionally, as I worked on various boat projects, John and the whole CYOA staff shared various insights and energies with me, helping us tune up Ohana for the next legs of our journey. Currently we are exploring Culebra, one of the Spanish Virgin Islands. We will head to Vieques shortly and then make our way to Puerto Rico for Christmas.

While at St. John, our family took a day to join with others who were volunteering to help maintain the national park. Eliza and the boys helped out a second day and then spent a day hiking with those they met. Below is a reflection Jeremiah put together after his volunteering efforts.

-- Peter

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Xavier, Mom and I spent two days volunteering to help preserve and maintain trails on St. John. We worked with people from the American Hiking Association. One of the people we met had orange neon boots and she was writing a story about them to bring back home to her friends. One time she put a soldier crab on her boot, then put a band-aid on the boot because the soldier crab pinched it. Another person we met was Tony. He was the one who rolled a huge 200-500 pound boulder down the hill that crashed down about five trees with fist size trunks. The tree that stopped it was about three times bigger around. Both Tony and Vicky were very nice. I am glad that I went and met these new people.


– Jeremiah

 

Trail work

Teamwork to move a huge boulder.

Taking a short break.

Tony with a smaller boulder.

Falling Water

While Josie, the crew and I sailed the boat down to the Caribbean, Eliza and the rest of the kids visited family in Virginia and then headed to Pittsburgh. As part of their stay in western PA they visited two Frank Lloyd Wright homes -- Kentuck Knob and Falling Water. Catherine has put together the essay that follows to share her insights about one of those homes.

--Peter

You might think that you are in the middle of no where but actually you are in the middle of Pennsylvania. The land is hilly but not quite mountainous and rhododendron bushes are everywhere. A stream runs through this landscape and its bed is shaded by tall deciduous tress. Here somewhere on these 500 acres of land is one of the most striking sights, the house called Falling Water.

If you look at Falling Water, you would see that it belongs here in this wilderness. This is a hidden piece of paradise. You are all alone here but that is good. The peace of nature is so much a part of the house itself that even the windows have no blinds because you have no need to block the path of nature. Frank Lloyd Wright, the architect, saw no need for landscape lights so the world outside is perfect, natural black at night. The house itself is built right into the landscape to the extent that if you go to the hearth in the dining room you will see that the floor by the hearth is actually a boulder that the house was built right around.

Since nature is so much a part of Falling Water, you will find that even from the inside you are pushed out to it. With windows taking up entire walls nature flows through the house as fluidly as air. From every terrace you can hear the sound of Falling Water. You might even notice that all the reinforced concrete is painted ocher, the same color as a rhododendron leaf when it first falls. The sandstone floors are shined with wax so when you look they should remind you of wet stones in a river bed. These are other ways to make you feel more a part of everything outside.

The great room also has ways to make you feel like you are outside, it has the best view of the stream and even has a stair case called “the hatch” leading right from the room to the water. The great room you will see is appropriately named as it is a great huge room. This room is actually many rooms in one, the dining room, the living room, and the lounge, and each room is separated by merely a change in ceiling height. There is a also desk for business, seats galore for cocktails. The great room, like every other room, has its own terrace. This terrace has a spectacular view of the falls. You could call it a common room maybe because so many different things can be happening at once within the same room but they are as apart as if there were actually walls.

Falling Water was not what the family expected,you see, they wanted a house with normal rooms separated by walls and a nice view of the waterfall. Frank Lloyd Wright would not build a house looking at the waterfall, no Frank Lloyd Wright said the house had to be part of the waterfall itself. Well as it turns out the family loved the house, it had and still has a certain magic to it. For example a family of three could live here comfortably and not feel as if they are lost in a huge house but that family of three could also invite a good number of guests to come visit and not feel crowded in any way. Falling Water amazes everyone but for different reasons, that is just another bit of magic.

It might not be a looming castle with a great hall for giant feasts, it might not be a cozy cottage where you light a fire in the fall, maybe not even a nice square house that fits right into a friendly neighborhood, but you will find that all those together do not come close to adding up to the house called Falling Water.

-Catherine Jacob-Dolan

A Caribbean Thanksgiving & Notes from Eliza

Our Thanksgiving of 2009 was very different from all the others we have had. This year we splashed in the tropical water instead of avoiding the ice cold waves of Pleasant Bay. We ate a pot luck dinner at 3pm because if we waited longer the bugs would ruin the feast. At the Cape we eat around 7pm after Grammy has finished all the cooking. Usually we are with my dad’s family for this holiday, however, this year we were with new friends who we’ve met on our voyage. We liked the change in the thanksgiving holiday and look forward to what 2010 will bring.

-- Jeremiah and Xavier

Just a bit different from Plimouth Plantation?

 -----------------------------------------------------------

Hello all you wonderful followers.

