Boston's Constitution Marina became Zia's home once again, four years after our first sojourn in the city.  This time around we were right below the Charlestown Bridge instead of next to the USS Constitution and its twice daily canon blasts.  The traffic was surprisingly easy to get used to and it added to the pleasant sensation of being city dwellers during our brief, five night stay.

     I have to confess that we didn't do a lot of touring while in Boston this time around.  The weather was partly to blame, as it rained for two of our four days there.  It's no excuse, but we found ourselves busy with other things instead.  We connected with lots of old friends.  The Delaney family headed into the city to meet us for dinner as soon as they heard we were in town.  With three kids and the scheduling nightmare that entails, they haven't been able to meet us on Zia during our travels but our reunion in Boston was wonderful.  Cody and Dana and their three kids (last seen in St. Maarten) hosted us for the night at their farm in Raymond, New Hampshire.  We took a train from the nearby North Station on a rainy Friday.  The horses and chickens and their faithful dog Griffin provided loads of excitement for our animal-deprived kids. 

And our kite boarding instructor, Jean, hosted us for a dinner at his home in Watertown, just outside of Boston.  His 10-year old daughter Julia got along famously with our kids and almost came sailing to Block Island with us when we left the next day.  Unfortunately, logistics got too complicated and we were forced to abandon the plan but maybe we'll get the chance to do it some other time. 

     Our arrival in Boston was timed in order to meet my sister, Kathy and her daughter Kayla.  Kayla had signed up for a nine day visit with us on Zia and Kathy came out with her for a mother/daughter weekend in the city.  Kayla was a little apprehensive about spending so much time so far away from her parents. After a boring first day of motoring south, and a bout of seasickness as we met the Atlantic swells at the southern end of Buzzards Bay, she discovered that she was actually pretty comfortable hanging out with her cousins on the boat.  We arrived in Block Island on Tuesday morning, and vowed to remain for the duration of her stay.  She was happy not to have to face another passage and more nausea.  It also helped that our friends on Sky were there with their two girls and two of their friends as well.  It was another rat pack of seven little girls terrorizing the beaches of the island. 

     Cassie, Kayla, and Juliana got along famously.  If there were any clashes, they worked them out by themselves.  Of course, my two had their typical little spats, but the dynamics between the three of them were a joy to observe. 

Riding bikes, playing in the waves, painting rocks, and even wandering around the small town of New Shoreham alone, the girls shared their experiences and observations enthusiastically.  Since Kayla and her family had spent a week with us on Zia in the Virgin Islands, she was familiar enough with the routine on the boat to feel comfortable.  It was a joy to have her all to ourselves.

     Block Island in August is kind of a zoo.  Town is full of vacationing families staying at the numerous bed and breakfast style hotels on the island, or on one of the hundreds of boats in the harbor.  Luckily, the anchorage is large enough that you can always find room, even for a big catamaran like Zia.  Approaching the island, just like our arrival four years ago, we found ourselves surrounded by thick, impenetrable fog.  Again, we were struck by the sharp contrast between our reaction to the challenge of navigating in the pea soup this time versus our experience four years ago.  All those passages using the radar, judging the trajectories of big ships and using our Nobeltec software on almost a daily basis left us calm, cool and collected as we converged on the entrance to Great Salt Pond along with a few dozen other boats.  What a difference compared to the barely controlled panic that we felt upon our previous arrival in Block Island.

     We enjoyed days of lounging on the beach and shared dinners with Sky and our friends Ron and Bonnie.  Back in Annapolis everyone was too busy for us to spend much time together but we had arranged to all meet here for the first two weeks of August when Ron and Bonnie planned to enjoy their home on the island which is rented out the rest of the summer.  We got a little kiting in, although the conditions weren't great.  We watched in amazement as Ron was able to kite effortlessly in 12 to 13 knots of breeze, which is just too light for us to do anything with.  And if we thought Ron was impressive, his sons Alex and Britton, 19 year old twins, were astonishing.  I can only hope to one day master control of the kite half as well as they do. 

     Like real islanders, we hoped on the ferry on Tuesday morning, going "off island" to deliver the three girls to the Providence airport where they embarked on a flight to Chicago to visit my sister Kim.  It was the beginning of a nearly three week adventure for the girls who will continue onto Seattle from there.  Gran and Gramps eagerly await their arrival.  Uncle Jim and Aunt Kathy have a big camping trip planned to celebrate Jim's 50th.  It is something of a tradition for the girls to go camping with Uncle Jim whenever they go to Seattle in the summertime and they were so looking forward to it, as well as spending time with my parents.   We miss you girls!

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