(Click on photos for a larger view)
We have made it back to Marblehead. Cali and I flew in on Friday, and Wayne came in from his adventure bringing Geoffrey's boat back from Key Largo Saturday afternoon.
"My Sharona" is back on the hard at the boat yard, having some work done to it before we head off into the "wild blue yonder". Of course it is like anywhere else, the work was supposed to be done when we got here, but that didn't happen so now we can be the squeaky wheel. We are having a required ice maker installed so we can keep up with our margarita habit. Adding satellite TV and internet, and also a satellite phone for emergencies. The boat yard has "promised" us it will be ready for us to move aboard by July 1st so we can enjoy the 4th of July fireworks from our deck.
We had planned on it not being ready, so we rented a cute little apartment right above the town dock. It is a great spot, within walking distance to everywhere.. This is the view out of the living room window.
Since I was here a few days before Wayne, I had the time to explore a little. It is such a beautiful place. I think my eyes have been so used to seeing sand and brown that the green here is breathtaking.
The buildings are decorated for the 4th of July, and everyone has their flower gardens in fullbloom.
Marblehead is the birthplace of the American Navy, and there is so much history here.
Everywhere you look, buildings are marked with name plaques that name the people who built them and what they did for a living.
Cali & I visited Abbot Hall, which is one of the first stops that most people make when they come to Marblehead. It was built in 1876 for the centennial, and was used for town hall meetings.
It has a clock tower that has been a landmark for navigation both sea and land. The clocks timepiece was installed in 1877 and is governed by a 10 foot pendulum
, driven by an 86lb weight. The clock is wound weekly at 8:18am on Thursdays and it takes 125 turns to raise the timepiece-weight and 262 to raise the chime-weight. The clock is set to the international standard but accuracy varies due to changes in humidity, temperature and pigeon poop.Also inside Abbot Hall is the original of one of the best known American paintings, “The Spirit of 76” is on display.
The canvas is a huge 8’ x 10’ not including the frame. It was painted in 1876 in memory of the men and women who died in battle on the sea and land for their country.It was sold for $3500 to a man who was raised in Marblehead, and he donated it to the town in 1880, and it has been here ever since.
This is the oldest antique store in the New England area. This fellow is the 3rd generation to run the shop.
Meanwhile back at the apartment - Cali was making sure I wasn't going anywhere without her.
On Saturday afternoon Wayne, Geoffrey & Phil arrived back to Marblehead after a week on the water bringing Geoff's 50' Express Cruiser (which he designed and built in Poland) from Florida.
They pulled into the harbor (the red 
boat in the background) just in time for the annual boat parade. Everyone had their boats decorated and all 3 of the yacht clubs were shooting off their cannons.
Wayne dinghy'ed over to pick us up and take us across the bay to Mr. Noyes house where they moored the boat. We all had celebratory cocktails, and we heard the stories of the trip.They had a good trip overall. It took them 6 days of running day and night to get here. Wayne and Geoffrey took the boat from Key Largo to Palm Beach, where they picked up a friend of Geoff's, Phil, to make the trip with them.
They had a good weather report so they headed off shore to make the best time. They did hit a thunderstorm one night that was exciting,
but the rest of the trip was good with them doing some of it on the Intercoastal Waterway and some out in the Atlantic Ocean. At one point they were 125 miles offshore.Wayne was very happy to have made the trip so he now has a feel for what we will be doing when we make the trip south in September.
Their only stops were for fuel, and then off again. Geoffrey was the designated chef and kept them all full with gourmet meals.Passing
freighters in the day is better than hitting them at night.Roughing it on the long haul...
Last sunset of the trip, and a view from Buzzards Bay with Boston in the background.
Tied up at the dock.
Geoffrey, Bradley, Cali & Wayne
celebrating a safe voyage.Beautiful view from Mr. Noyes back yard.
So now we start the process of bugging everyone to get our boat completed by July 1st. Hopefully that will happen. Our plans are to spend the 4th of July in Marblehead Harbor, and then maybe a shakedown overnight trip to Salem. After that - Maine beckons us . Where ever we end up, I will keep you informed. Thanks for keeping track of us, we miss you all.
