"Rain, rain, go away…" It rained enough all night and all morning that we had found all of the leaks in the boat - every boat has at least one. Walked up to Chaplin's snack bar and ordered a cholesterol breakfast: bacon/egg/cheese on an English muffin, fried French Toast sticks, and hash browns. We forced the kids to practice their instruments, which engendered some curious looks from the dockside. Then Jacq took off to play with her very-new very-best friends. They went for a swim in the pool and then went off to see a matinee of "Chicken Run". They went fishing off the docks and pulled up all kinds of interesting items. A lure, a boot, and a vest were some of the items that took their bait. Dad finally decided that he had earned a nap and so he crashed from 12-3. At 4, we went shopping for souvenirs and milk - the essentials. In 2 hours, we hit a dozen stores and bought a few things, and remembered the milk too. Dropped in on the proprietress of one of the inns, who is the mother of one of the nurses that Laura works with. Then back to the boat for cheese and crackers and relaxing. We had a take out type dinner with burgers, chicken fingers, fries and onion rings from Champlain's take out window and continued our reading/computer game marathon. Mom finished Harry Potter 4 at 11:30p. What a marvelous book in a terrific series. A lovely lazy day thanks to the rain.
Yummy pastries from Aldo's Bakery for breakfast, with intermittent rain all morning. Jacq got more play time with Nikki and Maisie, and we got pictures of all 3 girls. Mom ran into town to pick up a few odds and ends; more groceries and souvenirs. By noon it was clearing, so Phat Cat took off and so did we, just after helping them away. We had a beautiful sail to Stonington, with good visibility the whole way. We only had a few sprinkles along the way. Jacq felt a bit of mal de mer, but was immediately cured once Mom convinced her to take the helm. Unfortunately all the moorings were taken at Dodson's. We tucked in under a large sailboat (Cathleen) and anchored off of Can # 7. Ben and Dad got the dinghy motor hooked up, and Jacq drove us into the dock at Dodson's, after some dinghy lessons from Dad. Hot showers at a beautifully renovated facility at Dodson's were a treat! Heading back to Kiwi Pride, Dad noticed that the gas can was empty, and so was the outboard. A quick purchase on the docks and we were on our way. Jacq is a steady helmsman, whether by dinghy or sailboat. Once aboard, Mom hauled out the traditional sailing/mooring dinner; spaghetti sauce on shells! Accompanied by freshly made garlic bread, this was a culinary treat enjoyed by all. We had a family game of Uno with poor Ben having a tough time winning a round.
After cereal and fruit breakfast, we motored back to Mystic, with Ben taking a turn at the helm. We returned to YSM earlier than they anticipated and there was no slip for us. We pushed and pulled our way into dockside parking (low tide!) and cleaned the boat. We had lunch from an excellent market (Mystic Market) and shopped some more in downtown Mystic (books and hairclips!) It was disappointing not to be able to go to Napatree with the overcast weather, but all in all we had an excellent trip.