I am sitting in the air conditioning of our boat on the dock at Sopher’s Hole Marina while the boys are doing their school work. Since our reunion on the 15th we have started a new scheduling system which seems to be working well for all. We do “school” from 8:30 to 11:00am each day, lunch, then snorkel, hike or gather with others for social time. The effort the kids are putting into their work is impressive and the amount of resistance that we get is quite limited.

This routine has allowed me some time to breathe. The adjustment to such small quarters has been challenging for most of us. I seem to be the last of the strugglers. I did not imagine this was going to be so difficult.

Thanksgiving was exciting and energizing. We were able to Skype both sets of grandparents before the gathering on the beach. It blows my mind that I can talk into the computer to PA and CA with such a great connection. I know it will be great once we can Skype one of you face to face.

For Thanksgiving, thirteen boats gathered on Prickly Pear Island for a pot luck meal---27 adults and 13 children, including a couple from New Zealand, two boats from Canada, and the rest from various US cities. There are so many unique stories about why people choose to cruise for an extended period of time. I wish I was a better writer to be able to share these with you all. But it is not to be.

We are off to St. John tomorrow. I am looking forward to revisiting some of the anchorages from our last trip here. From there to St. Thomas to hopefully meet up with John and Jo, get supplies, a new bimini and then to the Spanish Virgins by the middle of December.

Hope this finds you all well and I am truly thankfully for all the love and encouragement you have shared with us.

-- Eliza

Thanksgiving poems

Here are some acrostic poems that we created for Thanksgiving.



Tropical Waters
Hot and Humid
Awesome Exploring
Noisy Chickens and Goats
Kilgour's Hockey sick flagpole
Swimming Squid
Gorgeous Coral Reefs
Ice Cold Daiquiris
VanAlstines Catching Conchs
Inviting beaches
Numerous Islands
Giant Hermit Crabs
- Jeremiah

Tropical Trees
Hot Weather
Awesome Fish
Nice Water
Kind People
Snorkeling
Glowing Plankton
Interesting Fish
Vigorous Crabs
Interesting Coral
Newts
Good to be here
-Xavier

Turquoise Water

Happy Humans

Abandoned Sweaters

New Flip Flops
Kind Winds
Sandy Beaches
Green Hillsides
Important Sunscreen
Virgin Islands
Interesting Lobsters
Nervous Minnows
Grand Weather
-Josie

Terrific fish
Heavenly views
Aqua water
Never the shivers
Keys (Cays) all to ourselves
Soft sand
Gorgeous pictures
Interesting coral
Vivid colors
Incredible sights
New day, more to see
Great snorkeling

-- Catherine

Togetherness
Helpful folks
Aunts and uncles
Nieces and nephews
Kindness and knowledge
Sense of peace
Grammy and Gip
Imagination
Voyaging afar
Individual uniqueness
New friends
Grappy and Hunna

-- Eliza and Peter

Hermit Crabs (& Dinghy Poll Math Homework)

We are in Virgin Gorda North Sound near Prickly Pear Island. On Prickly Pear Island there are hermit crabs the size of an adult's fist. Their bodies are red and dark maroon. Their shells are swirly black and white. We collected about one dozen. We made a huge castle for them. We watched them play in the castle for two hours. They ate Ritz crackers that we fed them. We named all of them. Climber Crab, Coconut Fred, King, Nestmaker, Big Man, Active Johnny and Greedy are some of the names we made up. It was sad to leave them.

-- Xavier

Jeremiah and I with two of the hermit crabs.

We called this one Pincer.

Our crab castle and the beach on Prickly Pear.

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Thank you to everyone who participated in the dinghy naming poll. Given the graphics the polling widget produced, it should be clear that the winning name was Casey's suggestion - Keiki. (Our whole crew thought that was a very creative submission.)  To help understand those graphics the widget puts together, Xavier has taken the time to create his own tally sheet and from that create his own bar graph.  Had he been at Brackett this year, he would have come up with a question and polled his classmates to create his data.  With your help he was able to do a similar assignment.  Thank you for your interest and support.

-- Peter

Xavier with his tally sheet.

Xaver with his bar graph.

Caribbean 1500

Ten days at sea is a long time, especially on a rocking forty-five foot sail boat. The trip was not always easy, with strong winds and large waves, but there were fun times when we saw some very cool things that can only be glimpsed out in the ocean. The good times always canceled out the challenges making the trip enjoyable and memorable.

I finally understand why ocean sailing is called “blue water” sailing. Out in the ocean, past the Gulf Stream, the water is an absolutely gorgeous color of blue. It is the color of the Crayola’s cornflower crayon, and the blue of the American flag. Sometimes if the light hits a breaking wave just the right way a turquoise color can be seen, which is just as pretty, but in a different way. The water out in the middle of the ocean is more beautiful than along the coast.

