Plimoth Plantation where the lives of the pilgrims are reenacted
Saturday the 9th of december 2006
Hi, It's time again for another update on our whereabouts. .
We are still in the USA, Massachusetts to be exact which is part of what's called New England. During the summer we sailed up along the coast from Newport, RI to Maine and back again. There is a lot of history in this part of the country and places like Plymouth, where the pilgrims landed in the 1600s, is a place where many Americans seek their roots.
Plimoth Plantation
where the lives of the pilgrims are reenacted
The summers here don't give sailors a lot of wind and we had to motor much more than anticipated apart from when we were on hurricane watch for Beryl who passed us with winds up to 60 knots. We found a hurricane hole, Hadley Harbor where we decided to ride her out. We took everything loose down we thought might be at risk. Again we were lucky and we never got the worst, we were warned though to always listen to the weather reports. We have been naive as we didn't know the hurricanes went north of the 35 degree N.
We sailed to several places where we have friends and that have made the summer all worth while because there are not many cruisers around. Many holiday cruising Americans but not a lot of them with the knowledge about what kind of flag we carry.
Lighthouse just off Rockland, ME
Maine reminded us of Sweden in many ways. There are plentiful rock and forested islands with beautiful scenery. As Swedes we were not so impressed by the archipelago since it was a lot like sailing at home, apart from all the lobsterpots. They are of great concern to everyone on the water as they are everywhere; in inlets, canals and anchorages. We went zigzag and made it without getting caught but we did hit a few. What we were not used to was the water temperature, 12-16 C and swimming was out of the question. Southwest Harbor was our eastern most place and there we saw one of the few fjords on this side of the Atlantic. We hiked in the Acadia National Park, which was very beautiful and enjoyed the exercise. On several spots we also found chanterelles but no one here knows what they are so we could have a feast.
Acadia National Park
Elvina on her way to the boatyard
We went back through the Cape Cod Canal in the end of August and stayed on a mooring in Marion, MA to sort out our lives. We bought a car, a Volvo of course...to be with out a car in the USA does not work. In October we hauled Elvina in Mattapoisett and that's where she is getting her well deserved winter rest. We have peeled the gelcoat under the waterline due to osmosis so now she will dry during the winter. We have stayed with a former cruiser on Cape Cod and have just recently moved in to a house in Rhode Island where we will live for the winter/spring. It's quite common here to housesit, as in the Caribbean and we are glad for that opportunity.
Gunilla is peeling Elvina´s bottom
Our new home for the winter, RI
For the first time in 3 ˝ years we are visiting Sweden and we are doing it at Christmas time to be able to get some Christmas food again. We hope to meet family and friends then and wish all of you a very Merry Christams and a Happy New Year!
Gunilla och Krilla