People Who Need People!

Thursday’s storm missed Mystic! When I settled up with the dock master, he gave us two tickets to return to the Mystic Seaport Museum. The museum has made several changes to be covid compliant.

Eric and I met Chris who is Vice President of Watercraft Preservation and Programs. Turns out Chris is from Michigan and we had a few friends in common. After chatting about the government boat they were working on, he said, “Do you want to see something really cool?” He took us to a warehouse where the donations they don’t have room to display are stored. Absolute treasure trove of American nautical history. They have the widest variety of engines Eric has ever seen. Many he had only read about. Small craft that ranged from Native American dugout canoe, walrus skinned Eskimo kayak, Laser sailboat #1 , and the original Boston Whaler. And everything in between sail and power.

The mermaids are made of ivory.

Sunday we ran into a little adventure. A boat neighbor’s propellor picked up a mooring chain laying on the river bottom during low tide and wrapped it firmly around the prop and shaft.

Eric spent the next two hours wrestling to unwind the chain since Bob was in his 80’s. Eventually, Bob’s grandson who was a diver showed up to finish the job. Good deeds in the sailing community don’t go unnoticed. Bob came over with a bottle of Newport Rum and his friend offered us a free mooring in front of his house in Old Saybrook.

Katherine Hepburn has a museum and cultural center in the town. Unfortunately, because of covid it isn’t open. The flower beds are beautiful.

On our way to see Katherine’s museum we met a singing 80 year old archeologist on the street corner. He is planning to have tourist trips to under water city in the Caribbean. Eric walked away with a new t-shirt and interesting conversation.

Today, we took an Uber to a delightful town of Essex. We walked around the water front , shopped the stores, and took a ferry to an island for a beer. We could not get an Uber or Lyft back to Old Saybrook. Eric was inquiring at the hotel about a bus, an elderly lady commented on his wooden boat t-shirt. She said if we could walk a mile to her house she would give us a ride.

Ina was recovering from back surgery and could barely walk. She introduced us to a monument for her daughter Morgan, who it turned out was a standard poodle. We learned how intelligent Morgan was and supposedly houses only stay on the market a day because everyone wants to live near Morgan. We were grateful for the ride in her Mini Cooper.

Eric’s books:

Finding Pax by Kaci Cronkhite 5. Must read for any wooden boat enthusiast

Typhoon Fury by Clive Cussler 3 predictable.

Valhalla Exchange by Jack Higgins. 4 fast pace

Sharon’s books:

Before and After by Judy Christie 4

White Lioness by Henning Mankell 3

I’ve been reading this book for 6 months. In the end I liked the book. I just got “ stuck”

Obviously, we had two days of solid rain.

Fair winds. Eric and Sharon