Bristol, Rhode Island

September 1-September 3

Two months in.  Ten to go.  What better way to start the third month of our family adventure than sailing together with friends in one of our favorite spots in the world?  We have spent a lot of time with Dave, Lana, Liam, and Calan Armitage this summer.  It has been a joy after years of living so far apart.  They live in Portsmouth, which is on the same island as Newport, Rhode Island.  We know Dave from racing on High Noon (Chris’ dad’s boat) in the nineties.  When he first met Lana, he brought her to Block Island Race Week and we hit it off right from the start.

The four of us have enjoyed a friendship that includes strong connections between each person.  We have celebrated our marriages, the births of our children, new homes, and personal successes.  Because of the distance between us, our visits have mostly been long weekends at one of our homes, complete with full days of fun, play, and excitement and late nights full of talking, laughing, and sharing our deepest thoughts and dreams.  What ices the cake is that our children all get along famously and require only intermittent snacks thrown at them to keep them happy while we chat, work on projects together, and make food.

We were all looking forward to an overnight trip together on Patronus.  The Armitages have been fierce supporters of our voyage since we shared our dream with them over a year ago.  Dave is a son of a sailor (like Chris), so he gets us.  Their sons are learning to sail in Newport, and Lana has enjoyed being on our boat many times.  She never got tired of listening to my lists of things to do last year as we prepared to depart (or at least didn’t let on, being the fabulous friend that she is).

We had fun choosing where to go for our Labor Day cruise and finally decided on Bristol, Rhode Island, which lies up the river from Newport.  On Saturday morning, we loaded all our provisions and set sail at 1300.  It was a gorgeous, crystal clear day with winds from the East at 5-15 knots.  We headed under the Newport Bridge, which is always fun for the kids.  As Chris and Dave walked around the decks inspecting hardware, sails, and lines, it became apparent to me that I was going to be driving the boat.  Dave, who is a professional sailor, gave me some great pointers and Chris got excited every time I gained time on another cruising boat that was headed the same way.  It’s always fun to race when the other boat doesn’t know that they are racing against you…

“The days pass happily with me wherever my ship sails.” -Joshua Slocum (who went slightly further than Newport to Bristol…He was the first man to sail solo around the world.)

More than once, Dave and I looked at each other and swelled with the joy of just being out on the water, sails up, kids hanging their legs over the side, and not being in any kind of rush.  As a racer (like us up until 2 1/2 months ago), Dave is used to a very different sailing experience.  Racing at his level is done on tricked out raceboats with very little in the way of comforts down below or up on deck.  From the moment you get on the boat, the goal is to GO FAST.  Not to “look at the sun glistening on the water”.  Not to “listen to the waves lapping on the hull”.  Not to “watch your children’s bright faces as they swing on the boom”.  And certainly not to think, “Hey.  Whenever we get there is cool.”  Dave looked like he could get used to cruising in about 47 seconds.

We were headed up the river towards Bristol, but we had all day and we were enjoying being together.  There were lots of other boats out on the water- enough to lend a party atmosphere to the scene and not so many that it felt like “traffic”.  The kids played up on the deck, had snacks, and spent time playing cards down below.  We listened to music up on deck as we sailed back and forth across the river.  The best part was when Calan got interested in helping us tack (turn the boat).  We assigned him a job and the next thing we knew, all the kids were involved.  This is know for sure.  Tacking with kids is NOT FAST.  But it is the cutest thing ever.

See the kids tacking the boat here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQLbVQmt9g0

By 1630, we were moored in Bristol, Rhode Island.  Folks, this is one of the cutest towns I’ve ever been in.  Imagine the historic homes of Wickford (RI) or Portsmouth (NH), the maritime atmosphere of Newport or Marblehead, and the shops and restaurants of Ridgewood (NJ).  But we didn’t get to town just yet.

 

After securing our mooring, the kids all threw on their bathing suits and jumped into the water.  They played on the paddle board and jumped off the boat over and over again.  Soon, we were all swimming and Chris pulled out one of the halyards.  Dave and Chris had a blast swinging off the bow of the boat and dropping into the water and soon we were all taking turns.  It took me awhile to work up the courage to try it because I’m not crazy about jumping off heights, but once I did, I was just as hooked.

 

We played way too long and late and the kids were ravenous, so Chris whipped us up some amazing shrimp scampi and soon we were all satiated and happy.  The kids slowly dropped off to sleep and the adults camped out up in the cockpit under the stars, drinking great wine, sharing stories, talking about our goals in life, and cozied up in the chilly air.  We dreamed about meeting up in the Caribbean this spring as we skinny-dipped under the moon. They are excited about chartering a boat in the BVI’s and sailing along with us for a week.

