After an enjoyable and memorable 3 months we are once again underway. The Rose and her crew are headed south in search of warmer water and temperatures. Our departure had been delayed while we waited for the residuals from Hannah to leave the area. At this point it appears that Ike will only graze, (we hope) the Keys and then head into the Gulf.

As we appraoched the end of boating season, Greenwich Bay North was the setting for the dock party to end all parties with food and drink supplied by the tenants of Dock 13. I would guess that there were 40-50 in attendance and the festivities continued until 11:00 p.m

The weeks in between our arrival on Memorial Day and Labor Day were chock full of family and friends.This is Evelyn the youngest of our 4 grandchildren. She insisted that Grandma wear a crown also!

This year our three eldest grandchildren, (Joshua, Sofia & Victor) slept aboard on a couple of occasions and they also had a chance to do some fishing here in the marina.
We spent time with all of our children and family, while the summer weather cooperated with the best Rhode Island has to offer.

As you can see, we had a good time and we eat whatever we catch!

We were delighted that our cruising friends Ty and Suzanne whom we met on the Potomac River made time during a road trip to detour to The Rose so that we could share the fine Italian cooking at Lucce here in Warwick.

In August we attended the 33rd Annual Murgo family reunion along with 121 descendants of my grandparents. One set of grandparents, 8 brothers and sisters, 4 generations present and 33 consecutive years. Quite an accomplishment!

On a sad note, we lost our cousin Donna this summer after a fierce 8 month battle with Creutzfeld-Jakob disease. For the last few years while travelling up and down the coast we made our way to the Brewer Yard in Stamford, CT and would spend a couple of days visiting with Donna & Tom who live nearby in Old Greenwich, CT. Despite a hectic and demanding schedule of working and raising a family they always made time to wine and dine with us. Her hospitality, wit and smile will be missed and our sympathy and prayers go out to her husband Tom, sons Dom & Vic and their families.

As always, we have enjoyed socializing with our dock buddies here in Greenwich Bay. Many of our neighbors have cruising dreams and are simply waiting for the right time and circumstances. The snapshot to the right is Gail from, "No Regrets". She likes Rum.....a lot!

This year our plans are to spend about a month making our way south along the Atlantic seaboard from Rhode Island to Florida. We expect to do some sightseeing while on the Chesapeake, likely the Eastern Shore where we really enjoy anchoring and exploring small fishing villages. Baltimore is another favorite stop so if the weather cooperates it will also be on our itinerary. As always we are travelling with one eye focused on our weather system, watching for storms. The good news is that we have a number of, “hurricane holes” identified; places where we can tuck in and wait for storms to pass.

We bought a, “Hookah” rig this summer that will allow me to dive and check the bottom of the boat, zincs and the props should the need arise. This is an 110v system, a small compressor that operates without oil. It maintains sufficient air pressure to supply one diver to relatively shallow depths. There have been times when we picked up line from an unmarked crab pot or other debris in our props. Rather than pull into a marina for a quick haul or a diver, I’ll be able to slip into the water and look for myself. I used it this year to check the running gear and zincs prior to leaving. Special thanks to Tim and Lisa our divers who helped me order and assemble this unit.

We plan to spend the winter in Marathon, FL at the same marina we enjoyed last year. Plans beyond that are still in the formative stage but they have our deposit and have guaranteed the same slip.
If you have a question about a route or destination we selected, (or any other issue) feel free to fire off an e-mail and we’ll do our best to answer it. We nearly always have an internet connection with our Verizon Air Card running in the pilothouse.

Paul & Connie

M/V The Rose, GH37

Anchored at Westbrook, CT