Author Archives: contessanada
Sunday, May 11, 2014 – Mother’s day
Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers here and now and all those long gone!
We know that you have never left our sides just your sphere of existence has changed but you still are doing the same as always or even more than ever, intercede for your children.
Thank you for your precious and unique kindness and persistence that never ceases to exist!
A mother’s creation is never less then precious. Her work never seems to be done and it’s done with ease and a smile. The common denominator is love, unconditional love! Thank God for this gift and for this experience!
At 8 am we have left our first resting port of Deltaville, VA. The morning that emerged is the one of a sunny blue skies and smooth waters of the Chesapeake upon which we are seemingly effortlessly gliding along on our way south.
As we leave the Chesapeake behind and enter the vicinity of Norfolk, VA, the home for some proud Navy fleets and sailors that proudly serve their country year in and year out. This time it seems that one of those fleets has just returned from a “cruise” or officially known as deployment that lasts months serving its country in far and distant oceans and seas. These young man and women have exposed themselves to numerous dangers being the watch dog of the world. I wonder when is that going to end and when finally peace in the world will settle in. I have hope for humanity and pray for its evolution and transition into a peace making and loving existence. May it come soon so that many lives are spared of suffering!
After passing a number of low bridges and one lock we end up in the vast Nothlanding River and are able to move along more swiftly. The only occasional traffic we encounter are the boats that are being moved north for their owners to enjoy cruising in the northern part of the East coast. Several hours later we arrive at our next resting spot for the night, Coinjock, NC. There is a restaurant in the marina but it being Mother’s Day makes it a bit harder to get a reservation. Nevertheless, we are in and after a rinsing down of the boat and a refreshing shower we sit down for our main day’s meal. Unfortunately it’s nothing spectacular but it beats cooking and yes, today being Mother’s Day made it a very busy day for the only restaurant in the neighborhood. They served over 300-400 meals today and that number still is to climb for the day is not over yet.
Thank you for this very beautiful and sunny day and thank you for calm waters and a smooth ride! May our days to come be like it or even better!
Haven Harbour Marina, Rock Hall, MD
It is February 2014 and I am finally revisiting the “contessagoesnorth” blog.
Many things have happened since my last posting and the winter rolled in faster then expected on beautiful Chesapeake Bay.
Beginning of October Joe and I flew to Croatia to partake in the wedding of my young cousin, Dario, and his lovely bride, Ruzica (Rose). It was so much fun to see all my family and be part of this very joyous and festive occasion. It encompassed old traditions enhanced by new ones. Folklore and new era music merged quite well together! The young couple’s union was well complemented by plenty of song, dance, food and drink. May Ruzica and Dario live long in their loving, caring and happy relationship and receive the blessings that they so hope for!
Following this very happy event we were joined by Joe’s daughter, Jennifer, and her husband, Rocco, to give them a flavor of my Croatian family, my beautiful country and the magnificent Dalmatian Coast. This was the first of Joe’s family visiting mine and my country, and it was a momentous experience for all involved.
Both left enriched by the warm embrace of our Croatian hospitality and by just having a glimpse of the beauty Croatia has to offer, both inland and on the Adriatic coast. It was a very brief but sweet experience enticing them to return for more!
Following that experience we all drove to Split, a major city on the central Dalmatian Coast to embark on an overnight ferry to Ancona, Italy. The ferry was large but dated resulting in not the so common and expected luxury and comfort that we as Americans are accustomed to.
To our disappointment we could not enjoy the vistas of the numerous islands gracing the Dalmatian coast and the majestic Adriatic Sea as it was a moonless, dark night. Just at sunrise of the next morning we arrived in Ancona where we were picked up by a singing, happy driver named Roberto who took us through the mountainous region from the coast into the lush green hills of Umbria. Since it was October and the rains were more prevalent we encountered fog and rain intermittently crossing through tunnels and high altitude highways. After a two hour ride we finally arrived at our destination at Le Vigne, a beautiful country villa set on top of a hill surrounded by a thousand olive trees and crowned by tranquil majestic Cyprus pine trees.