As we sailed through these wonderful seas quite a few sights jumped out at me. One morning out of these blue waves came about twenty dolphins swimming toward Ohana. They leaped and twirled and appeared to be having a magnificent time. Later on, once the sun had set, the stars put on a show equally amazing to the one of the dolphins. Out in the ocean without the light pollution of cities, so many stars sparkled like diamonds that the more well known constellations were hard to find. One evening while on deck, I saw a shooting star, which was awesome. Even on cloudy nights there were light shows to observe. In the wake of the boat phosphorescence dotted our path through the sea. These breathtaking displays added variety to each day of the journey.

For most of the voyage the waves rocked Ohana like she was a small milk carton bobbing up and down the waves. We rolled over the enormous twenty foot waves, and smashed into the smaller crashing waves. When we got pounded by the smaller crashing waves they would come over the side and soak everyone. The entire cockpit became covered in a layer of salt, so anything we touched would leave some white dust on our fingers. We were all very relieved when the seas calmed down, the sun came out, and everything dried off.

Once we arrived in Tortola we quickly learned that our little problems were nothing compared to the troubles other boats in the rally had. One example is that our autopilot had a little trouble keeping a course toward the end, but started working again, while another boat blew their autopilot completely the second day out and had to hand steer the entire way. We also had a block break free and break a window, but that is not as bad as a boat who had an uncontrolled jibe and lost all their sailing instruments. Another problem we came across was that we had to change our fuel filter while sailing, but at least our engine worked unlike a few other boats. Last and probably least, we had a stay sail line chafe through, but that is not even close to as bad as having a broken in boom furler, which means you cannot raise your main sail. After hearing these stories we realized how smoothly our trip went.

After ten days at sea, land was a great thing to set eyes on. The trip was not nearly as easy as flying to the Caribbean in an airplane, but I learned plenty from it. The memories that have come with this experience will last a lifetime and the confidence that I have gained will help me in the months of sailing still to come.

-- Josie

The crew in Hampton, VA

(Dad, me, Diane, Dave, and Jim)

At the helm.

 

One that didn't get away

Tending to a loose staysail.

One of the smaller waves breaking on the bow.

 One of the dolphins at Soper's Hole (the finish).

 

The crew in Tortola, BVI!

Caribbean Arrival!

Just a quick note say that we have arrived safely after an amazing passage.
We picked up a mooring at Soper's Hole last night around 2:00 a.m., cleared customs this morning and made our way to Nanny Cay by 10:00. Josie is working on a piece about the passage which we will post in a couple days.

- Peter

Caribbean 1500

After making our way down the Chesapeake Bay, we have spent the past six days in Hampton, VA participating in the activities and events that make up the departure components of the “Caribbean 1500” – a sailing rally that goes from Hampton to Tortola. In order to make the nine to eleven day sail we have had to add crew members and Eliza, Catherine, Jeremiah, and Xavier stepped off the boat for a little while. Dave, Jim and Diane (each an experienced sailor) have joined Josie and I to help move the boat to the Caribbean. Eliza and the younger kids will then fly down and meet us in the Virgin Islands.

At this point, we have bought all our provisions, fill all the tanks, stowed most of the loose items, and are ready to depart Monday morning. Our goal is to get out across the Gulf Stream before Tuesday evening, when the wind is predicted to build and shift towards the northeast (contrary to the current... not a good thing). From there we expect to sail close to the rhumb line for most of the journey. We should have a full moon and fair weather and are hoping for an exciting time.

We will keep in touch with the rally organizers via short wave radio, but will not be able to update this blog until after our arrival in Tortola. Each boat in the rally, however, has been given a satellite transponder which transmits our location a couple times a day. For those of you who are interested in following our passage, you can track our progress by going to www.carib1500.com and looking for the “Boat Positions” link. Then choose the “Cruising Class” group of which we are a part. You should then be presented with a map of the western Atlantic and the tracks of the different boats in the cruising class. I think we are one of the red tracks.

Looking forward to warmer weather!

-- Peter

Flying the Spinnaker

Everyone knows the story of Goldilocks, right? First the porridge was too cold, second the porridge was too hot, the third time it was just right! Well, we’ve tried sailing with the spinnaker three times. First there was not enough wind, then there was too much wind, then the wind was just right.

Our spinnaker is symmetrical and we use our whisker pole with it. A whisker pole is a pole that is attached on one end to the mast and the other is attached to the line that controls one corner (or clew) of the spinnaker. Once Dad and I set up the whisker pole, we hoist the spinnaker in its sleave to the top of the mast. Then we hoist the sleeve up off the spinnaker. The spinnaker fills out in the wind (if there is any) and off we go. All of us as happy as Goldilocks … well at least before the bears came back.

– Catherine

A more pleasant downwind run than our transit of Delaware Bay.

