Hingham Adventures: Connecting & Reconnecting

Seems I'm always playing catch-up.  This article was written in Albany (actually Rensselear on the east side of the Hudson) on Wednesday while we were waiting for parts (an ECU and a SAM) to get the Pershing 64 moving.

Context: This article covers the short period between our arrival in Hingham on Monday afternoon and my departure on Sunday (5/12) to join my friends David and Sophocles to bring David's new boat north.

I arrived in Hingham on Monday at 2:00 PM on Guided Discovery accompanied by my friends and fellow crew members, Dick Singer and Phil Fuoco.  We had been on the water non-stop for 57 hours.  Diana arrived by car with Kodi just prior to our arrival and was on the dock to greet us.  We had accomplished our goal to have the family, the boat and the car in Hingham Massachusetts.

Here's some views of our "home" for the summer:

Looking Southeast at the marina and adjacent buildings

From the flybridge looking east

Boat deck west into the cove on the Weymouth Back River

Kodi at Stodder's Neck with the Hingham Shipyard in the background

Looking northeast from Stodder's Neck
Oasis is on the left Guided Discovery is to the right

Hinghan Shipyard is an amazing place and part of World War II history.  Here they built 227 warships between 1942 and 1944.  Today it is a shopping center, a 500 slip marina and the ferry dock to Boston.

There are two grocery stores, Fresh Market and Trader Joe's, seven restaurants, a multi-screen stadium-seat movie theater, a Bed Bath and Beyond, an Old Navy and lots of shops.  We had dinner with Cliff and Rob from Oasis at Alma Nove on Thursday evening.  It was excellent.  No surprise. Tripadvisor rates them #2 in Hingham.

Hingham is also an amazing place. Settled in 1633 it is, today, a bedroom suburb of Boston that can be reached in 35 minutes on the ferry that docks at Hingham Shipyard.  By car it's a little more challenging especially at rush hour. Citydata's website tells you a lot about this city with a population of 22,157.  Median Household income is $96,000 as compared to Massachusetts at $63,000.  Median home value is $631,000 as compared to Mass at $326,000.  This is a lovely place to live. It's also just a short car or dingy ride to Hull Massachusetts where I spent my summers growing up.  My cousin Myrna, one of the last four of our generation, and her husband, Kenny live in Hull.  We plan to reconnect with them as soon as I get back.

Lesley and my granddaughter, Amelia, drove up from Rhode Island to visit us on Tuesday.  This was the first time I saw them since they joined us at the end of the Miami Boat Show in February.  Lesley cooked a lovely steak dinner for us (Diana, Phil and myself).  Phil had stayed aboard to do a little Boston sightseeing.

We dined "formally" in the salon for the first time.  We can easily have six people around the table comfortably using the deck chairs.  Amelia and Kodi both cooperated for this photo.

Amelia, Lesley, Diana, Kodi, Phil and an empty seat for me

Amelia, who was just days short of 19 months, had fun reading with Diana while Lesley reconnected with the Furry Kid.  Unfortunately, Wednesday was a school day and Lesley left shortly after dinner.

Amelia loves books

She really LOVES books.  She's being raised "no TV"

On Thursday evening, Cliff and Rob arrived on Oasis (70 Delta) to join us for the evening on their way to Boston.  They are eventually headed to Newfoundland and the Saint Lawrence Seaway.

Oasis arriving in Hingham with Cliff at the port side controls

Kodi reconnected with her friend Sarina.  Later in the afternoon we took the dogs to Stodder's Neck Park, which is immediately east of Hingham Shipyard and less than a 10 minute walk.  Stodder's Neck is a dog park where dogs are "unofficially" allowed off leash.  Yelp rates it 4.5 stars. The park used to be an artillery battery protecting Hingham and Quincy Shipyards during WWII.  It's lovely and well maintained.

On Friday, I joined Cliff and Rob on Oasis for an early morning cruise to Boston.  Oasis is an amazing boat. While only being 7 feet longer the Guided Discovery, she sports a beam of 22 feet.  This boat in extremely roomy.  Cliff built her 20 years ago at the Northern Marine Shipyard.  She is a singe engine trawler capable of crossing the Atlantic Ocean.  She is the best equipped trawler I've ever seen and she is in absolutely pristine condition.  We met Cliff in February at Marina Bay Marina while we were commissioning and outfitting Guided Discovery.

Oasis on Friday morning

Guided Discovery viewed from Oasis

Boston at 7:00 AM on a very cloudy Friday morning

Fan Pier.  The largest development project in Boston
My sister, Myrna, is the developers's Chief Legal Officer

Rowes Wharf - Another of my sister's projects

Rob, Cliff and Sarina at Boston Waterboat Marina

Oasis as viewed from the ferry leaving Boston enroute to Hingham Shipyard

I returned home of the 9:10 ferry.  The trip took 35 minutes and cost $4.00 one way.  While enroute the visibility dropped to 1/32nd of a mile.  Welcome to New England weather.  Diana and Kodi met me at the ferry dock.

Ferry dock at Hingham Shipyard

Speaking of my sister.  We reconnected with Myrna who drove down from Cambridge on Friday night.  We had a spectacular dinner in Hingham at the Square Cafe (#3 in Hingham).  Myrna had also joined us for the christening ceremony at the Miami Boat Show.

I left Diana, Kodi, Lesley, Myrna, Guided Discovery, Stodder's Neck, Hingham and Hingham Shipyard on Sunday afternoon to start a 2,460 nautical mile (2,829 SM) cruising adventure from Fort Lauderdale to Chicago. It was not easy to leave.

Written by Les.