Le Vigne is a Shangri-La created by our dear friends Joan and Roger Arndt, a retired Senior Delta Pilot and an ex Coca Cola Executive from Atlanta. Their love for this property and their labor of love is very much represented and so palpable in every detail Le Vigne holds. The views from that property are spectacular and reach as far as Perugia on one side and Assisi on the other. Every hill holds another medieval town or historical site that we either have visited or simply enjoyed viewing from this location on.
Spending a week with Jennifer and Rocco as well as Joe and Chris Marino was a gift much cherished as well.
We also had the opportunity to visit with cousin David and his family who also own a beautiful country home in the region of Greve en Chianti, a well known wine region of Italy.
Meeting the famous singing butcher Dario, was an exceptional encounter that we will remember for times to come! Thank you David and Elizabetta for your hospitality and your introduction to this unusual experience!
Finally after a few more weeks of dealing with doctors and health issues we returned to visit our Contessa finding her in good hands and well taken care of. This made it easier to come to the conclusion to leave our beautiful Contessa at Haven Harbor Marina for the winter and return to retrieve her once the snows have melted and the winds of the north subside.
C&D Canal – Rock Hall, MD
We have safely and soundly reached the Chesapeake and this time around it is a totally different scenario then when we were going north. The skies are hazy and the relatively calm water displays the same gray look, yet on the radio we hear warnings of severe thunderstorms, lightening and gusty winds reaching over 35 KN accompanied by gulf ball sized hail. The further we go the darker the sky is turning with a clear but eerie opening filled with iridescent light towards the east. That is the direction we are heading. Are we going to make it to our destination before this storm hits or even better, are we going o miss it for it does seem to be moving NE and our direction is SE? May the good Spirits be on our side and watch over us!
Sure enough we did skim the frontal edge of this large storm heading north NE. There is lightning and thunder at display in the not so far distance and the wind has definitely picked up. As we entered the Chesapeake there was barely 5 KN of wind present and the temperature was reading 82 F but now it is all changing very rapidly. The wind is gusting up to 24 KN and the waves are making up some 3-4 ft pushing us of course which constantly needs to be corrected to keep us in line to our destination. Finally we have reached our inlet of Swan Creek after a long detour going further south in order to avoid the shawl that is preventing us to change our direction of travel and head inland. The wind is lying of a bit and we are slowly moving up the creek towards our marina, Heaven Harbour Marina where the Contessa is going to rest for the next several weeks while we go visit some family in Croatia and in Italy too. This will be much fun and I am so looking forward to that new adventure abroad. Joe has mixed feelings for Contessa has become his home and he does not like to leave her behind even for such a joyous occasion as going to Italy and Croatia visiting family and friends and being accompanied by family and friends all along.
My blog shall rest during this time and I will resume as the journey continues going back home, going south to where our journey originated from. There might even be a surprise side trip report, but for now I shall conclude with a farewell till we meet again!
Being here at this safe haven for our Contessa and us is opening up great new possibilities and acquaintances. Wonderful and caring people are surrounding us again and it feels good to be here. Contessa will be well cared for here during our absence. As we stay with her for a while awaiting friends and some family to come and join us we explore the neighborhood, enjoy the marina pool and take advantage of their bike rentals. After the storms have passed a coolness set in but the wind did not subside much. The days are crisp and clear while the rocking continues. In a way I must say, I am glad we are here and not out there. May all of this settle down once we resume our journey going south!
As the days go by and we are not on the move constantly we are on a mission to detail the boat and check every nook and cranny, lift every cover or hatch and remove every item that is not necessarily needed or wanted anymore. It is a tedious job but keeps us very busy and in shape I must say. The more we do now the less work there will be to do once we get back home.
A boat is constant work and needs constant attention that is for sure! You either love it or commit to it or never get into it is my strongest suggestion!
Boating has so much to offer but it does come with a price tag and an abundance of hard work and dedication. Happy boating to all the boaters out there!
