Sun of a Sailor Goes Cruising

I have made it to Maine after cruising nearly 1,600 nautical miles.  I cannot believe that I am actually cruising the coast of Maine.  It is absolutely beautiful and it is truly a special place.  The coastline changes dramatically as you pass Boston and continue North.  The sandy beaches and bluffs along the Coast from the Long Island area north and east give way to a more rocky coastline and then when you hit Maine the rocky shore and seascape is dramatic.  It is unlike any of the other coastal areas that I have passed through on my way here.  It would take a geo-scientist (which I'm not - to explain the change in the coastline - but take my word for it - it is really something to see and experience. I have mentioned the term 'gunkholing' before in my blog but Maine must really be the Capital of Gunkholing.  There are literally countless places to anchor the boat.  You can choose from a harbor with a nearby town, or you can find a secluded ...

This blog is about fog... I was stuck in fog for the past several days and had lots of time to reflect on fog.  I found this poem by Carl Sandburg - I hope you like it... There are many different types of fog.  I won't bore you with a description of the different types and the origins of fog, but it's safe to say that when you're on a boat and the fog rolls in - it is an eerie experience.   When the fog was at it's thickest - most dense - I could not see more than a boat's length all around me.  I could see the moisture ('moys-ja' in New England accent) and I could almost taste the water vapor in the air. An interesting thing happens when you're in the fog.  All your other senses are heightened.  You hear sounds and you can smell things that might otherwise go unnoticed.  Your mind also plays tricks on you and you see things - some of which are there and others only in your mind.  Your sense of touch changes as you simply cannot get dry...

For those unfamiliar with this famous quote, it is the opening line in Herman Melville's classic tale - 'Moby Dick'...  Now - you must be wondering why I'd start a blog post with this quote.  Well - the answer is that I have spent the last couple of weeks in the New England area.  And, while this area is beautiful and picturesque, quaint, and all the many other adjectives you can use to describe it - I can't help but harken back to the days of the whaling merchants.  There are so many things that you see in and around these towns including actual artifacts from the whaling times. Here's a sculpture of a white whale on display in Nantucket. This trip into the past began for me when I spent the day at the Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut.  As museums go this one is the best.  You actually feel like you take a step back in time to a town in the whaling days on the New England coast.  The Mystic Village is set up just like a town would have be...