My deal with Outer Reef allows them to display the 63 in four boat shows. We knocked off three in February and March (Miami, Palm Beach and Lake Park) during the process of commissioning and outfitting. That left us with one more show and 22 months in which to do it. Our feeling after three shows was to wait a year or more before doing another.
Explanatory Note: Doing a boat show is a big deal. Depending on the size of the show, you have to arrive as much as three days in advance to "install" the boat in the complex of docks as they build the show around you. Fuel to and from the show is on your nickel. You have to arrive at a time of the show management's choosing. Then during the show you are expected to be off the boat, usually 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Additionally, the expectation is the boat is left in pristine condition with all formal soft goods in place (i.e., spreads, shams and pillows) and everything put away. And finally, people get to walk through your boat (escorted of course with shoes off).
When Outer Reef asked me in June to do the Newport Show I immediately said yes. Not because I like boat shows (which I don't) but because I like Outer Reef. My agreement to do this show was a direct result of their incredible responsiveness and cooperation since the beginning of this endeavor and to this very day. The cost to bring the boat to Newport and return it to Hingham in fuel alone is one thousand dollars. Then there's nine days of our time.
There are some benefits. We get free dockage, this time in a popular cruising destination, and, Outer Reef springs for a first class "boat show detailing" that cleans every nook and cranny of the exterior.
The Newport International Boat Show starts on Thursday September 11 and runs to Sunday the 14th. Our Move-in-Notice from the show's operator called for us to arrive between 8:00 and 11:00 AM on Monday the 8th. The distance from Hingham to Newport is 104 nautical miles, which for us at 8.3 knots translates into a 12 hour run. This meant that we would have to leave Sunday morning and stage the boat at a marina close to Newport. The other option was leaving a approximately 9:00 PM on Sunday evening and running down the coast at night, which is not a good option due to extensive lobster buoys.
Between the time we agreed to do the show and our Move-in-Date we sold the Chicago townhouse and agreed to a September 19 closing date (which as of today moved ahead to the 12th). Thus my departing Chicago last Tuesday and leaving Diana to finish the "vacating" process (see Closing a Chapter: Selling the Chicago Property). That left me single handing the 63 to Newport. Doable but not a great idea.
Lesley and Scott to the rescue. Again timing played a big part. Scott's "Aquasport" Cape Cod jet ski rental season ended on Labor Day and thus he and Lesley were free to join me for the run to Newport. We decided to make it a weekend event with a fun day on Saturday and a cruise to Wickford, RI on Sunday. Lesley's shih tzu, Kiwi, came as a "stowaway."
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| Kiwi, the stowaway |
Saturday was in fact great fun. We launched the tender and zipped over to Hull for a ride on the carousel and fun at the penny arcade, which today is all that is left of Paragon Park, an amusement part that opened at the turn of the 20th century and closed in 1984.
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Amelia riding the beautiful antique carousel that I rode as a kid (circa 1950)
Lesley rode also as a kid (circa 1988) |
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| Paragon Park circa 1983 |
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| Paragon Park in 1905 |
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| Lesley and Amelia pose behind a model of the Giant Coaster in the Paragon Park Museum |
The 98 foot tall Giant Coaster was completed in 1917 and was at the time the largest roller coaster in the world. It's record was not surpassed until 1925 when a 100 footer was built in Revere Massachusetts. The Giant Coaster was bought at auction in 1985 and today continues to operate at Six Flags America in Prince Georges County Maryland.
No visit to Paragon Park would be complete without a stop at the penny arcade, which still operates today and looks and feels much like it did in the 50s. The family played Skeeball as shown by the photos below. Definitely a game of skill and luck. Skeeball awards tickets that are redeemable for prizes based on your score. Amelia was fascinated by the tickets and worked as the official ticket collector. We redeemed our 'winnings" for four small turtles. Amelia is in to turtles.
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| Lesley looks on as Scott is introduced to Skeeball. Amelia collects tickets |
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| Skeeball |
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| Amelia totally involved with collecting tickets |
Did I mention the cruise over to Hull? Well I should. The wind was quite brisk out of the south southwest giving us a 1.5 to 2 foot following sea as we crossed the bay. The AB DLX13 handled it quite easily. It was the return trip I worried about. I kidded with Lesley and Scott by frequently saying "did I mention that it is going to be wet on the ride home/" Well it was and it wasn't. The carousel is located at the end of the Weir River, a short stream and estuary that empties into Hingham Bay. The river is a no wake zone for a considerable distance into the bay. Yes, you got it, we had a head sea for the return trip. We definitely got wet as we motored slowly into the bay. Once clear of the no wake zone the 60 HP Yamaha got us up on plane as we zipped over the waves at 20 MPH. Amelia handled the whole thing without a tear.
Sunday's cruise could not have been nicer. The weather was perfect with light winds out of the north and temperatures in the high 60s. We departed Hingham at 7:00 AM, entered the Cape Cod Canal at 12:42 PM with a favorable current and docked at the Wickford Shipyard at 7:15 PM.
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| A barge in tow overtakes us in Hingham Bay. |
Fast barge story: The met the barge in tow (actually being pushed) just as we joined the main channel after leaving Hingham. We took the inside route while the tow ran considerable further to the east. We arrived at the Cape Cod Canal some 50 miles south no more than 4 minutes apart.
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| Amelia with Scott at the helm |
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| Lesley, Amelia and Scott as he navigates the Cape Code Canal |
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| Amelia enjoys corn on the cob as we cruise south to Rhode Island |
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| A magnificent home along our route |
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| The Beaver Tail Lighthouse welcomes us as we turn north into Narraganset Bay at 6:14 PM |
Statistics:
- Distance 103.5 miles
- Time enroute: 12 hours and 15 minutes
- Fuel use: 116.5 gallons
- Efficiency: .89 Gallons Per Mile
- Average speed: 8.5 knots
- Maximum Speed: 12.6 knots (in the Cape Cod Canal).
The only glitch on the whole trip was electric power. I docked bow in to starboard on an end slip only to discover that my power cord would not reach. No problem. We spun the boat around.
Kodi had a great time also and was glad to hit land after over 12 hours on the water.
Written by Les.
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