The days and weeks go by quickly here in this peaceful setting with all the activities around us and that is good so. A long overdue visit by our dear friends John and Tammy brought a refreshing respite into our daily routine. We went out to dinner and visited the nearby town of Chestertown which has so much history to offer from times of the patriots and tea parties, tax laws imposed by the British and so much more. The good old hotel Imperial right in the old center of town next to the Theater and some quaint art galleries offered us a five star lunch in the court yard that we had all to ourselves. Thanks John and Tammy for stopping by and bon voyage to you while driving south!
Tomorrow is the Crab Festival of the Haven Harbour Marina and we are invited. Music, plenty of blue crab and all the patrons as well as employees will be there.
We are expecting Jessica with Chace at hand to come for the day which should be fun as well. Few more days before we venture of to Europe and visit family and friends long not seen.
Atlantic City – Cape May, NJ
AC to Cape May, NJ to Rock Hall, MD
Our trip going along the Jersey Shore was smooth and pleasant with clear skies and calm seas accompanied by a slight breeze. As we passed along the very much populated beach areas our views were clearer than ever before. We did encounter numerous shawls coming off certain inlets and low lying lands. They did not coincide with the GPS and charts for our guiding system wanted us to go right across them which would not have been fun especially at low tide. Being such a lovely day we decided to make the full run to Atlantic City, which turned out to be about 78 NM.
As the day progressed the wind picked up and the sea turned choppy and a bit sloppy again but at that point we were not far from the AC Inlet and our point of destination for today. Golden Nugget Marina we stayed in before on our way going north, except this time we were able to get a face dock which always makes docking and departure so much easier and more pleasant. Thank God for little favors! It was a spectacular sunset and the wind really picked up and was reaching 17 or more KN. Who cares now for we are safe and sound and not out there where the waves would have been cocking and rolling the lovely Contessa.
We decide to stay an extra day and welcome Joe’s sister Grace and her husband Jim to the boat and have dinner in town. It was good to see them both for it has been almost a year since we last were together. Dinner at an Ital restaurant downtown was not great. It was as most places in AC are a factory of mass production of food without flavor and personality. Even the waitress had the same disposition without any ‘simpatico’, just a working machine doing her job. Ah well another lesson learned!
Spending the day in AC and going for a walk along the boardwalk was such a revelation of times gone by and a dying city, as well as industry, if one could even call it that. Walking through a casino hall gives me the creeps. The pressure in my head builds up to such an extent that I can’t wait to exit this environment. May the industrious minds get together and recreate all of this long lost glory into something for families and children of all ages to have fun, learn and create a better future for all mankind!
Tuesday morning arrive with a beautiful sunrise indicating a lovely day, if you intend to spend it on land, I must say, for it also came with lots of wind. Windy conditions and being on open waters of the Atlantic is not the best of combinations. Nevertheless, we are on our way to Cape May in the attempt to reach the resting point for the Contessa now going south. Slowly but surely we are moving along going south towards Rock Hall in the Chesapeake, the final resting point on this leg of our journey.
It was a snotty, bumpy and rough ride down to Cape May. What a difference to the previous ride coming down from Sandy Hook! None the less we arrived safely and soundly at our destination. The South Jersey Marina is well tucked in there in the middle of the channel through which we shall depart going further south. The marina offered several amenities including a restaurant with good breakfast and a shuttle service into town. We ended up using both since we decided to hang out in Cape May an extra day waiting for the anticipated wind to calm down and make it easier for us on our next crossing.
That it is September and the end of summer season is in full effect is very obvious for there is not much traffic in town whether by foot or by car. They have a long and sturdy boardwalk made out of concrete leading along side of a well kept beach. As we learn there are many restrictions and beach charges in effect during the summer months. Now the beach is almost empty and no check points or payment booths are open. The locals have finally gotten their city back. As we walk the streets of Cape May we pass by numerous ornate and some “frou-frou” (as Joe calls them) homes displaying their bright colors and manicured gardens well in the blazing sun today. At the entrance to the open Mall, a street only designated to pedestrians stands a beautiful stone church of Our Lady Star of the Sea. They are auctioning out a C300 black Mercedes and while Joe is buying a couple raffle tickets I am visiting this old church. I have a passion for churches and temples and love sit and pray in them. I used to do that with my grandmother Ljubica long time ago. Every place we went to we always found a church or sanctuary to visit and pray in. She instilled it in me like many other traditions and mystical things she often would share with me. When you visit a temple or church for the first time and kneel down to pray your wishes will be fulfilled and granted, she would tell me!
