Block Island to Sandy Hook Bay, NJ

Saturday 11/17/24 we crossed back over from Martha's Vineyard to Block Island trying to out run Ernesto which was coming up the coast from Bermuda.  We ran in 5 to 6 ft waves, 15 seconds apart.  The ride was surprisingly comfortable and we made it into the harbor just in time to get Roxie up to land for a bit and make dinner.   

Sunday morning the dolphins were busy catching their breakfast as we left the anchorage at Block Island.  We were up and out of there by 6am in order to make it through Plum Gut with a favorable current.  The ride was much like yesterday but a little gloomy.  

We anchored in Port Jefferson.  Ernesto was way off shore but it dropped over 5 inches of rain overnight and we woke to the dingy full of water! 

Monday morning 8/19 we left Port Jefferson and made our way to Northport NY.  This was the first time we had been in Northport and it was a really nice town.  They had a town dock that was free for the day, with water and electric until 5pm, then if you wanted to stay on the dock overnight there was a $2 a foot fee.  We needed some dock time, so we stayed for 2 nights.  

It was very interesting that the didn't having a floating pier, but they did have 10ft tides that changed about every 6 hours!  They had dockhands that stayed on the dock to tend ropes as the tides changed.  There were times that Bill had to use the dingy to take Roxie up to the park because the boat was too far below the pier!  

Wednesday 8/22 we left Northport and made our way to Oyster Bay.  We found that this area is one of the richest neighborhoods on Long Island.  The homes around the bay are very upscale and beautiful.  Word has it that Billy Joel has a home here on the water and it is currently for sale asking $49 Million! 

 

Well, we had planned on staying in Oyster Bay 2 nights, then to NY's Liberty Landing but the battery charger started acting up again!  We pulled up anchor Thursday morning 8/23 and started making our way to New York.  

Back under the 7 bridges over the East River and into the Hudson before dropping anchor at Atlantic Highlands in Sandy Hook Bay.      

Boston to Block Island

We departed Boston Sunday 8/11/24 headed to Provincetown, aka P Town.  We anchored there for 2 nights.  

The harbor had these cute little floating shanties and the locals would dock their boat right up to them and spend the day! 

P Town is pretty much a party town and was very busy!  

Once I got off work on Monday we headed to the beach.  We tried to claim a spot on the outside, but just as we were starting to unload the dingy a ferry sent us a 3ft wake that turned the dingy sideways and flooded it!  Unfortunately, the wave also took out Bills phone!  

Needless to say we couldn't stay there so we came back into the harbor side.....no waves.  As we were scoping out a place to set up we came across a group of seals resting just off the beach in waist deep water.  

Tuesday 8/13/24 we pulled anchor and made our way on the outside of Cape Cod to Nantucket where we anchored in the harbor for 2 nights.  Nantucket was really laid back and a lot quieter than P town.  

Thursday 3/15/24 we made our way to Martha's Vineyard.  Before anchoring we stopped at the town pier for free water and pump out.  While there the dockhand told us about the annual AG fair that was happing in the middle of the island and fireworks Friday night.  Like Nantucket and P Town, Martha's was very touristy.  

Friday morning we woke up to a flock of guls hanging out on the bow rail.    They must have spent the night there because the deck was covered in bird poop.  

Yuck!  As soon as we got back from taking Roxie up for her potty break Bill went out to try to clean up the mess.  It must be berry season, because that stuff left black stains on the deck.  

Friday morning we took a 20min bus ride from the harbor to the fair!  Just a little ways from the harbor the landscape changes to woods and farms with rolling pastures.  Beautiful!  

The fair was a decent size considering we were on an island.  Unfortunately, I didn't take many pictures.  I did get a couple of the animals.....

This guy was humongous!

  

Look at these cuties!

We got back to the harbor for dinner at the Black Dog Tavern, then back to the boat to watch the fireworks!  We had a great day!

Saturday 8/17/24 we started our way back south.  What a great tour of New England! We so glad we did this trip! 

 

Scituate to Boston

We left Scituate on a beautiful Friday morning looking forward to a week of island hopping around the islands close to the Boston Harbor. 

There are over 30 islands that make up the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park.  All are open to the public and many have ferry access from Boston.  There are hiking trails, beaches and you can even partake in primitive camping.      

If you look close you can see Boston off in the distance. 

We decided to go to Grape Island first.  After anchoring we got the dingy down and explored the island.  Roxie loved being on the beach, although it was mostly oyster shells.  We had some locals come by and give us a recommendation to a good restaurant that has a dingy dock and to where the "party beach" was just a short dingy ride away.  

We were looking forward to a Saturday beach day and dinner out tomorrow. 

