WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!

Though we left our home port on April 15th, we began the Loop portion of the trip on June 1st when we left New York Harbor. Today, August 31, 2010 at 2:05 PM, we “crossed our wake”; we have officially completed the Down East Circle Loop!!! Hallelujah! It was quite an emotional time as we exited the East River and again saw Lady Liberty standing tall over New York Harbor. So far, we have traveled 3505.5 nautical miles or 3,961.215 statute miles. What an adventure it has been!

Next adventure: Avoid Hurricane Earl
We have both satellite TV and XM Weather on the boat so we are keeping a close eye on this Category 4 storm. Our plan is to cruise to Cape May, NJ on Wednesday then to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor on Thursday, via Delaware Bay, the C & D canal and the upper Chesapeake Bay, in order to be in protected water. We are hoping that Earl will mind his manners and stay far away from the East Coast.

Noank & Mystic, CT

Mystic is a 3 mile ride up the river from Noank but with the No Wake zones, it would take almost an hour in Litenup Therefore, we opted to stay at Noank and take the tender into Mystic where we looked around the town and historic Mystic Seaport.

Several years ago, while on a road trip, Judi and Terry detoured to Noank to eat at the famous Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough. Imagine our surprise when we pulled the boat into the Noank Shipyard and discovered that we were docked immediately adjacent to Abbott’s! Obviously we had to make an encore visit as this is our last chance for a lobster roll.

Onset Island

While traversing the Cape Cod Canal, we cruised under a unique Railroad Bridge. Built as a WPA project, its span raises to a height of 135 ft above the water. When it was built, the railroad carried passengers to Cape Cod from the mainland. Today it most often used by the train removing garbage from Cape Cod. Just off the Cape Cod Canal lies Onset Island where friends Martha and Steve have owned one of the island’s 54 cottages for over 30 years. After Steve drove us to the grocery store, liquor store and showed us around the area, they tendered over for a tour of the boat and invited us back to their home for a New England lobster dinner, complete with stuffed quahog clams, steamers and lobsters. It was quite a party as their daughter Emily and her friend John were visiting for the weekend. Once again, great to catch up with friends from home.

Boston

What a pleasure it was to be in a large US city! Docked at the newly renovated Boston Yacht Haven, we were right in the downtown area, walking distance to all the historic sites and only a couple of blocks from the Italian area, the North End, where a festival called St. Anthony’s Feast was being held. We discovered a fabulous Italian restaurant, Limoncello, whose owner Maurizio takes great care with all of his customers making each one feel like a member of the family. Across North Street from Limoncello we found V. Cirace & Son, Inc, purveyors of fine wine and spirits. V. Cirace, a third-generation business that was established in 1906, will even deliver purchases to the boat!

While Jon and Margaret visited their children and granddaughter in the Boston area, Judi, Terry and Mike took in the sights of the city. We walked the Freedom Trail that runs from Boston Common, past Faneuil Hall, the Old North Church, Paul Revere’s house, etc., culminating in a tour of the USS Constitution. The USS Constitution, Old Ironsides, is the oldest commissioned ship in the US Navy and still sails today. In fact, we were lucky enough to see her sailing in Boston Harbor!

On our final night in the city, we enjoyed a home-cooked dinner of pulled pork and authentic Boston Baked Beans with Margaret and Jon's family. While the meal was delicious, the highlight of the evening was the entertainment as Sophie displayed her hula-hooping and dancing talents. Such a treat!

JAWS!!!

The weather cleared and the seas calmed so we left Boothbay Harbor and headed to Boston. We saw a number of whales spouting and diving and then, about 20 miles from Boston, something odd was sighted. From afar, it reminded us of the lobster traps we had been seeing – a large plastic bottle trailing a float about 10 ft behind. As we drew closer, we thought it must be a large sunfish. Sunfish often swim at the surface of the water with one fin up and can grow to several hundred pounds. We slowed the boat to take a picture and realized that it was a HUGE SHARK!! The dorsal fin was out of the water at least 2 feet! The shark rolled over on his side, looked at us then kicked his tail and swam off. We have seen large tiger sharks and hammerheads in our fishing days but never a shark this big. We estimated that he was 15-18 ft long with an enormous girth. Further research has confirmed that he was a GREAT WHITE!! Our comment: "We need a bigger boat!"

Boothbay Harbor, ME

Margaret and Jon departed Rockland on Saturday to visit their family in the Boston area while Judi, Terry and Capt Mike took the boat to Carousel Marina in Boothbay Harbor. The marina was named for the movie "Carousel" starring Gordon MacRae and Shirley MacLaine, because the movie was filmed right here! The area is quintessential Maine. Absolutely beautiful, jagged shoreline, small islands, 18th and 19th century homes, lovely lighthouses, lots of lobster trap buoys and lobster houses. Due to weather and rough seas, we've had an extended stay so we rented a car and drove to the home of LL Bean, Freeport, ME. It is an unbelievable place. The entire town has been turned into an outlet mall! It is the "Disneyworld" of department stores. Even the historic library building is now an Abercrombie & Fitch. Too much for us non-shoppers. We also stopped in the town of Bath, ME where the US Navy destroyers were built during WW-II. Nice town. Having eaten no barbeque in quite a while, when we saw Beale Street Memphis Barbeque, we had to try it and were pleasantly surprised. Top notch! Add it to your places to eat, if you are a barbeque fan.

Every region of the country has its own specialities and while Maine is generally known for its lobster, there is one other food that is special here: Whoopie Pies. A Whoopie Pie consists of 2 layers of Devil's Food Cake, about 5" diameter, with a cream filling. They are not too sweet and taste similar to a "Zinger".

Rockland, ME

The cruise to Rockland was slowed by the veritable minefield of lobster trap bouys dotting the coastal waters. The weather was nice and the scenary spectacular so we relaxed and made the best of it. We continue to be impressed by the number and differing styles of lighthouses we see.

Rockland Harbor, located off of the sailing paradise of Penobscot Bay, has combined commercial fishing enterprises with tourism and pleasure cruising. During our harbor cruise in the tender, we counted 10 seals swimming around the wharf, waiting for their free meal as the fishing boats cleaned their nets. Known as the "lobster capital of Maine", Rockland also boasts a downtown filled with excellent galleries and interesting shops.

Great news for Gimlet drinkers. The Rite-Aid pharmacy carries Rose's Lime Juice - along with those "pharmaceuticals" known as beer, wine, vodka and gin, all at reasonable US prices. All's right with the world again!

A slightly bumpy tender ride took us to Rockport and Camden harbors. Both places have changed immensely, having become more "modern" and tourist-oriented, since the Fullertons last visited 20 years ago.

Margaret and Jon picked up a rental car Friday afternoon in preparation for a drive into the Boston area on Saturday to spend a few days with their kids and granddaughter. That also meant that we were able to drive to the local seafood market and pick up some TWO POUND lobsters for dinner! The lobsterhouse steamed them for us and while delicious, we all agreed that the ones we steamed ourselves at Southwest Harbor were better. Lots cheaper too!