THOSE WERE THE DAYS, MY FRIEND (Part 1)

Obsession 29 (C&C29) sailing in RI Sound from Cuttyhunk to Newport

Once upon a time there was a sailboat

Where we used to raise a glass or two

Remember how we laughed away the hours

And dreamed of all the great things we would do?

Obsession 36 (Catalina 36) Sailing in RI Sound from Cuttyhunk to Newport 

Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end

We'd sail and swim forever and a day

We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose

For we were young and sure to have our way. 

Obsession 42 (Catalina 42) Anchored in our favorite anchor spot in Cuttyhunk

Then the busy years went rushing by us

We lost our starry notions on the way

If by chance we’d see you on the water

We'd smile at one another and we'd say...

Obsession 42 on the family mooring in 

Brenton Cove where we soent many Sunday afternoons swimming, and visiting with family and friends. For some reason Obsession 

was and still is the “party boat.”

Just tonight we sat aboard Obsession 
Nothing seemed the way it used to be
In the glass we saw a strange reflection
Was that older couple really us?

Through the door there came familiar laughter
We saw your face and heard you call our names
Oh, our friends we're older but no wiser
For in our hearts our dreams are still the same.

Obsession in Cuttyhunk after returning from our Dream Retirement Cruise. 

These are the days my friend

We hope they’ll never end

We’ll sail and swim forever and a day

We’ll live the life we choose

We’ll fight and never lose

These are the days, oh yes these are the days!

David and I have been boating/sailing together since 1975. Our first boat was a 19’ O’Day Mariner, then after a few years of sailing her and racing as crew on other boats we purchased a C&C 29 named Obsession. We cruised all over Narragansett Bay, Buzzards Bay and the Vineyard on her, then graduated to a Catalina 36 which we took to Maine and Long Island then finally a Catalina 42 in which we expanded our cruising grounds to Key West via the ICW. Sailing  has become somewhat of an Obsession for us  “Obsession” just fits. We’d spend the winter months dreaming and researching of places to go, the spring prepping the boat, and the fall season hauling and cleaning Obsession all while remembering  a summer of memories. So, this blog entry and the next are a look back at those days, with fond memories, a big smile on our faces, much laughter, and maybe even a tear or two for some days gone by, the family get togethers, the friends we made along this wonderful journey. 

At the southernmost point of the 

continental US-Key West. 

Part 2 of this blog will feature some of our favorite ports and activities past and present. 

SUMMERTIME!

Ballard’s Beach, Block Island

Iconic Summer

Summertime, and the livin' is easy

Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high

Oh, your daddy's rich and your ma is good-lookin'

So hush, little baby, don't you cry

View from The National Hotel Porch

Old Harbor, Block Island

Summertime, and the cruisin’ is easy

Sun is shining and the days are warm

Obsession’s home and the Roehrs are happy

So, smile, everybody, and just sail on!

It’s kinda funny that once we arrived in Block Island we removed the iPad from the pedestal, and only occasionally referred ro our Navionics app on our iPhones. We know this area well, and the navigating came easy to us.  “Just Steer 30°  from the entrance of Great Salt Pond to 1BI.”  

Entrance to New Harbor, Block Island

The Bar at The Spring House, Block Island

The Narragansett Hotel, New Harbor, Block Island

A MUDSLIDE at The Oar, New Harbor

Summer arrived with warm weather, SW breezes, lots of boats in the harbor, and visits to many our favorite places in Block Island and Newport. 

Beavertail Lighthouse

Kings Park Gazebo where we anchor our dinghy for a Sunday afternoon of music with friends. 

NYYC Race Committee dockside 

The sunrises and sunsets never disappoint in Block Island or Newport. And I continue to send the pictures to Channel 10/WJAR. And, surprisingly they post many of them! 