Fall on the Chesapeake

The Chesapeake has given us lots of different weather. For example, at Solomons Island it was cold, wet, rainy and disgusting. It had been like this for 5 days and all we did was try to stay dry. Everything seemed to be wet because of the drips that came through the hatches and from condensation. Instead of being stuck out in the water on our anchor, we docked at a marina. We were able to visit with the Kilgours (s/v Bojangles), explore at the Calvert Marine Museum, and run a little heater that we bought.

A day later (in Mill Creek) the sun came out and there was not a cloud in the sky. So we put everything up to dry out. Instead of being crowded inside, we went kayaking and searched for Bojangles. When Dad and Xavier came back with no luck, Xavier and I went out in the dinghy and found them. We then moved our boat and rafted-up with Bojangles. We shared a little cove with calm waters and lots of trees. There were fish jumping and even bald eagles. This was fantastic.

-- Jeremiah

Fall on Mill Creek

Sunrise on Mill Creek

Dinghy Name Poll

 Okay folks!

The suggestions to the right have been submitted for your consideration. ------->
(Thank you Matthew for encouraging participation!)

The poll will be open until October 25th.
Please be sure to participate.

Thanks,
Peter

Visiting with Family

One of the great parts about this trip is the chance to catch up with friends and family. In New York we were able to stay with Bill, Sharon, Will, Stella, Cecelia, and Georgia. It was nice to be able to see their soccer and football games, engage them in heated Wii competitions, and learn about their different after school activities. Their insights into fun city activities and their hospitality made our stay an amazing one.

Pittsburgh didn’t quite make our itinerary, but the Smith family came to us and visited us on the Chesapeake. Catherine put together the following report.

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We were at a dock at Kent Island, MD, just north of the Kent Narrows Bridge, and the Smiths, our twin cousins Luke and Elise and our aunt and uncle Katie and Stewart, were coming to visit us. The whole family had spent the morning not only doing school work but cleaning and organizing the boat. We all wanted Ohana to look her best when the Smiths arrived. Katie and the twins were seeing Ohana for the first time, and we wanted her to look good.

The Smiths arrived around noon. After everyone said hello and ate lunch we boarded Ohana and set off. Once we were far enough out into the Prospect Bay we raised the main sail and the staysail. We sailed for quite a while before we turned around, dropped the main sail and sailed with just the staysail to where we were going to anchor. Once we were hooked Dad took two dinghy trip to get everyone to land. The Smiths then checked into their hotel and got their room.

The Smiths came down and all the kids went swimming in the pool. Elsie and Luke wore their life jackets so they could swim in the deep end. The parents then went out to dinner while we kids watched a movie and ate pizza.

The first night, Jeremiah and I slept at the hotel while the twins slept on the boat. Katie and Stuart also slept at the hotel and Mom and Dad were on the boat.

Everyone gathered on land the next day. We first visited a conservation area where we hiked and saw owls that the park was helping heal. Then we stopped at a playground where we hung out for a while. That night we all ate dinner on the boat, shrimp scampi for some and chicken for others. Elsie, Josie and Xavier joined Katie and Stuart on land for the night.

Everyone was on the boat for the last day, Mom took some people out for a row and Katie and Stuart went of a kayak ride together. I just chilled and read my book.
Eventually it was time for the Smiths to return home. We said our good-byes and we were all sad to see them leave, but we had loads of fun when we were with them.

-- Catherine

Dinghy Naming Contest

Matthew has raised the issue that we need a name for our dinghy.

He has suggested:
"Son of Fast Zoomer"
"02"
"Ohana Jr." (aka "OJ")

We would love to hear other suggestions from all of you. We will collect them and then put together an online poll to see which wins the "Readers Choice" award. (Xavier will be able to use the polling responses for some of his graphing/data analysis assignments.)


Please submit your ideas by Saturday, Oct. 17th.


Put those thinking caps on!

--Peter

Kent Island, MD - Dinghy ride

Liam had requested a video of the dinghy. During the Smith's visit with us this weekend, Josie gave Luke a ride around the creek we were anchored in. Here is the clip.

NYC to Chesapeake

For those tracking our progress, here is your next installment of connect-the-dots:

Departed NYC in the afternoon and motored past the Statue of Liberty and under the Verrazano Bridge. Pointed out where Grammy and Gip grew up. Pulled into Gravesend Bay for the night.

After a rocky night we rose early and sailed down to Sandy Hook/Atlantic Highlands. The wind had been out of the south for a few days, so there was a slew of boat anchored inside the breakwater waiting for better winds. Among them “Bojangles IV” one of the boats that is doing the Carib 1500 and which has kids aboard. The supersoaker the Piersons gave us proved quite helpful in the kayak/dinghy water fight that ensued. (Eliza’s addition: When Peter went to meet the folks on the other boat, a fierce gusty front quickly hit us. Our anchor slipped and with Josie on the anchor, Catherine on the phone with Peter and Eliza at the helm, we were able to raise the anchor and keep the boat into the wind and miss hitting other boats in the process. Easier than our adventure of the same sort in Portland.)

