July 26, 2009

Ahoy from Martha’s Vineyard

Hey there!

How is everybody? We think of you all often.

Last time I wrote we were on Judith Point Pond. We left the pond on July 19th and sailed to Cuttyhunk Island, which is the southern most of the Elizabeth Islands bordered by Buzzard’s Bay on the west and Vineyard Sound on the east. The town of Gosnold perches on a large hill on the northeast side of the island. The shingled cottages spill down the hill to the harbor with gardens and stone paths leading the way. Gosnold is a village on island time. The slow pace can be seen on the faces of the children meandering barefoot down the paths and biking along the beaches. There are 26 hardy residents who live on the island all year around. A one-room schoolhouse shelters the elementary school program. The older children take a ferry across Buzzards Bay to complete their education. The students cross the bay each morning and evening all winter long. Hard to imagine! These are rugged and self-reliant people.

From Cuttyhunk Island we had a short sail up to Naushon Island, one of the northern most of the Elizabeth Islands. Everyone we have met along the way told us to be sure to spend some time in Hadley Harbor. We spent 5 days in this peaceful and protected harbor. The Forbes family created the Naushon Trust to protect the beauty of the Elizabeth Islands. The water is clear, there are many egrets, geese, ducks, osprey and loons that reside in the harbor. There are also an abundance of oysters and clams to be discovered. Many of the islands are uninhabited, or nearly so. We spent many quiet hours kayaking and exploring the shallow waters that surround these lush green islands. We also met some really great folks on Ancient Mariner from Chatham, Mass. Both the harbor and the people we met are very special.

Yesterday, we left Hadley Harbor and made the short jump to Martha’s Vineyard. We are anchored in Vineyard Haven Harbor surrounded by a multitude of traditional wooden boats. We spent the afternoon and evening with our good friend Malcolm who moved up here from Charlottesville 25 years ago. We enjoyed spending time with Tennessee, Malcolm’s son and Liz, Tennessee’s mom. I will write more on Martha’s Vineyard after we have had more of a chance to explore the island. We have a boatload of laundry and some provisioning to do while we are here. We will probably be here until Tuesday or Wednesday when we will turn our little ship south and toward land-home.

We continue to savor our time on Namaste. Even as we turn south toward Deltaville and home, even as we look forward to being home with missed family and friends, we are stirring up visions of another journey. I trust that where there is the will there is the way. We have seen first hand how many cruisers of modest income have been able to adjust life at home to open possibilities for more time aboard. Know that the twinkle in our eyes when we arrive home will be a mixture of a year spent together on Namaste, happiness found in productive lives shared with loved ones at home combined with the conjurer manifesting life upon the water our near future.

Peace and Love

July 16, 2009

Ahoy from Namaste on Judith Point Pond, Rhode Island.

How is everybody? Hope you all are enjoying the fruits of a lovely summer.

A big thanks to Katie, Anne and Sam for a memorable July 4th!

We left Larchmont and family on July 7 and began our trek north. We have anchored in the Norwalk Islands and the Thimble Islands in New York, Mystic River in Connecticut and at present Judith Point Pond in Rhode Island.

We decided to spend the remainder of our time out here on Namaste exploring the beauty of the Cape Cod ponds, rivers, bays, sounds and islands. We enjoy taking our time in the many places we visit. We have been getting out the kayaks and seeing the water sights up close. We continue to keep up with boat projects although at this point we are letting some wait until our return to Deltaville. I have taken lots of time for watercolor. We are enjoying the crisp, cool summer that is New England.

The air gets fresher as we get further from New York. It is good to breathe deeply of this clear, blue air. I have been spending time learning to breathe mindfully, sinking into the inner body and living from that center. Practicing presence. I am learning to surrender thoughts of past and future for a life lived more fully in the present. I am continually amazed by the way mind likes to stick with a program, any program. But the heart is willing to be open to a new experience…so I continue to practice, practice. Both kayaking and painting are great portals into the present moment.

