Perfect Weather Makes for a Great Weekend!!

We arrived on the Vineyard friday afternoon after ploughing our way through some quite rough seas and plenty of rain. We made our way into a little harbour called Oak Bluffs and were relieved to find that there were plenty of mooring balls for us to choose from. That evening we were waiting on the arrival of Lisa, Taylors girlfriend, who was arriving by fast cat ferry. Lisa was coming to the Vineyard to celebrate her birthday, and you cant have a birthday without balloons and a birthday cake!!! (Awwww - look at the cute couple!!) After Lisa's arrival onboard Lucey it wasn't long before the champagne was opened. We all dug into some wonderful pizzas from the local pizza shop and chatted about our travels. Some cake and tasty champagne toasts later, we all retired for the evening.

The following day we set out from our harbor to do some exploring via sea. We headed to Edgartown for the day, a nearby harbor on the same island, where we explored and enjoyed lunch at a nearby deli. We couldn't have asked for better weather - it was 80 degrees and nothing but sun... time to get back that elusive tan! Later in the afternoon we sailed back to Oak Bluffs. This evening the harbor was much more crowded as the weekend crews had arrived to share in the spectacular warm days. Taylor and Lisa trekked off to dinner and Lisa's birthday hotel surprise. Dan and Erin relaxed with a movie and some wine while they waited to meet up with Erin's friends Jamie and Greg. We headed out to the local bars where Jamie and Erin proceeded to get a little bit (ok, a lot) tipsy and later returned to the boat to entertain our friends with some music and dancing. Erin and Jamie retired early that evening (2am) while Dan and Greg carried on until nearly 6am.
A couple hours of napping and it was time to wake up and greet our friends Bob and Laura who were arriving from the mainland via fast ferry. Well some of us know how much fun 8am on a Sunday can be - suffice to say we were a little bit hurt from the previous evening. Bob and Laura treated us to a lovely breakfast as Jamie and Greg parted ways. Taylor and Lisa arrived shortly after from their romantic evening and the six of us headed out for a day sail - another perfect weather day!! We motored a short ways out (no wind - go figure!!) and anchored across from a beach on the opposite side of the island where we enjoyed sunbathing, eating, and each other's company. Lisa even managed to catch a flounder, a flat round fish, which was thrown back at Taylor's behest because he could not bear to keep it!! For the record, Dan and Erin have been trying to catch a fish with our new rods for nearly two months now - and Lisa did it on the first attempt!! Not fair!! Apparently we need some lessons - haha! Another wonderful sunny day and we returned to our harbor once more where we bid a sad farewell to Lisa and made our way to dinner with Bob and Laura. The five of us enjoyed some very tasty italian food at Jimmy Seas (not to mention colassal portions) and then bid farewell to Bob and Laura. The remaining three (the Lucey Blue family) returned to our home on the ocean and chatted about what a fun weekend we had before tucking in.

Monday morning arrived and Dan and Erin decided to explore the vineyard via bicycle. We took a leisurely 15 mile ride around the island, stopping for lunch overlooking the water, and then headed back to Lucey. We enjoyed a fish feast onboard and headed off to bed early once more. On Tuesday we set sail for Block Island, a quaint and popular destination off the coast of Rhode Island. We managed to catch both the sun and the wind (20 kts) and made it to our destination in record time. This night played out like many others - we settled in, relaxed with a drink, and headed out for dinner at a local watering hole. This time of year a lot of the popular tourist destinations in New England are winding down - alas, it feels like the end of summer - but we are enjoying the peace and quiet beauty of all these places minus the buzzing crowds. It can be rather refreshing!!
Today is Wednesday (sorry to all for the delay on the blogs) and we are sailing a short ways to Mystic, Conneticut to explore one of the most famous maritime museums in the country and later a movie at the local theater. Today will be a relaxing and fun day - we will be sure to share pictures with you all in the next blog. Our destination after today? Long Island, New York - where Dan and Erin will have the chance to explore the big city of New York, New York while Lucey rests at port for a while. Taylor even mentioned sailing up the Hudson River directly into the city, which should be absolutely amazing!! Until next time - Love to all - Erin & Dan

ps - dan can get a little cranky if there are no pictures of him in our blogs, so to include him in this one we will add a brief glimpse - here he is sportin a pony tail... time for a haircut?? You be the judge!!