Holed up on the Vineyard

On October 28th we sailed to Martha’s Vineyard where we got a spot on the Black Dog docks. This was a lucky spot to wait out a weather window to continue south. Being low season we had the marina almost to ourselves. Our only neighbors were Qif from Europe which is an aluminum hull expedition boat equipped with many bikes ridden by the couple who sail it. The other boat was a beautiful all wooden schooner, Juno, who summers in Martha’s Vineyard and winters in St Barts. We met two of the crew who were preparing the boat for their first leg to Bermuda. One of the crew is a Dad who lives in Steamboat Springs, CO and spends weeks at a time working on the boat.

We took lots of walks, got Josephine some warm clothes and even completed a puzzle. While getting some papers notarized we chatted with two local lawyers who told us about the island’s struggle for teachers. Many of them have to ferry in each day to work because there is not affordable housing.

On a sunny day we rented bikes and rode 8 miles to Edgartown. Along the way we passed the “Jaws bridge” which was fun because we rewatched the movie while here. We also viewed the Gingerbread houses in Oak Bluffs which were originally built to house the Methodist campers who gathered each summer in the 19th century. They almost seemed like dollhouses with small proportions and elaborate details. The winner of the day was Rosewater cafe which had the best veggie burger I have ever eaten. The food was so good that Nate and I took the city bus there the next day.

We managed to get a few items checked off the list which also entailed Nate going up the mast. Halloween was celebrated with a sunset fire and phone call to Vector, I mean Addy.