We had a really great time at Mystic Seaport. The museum truly offers the flavor of life in a port village in 1876. There is a full replica of a seaport with market place, bank, a cooper, marine supplies, hardware store and more. We enjoyed reenactments of children’s games, a rescue, and town entertainment. Some number of years ago the museum received a gift of the Charles W. Morgan whaling vessel. It has become one of the central features of the museum. It is on the hard for restoration this year. We were still able to take a tour on this historic vessel.

At present we are enjoying the peace and quiet on Judith Point Pond. The canal entrance to the pond parts the water between the towns of Galilee and Jerusalem. Gives one pause. We are near the town of Wakefield and can dinghy in to get supplies. We met up with Julie and Mark from Rachel while here. We had a lovely dinner on Rachel and met new friends Beep and Ed from Midwatch and Evie and Jack from Distant Star. Beep and Ed have family in Wakefield and Beep spent a morning driving us to the grocery store and showing us her hometown. We have felt very welcomed here on Judith Point Pond.

We are waiting for weather to sail up to the island of Cuttyhunk at the southern tip of the Elizabeth Islands and then on to Martha’s Vineyard for a couple of days. We have a good friend, Malcolm, on the Vineyard and plan to spend some time with him there. We have altered plans to go to Maine for more quality time spent around Cape Cod. We will also head to Peconic Bay to see Pete and Michelle before we head back to the Chesapeake Bay.

We intend to be back in the Deltaville around September 1. At that time we will put Namaste in a slip for two months and head back to Altamont Street. We are hoping to spend as much time as possible on Namaste this fall in the Chesapeake. Knowing that the year is drawing to a close makes it all the more precious. While we both look forward to being home surrounded by family and friends, we value the gift we have here and now on Namaste.

Peace and Love

July 5, 2009

Ahoy from Namaste

How is everybody? Hope you are all well and enjoying summer.

New York! New York! Just like I pictured it. We left Solomon’s Island on Wednesday, June 24 and arrived in New York Thursday, July 2. The last two weeks have just flown by.
Before we left Solomon’s Island we had a lovely evening with friends, old and new, on Namaste. Franci and Bob from Barefootin’, Nura and Russell from Varuna, and Carol, Scot, June and John from Wanderer all joined us for dinner aboard Namaste. We had a great time trading stories and getting to know one another. It was a very special evening. Chris and I also celebrated our anniversary by giving each other kayaks and have been having a great time exploring creeks more intimately than we can in Namaste.

After we left Solomon’s island we anchored in Plaindealing Creek, Selby Bay and Mahogothy Creek. We made plans to meet with friends from 2 other boats, Barefootiin’ and Rachel, to meet on the Sassafras River on June 27th to position for a trip down the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal to Reedy Island, then down the Delaware River to Cape May. From Cape May it is an overnight to Sandy Hook, New Jersey. And then a day trip into New York Harbor, up the East River through Hell’s Gate and into Long Island Sound. At Sandy Hook we called Chris’s brother and sister-in-law in New Rochelle, realizing we could make it to their neck of the sound by the 4th of July.

So a long story short, after nine days of sailing we reached Larchmont and joined our family, including Isaac and Chappell, Katie, our niece and Sam and Anne. We spent Friday on the water playing all day. We got out the kayaks, swam in the harbor, explored in the dinghy, sailed, swung from the halyard (some of us), laughed a lot, and ate wonderful food. We took the Namaste out for a short sail on Saturday the 4th and ended up taking a 6 hour sail, beating our way back just in time to dine at the yacht club and watch the fireworks from Namaste. A very good day!
We intend to do more of the same over the rest of the weekend. It is so good to be in one place and to spend time with family. While we miss and love those that we could not meet up with this weekend we are so happy to love the ones we are with.

Today we do a few chores and then play all afternoon with family. We have another beautiful day!

I think this time I will let pictures tell the rest of the story.

Have a great weekend!

Peace and Love