Today is September 11th and a special day for prayer in memory of so many innocent people that lost their lives and so many more that were in some form or shape affected by this tragedy. I pray that such things do not manifest anymore at any place in the world and in no one’s life just the same! I pray that there is Peace in every Heart and Soul amidst all people of this magnificent blue planet of ours! Amen
Thursday morning early we awaken in order to push of and be on our way towards the Chesapeake. It is a hazy sunrise and the forecast indicated some thunderstorms later in the day. At the lowest of low tides we gently move along the channel of Cape May, exiting at the Ferry docks to Port Lewis which we used on numerous occasions when driving through this area by car. The horizon is all gray and heavily laden with humidity and clouds. The wind indicator is showing 16-17 KN and the temperature is at 74 F and on the rise. Wow, it is going to be a muggy day which might be a welcoming factor for a downpour, just at the right time please! The further up the river we go the less the wind but the temperature is surely going upwards. The C&D Canal is smooth as a lake and there is barely anything in sight.
Joe’s Birthday in Monmouth County, NJ
Joe’s Birthday with kids
Last night Virginia Grace came for dinner and brought dad a Birthday cake. Thank you Virginia Grace! It was nice to have you just by yourself and spend a while enjoying a home cooked meal.
It has been prearranged that Saturday is the day when all the kids and grandkids would gather to celebrate Joe’s big Birthday. It is a very large family and it is growing rapidly bringing in new additions from all sides of new families. This time around it is primarily Virginia Grace’s family and a few of us. Jennifer and Rocco are generous in opening up their home and their beautiful backyard for this gathering. Thank you Jen and Rocco!
Previous day we had the privilege to spend all day long with Jennifer who also took me shopping. Thank you Jen! The rest of the day we simply lingered and were blessed by the visit of a few resident swans that discovered that there is some food for them waiting to be generously disbursed amongst all the winged ones that joined in. What a blessing and what a display of this majestic beauty so effortlessly floating along this bay in which our Contessa finds itself resting for a couple of days
I am so blessed and so happy to have this encounter that I can’t get enough of it all. It all started with me feeding the nurse sharks at Compass Cay in February, leading to the close encounters with the Beluga Wales and numerous sightings of sea otters, dolphins and other species of whales and now leading to the feeding of swans. Wow, is there anything more exciting and uplifting than this! Thank you God and Mother Nature for all your blessings!
Calibri (Body)
The adults that were not constantly monitoring this very busy activity were involved with some deep conversations trying to catch up on things and happenings of life.
It was fun and nice to visit with all and see these little ones that seem to be growing like mushrooms; Chace, Ava and Lilly. Evin has become the big brother now and seems to be handling those little screamers quite well.
Again thank you Jen and Rocco for inviting the gang over and enduring this very hectic and busy group of youngsters!
Thanks to all of you who came to see your father and grandfather, for he had a blast and just the right dose of it too!
Corinne, your watermelon cake was a success!
Virginia Grace thank you for the meat balls!
To the rest, thanks for keeping order and cleaning up, Jess, Liz, Jeff, Corinne, Lee, Thomas, Becky and Jay!
Marin it was nice to have you join in the family affair too!
May we have many more occasions to celebrate and be happy, healthy and abundant in all good things!
NY City to Monmouth Beach, NJ
Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013
It is my Love’s Birthday today and we are on the move again.
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday dear Joseph and many more to come! Many well wishes have come our way and many Happy Birthday greetings too. Thank you to all that have remembered and taken the time to call or write a note to my dear Don Giuseppe!
It is a blessed day in God’s creation and the skies are fair but the wind is kicking up to 18 KN yet steady at 14-15 KN out of the west making the sound very choppy and creating a not very pleasant crossing. The captain has ordered that we move and so we do. Once we get into the lieu of land as the Long Island Sound narrows down and eventually becomes the East River, the choppiness subsides and the congestion begins.
