September 19                                 Sandwich, Massachusetts

The weather gods finally smiled on us and we had a lovely cruise to Sandwich Marina, at the eastern entrance of the Cape Cod Canal.  As the little restaurant nearby is notoriously bad and we did not have a car, we opted to dine on the boat.  Samantha is a very good cook and she made a delicious pasta dish.  We dined on the aft deck with a great sunset lingering for hours.

September 20-23                                       North Kingstown, Rhode Island

We found it difficult to believe we had once again entered the Cape Cod Canal after spending several summers in Maine.  It was almost like coming home again as we saw familiar sights along the way.  We passed Newport to take the western channel of Narragansett Bay to the secluded harbor at North Kingstown, Rhode Island.  We were greeted warmly and assigned a great dock with a wide channel view.  The marina was filled with boats and we soon were visiting with nearby boaters.  Dinner was at Tate’s Italian Kitchen in Warwick, a small, very charming restaurant popular with locals.

The following day we received our car from Enterprise and gave our guests a tour of Newport.  They were not interested in seeing the interiors of the mansions so we made a lengthy drive through the town.  Although the height of tourist season had passed, the streets and shops were packed.  Samantha suggested she and I have a manicure-pedicure at a local salon to remove the “rough edges” from our boating experience.  This proved to be a delightful experience.  The guys explored Newport and found a large West Marine which provided some needed supplies.

Dave and Samantha left on the train for Manhattan the following morning to spend several days exploring that wonderful place.  With reservations at an Airbnb in Brooklyn, they were excited about seeing some different sights from those of mid-town and upper Manhattan.  We returned to the boat and began final cleaning for our departure the next day.

Miller arrived early from his home a few miles from the marina and graciously provided help to load the luggage and help us leave The Bottom Line in his capable hands.  He will complete the wood finishing on the aft deck and watch over the winterizing procedure before the boat is shrink-wrapped for protection during the winter.  As always, we left with gratitude for the wonderful opportunity to spend months on or beloved boat in beautiful and interesting places.