The folks on SV Endeavor host a SSCA Gam every
year, this being the 25th consecutive gathering here in Islesboro. Jule
III could not attend but Bob was chosen to represent her at the Gam. We
had a car for Ann's weekly visit to the doctor, so Bob headed off to
Maine, took the ferry to Islesboro, and attended the dinghy raft up on
Friday and the potluck and discussion sessions on Saturday.
Jinny and JW of SV Over Budget were kind enough to provide
Bob with a place to stay and lots of food and drink. Over Budget is a 49
foot Hylas with lots of room so everyone was comfortable. He felt
really welcome. It was sad that Ann could not come due to her healing
leg. The doctor indicated that it would not be a good idea for her to
travel the 5 hours each way.
The dinghy raft-up was on Friday where lots
of food was passed around ... and around and around. Bob ate too much
rich stuff and paid the price on Saturday with a very upset stomach. He
took a pass on the potluck, listened to the sea tunes, talked a bit to
fellow cruisers, then headed back on the 5 hour trip back. We later
learned that there would be no 26th celebration of the Gam so it was
good that at least one of us could attend.
Lilli is coming to visit on Jule III here in Onset. We
can't wait until she arrives. Sammy is waiting for her visit also. We
used our rental car to pick her up but we had to detour to Wilmington NC
for a funeral of a dear friend. It was a 10 hour drive from Lilli's
house to Onset. We were tired.
Mr. Dave was the Onset launch pilot who we relied on
to get us to and from the boat. Ann had strict instructions not to get
her leg wet so the dinghy was out of the question. We had good
conversations during our 5-10 minute rides to town or the yacht club.
Lilli enjoyed the rides also. Still she would rather travel in the big boat.
Lilli insisted on sleeping in Grandpa's berth along with
her Mr. Smoothie. Poor Grandpa had to sleep in the main salon with Sammy
Jane (until she moved to sleep with Ann). She would cozy up with
Smoothie, have her snacks, and watch a movie on her DVD. Life was good
for the girl and for us!
The girl and GPO (that's Bob) headed to the beach
with Grandma. The sandy bottom wasn't too sandy (but rather mooshy) so
we decided to build a sand lake. Grandma could not play in the sand due
to her leg ... but she could watch.
We took the launch to the local pizza place, Marc
Anthony's, where we all got pizza (each there own). She played a game at
Marc Anthony's where she won a stuffed shark. She loves stuffed animals
so she was thrilled the rest of the night. For some reason she did not
want to remove her life vest and she continued to wear it most of the
night. Strange girl.
A day of miniature golf and a lunch time
snack was enjoyed by all. There is a place in Onset that provides all
day miniature golf for $7.95. Not a bad price and a great course. We
won't say who win 'cause that is not proper. We all had hot dogs and
the girls had ice cream.
Lilli 'bought' Grandma a mesh swing and she wanted to see
it in action! So Grandpa hoisted it up on a spare jib halyard, placed a
couple of ropes to stabilize it and Caramba, a swing. Grandma had to
fight Lilli to get some time on the swing. It was a big hit but
everybody was sad when we had to take it down for a storm.
Miss Lilli got dinghy driving lessons and she did
a wonderful job driving us back and forth to the dinghy dock. She was
not allowed to play with the throttle but she had complete control of
steering. It reminded us of Collin's first dinghy drive many years
before. Grandkids are cool.
The night before she left, there was the "Illumination", a
tradition held for many years in the Onset Harbor. Everywhere we
looked, we saw bright red lights (flares) on the coastline. It was
truly a breath taking sight ... and we got to see it all from the
cockpit of Jule. Not a bad finale for Lilli's visit.
;
