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Our main engine now has more than 8,000 hours, so increased oil leaks are more or less expected. But up until recently it has leaked almost nothing and the change to leaking more happened quite quickly, so we decided to dig deeper. Oil seepage can be caused by loosening bolts, tired/old gaskets and seals, and…

Stellwagen Bank is an 842-square-mile federally-protected marine sanctuary about 25 miles east of Boston that is famous for whale-watching. A 19-mile plateau there rises to within 100 feet of the water surface, compared to the surrounding waters that are 300 to 600 feet deep. The steep sides of the plateau cause deep-water currents to rise…

The city of Boston has done an amazing job in revitalizing their waterfront and downtown while featuring their historic buildings and venues. Long Wharf in particular has been transormed from a failing commercial center to a thriving cultural and recreational destination. And Bostons’s late-20th-century “Big Dig” moved the Central Artery below ground, restored the close…

The Deer Island Treatment Plant is the second largest sewage treatment plant in the country, treating 350 million gallons per day with a peak capacity of 1,310 million gallons per day. The $3.8-billion plant is the centerpiece in the successful Boston Harbor cleanup effort. The plant’s unusual egg-shaped digesters are distinctive landmarks on entering Boston…

During our second weekend in Boston, we toured Boston Harbor from the water and the air, got a few boat projects done, and met some locals and friends from out of town. Trip highlights from June 23 through 26th follow. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the location…

The New England Aquarium in downtown Boston is built around a 4-story, 200,000-gallon Giant Ocean Tank. A wrap-around ramp, with viewing windows along the way, leads up and around the tank to exhibits on other floors that range from penguins to octopus to jellyfish. We spent a full day at the aquarium, enjoying the exhibits,…

Fenway Park, built in 1912, is the oldest park in Major League Baseball and catching a game there is on most “Top Ten Things to do in Boston” lists. We spent an exciting evening visiting the park and watching the Red Sox play at this historic venue. Highlights from our Fenway Park trip follow. Click…

The Charlestown Navy Yard, established in 1801, was one of the oldest shipbuilding yards in the country. More than 200 warships were built in the yard and thousands more were maintained and repaired there. When the Navy Yard closed in 1974, a portion became part of the Boston National Historic Park. The rest was commercially…

From Palm Beach we made a six-night offshore run to reach Boston, stopping for three nights at Cape Lookout to wait for a weather system to pass through the Boston area and one night at Plymouth so that we could enter Boston Harbor in the morning rather than at night. We got a good push…