Departed Sandy Hook after “boat school” for the run down the New Jersey coast. (With winds out of the west blowing 15 to 20 knots, it proved to be a much faster ride than when we brought the boat north to Boston.) We ended up pulling into Cape May around 11 the next day. Bojangles IV arrived a few hours after us. They got a slip at the dock and invited us over for drinks and then the group, four adults and seven children, went out for a relaxing dinner. Two tables: kids and adults!

After the overnight run, a day ashore was in order. So we headed to the Cape May public library which included a nice walk through the town with all of its historic Victorian homes. The Bojangles IV crew joined us for this adventure which ended with an afternoon trip to the beach. Warm water, blue skies, slight breeze and lots and lots of shells to collect. (Hunna and her mother and aunts used to vacation here in the forties. Cousin Mimi shared that the older generation called themselves themselves “Fanny Dippers”.)

With the winds shifting to the southeast, we stirred the crew early the next morning and began what turned out to be a grueling trip up Delaware Bay. Shallow water, scattered shoals, huge commercial ships, following swells that kept throwing the stern around and pushing us close to gybing … ugh! We finally made it to the eastern entrance of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal and threw the anchor down behind the northern breakwater. Both parents had very stiff upper backs which some of our lovely children offered to massage before bed. What gems!

The next day dawned calm and bright with the tides in our favor for a run through the canal. By noon we were officially in the Chesapeake. Ready for real showers and the luxury of hopping off the boat (rather than dinghying ashore) we headed for the Sassafras Marina in Georgetown, MD.

Tony and Carol, who keep their boat in the slip next to where we were docked, generously loaned us their car so that we could drive into Galena for mass and provisioning. The people at the marina were mostly motor boaters and all very willing to chat and offer advice about where to go in the bay. Peter and Eliza had a date night, dinner and the Steelers game, while Josie babysat the kids on Bohangles IV and Jeremiah went along for a sleepover. Catherine and Xavier entertained themselves with the computer for the evening. All having some space from each other.

We pushed off from the dock this afternoon to explore the eastern shore, making our way to Worton Creek. Next, we will probably head to Rock Hall, and eventually Kent Island. There we will meet up the with Katie, Stuart and kids. Looking forward to showing them our home for the year! We need to be in Hampton, VA by October 28th to begin the prep work for the Carib 1500, but before that we will make a stop at Shirley and Hunter’s (Tom’s aunt and uncle) and possibly, but not likely Cousin Mimi’s camp. I think that we may have to save that visit for the ride back up the bay in the spring.

We just finished a family game of Gin Rummy and everyone is snuggled into bed reading. The geese are very active with their calling and hooting. Such relaxing night time sounds!

– Peter (and a bit of Eliza)

New York City

Here are some poetic reflections on our time in NYC:

The statue of liberty had a crown,
and a beautiful gown.
Central Park had sun.
The water park was fun.
The T-rex was king of the room,
even though he’s met his doom.
Chewbacca was fearless,
The shark was cheerless.
The octopus was cute,
The figures are mute.
The empire was tall,
The peace cranes were small.
The crowded subway was bad,
Ground zero was sad.

--Xavier










New York, crowded with traffic, stuffed with people wandering about,
Cousins sometimes nice but sometimes you want to wish them away
Drodica and Sith with four arms that can tuck in then pop out,
Chewbacca, life size, made of Lego's, fights to keep clones at bay.

Water park, toddlers screaming and lots to do,
World Trade Center, where lots were lost and very sad.
Ferry to Ellis stuffed to the top and as loud as a zoo
Subways filled like a storm cloud and smelled very bad.

Statue of liberty, made of copper and gold,
Dinosaurs filled two rooms some short and some long.
The blue whale, made of blubber to keep out cold,
The Empire shop, full of cool things and some that had King Kong.

The Empire State Building was very very tall,
In New York we had a ball.

-- Jeremiah















She’s tall and she’s silent and perfectly still,
Lady Liberty is her name,
It’s full and and it’s crazy and home to crystal,
Times Square holds a ball of great fame.

From the top of the Empire State Building you see,
The city laid out before you,
In a horse-drawn carriage you will be,
Excited about what you could do.

Natural history catches anyone’s attention,
With all those dinosaur bones,
Also a humongous blue whale, did I mention?
And Easter Island heads of stone.

New York is busy and full and fun,
And New York interests everyone.

-- Catherine











The first thing we saw as we entered the city
On our way down the river on Ohana our boat
Was the Statue of Liberty looking so pretty
Slowly by the green lady we did float.

Ellis Island was a stopping place
For many who came to get to a country so free.
To the top of the Empire State we did race
For views as far as the eye can see.

To the Natural History Museum we did go
There we saw many cool things
We saw an Easter Island statue, a big whale, and a dino
We saw a big T-Rex and a small one with wings.

I cannot say what part of this stop was the best
The entire thing was a super fun fest.

