Making new friends

"Make new friends but keep the old ones: one is silver and the other's gold" - proverb

We have met some really great people on our journey so far.  It was a little slow going in the beginning but in all fairness, we didn't stop in one place long enough to meet new friends.  Sure, we met people on the docks if they were on their boats or in a marina parking lot, but that didn't seem to make us feel like "cruisers."  Maybe it was because we were so new to the whole cruising thing and a little overwhelmend.  I don't know.  The people we have met since arriving in Rhode Island have been exceptional.  That's what it's all about, right.  Boaters, sailors in particular, are just plain nice.  There is no other word to describe it.  They are a different breed and would give you the shirt off their back or take in perfect strangers into their homes and treat them like family!

When we were in Valley Cove (Somes Sound) we were all alone until we returned from our hike and had a new neighbor.  Olivia promptly got in the kayak, paddled around and around their boat. Finally she struck up a conversation.  Before I knew it Craig was swimming over there to fetch Liv and came back and said they were coming over for drinks after dinner.  Woo hoo, our first cruising guests aboard our boat.  This is the first of what we hope are many new friends joining us on our boat.  Robert and Holly are from Sonoma California and cruised with their two boys for 3 years - many years ago.  We talked for a long time that night and promised to meet up again.

Playing cards with Holly.  It was super fun to see them again in Seal Bay!  This time on their boat.

Robert and Holly with Craig and the girls.  

We were super excited about meeting our first "kid boat".  A family with 3 kids followed us into Seal Bay on their sailboat.  After several hours of school work, we let the girls go explore the nearby islands.  They stopped by to pick up the kids on s/v Apple Wine.  Craig and I breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at the fact that the kids were independent and making friends.

Eleanor and Alice from S/V Apple Wine (Miles is not here).  Kate made duct tape book marks for them.  The following day, they kayaked over with a jar of homemade strawberry jam.  YUM!  We love homemade jam.

After exploring Seal Bay and Winter Harbor we motored through the Fox Islands thorofare to get to Pulpit Harbor on North Haven Island.  As soon as we anchored and hung out the laundry to dry, a catamaran anchored right next to us.  As I have mentioned before, catamarans are not very common in these parts at all!  In fact we can count on one hand the number we have seen.  Anyway, their boat is s/v Makana and they have one daughter, Hoku.  They live on their boat full time and travel to the Bahamas in the winter.  So it is possible we will see them again when we go to the Bahamas.

Kate and Hoku from S/V Makana rigged up the hammock over the jib 

Kate and Hoku sailing