Gloucester

Ahoy mates it's me Matt. Today I had pancakes for breakfast made by Dad. Then they went home and on the way they pick up our new puppy. During the ride to Gloucester we saw a sea going tugboat and Nana taught me how to use A.I.S. I read a book on the Revolutionary War. Then we arrived and saw a cool speed boat. We went to get some milk, ice, and ice cream. More tomorrow on Matt's Blog

Matthew's family left this morning after a night on the boat - and lots of fireworks once again! They will meet up with us again in Maine in two weeks for some sailing. On the way home, they'll pick up their new Golden Retriever puppy.

We set out for Gloucester around 11:00 but there was no wind but also no waves so it was a smooth ride. The Harbor Master had moorings for rent ($25/night) which you can also reserve which we did and picked up the same mooring (T3) we had last year. The Harbor Master was very friendly and promised warmer weather for next week! It was only in the upper 60's today. We dinked to Brown's Marina for milk, ice cream and ice. We watched all the returning cruise boats: the whale watching boat, the sunset cruise, etc. It's a very busy harbor. Tomorrow we're headed for Portsmouth, a 35 mile run and we'll probably be motoring there too. We don't expect to do much sailing until we reach Maine. Then we'll sail in whatever direction the winds blow. The other advantage of Maine is that the winds dependably come up in the afternoon due to the temperature differential between the land (hot) and the water (cold). The air over the land rises and the cooler air over the water rushes in to fill the void, creating the steady afternoon breeze perfect for sailing since it's usually a broadside reach along the coast. Due to the same reason, the breeze always dies at night for a restful anchorage. We're looking forward to it!