– Josephine

Fairfield

In Fairfield we did many fun things such as shop, fish (in the lake), and make fresh pesto; but for me the highlight was visiting with family. The relatives we saw the most were Sally and Ernie, since we were staying at their lovely home. It was quite nice staying at their house, they made us dinner, they let us do laundry, and took very good care of us. Grandma Martha was another relation that we were lucky enough to see quite a bit. She came over for dinner twice so that we would have plenty of time for wonderful conversation. Casey also came to dinner at Sally and Ernie's one night and we all had fun visiting with her. The next morning Maryanne, Mimi, Steve, Maisie and Benjamin came over. We all enjoyed watching Ben ride a small tricycle while Ernie carried Maisie around upside down. It was my first time seeing Benjamin and he was super cute. It was really great to see people as well as be on land for a while.

-Josephine

Mystic Seaport

At Mystic Seaport you could:

-visit the ship smith shop,
-go aboard the Charles W. Morgan, the only surviving wooden whaling ship,
-watch a barrel being made
-visit the rope walk (the rope factory),
-board a fishing schooner,
-walk through one of the many informational museums,
-or peek in all the different mock seaport shops.

The whole family spent their time wandering around the site, learning about everything from the sailors' music to their jobs or even what they ate.

We all enjoyed the time we spent at Mystic Seaport, and we all left at least a bit smarter.

- Catherine

Boat Building

Jeremiah and I have been building boat for one week. We built six paper boats. We used these materials: scissors, tape, paper, and toothpicks. We folded the paper into a whole bunch of shapes. We put toothpicks on for masts, stays, and keels. We used scissors for cutting the sails into good shapes. We were able to make many different designs.



We changed the materials we used because the paper was getting soggy. For the hulls we used foam rubber instead of paper. We used four toothpicks to keep the hulls together. Then we put a piece of paper on it to prevent the toothpicks from snapping. We duct taped the paper to the toothpicks. That helped a lot. We made four masts to hold up the sails. Our masts were made of toothpicks and each mast has five toothpicks. I like this boat a lot.




We were delighted when we got to sail it. After we anchored near Mystic, CT, Jeremiah and I got in the dinghy and put our boat in the water. We putted along next to our boat while it sailed. Check out the video to see it cruise along.

– Xavier

Boat School

As per Michael's request, here is a shot of life aboard during school hours.

Plymouth (Sept 8)

We went to Plymouth and while we were there we saw the Mayflower II and learned lots. The boat was 90 feet long and had four decks. There was one kitchen on the main deck. The passengers live on the second deck below the main deck. They had a dreadful life because the could not go on deck when the weather was bad. It was very crowded and there was not a lot of air moving around. I am glad I was not on the Mayflower.

-- Xavier

One of the "nice" sleeping area a family of Pilgrims might have shared while on the Mayflower.

Listening to one of the role players.

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The day after visiting the Mayflower, we caught a bus to Plimoth Plantation. There we saw a Wompanoag home site and a 1620s English colonial village. It was fun and interesting.

Wompanoag people and the English Colonists have some similarities and some differences. Wompanoag people used spears and bow and arrows to hunt and protect themselves, but the colonists used muskets to hunt and cannons to protect themselves. Wompanoag people didn’t waste much, for instance they boiled the brains of a deer in water for 30 minutes, then they smoothed the brains onto the deer hide to soften and stretch them out to make them more comfortable. The colonists only took the meat and threw the rest away. Wompanoag people let their children play until they wanted to work. Colonists made their children work, work, work starting at the age of four. They both were scared of each other because they had different beliefs and languages. They also both used straw on their houses. Last, but not least they both depend on corn for food. As you see they have similarities and differences. I think I would have rather lived like the Wompanoags.

-- Jeremiah

At the Wompanoag home site.

Plimoth Plantation

One of the cannons.

Sept. 5 - Sept 10

Hello to everyone playing along at home. Here is a quick update for those of you tracking our progress. Hope you have your push pins ready.

Saturday 9/5: Departed York, ME with light winds – sailed and motored to Newburyport, MA.

Sunday 9/6: Departed Newburyport early in the morning in order to ride the tide out while there was still enough water over the bar at the mouth. Wind out of the northeast had picked up overnight stirring up the seas and making it a rough ride reaching around Cape Anne. Once we rounded the point, however, we could run down wind and the lee of the cape calmed the swells somewhat. The wind died on us as evening approached and we anchored outside Cohasset Harbor for the night.

Monday 9/7: With only light winds from the south, we motored down to Plymouth, arriving early enough to pop ashore and visit the replica of the Mayflower and walk around a bit.

Tuesday 9/8: Spent the day ashore visiting Plimouth Plantation. Officially started “boat school” with everyone taking time to write about their experiences.

