2008 Boston

Home	NANCY ANN 2008 Boston
	Our son suggested that we come to Boston for the fireworks. Naturally he meant in our boat so we could sit at anchor just yards away from the barge and watch the show. To get the full experience, he took the train from Boston to Old Saybrook and rode with us up to Boston. After the fireworks he rode the rails to Westerly and visited his sister at Misquamicut, then jumped back aboard with us for the trip to Chester. Finally, he took the train back to Boston. This was a "lifetime" trip. The crowd watching and the fireworks are spectacular.
	Jun 28, 2008 Day 0 Chester CT DT 0.0 hr DF 0.0 gal We picked up our son James who travelled from Boston to Old Saybrook by train to make the boat trip to Boston with us.
	James snapped this photo documenting his spot on the boat for the next two weeks.
	Fog rolls in as we settle in for the night, wondering what tomorrow will bring.
	Jun 29, 2008 Day 1 Chester CT to Point Judith RI DT 5.7 hr DF 31.0 gal Started at 06:45 am. Quietly left the PYC basin with hardly a ripple.
	Wide lens makes us look like a 40-footer as we pick our way out Chester Creek.
	The river was like glass as we set out on the Connecticut River.
	Rt. 95 bridge in Old Saybrook.
	Lynde Point lighthouse with Old Saybrook Light in the background.
	Out in the Sound and James gets his first turn at the wheel.

	Misquamicut Beach RI. Robin and her family wave from the beach as we sail by.
	Breachway at Point Judith with Georges of Galilee in the left portion of the photo.
	Some of the commercial boats at Galilee.
	Relaxing after the days run.
	Nice marina, but it was hard to make contact with the office! Point Judith Marina
	Two of the serious private fishing boats at the marina.
	Nice pool.
	Jun 30, 2008 Day 2 Point Judith RI to Sandwich MA DT 5.1 hr DF 48.5 gal No one took pictures, but due to a moderate storm last night and a brisk wind this morning, we had a following 5-8 swell with 1-2 feet of chop on top all the way from Pt Judith to the entrance to the canal. By the time we got to Cleveland Ledge light (right) we could bear to grab a camera. We pushed the speed to get it over with and arrived early at the canal so we caught the tide still coming out against the wind giving us the usual big standing waves at the entrance to the canal. Whee!
	Sandwich Town Marina (Harbor of Refuge). Very nice people. Diesel looked like a bargain, but there is no tax included in the price. Still, it was cheaper than the $5.29 we paid in Deep River.
	Town beach just East of the marina. You can see the canal breach way in the background.
	Nice cement docks. We had a spot on the face dock, pointing at the fuel dock. Got exciting when a large boat pulled in for fuel. The wind was still blowing pretty hard as you can see by the flap in the canvas.
	The gas dock is not always busy. Retirees man the gas dock and the pump out on the weekends. Real characters. The pump out was one of the worst setups we have ever seen. It is placed next to the launch ramp and is very hard to get close to. To add to the problem, the hose is not very long.
	Two high school chums joined us for drinks and then we all went to dinner.
	A peaceful end to a very hectic day.
	Jul 01, 2008 Day 3 Sandwich MA to Scituate DT 3.6 hr DF 19.2 gal Calm flat run to Scituate. Hazy sun. Did a check of our backup GPS against the Chart plotter. Both showed us 7.33 nm out of Scituate. We are on a mooring in the harbor for two nights.
	Nancy and James wait for the launch.
	Launch service was top-notch.
	We enjoyed some terrific sunsets in Scituate.
	Jul 02, 2008 Day 4 Layover in Scituate DT 0.2 hr DF 0.1 gal Scituate has a small shopping area that is easy to access and has a bit of everything. Good grocery, hardware, marine books, etc available.
	Also good tourist hangouts.
	A rather long shot of Nancy Ann in the mooring field (just left of the red sailboat).
	Jul 03, 2008 Day 5 Scituate to Boston DT 3.4 hr DF 13.5 gal Refrigerator disaster. Apparently it shuts off if the battery gets discharged to a certain point. Defrosted, mess! Have to charge longer to keep the battery up. Easy ride to Boston. Here we enter the locks.
	Locking thru was a snap. Everyone just hangs on to the ropes. The level change (up or down depending on the tide height) is slight.
	Once through the lock there are still some obstacles.
	Floating under all that highway traffic was fun.
	In the Charles River Basin and we are finally starting to relax.
	The dome at MIT.
	We had a good spot where we anchored. The fireworks barges were roughly where it says "Charles River Basin".
	Jul 04, 2008 Day 6 Layover in Boston DT 1.7 hr DF 1.2 gal There were ALL kinds of boats in the basin. A couple of students built this raft. Every imaginable enforcement agency stopped by to inspect them, but they seemed to survive every challenge.
	Some boats were very nice!
	The Duck tours never stopped.
	Best spots on the bike paths were snapped up early. Check out all those port-a-potties!
	Tents and awnings were everywhere.
	Red, White and Blue!!
	Nancy wowed the Italian Sausage vendor by showing up in her life vest with a roll of aluminum foil to wrap the grinders in. A first for him!
	Speaker towers were placed all over. The time delay from one set to the next was a little disturbing.
	We took lots of dinghy rides to see the crowd and the other boats. Here is a shot of Nancy Ann waiting for night to fall.
	We flew the colors too.
	One of our longer dinghy rides took us into the Galleria pond.
	Here is a serious party platform arriving by tugboat!
	Just to keep the crowd awake, there were numerous test firings of the howitzers. Loud!
	Some people drove to the fireworks.
	Small boats were everywhere.
	This boat has been coming to the fireworks for years.
	More small boats.
	Party boat!
	This boat (the white one) is designed to support the rowing shells and leaves just about a zero wake.
	Charles River Boat Co, a bit more sophisticated than the Duck Boats.
	Toward night fall, numerous rafts of dinghies and tubes slipped in to the basin. In retrospect, this is probably one of the best ways to see the fireworks. You get an absolute front row seat without bothering anyone else, and it is easy to get out afterwards.
	Sunset, and it is getting close to show time.
	Nancy and James are ready for the show.
	Jul 05, 2008 Day 7 Boston to Green Harbor DT 4.7 hr DF 23.8 gal Up anchor at 8:55 and we should have left earlier. Dropped James off (he will rejoin us at Westerly RI) and headed out but got stuck behind the fireworks barges leaving the basin. They take a long time getting through the locks. We spent a lot of time holding our place with a number of other boats. Need to leave earlier, or wait until much later. A dragon boat team enters the basin for some practice.
	Green Harbor MA. See the boats in the channel to the right of the lobster boat with the red hull? That is where we ran aground as we left the next day.
	Dock wall shows less than half the tide that Green Harbor sees.
	Jul 06, 2008 Day 8 Green Harbor to Sandwich DT 3.3 hr DF 9.0 gal After we ran aground in the channel, this is the view aft. It is normal!
	Low tide is just that, low!
	Waiting for the tide to come in takes a lot of patience and a very good book.
	Serious tide swing.
	There was so much fog after we finally left Green Harbor that we changed plans and stopped in Sandwich.
	Joe's is a very short walk from the marina, right on the Cape Cod Canal, and has a terrific seafood selection
	This lobster price was about 1-2 dollars below Connecticut prices.
	View from the launch ramp (very busy) to Nancy Ann.
	Some fancy soup and shrimp from Joe's for supper.
	Jul 07, 2008 Day 9 Sandwich to Wickford DT 5.5 hr DF 40.4 gal Had an easy trip through the canal, and then ran in fog all the way to Wickford. Brutal trip, although we had enough visibility to make good time. It is very tiring running in constant fog.
	Jul 08, 2008 Day 10 Layover in Wickford RI DT 0.0 hr DF 0.0 gal Wickford. We thought this would be a busy tourist stop, but a lot of the downtown stores have left Wickford. It is a very beautiful town and a joy to walk around, but the night life is sparse. No marine store here anymore. Marinas are plentiful, but this is not a place to easily shop for supplies Interesting colorful growth on the docks.
	Wickford is very traditional.
	A walk down the local streets reveals a love for flowering plants.





