Massachusetts, July '98 - We Planned a trip aboard "Here's Howe" to visit the Boston esplanade for the 4th Pops concert and fireworks. So on the 3rd we finally get our shake-down cruise, and the engines purred like kittens, everything worked fine - until I decided to chase a Cormerant and broke the steering cable. So we limped back to port turning the engines by hand, tore out the broken steering cable to get measurements and since my hands were covered with grease, Dawn started calling to find a replacement cable. When the questions started getting technical, she held the phone for me, and I naively explained that "my hands were all greasy, and she was holding it for me." At that late hour, Dawn calmly comments "the phone, that is." Anyway, we finally got back to the technical details, located a cable, hauled the boat, and after a quick clean-up I head off to get the cable, and Dawn gets stuck taking my nephew home. While all this was happening, we had planned to be at a friend's cook-out, and a Greek taverna. So ended day 1 of Dawn's vacation.

The next morning, we're up at dawn trying to snake the new steering cable through the cable tunnel. We actually got it in, and missed our planned launch time by only a half hour or so. Our friends were waiting patiently just outside Scituate harbour as we got there - running on only one of our two engines. I changed the spark plugs, but just couldn't get the other engine going. Finally, after about 5 miles, the running engine started to complain and we dejectedly turned back, leaving our friends to go on ahead. This was day 2 of Dawn's vacation. Before getting more than a mile back, I finally got the second engine running. It had just been flooded because I didn't run the gas out of it the previous night in my rush to get the new steering cable before the store closed.

So off we go at top speed to catch up with our friends. This was of great importance to Dawn because their boat has a covered head (toilet), and it was going to be a problem to use our open head in the crowded Charles River. As we pass the New England Aquarium, a police boat sends all the boats to the side of the channel, and we realize that the constitution was coming by. This didn't impress Dawn, however, as she was still looking to locate a covered head (er, I mean our friends.) As everyone else followed the Constitution, we continued on through the locks into the Charles River - without even waiting in line. As we had plenty of time, it was easy to locate our friends, and we rafted our boats together.

The Pops were a bit hard to hear, but we certainly heard the cannons during the 1812, and the fireworks were spectacular. Afterwards, we settled down for the night. It rained a bit the next morning, but no big deal.

After the rain stopped, we went ashore, walked a bit, and got right in to the chowder fest. Later, we learned that people had to wait more than an hour to get in. All, in all, the Esplanade trip was a lot of fun, and we hope to do it again next year.

After recovering for a day, we got aboard the sailboat "Ichiban" and took off for the rest of Dawn's vacation. The first day we had to motor a couple of hours into a stiff wind to catch the current at Wood's Hole. After another hour sailing, we passed the treacherous Wood's Hole with perfect timing: almost no current at all. Once on the other side in Vineyard Sound, we passed a beautiful black ship,
and finally arrived at our first stop:

Tarpaulin Cove, a semi-circular inlet of about one mile radius which we shared with only 7 other boats.

The next day, a gentle breeze gave us just enough headway to perfectly cancel the stiff current in the sound. We motored our way to Menemsha and visited a long-time fishin' buddy on Gay Head. Here's the view from their porch with Ichiban at anchor off their beach. We got a lovely tour of Martha's Vineyard, much needed showers (complete with fresh air), and slept in a stationary bed!

The next day we took a day-sail, walked the beach, and finally sailed away through Quick's Hole to Hadley Harbor. As the sun set that night and we were eating our dinner, a beautiful orange orb rose in the East.

I wish this picture did it justice.

The next morning was all foggy in spite of a brisk wind, and we motored to catch the current in the Cape Cod Canal. As expected, upon entering the canal, the fog cleared because of the land effect. After leaving the canal, we got about an hour sail and then the wind died. It always seems like there's less wind in the center of Cape Cod Bay. We motored on to Provincetown, a total of 10 hours that day. After two nights in Provincetown, we continued on to Scituate, again having to motor a lot, but finally we were

home after a successful trip.

A week later we took a day-sail out of Scituate, and the remake of the "Bounty" came by.