Wednesday 9/9: With 15 to 20 knot winds out of the northeast we departed Plymouth around eleven and scudded down to the Cape Cod Canal, averaging 6 knots with the staysail and the main reefed down one. Even more amazing were the 9 to 10 knots speed-over-ground readings we achieved in the canal! (What a help five knots of current can be when it is heading in the right direction.) We shot out of the west end of the canal and ducked into Onset Harbor for the night.

Thursday 9/10: The wind continued to blow from the northeast so we decided to use it to keep moving the boat. We skipped across Buzzards Bay and made the 25 mile run to Westport Harbor in just a little over four hours. With rain in the forecast we will probably stay put tomorrow and then look to head across Rhode Island Sound and into Long Island Sound over the weekend.

--Peter

York September 1-5

We arrived in York on the 1st much to the excitement of all of us. Some of us were excited to take a shower, some wanted a full sized bed that does not move when a lobster boat drives by at 5:30 am. Some of us were looking forward to flush toilets while others longed to go to the wonderful candy shoppe named wisely after me (“Sweet Josies”). Still others were more than ready to win some tickets
playing skeeball at the nearby arcade.

We got all of this (plus some) during our visit with Julie and Ellen. We all took many showers, one every day!!!!! We also got big beads, which we shared, but they did not move so we were satisfied. As for flush toilets not only did they flush, but we also could put our toilet paper into them (which is something that we cannot do on the boat).

A great surprise that arrived was visitors, that is right folks we got fans coming from near and far to see the great and wonderful Jacob-Dolans. The first group was the Donovan crew (of which Elsa a good friend of mine is included), but that is not all ... the very next morning the Galantowitz (good friends of Catherine) arrived.

Sweet Josie’s Candy Shoppe is quite the shoppe and I got to go there twice. For the longest time I have thought that this was the best candy shoppe in the world (mainly because it is named after me), but now, thanks to Ellen, I have found an even better shoppe. This candy palace -- the candy shoppe of all candy shoppes -- is called Yummies. Candy fills this place from floor to ceiling. Absolutely all kinds: licorice, gummy bears, jawbreakers, chocolate toilet seats, you name it they’ve got it. Plus their prices are much better than at Sweet Josie’s. Now when we visit York this will be our favorite candy stop.

Right before the Sweet Josie’s, Yummies excursion, Ellen treated us with a visit to the arcade. We all played skeeball, Take-five poker bowling, coin shot challenge, video motorcycle racer, and more. Added all together we four kids and Ellen won 843 tickets, yeah, we rule the arcade. With all of those tickets we bought one inflatable puffy thing, a bouncy ball, and some tootsie rolls. Some winnings!

Sadly the next day we left to make our way out of lobster pot land and towards the warmth of the south.

-Josephine

Portland

After a long exhausting overnight from the White Islands to Portland ME we pulled alongside a dock at Portland Yacht Services. We split into two groups Mom and Catherine and Peter, Josie, Jeremiah, and Xavier. Mom and I found a cute cafe to get a snack and write letters in. After we finished, we browsed touristy shops and I bought postcards. Later we ran into everyone else and together we went to Flatbread Pizza for dinner.
The chance to run around and kick a ball in a park tempted all the kids the next day. So we kids with Mom in tow set out for the public park. There we swung on the swings and kicked the soccer ball around and explored the paths around and through the park. That night we feasted on fresh scallops from the wharf with spaghetti and tomato sauce.
When the next day dawned Xavier and I set out on our own to spend the time how we wanted before we met everyone else in the diving shop. We looked in the nick-nack stores but found nothing that caught our eyes. We then revisited Beals Ice Cream Shop which we had found the previous day. With delicious cones of ice cream we set out for the dive shop. There we browsed the flippers, snorkels, and face masks, waiting for the others to arrive from the marine store where Mom had been buying foul weather gear. Everyone found their snorkle gear easily and everyone left happy.
Later that day Tropical Storm Dan was due so Dad and Jeremiah moved the boat out onto the anchor. The whole family visited with Norman, Dad and Mom’s old friend from college. Everybody excluding Dad and Jeremiah slept on land while our men tended the boat. With Dan still raging people just hung out a bit until Jeremiah and Dad showed up to bring the majority of the family back to the boat. Jeremiah and I accompanied Dad in the task returning the car to Norman. Back at the dock we boarded the dinghy for the rough ride back to the boat. Once on the boat Dad and Mom move us to a safer and calmer location where we spent the night the next day we revisited the dock where we got off and attended church and Dad, Xavier, Jeremiah, and I went provisioning. With full bags and a fulfilled shopping list we returned to the dock. We set off to Seal Cove a sheltered spot nearby on the south side of Cape Elizabeth. The memory of Portland is printed forever in our minds as a an adventure into a new side of Maine sailing.
-Catherine

Aug 16 - Aug 23

We have had an amazing set of days since leaving Swans Island. On Sunday (after a morning trip to the quarry) we jumped over to Frenchboro (on Long Island) and spent two nights there. Wednesday we ran up to Southwest Harbor to provision and then moved up to Valley Cove (in Somes Sound). After two great days there we began our return back down the coast looking for a good harbor to sit out the effects of Hurricane Bill which passed offshore Saturday night. We found a great spot in Laundry Cove, on the island of Isle au Haut. Across these days we’ve enjoyed all the fruits of cruising in Maine – easy sailing, challenging fog, great hiking, and bracing swims.