Islands filled with homes and buildings on top of each other, cities with high-rises and chimneys, bridges, barges and light houses we pass by. Long gone is the pristine solitude we enjoyed not too long ago. Ah, that civilization business filled with congestion, anxiety, conflict and people coming from all over the world seeking prosperity and a promise of greatness and opportunity.
What a conflict it is from what we just experienced and the simplicity and beauty of a life connected to nature in its purest form!
Nevertheless it is a beautiful day we are having while gliding along this city to which the whole world longs for. It certainly is a picture perfect day.
Before you know it, we have we reached Sandy Hook where we enter ‘skinny waters’ as Joe would call it. We pass by the Naval Station Earl with it’s long protruding pier far into the bay to which fleets come to refuel and replenish what they need to carry to far and distant seas as they are called on duty.
It is the time of the day where the tide is at it’s lowest, and we really have to creep along through the narrow and shallow channels of the Neversink River till we have reached our destination of the Channel Club Marina of Monmouth Beach, NJ.
Just as we have docked and finished the wash-down in preparation of a rest filled night the wind picks up and rocking and slushing of the waves against the hull begins and does not let go till early in the morning. May tomorrow be a glorious day filled with good things and happy visitors!
Port Jefferson, Long Island, NY
Newport, RI to Port Jefferson, NY
Tuesday morning arrived with a blanket of fog covering the entire harbor and the entire neighborhood. Slowly but surely the sun was peaking through in the effort to burning through the early morning fog. With success it cleared some of the for out of the harbor but as soon as we ventured out into more open waters leaving the lieu of land behind there it was right back surrounding us from all directions. Surprisingly I was at peace that all is going to be well and that there is nothing to fear but fear itself.
Yes it is very uncomfortable moving cautiously into the direction of our destination without any visibility whatsoever. Again and again we met a clearing which increased our visibility from feet to a couple of miles just to bring us right back into the uncertainty of no visibility at all. Just as we thought there is light at the end of that tunnel the wind picked up and went from some 9 KN to 22 KN in an instant and here we were surrounded by heavy clouds laden with thunder and lightning in not such a far distance. There goes our visibility again but this time because of heavy rain and low lingering clouds. Thank God it does not last long and the sky opens up in the distance with the light separating the gray sky from the gray sea.
It is a long run today and we are pushing forward and onward threading the needle between storm and rain clouds surrounding us on both sides of Long Island Sound. At least we can move at a better speed now than what we started off with slowly and cautiously creeping along with our eyes peeled to the radar screen and the most immediate surroundings of our Contessa.
Just as we thought it is clearing a bit and our visibility has improved stormy clouds gather all around us. The water is as gray as the sky and there seems to be no separation between the two. With God’s grace we seem to skim the one front on our port side and after a good shower and some lightening in the distance we make it through and follow the stream of light that seems to be pushing the heavy laden clouds to either side of us and away from us. Finally can we increase our speed and move more swiftly towards our destination being Port Jefferson. As the skies clear we reach the inlet to Port Jefferson just about mid afternoon. We made good time for initially our ETA was showing as 7pm.
The inlet is a narrow channel which also serves the Port Jefferson Ferry boats as we soon discover for there is a large ferry leaving her port and pushing her way through on her way to Connecticut. With sandbars on both sides and the ferry in the channel there is not much room for other boats but we make it and all is well.
Now comes fueling up and docking inside the well protected marina next to the ferry dock. Josh, the young dock master is of great assistance with it all as we are able to fuel up right at our dock and don’t have to dock the boat twice.
Port Jefferson is also the home domain of Cousin Buddy and his wife Sylvia who graciously come to meet us for dinner right here at the marina. It is nice to see how those two older men still like to tease each other and play with each other as they so often did growing up. Once a child always a child, one should never forget the innocence of those worry free days of our childhood.
Catching up on life’s events and family affairs is the topic of the evening crowned with the detailed description of our trip on the Contessa. Every one we see along the way is eager to listen to our experiences and the beautiful places we have visited. Thank you Buddy and Sylvia for your visit! Hope to see you at the family Reunion in October!