Sunrise New Harbor, Block Island

Sunset from Gurney’s, Goat Island, Newport

Sunrise Newport from mooring #267

Sunset Block Island after a late afternoon storm 

The welcome home handshakes, hugs and kisses from friends and family were accentuated with 4 (FOUR)  consecutive nights of fireworks.

It was the 4th of July holiday week, after all, a so a quick trip up the bay to Bristol and BLM in Fall River helped it all come together. 

The swans at BLM in Fall River

Of course, summer doesn’t start without a trip to Cuttyhunk.  

The cruisin’ is easy -  “Just bang a left - 110° from R2A off Brenton Point to Cuttyhunk and avoid the fish traps.”.  

While in Cuttyhunk we met up with Captain Bruce, Duane and Lexi and the Raw Bar Crew. 

 We took a walk along Church’s beach to collect some sea glass, watched a storm pass us by, along with a few sunrises, sunsets, took a few dinghy rides, and enjoyed the view at breakfast frrom The Fishing Club made us feel like we were home again. 

Cuttyhunk sunrise

Hurry up Raw Bar! The storm is headed our way! 

Lots of sailboats masts - sunset in Cuttyhunk

The Fishing Club sittingvatea. Vintage decorating!

The return trip from  Cuttyhunk back to Newport is easy cruisin’ too, “ Head 285° all the way to R2A then follow our special (imaginary)  marks in our Garmin GPS all along the Newport shoreline to Fort Adams then 60° straight to our mooring in the harbor.” 

Kite flying at Brenton Point

It’s funny how we were able to travel up and down the east coast all the way to Key West and back, and we didn’t need a car. We Ubered, used public transportation, took advantage of loaner cars from Marinas, borrowed a friend’s car, even bicycles and did a lot of walking. But now that we are home in Newport we feel the need for a car. 

We picked up our new ruby RED Dodge Caravan a few days ago. We will call it GEM. It has all the bells and whistles, comfortable traveling space with plenty of room for our “stuff” and was a GEM of a find, besides being ruby red. We hope it will be an easy cruisin’ vehicle for years to come. 

We continue to meet up with past cruising friends like Ann and Bob Snider. Although we’ve never cruised with them they were most gracious hosts in Northport last fall, and are now cruising Maine on their Kady Krogan trawler. 

Pat and Dave Tye on Blue Moon are here in Newport for a few weeks, and we took to our dinghies for a Sunday afternoon of music at Kings Park. 

And we caught up with Kelly and Jim on Fairwind again since they are close by in New Bedford for the summer.  We originally met in Portsmouth, VA over a beer in a local craft brewery, so it was only fitting that we met up in Newport at The Mooring and enjoyed a craft beer made specially for The Mooring Restaurant. 

Our sailing plans for the rest of the summer include at least another trip to Block Island and Cuttyhunk, more fireworks, and a trip to the Vineyard. 

Summertime, and the cruisin’ is easy

Sun is shining and the days are warm

Obsession’s home and the Roehrs are happy

So, smile, everybody, and just sail on!

ANTICIPATION

ANTICIPATION

By Carly Simon

We can never know about the days to come

But we think about them anyway

And I wonder if I'm really with you now

Or just chasin' after some finer day

Anticipation, anticipation

Is makin' me late

Is keepin' me waitin'

Anticipation.

Finding the right word/words to describe this Dream Retirement Cruise is difficult, but as we traveled closer and closer to Rhode Island not only did the word Anticipation come to mind but also Carly Simon’s song, Anticipation.

Obsession sailing “wing on wing” up the Jersey Coast 

The anticipation started to build as we approached the New Jersey Coast. It was a concern for us. That part of our trip in the fall was marked with an engine failure; an unexpected and expensive repair that we thought might impact our trip financially,  if not force us to cancel our trip for a third time. We persevered, and 9 months later we find ourselves traveling with new friends, in good weather, and with an engine that will get us back to Newport and more. 

Obsession passing a freighter in Delaware Bay

Anticipation. 

