Post #1 Shippin’ Out From Boston

September 7, 2020

We'll soon leave Boston to “chase the sun” on our sailboat, Onward, for the next 9 months.  We’ve been dreaming of this trip for over a decade but now can finally “throw off the bowline” and begin The Great Adventure.

The last few months have been filled with lists, more lists, and lists of lists.  It seemed the more items we checked off, the more got added!  We needed to:

• Get the boat ready - last minute repairs and upgrades, cleaning, and loading in all our clothes, gear and provisions.  (Now, how am I going to fit 7 more spices in this rack???)

• Get the house ready - putting the gardens to bed for the winter, cleaning, eating everything in the refrigerator and freezer (who knows how old those crab cakes were but, boy, they were delicious!) giving keys to neighbors and relatives, etc.  Saying goodbyes to friends and family was strange—who knows when we will next see them?  Will we be able to gather for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year?  We hope and pray that everyone stays healthy and that the pandemic has retreated by then.

We enjoyed our final night’s dinner on the roof deck of our Boston home.  What will city life be like when we return?

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Our good friend Liz McGuire gave us a ride to Onward in Mattapoisett, MA. Liz and Bill have been our sailing partners for over 20 years around New England and the Caribbean. But Covid-19 has made it challenging to think of traveling together on this trip—it’s pretty difficult to stay 6 feet apart on a 41’ sailboat! We will miss them enormously.

After cramming another load of stuff from the launch into our “floating RV,” we cast off at 11:34 a.m. on Tuesday, September 8, 2020, headed first to Cuttyhunk Island.

CUTTYHUNK

We’ve visited this special island many times over the past 20 years and recommend it to all who want to experience life in the s-l-o-w lane, well, at least for a day.  Many (maybe most?) residents of Massachusetts have never even heard of the place and fewer still have visited. (Yes, you can get there from here—via the Cuttyhunk Ferry from New Bedford.) Located at the end of the Elizabeth Island chain (which starts at Woods Hole), the year-round population is only about 25 and swells to 300+ in the summer.  Most residents walk everywhere or ride in golf carts although we have seen a pick-up truck or two, although who knows how they got them onto the island.  Highlights include a walk to the top of the hill to view all of the island and on clear days you can see the ochre-colored Aquinnah cliffs on Martha’s Vineyard.  Need directions?  Just follow the Road to the Top of the Hill. That’s what the sign says, folks.

There are a couple of beaches, the Island Market (only holds 6 customers at a time), and the Cuttyhunk Fish Club for breakfast (the “Betty’s Back Baking” handwritten sign posted on the town bulletin board was what first tempted us).  But the real draw for David is the Cuttyhunk Shellfish Raw Bar featuring local oysters on the half shell and homemade clam chowder, delivered right to your boat every evening. Yum!

After wine and cheese and sailing inspiration at the home of Blue Water Sailing friends Win and Martha, we enjoyed our first sunset of The Great Adventure: