Western Islands - Greenport

After a good nights rest and a hearty breakfast we had a good look around the island and found a few goodies to show you.

This should suit all the tiny people.

This lighthouse was inspired by by the RL one having the first woman lighthouse keeper at Gurnet Point at Plymouth New England.

This is the big house on the island.






After our exploring we headed back to the boat to head for our next destination, which was northwards to Amagansette.

We moored up here and went to explore.





There were a number of interesting things here.

The wreck of an old pirate ship.

Another of those doors

This one led to a sphere high above the island. We did not find this as good as the one in Bearskin Neck though.

A sign saying great surfing conditions, although as professional surfers we have to say the surf was not THAT good.

And what we wondered was the Doctor doing here. What strange aliens might there be?





After leaving this island, we headed east to Saltaire.

This is a barren place and nothing at all to be seen.

And so we carried on eastwards calling in at the lovely Plum Island for a break.

I was particularly fond of this bridge spanning a river there.

Then on again to the 2 islands making up the Gloucester sim where we had this close encounter with Moby Dick.

It had been a long day so this is where we moored for the night at the end of another glorious day's sailing.

Western Islands - Bearskin Neck

Well we got a sort of an early start today but climbing out of that warm bed was really hard. Once we got stowed away and underway we soon realised what a good decision it was not to try and navigate in the dark. As we headed north west to the second largest of the Bearskin Neck Islands, the waves crashing against the jagged rocks close by could have spelt disaster.

We circled round the island looking for somewhere to dock,but there was nowhere. What we did see however looking into the clear ocean was what appeared to be a fleet of submarines. Deciding to explore further we donned our scuba gear and went diving.

Following our underwater exploration we swam to the land and found some things of interest although maybe not of the caliber of some of the other islands we have visited.

Some furry animals live here.

If your from Massachusetts you may want to skip this picture.

They appear to like Christmas here.





After reboarding the ship we headed north to visit the largest of the Bearskin Neck islands. Hopefully there may be a store here that sells Burgundy.

At the southern most tip there is this small light to guide you safely into the harbour. If approaching from the south you need to keep well port side of this.

I loved this island, so peaceful, as I stood staring out to sea, the only sounds to be heard were the ocean crashing against the rocks, the birdsong, and ever so faintly, whales calling out to each other.

If you sit quietly for long enough you may even catch sight of the Orca.

Interestingly there is this sign that tells how Bearskin got its name.

And a rather sad one that tells of a fisherman lost at sea.

The western end seems to be where the sailing and surfing fraternity hang out.

While close by is this colony of rather strange frogs.

Oh and be careful of the Piranha if you paddle in one of the small lagoons. Ouch!




All to soon, it was time to set sail if we were to reach Greenport before nightfall.

We rounded the lighthouse there just as the sun was beginning to set.

Twixt managed to get this picture of this house highlighted against the setting sun as we sailed by.

And soon we were docking at this boathouse.

Where we shared this romantic moment as the sun finally set on another wonderful day.

And of course a glass of the burgundy.






Tomorrow we will explore the island and see what delights await us. Look out for further installments of our incredible journey of discovery.

Western Islands - Billingsgate

After yesterday's early start we had a nice long lie in this morning, followed by a lazy breakfast in bed.

Oh come on now, you didn't really expect THOSE sort of pictures did you?



By the time we were finished and everything stowed away it was mid-morning before we raised sails and headed North to the large island in Buzzard's Bay. However with the wind at our backs I was able to raise the spinnaker and we made good speed.

Soon after, we arrived offshore and circled the island taking photographs.

Another example of one of New England's wonderful lighthouses.

This is one mermaid who has definately seen better days.




Having noticed the main jetty over on the West side of the island, we moored up for a spot of lunch before exploring further on foot. I am getting a bit concerned at the speed we are getting through the Burgundy. Have made a note to restock at the next available store.

We spent a pleasant couple of hours just strolling around taking in the sights and sounds of this island before heading back to the boat and heading south west into Bearskin Neck. Strangly this comprises 3 1/4 islands. The 1/4 being in the top North East corner of the sim where the island is shared with the Saltaire, Plum Island and Buzzards Bay sims.

On the smaller of the islands in the south west corner of the sim is this signpost which I guess would come in handy for lost sailors on a foggy winter's day.


There is a lot more to this island however than first meets the eye.

On the north side down some rocks is this steampunk sort of submarine

Then close by is this small door.

When you open the door there is a moving spiral inside that when you enter takes you to a room with many other doors, each door taking you to a different world.



We found this really interesting and had great fun exploring the different worlds we were led to. If you come here, you really must experience this. The only trouble was, we had spent so much time here that the light was beginning to fade, so rather then attempt to navigate our way through unfamilier seas in the dark, we thought it best to stay here overnight and make an early start in the morning.

What with the late start and spending so much time exploring, we do not appear to have progressed very far today. This is however an Odyssey and to rush a journey such as this would not be giving this region the respect it deserves.

Western Islands

Having lived in New England with its numerous islands for some time now, myself and my partner Twixt decided it was about time we went exploring these islands in detail. What better way to explore in style than on our trusty Tetra 35. Although old, she is wonderfully detailed and the ample galley and bed will give us some measure of comfort on our odyssey

This is us on another wonderful New England sunrise as we set off on our journey of discovery.

From our home in Marblehead we headed south hugging the land until we reached the first channel then turned west continuing along until we reached Cape Poge where we then headed South West for the short trip to our first destination, Bay View.

This homestead has been created by Trudy Takacs, dedicated to celebrating the rich influence of the New England land to it's rich cultural heritage. Each building here has archival photographs from PLOWLINE images of rural New York, courtesy of the Farmers Museum. This was a fascinating place and we spent most of the morning exploring and taking pictures.

Inside the barn

Small Holding

The School House

The Barn

Looking round the school house









As we had spent most of the morning here we decided to have an early lunch on board washed down with a nice burgundy before setting off to our next destination.

With the meal finished and the dishes washed and put away, it was time for a quick check of the map before we raised sail and headed West once again, heading for Billingsgate.

The island is entered by a horseshoe shaped bay and is quite shallow but with some skilled seamanship from yours truly we safely moored up and went to explore.

We found this to be a really lovely Island with great views across the ocean from the top of the hill. Currently there is nobody living here which is a great shame considering how peaceful it is here.

At the other end of the island is a rocky outcrop leading down to a wonderfully deserted beach.

From the beach we could see, across a narrow channel, our next objective, Monhegan Island. We decided that it would be a good idea to work off some of that lunch, and burgundy, so we decided that with the boat safely moored we would swim across to the island. So we went back to the boat and changed into our swim things. The water was a bit chilly but then again it is October.

This is really quite a large island and again no one lives here at present. We spent a bit of time looking round and both said if only we could afford to live here. Started getting chilly so we swam back and quickly returned to the boat to change.

It was geting rather late by now so we decided to make this our overnight stop. Twixt cooked a lovely meal which was washed down with another bottle of the wonderful 69 Burgundy. It was a beautiful sunset so we took the bottle with us and climbed the hill behind us to watch, as it set over the ocean, before returning to the boat for an early night.