When we woke up the next morning, we knew right away that we didn’t want our magical time together to end so soon.  We reserved the mooring for another night and headed into town to explore with the kids.  Our first stop was the Herreschoff Museum and America’s Cup Hall of Fame.  If you follow us on Facebook, you saw the pictures in real time, but here they are again.

 

 

 

Dave is a two-time America’s Cup competitor (1995 and 2000) so visiting the Hall of Fame with him was amazing.  His picture is in the museum so we took lots of pictures.  We watched a film about the history of the America’s Cup and his boat was featured in it.  We all cheered when we saw it and his sons were so proud of him.  It was very exciting. (If you don’t already know, the America’s Cup is the “oldest trophy in international sport” and the hardest to win. It is the race that coined one of the best sporting quotes ever: “Your Majesty, there is no second.”  Check out more at http://www.americascup.com/en/about/history.)

We also saw all the vintage, restored boats at the museum.  The kids loved exploring them and Chris and Dave admired the lines and the exteriors   I enjoyed moving slowly through them, imagining myself living in a different era, when dark varnished interiors, glass and brass portholes, and all those gorgeous latches were standard equipment.  We left only when the complaints about hunger and thirst reached a fever pitch.

We took a brisk walk past one gorgeous historic home after another and we fell gratefully into a booth at Aiden’s Pub.  We enjoyed a hearty lunch with lots of banter and laughter and then took the kids to the playground, which is right on the water.  The view of the harbor was beautiful and the kids enjoyed running around and getting their energy out.

 

 

 

 

What happens on Patronus, stays on Patronus…

We took the launch back to the boat for swimming, but the kids were tuckered out.  The adults did some swimming, paddle boarding, and went into the marina for showers while the kids relaxed and played games.  We ordered pizza and had it delivered to the marina.  It sounded like it would be easy and fun, but between the tired kids, the mosquitos, and the pretty awful pizza, it was a little stressful to say the least.  We were relieved when the kids fell asleep down below so that we could enjoy another clear night under the stars with our dear friends.

The next morning, we had some serious swimming practice for the Patronus Swim Team and the Patronus Paddle Board Yoga Club (Don’t laugh at me.  I’m still practicing, but that headstand will happen before the year is out!).

 

 

The water was brisk, but the exercise helped justify the donuts we ate for breakfast.  After a quick clean-up, we readied the boat for an easy sail back to Newport Harbor.  We moored the boat at the New York Yacht Club and headed back to Dave and Lana’s.

 

 

 

 

To Newport

September 3–September 5

I’m sure I’m sounding like a broken record with all this “Dave and Lana” stuff.  While hiking trails, museums, and new places are fun and exciting, there is absolutely nothing that compares to being with friends.  During this trip in particular, we spent so much time together that after the flurry of chatter, the “catching-up” talk about jobs, lives, and kids, we were able to dig in to what really matters.  We watched “The Secret” together and talked about the power of using our intentions and the Laws of Attraction to create our best lives.  We talked about what we really want in life and what changes we might incorporate to achieve our bliss.  We meditated together.  We listened to our favorite songs together.  We joked and laughed and smiled because we were in a place of complete security.  We each felt safe and loved enough to be completely ourselves.  No masks.  No worries about what the others would think if we opened our hearts and let them in.

In the course of opening so completely, a lot came up for each of us.  Throughout the weekend, we had moments of stillness by ourselves and intimate conversations in twos as well as all talking together.  We all grew so much in the nurturing environment that we were a bit nervous about what would happen when we parted.  This precious space we had created was rich and warm, but temporary.  Would we lose momentum when our “regular lives” started back up?  I thought about how many times I had been to a yoga retreat, or had read an inspiring book, and had come away feeling so charged up and inspired to make changes, only to have that momentum fizzle out in the deluge of Life.  Luckily, it seems that the changes set under way this weekend were so big and life-altering that there is no going back for any of us.

The next morning, Dave had to leave for a business trip and Chris had work to do on the boat.  Lana and I stayed at home with the kids while it rained all day.  We worked together to clean out and reorganize their beautiful home.  It started with the laundry room and moved to the “junk drawers”, the basement, the kitchen, the bathrooms and linen closet, and finally, Lana’s closet (over the course of several days and going into our next trip to Newport).  I had a blast and Lana was getting inspired to start projects that had been on the back burner for awhile.  Chris, who enjoys seeing me throw things out about as much as he likes going to the dentist, escaped from the fray by doing his Fantasy Football drafts online.  It was a bit of a frantic end to our amazing time together, but we knew we’d be back in a week.  We just can’t seem to really leave Newport…

“In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” Albert Schweitzer