We decide to stay a full day here at the marina and enjoy the day! I have discovered a Spa and am taking full advantage of that discovery while Joe is doing his engine room check and fixing or cleaning what needs to be done for the boat to continue serving us well for the duration of our trip.
It is a sunny and warm Wednesday with no clouds in sight which at the end of the day creates a magnificent sunset bathing the entire bay with vibrant colors of orange and red. Red skies at night, sailors delight, they say and I pray for it to manifest tomorrow as we embark on our decent towards the Jersey Shore.
Tomorrow is Joe’s big Birthday and he is expecting to celebrate it with all his children around him. Happy Birthday, my Love, may your every day every step of the way be a blessed and happy one!
Newport Marina, Newport, RI
Sunday morning it is and the beginning of a new month is upon us, the month of September. It is the month of Joe’s big birthday and the month when summer slowly but surely winds down. These past couples of days with all of their grayness, rain and fog are clear indicators of fall, I would say. I know that fall can be beautifully colorful, crisp and pretty. So where are those days of beautiful weather now? As always, if we do not experience the opposite we usually do not appreciate the picture perfect Thank you for bringing that to my attention over and over again all through this magnificent journey upon the largest component of this planet being water, primarily ocean. Me being a Capricorn, a goat that loves climbing hills and walking the trails through forests and flower filled fields is a constant challenge, yet there also is a part of me that loves the sea, loves the dolphins , rivers and lakes. Interesting life I have chosen and much have I grown!
Docking at Newport Marina was a delight. It is a brand new renovated marina right down town of Newport. I had the privilege to spend the entire day with my friend Rev. Gail Hicks. She picked me up in am and took me to her home for a beautiful healing with all of her and my spirit guides and angels. Thank you Gail for doing that for me! Our lunch at LePage’s restaurant was scrumptious and we ran into Peter and Tena, who’s brother owns the restaurant. Coincidence, I don’t think so! Thank you Peter and Tena for lunch! Most gracious as always!
Our encounter at the Vietnamese Nail Shop was another blessing of its kind. First it was open on a holiday and second there was no one there the entire time. All three women were very kind and nurturing especially ‘Mom’. As she was doing pressure point massage along my legs and my feet I could feel the healing hands and humble but powerful energy emanating from her. Thank you ‘Mom” for taking such good care of me!
My next treat was the special visit to St. Anne’s church in Fall River. Actually it was the basement of the church bringing back memories of the basement of St. John the Baptist church in Fairview where I experienced the Revival of the Holy Spirit within my heart. Thank you Rev. Gail for sharing this special place with me. I was mesmerized by seeing a statue of Mother Theresa, Padre Pio, Our Lady of Fatima and all the children as well as St Francis and so many more. What an enlightening basement that is! A great day and a great ending to a special treat for me with a dinner on the Contessa in preparation to our departure from Newport the following morning.
Sandwich Marina, Cape Cod – Mass
Cape Cod, Mass
Saturday morning of the Labor Day weekend has arrived with raindrops announcing the new day. As the squalls come and go we find a window to bring in our power line as well as untie all our dock lines and depart from this very noisy marina that was hustling and bustling the night and day before. Also being tied up right next or even in the very busy channel where the boat traffic did not stop till way into the evening was not very much desirable at all.
Through the narrow channel and under the small draw bridge we go except today it is high tide and a bit less busy as well. As we turn the corner and cross the bay of Gloucester we are facing gray skies and not much of visibility at all. It looks as if we are entering a zone of fog giving us the uncertainty for the lack of vision and dependability upon the fancy guiding devices and GPS’ on board. Ah what a scenario for an anxiety but a friendly reminder by Martina’s text and well wishes as well as my morning inspirational readings of God Spoke to Me by Eileen Caddy and I Declare by Joel Osteen shifted that energy right into a peace filled demeanor of trust.
As we ride along this relatively calm ocean in limited visibility there appears this slight opening in the sky where the sunlight is attempting to shine through. It seems to be traveling along side with us and guiding our way. Thank you God for little favors and reminders of your constant presence and love!