Traveling through The Narrows, Hells Gate and the East River to Port Washington this time around seemed like a piece of cake. Last summer and fall we spent day after day studying charts, 

The New York Skyline and “the purple road”

the Eldridge, and working out the perfect time to travel through what we thought would be a treacherous area. This time around the planning was so much simpler. Using  Navionics and Aqua Map and Windy apps on our phones and iPad are second nature to us now, and again, we timed it right and we were able to sit back and enjoy the ride. 

The new World Trade Center

Anticipation. 

Last fall we traveled down Long Island Sound to Port Washington alone with the anticipation of meeting Catalina 42 owners Bob and Ann Snider in Northport and Dave Schiever and Michelle McTygue on Half Baked from Lake Erie, and Doug and Merri Purdy on Purdy Suite from Lake Champlain. And that we did! We enjoyed a lobster dinner with Bob and Ann in Northport, traveled with Michelle and Dave from Atlantic Highlands to Solomon’s where we met up with the Purdys and all 3 boats traveled together on and off to Belhaven. 

We had over a knot of current with us 

traveling through Hell’s Gate

We thought our trip home from Vero Beach would be lonely too, because we were so late in leaving. We met many traveling companions along the way, traveled with them a day or so then parted ways. 

The PT Barnum Ferry in Port Jefferson

However, this spring/summer we met Jim and Kelly Horan on their Lord Nelson 42, Fairwind, and have enjoyed sharing our Delaware Bay, New Jersey, NYC experiences and local knowledge of Long Island Sound with them.  We will say, “See ‘ya later.” to them as they travel on to Buzzards Bay and Jim’s childhood home of Padanaram, and we head to Newport, Obsession’s home.  We will meet up in Cuttyhunk later this summer, for sure!

S/V Fairwind-Kelly and Jim Horan

Anticipation.

Weather happens. Hurricanes too. Our late summer/early fall travels were affected by weather delays and 2 hurricanes. We sat out Hurricane Florence in Port Washington where we learned how to shop (we each carry only 2 bags and visit the store multiple times). We learned how to use Uber, and public transportation, and most important, how to practice patience.  Those 10 days seemed endless, but we made the best of them.  Unlike Hurricane Florence that dumped rain on us for days and kicked up high waves in Long Island Sound, Hurricane Michael was short lived with high winds and heavy rain over the course of the one night we were dockside in Solomon’s. 

In contrast, our trip north we have had many days with the threat of thunderstorms. All along the Jersey Coast and Long Island Sound these past two weeks we’ve managed to dodge them. Sometimes leaving port early, sometimes stopping early, sometimes not traveling at all. The worst arrived our last night in Block Island.  We were safe, on a mooring, and watched the “show”  from our enclosed cockpit. 

WELCOME HOME! 

Waiting for the thunderstorm to reach

 us in Block Island

Anticipation. 

So, technically our Dream Retirement Cruise has come full circle. We left Newport early last August to enjoy a last visit to the Vineyard,and Cuttyhunk, then headed to Block Island where we officially turned south. We left with joy and anticipation of sailing to new ports and harbors. 

Atlantic City-the City with Lights all Night

And it is with joy and anticipation that we have returned to travel and sail our familiar home waters and visit our favorite ports and harbors. Although this journey has come to an end we are looking forward to a summer of visiting Cuttyhunk, Block Island, The Vineyard and Narragansett Bay. The Travels Aboard Obsession Blog will continue until Obsession is sold. The For Sale sign is on her bow, and we are discussing our plans for our Travels After Obsession. Thanks for traveling with us. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! And I hope you will continue to Travel with us Aboard Obsession and After Obsession. 

Obsession arriving in Newport Harbor

And tomorrow we might not be together

I'm no prophet and I don't know nature's ways

So I'll try and see into your eyes right now

And stay right here 'cause these are the good old days

And stay right here 'cause these are the good old days

Anticipation, anticipation

Is makin' me late

Is keepin' me waitin'

ANTICIPATION