The next morning, we discovered that the generator was not charging the batteries and leaking fuel at the injection pump....we decided that we should probably go ahead and make our way into Boston and get this figured out.  Unfortunately, our Saturday plans would have to take a raincheck.

We called Constitution Marina, which is were we had planned to come into next week after we explored the islands, and asked if we could come in early.  Luckily the were able to get us in.  

Coming into Boston Harbor

Fort Warren is at the mouth of the Boston Harbor. 

Planes cross the mouth of the harbor and land just on the other side.  They look like they are going to land on top of us!

Guess who's here!  American Cruise Lines at port on the left!

The Coast Guard Pier.

Just up the river a ways is the Constitution Marina, on the right just before the N. Washington Bridge.  

 

TD Garden arena and downtown Boston are just across the bridge from the marina.  Then on our side of the bridge we have the Paul Revere Park; great for Roxie, the Boston National Historical Park and Charlestown Navy Yard where the USS Constitution and the USS Cassin Young are docked and open to the public to explore for free!

What an awesome location for us to stay!  First things first, we needed to figure out what's going on with the generator and do some deep cleaning.  Bill found the generator problem was the fuel injection pump.  He ordered a new pump and got it installed before we left. 

We moved 3 times while at the Constitution Marina; first was our temporary slip for one night right by the marina office and pool.  The next day they moved us all the way out to the very last slip in the marina.  Word had it, it was a 1/4 mile from our dock to the marina office!   Not only was it a long walk, but it was in front of the USS Constitution, which fired a cannon everyday at 8am and again at sunset.  It was so loud the boat shook!

Here we are in our first slip.  The tide there was 11 feet.  So when it was low tide, all we could see out of our Port side were big stone blocks supporting the marina office and pool and at high tide we had a great view of the pool!  This picture was taken about 3 feet short of high tide. 

Here we are at our slip at the end of the marina looking at the USS Constitution.   

This slip was great for boat watching!  All the ferries and charters boats would come by this end of the marina to see the ships.  Cheers at the end of the rainbow with charter boats waiting for the cannon to be fired at sunset.   

After a few days of cannon's going off and constant boat traffic, we got moved to our final dock way on the other end of the marina.  This spot was great!  Easy access on and off the docks and close to grass!

Another rainbow!

Ashley came in for a week's visit bringing Hanna and Toulouse with her; it was great having them on the boat!  

 

We did all the sightseeing stuff; went to a Red Socks game at Fenway Park, road the On-Off trolley all over town and learned about the history of Boston, walked the Freedom Trail, visited the USS Constitution and USS Cassin Young, visited the Bunker Hill monument, Paul Revers' home, Little Italy, went to the legendary bar, Cheers; visited the National Aquarium, which was awesome! Also made time to go to the Casino (of course) and a short road trip to Salem.  

We walked to the ballpark for a 4:00pm game. Fenway Park is the oldest ballpark in the majors.  The game went 10 innings and the Red Socks won!!  

The Encore Casino was really nice and the landscaping around it was gorgeous.  They had a free water shuttle from downtown Boston to the casino.  We ended up riding our bikes, which was a really easy ride.  

Bill got a Straight Flush on Free Play!!

We had pizza at Regina's Pizzeria two times during our stay.  Regina's was originally opened in 1926 in "Little Italy" and it didn't disappoint!  The pizza was great and you could tell by the line, a very popular place!  Our first visit was on a Saturday evening around 7 and we had to wait in line, outside on the sidewalk for an hour......It was well worth the wait!  We took Ashley to Regina's while she visited and got there around 5.....no wait!  Great pizza!

Finally got in!  They sat us at the bar, which was great!  The restaurant was so small!   

Downtown Boston!

Dinner at the Barking Crab.  Do crabs bark?  Apparently yes, they say they bark when they are mating.....

Little Italy

Bunker Hill

Lunch at Warren Tavern

No trip would be complete if you don't get a cannoli from Mikes!

Salem, MA

  

Hanging out in front of the Bewitched statue.  

The best store we found was actually in an old bank.....so cool!

Checking out the ships.  The USS Constitution....aka Ol' Ironsides

USS Cassin Young

Lunch at Cheers!  Doesn't really look like the set of the show in California, but it was very cool to see where the set was based from.  The bar and restaurant were full of pictures and memorabilia from the show.  

The bar as you come in the door. 

The bar and restaurant upstairs

 

The Aquarium was very cool.  When you come in at the main floor there are penguins.  In the middle there is an enormous round tank with a walkway that spirals several stories.  There is a new view around every bend!  Unfortunately I enjoyed it so much I only took two pictures!

After a great visit with Ashley she headed back home Saturday morning 8/10.  We untied the lines Sunday morning and said goodbye to Boston after being there for two weeks.   We really enjoyed our stay here!

Headed out of Boston Harbor to our next destination.......Provincetown!