As the day progressed so did the wind. It intensified and got as far as 21 knots SW and created quite a chop blowing the top of the waves right into our windshield. You know what that means; the entire boat will need a good wash down. Good, finally some exercise for the day! The closer to Cape Cod we got the more boats we encountered. Ah that blessed civilization thing again!
Just about one PM a tall structure emerged out of fog indicating the proximity of our destination for the day. The usual green and red markers marking the entrance to the channel of Cape Cod guided our way. The Sandwich Marina is situated right next to the Coast Guard Station of Cape Cod and the huge power plant with its huge tower that recently emerged for us from within a hazy shore line. Again a very busy marina filled with commercial fleet and numerous pleasure boats. No wonder we had such a hard time finding a spot for our Contessa for the night.
Here we are to meet our dear friends Peter and Tena who reside nearby and would not miss the opportunity to spend a few hours with us. No cooking for me tonight for Peter was kind enough to make dinner reservations! Thank you Peter!
It was great touching base and spending a couple hours with Tena and Peter. Dinner at Daniel Webster’s Inn was delightful. The Inn has been in operation since 1649 and still has its old charm with modernized facilities. Hope it will not be too long that we see you both again wherever that might be. Good luck and God’s blessing be with you and yours!
Gloucester, Mass
Gloucester, Mass.
Friday morning arrived with a bright orange glow at the horizon. It lasted just for a moment or two and then the sun hid behind the outstretched clouds over the horizon. It was the day of our departure from Portland and the sooner we leave the better chance we have to avoid the afternoon winds that usually come by. Today we have a 60 mile run to our destination of Gloucester, Mass and it should take us a good 6 hours to get there.
Some beautiful sights along the shores of Portland including several lighthouses and magnificent homes sitting upon these rocky shores are a delight to see. We also passed by a beautiful old schooner with all of its sails up gliding along the a bit choppy waters against a pretty horizon mixed with clouds and sunlight breaking through. Here and there we see a single sailboat or a lobster boat but mostly we are on our own. Big swells and somewhat choppy seas caused by a 10 KN SSW wind is our steady companion as we ride some 3 – 5 mile distance from shore. Our 60 NM run turned easily into a 80 NM run since our calculations initially did not include out and around reefs and then up the river, under a low draw bridge, through a very narrow but busy channel named Blynman Canal, up to a busy marina of Cape Ann’s Marina Resort. Here we were greeted and assisted by a lovely young woman named Ali and her boss Christian. Since we do have connection with the outer world, phone calls are made; arrangements for dockage throughout this holiday weekend are hard to come by and so one has to be persistent in making it all happen.
One thing I do have to mention that the mine fields of lobster pods are less and less to come by and if there are any they are a couple at a time. It has been a long day and most of it out on open water with big rolling swells and an increase in chop as the day progressed. Finally and after several peninsulas, and rocky shores we have turned the corner and almost reached our destination of Gloucester. It is a busy harbor and many boats are out and about and our small channel to the marina is nowhere in sight. Almost at the city beach is a rock pile which hides the entrance to this very, very narrow channel leading under a low bridge that needs to open up for us to pass. No to forget it is dead low tide as well making things look even more scary, small and shallow. Thank God we make it safely to the other side and find our way through the continuation of this narrow channel amongst numerous boats of all sizes and brands. Our dock is a face dock and easy to get to yet so much traffic is passing by us as if it was a highway on water.
The usual routine: secure the boat, wash and shimmy it down, fill the water tank and open all hatches to air out the boat. Ali, the young woman tending to our dockage helps us out and the boat is squared away before you know it. We also learn that Ali’s father recently lost his life while diving under a bridge over a river in New Hampshire which is considered the third fastest current in the world to retrieve his lobster pods that were cut by a large vessel passing by. He was a good diver but that day the river called his name and he never returned to his family. Ali was there in a boat looking for him, when his body surfaced a day later. God bless them all with the knowing that he has returned to a place we all call home.
We also learned from Ali that this area is the well known area where they film the”Wicked Tuna Catch” show at the Stellwagen Bank and they are actually filming today. We came to rest for the night and continue on our journey the following morning but we will remember Ali and her story for a long time to come.
contessagoesnorth 