Cousin Reunion

The past 2 days we have been up the Connecticut River, on a mooring at the Essex Yacht Club.  Last evening, my cousin, Bruce Fletcher and his wife, Chris, drove down from New Britain, CT for dinner.  We haven't had regular contact with any of the Fletcher cousins since we were children, but have fond memories of  staying at MaryJane and Walt's house with their three children, Bruce, Craig, and Bonnie every year or so, when we were growing up.  It was good to see both of them, catching up on both our families.  We hope to see Bonnie and Craig as we continue cruising, as Bonnie is in Nantucket and Craig in Hingham, MA.

Essex has been a delightful town to explore, starting with the Connecticut River Museum, highlighting the history of the river from the 1600's through the present.  They have a replica of the first submarine(see picture), which was used in the Revolutionary War.  The river actually starts up at the Canadian border at 4 small lakes, winding it's way down, defining the border between New Hampshire and Vermont, and through the middle of MA and CT.  Of course, like many seaside towns, there are numerous shops, a few restaurants, a lovely inn, and gorgeous old homes from the 1800's.  We ate breakfast  at Marley's restaurant on an island that we had to take a ferry, 30 feet across from the mainland to the restaurant.

We are presently waiting until midday, before leaving with the tide to sail to Stonington, CT, where we will meet up with our old friends, Nick and Sue, and go to their house in Webster, MA for 2 nights.  The currents are strong enough in the eastern section of the Sound to wait until we have a 2 knot current pushing us along rather than back.  Since the boat only goes about 6 knots, 2 knots makes quite a difference.  The day is glorious with brilliant blue skies and low humidity, after rain came through two days ago.