	Sunset on the sticks.
	Jul 09, 2008 Day 11 Wickford to Pawcatuck RI DT 4.2 hr DF 29.2 gal Heading out of Wickford toward the Jamestown Bridge.
	Around Pt Judith and Napatree Point, and up the Westerly River to Norwest Marine. You cannot go much further up the Pawcatuck River. Westerly RI is on the right shore and Pawcatuck CT on the left.
	Jul 10, 2008 Day 12 Layover in Pawcatuck DT 0.0 hr DF 0.0 gal Karen, Bill, Eliza and James picked us up for a day on the town. Construction continues on the rebuilt Ocean House in Watch Hill.
	Ahhh, Aphrodite in Watch Hill Harbor.
	A walk by the harbor in Watch Hill.
	This statue of Ninigret has moved to a number of locations in Watch Hill over the years. It is a family tradition to visit Ninigret each year.
	Recently rebuilt, the Book and Tackle lacks some of its former charm, but the nautical and historical books that are found within continue to please.
	The Watch Hill Yacht Club. Recently remodeled and still grand as ever.
	The Flying Horses carousel at Watch Hill is a National Landmark.
	Eliza continues another family tradition. I rode these horses as a child, as did Karen and James.
	What is a trip to the beach with out a little dip in the water?
	Jul 11, 2008 Day 13 Pawcatuck RI to Chester CT DT 4.2 hr DF 29.2 gal James rejoined us in Pawcatuck for the final leg home. Leaving Watch Hill we followed this gaggle of sailing boats on their way to a meet.
	We turned in New London Harbor to look at the new railroad bridge over the Thames. On his trip to CT, James rode one of the last trains to cross the old bridge, and on the way home was on one of the first to cross the new span.
	Nancy Ann, safely home at Pattaconk.
	You can just see James' elbow as he boards the train for Boston.
	The circle is complete as James retraces his steps to Boston.

	Total Trip time: 42.8 hours Total fuel burn: 305.0 gal

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