Hiking has figured prominently in our shore activities and Frenchboro provided us with great trail choices. Sunday afternoon we headed out on a trail that left from the harbor and ran around the northern headlands. The trail wound through a lush spruce forest, carpetted with bright green moss and punctuated with great views of the rocky coast. At the end of the trail we arrived at a beach made entirely of smoothly rounded stones. The girls were intrepid enough to take a few short swims while the boys made stone forts that were slowly engulfed by the rising tide. On Monday we traversed the island and followed a trail to Rich’s Head. The isthmus connecting the main part of the island and this extension was again made of rounded stone, but was also strewn with a panoply of items washed up by storms – lobster traps, floats of various colors, plastic bottles and containers, and driftwood of all shapes and sizes. While these trinkets were fun to explore, the real treasure was discovered on our trek back along the southern coast. On our return we found over a dozen full sea urchin shells … and we never had to leave the trail. They were all located in the grass and underbrush near the trees lining the coast. Evidently, birds must take their finds into the trees to eat and then drop the remaining shell. We will now think twice about scanning the tideline for these delicate treasures, and rather look to the woods. Such are the unique and interesting discoveries that lend wonder to every hike.

Along the Deep Cove Trail

After stopping in Southwest Harbor to fill our pantry and “fridge” (and indulge in warm water showers ashore), we headed into Somes Sound – the closest thing to a fjord that you can find in New England. Here too we found an amazing anchorage with great hikes right at hand. Just up from the mouth of the sound can be found Valley Cove. Valley Peak and St. Sauvier Mountain rise up steeply out of the water and tower over the cove. The protected nature of this cove made it perfect for kayak excursions and the warm sunny weather enticed us all to take quick dips – Josie, Jeremiah, and Catherine even swam to shore. On Thursday all of us headed ashore and hiked along the Valley Cove Trail and then up and back along the Valley Peak Trail. This gave us a great view of Ohana in the cove and the Cranberry Islands in the distance.

Valley Cove Trail w/Ohana in the distance

From St. Sauvier Mt.
(Ohana is the boat to the right of the others)

Friday morning, Catherine and I took the dinghy back to Southwest Harbor to pick up some more provisions. We had hoped to pull into a little cove close to the food mart, but the fog was so thick we couldn’t find the entrance and ended back at the town dock in the harbor. Thankfully there is a free bus that runs around Acadia and so when our bags were full we were able to catch a ride back to the dock. The same fog made it quite a challenge to navigate out though the Cranberry Islands and then over the Bass Harbor bar. Nevertheless, once we were in Bull Hills Bay we were able to raise the main and run out the genoa. As odd as it might sound, sailing in fog is much easier than running with the motor. It is easier to hear the motors of other boats, and although it is still important to dodge lobster buoys, the fear of having one get wrapped in the prop lessens. Thanks to the wonder of GPS and radar we navigate all the way to Isle au Haut, where the fog lifted just as we began our approach. Threading almost blindly between the shoals, ledges, large rocks and small islands that make up so much of this area took a great deal of concentration. It is hard to imagine the skill it took decades and centuries past to work these waters safely.

With gale warnings in effect for Saturday night and Sunday and predictions of the seas to build to 20 plus feet, it felt great to get ourselves tucked into Laundry Cove on Isle au Haut. It had a nice mud bottom for great holding, and with only a few local boats moored in one corner, we could run out a lot of scope and still have room to swing safely. Additionally, Flake and Kimball Islands frame the northwest and west/southwest sides of the cove, cutting off any swells running in from the ocean. Although the gale warning came about because of Hurricane Bill passing offshore on Sunday, we had stronger winds on Friday night. (In fact we heard that a few tornadoes touched down in southern Maine that evening.) Saturday provided dry enough weather to explore the part of Acadia National Park that makes up more than half of this island. Saturday night proved quite uneventful with some wind and heavy downpours passing through every so often. By ten the next morning the skies had cleared and we were able to pump out the dinghy and go ashore. The locals were all commenting on the size of the breakers rolling in from the ocean, so we hiked out to an old lighthouse that is now privately owned. The owners, who had run a B&B for years on the property (and now have it up for sale … any takers?), said they had never seen such large waves. Sitting high on the rocks, watching the crashing white water, and feeling the spray left us all in awe of the power and the beauty of the sea. A feeling I am sure we will run deep in us by the end of our adventure.


- Peter

Watching the surf

Yikes! That's a big one!


Isle au Haut Light