Autumn’s natural beauty calls for a contrast of city, culture, and history. Boston is waiting for a visit, offering an opportunity to immerse yourself in its cozy big-city flair.

There are art museums everywhere, crispy pizza in the downtown area, noodles in Chinatown, tea party ships in the harbor, strolls across the Harvard campus, children’s birthday parties, and running events. Boston offers a wide variety of activities. All of them to be enjoyed on mild, sunny autumn days or in nasty rain. But always against the backdrop of the city’s significant history. The countless small museums and historic buildings along the Freedom Trail provide insight into the American colonists’ struggle for independence. After all, Boston played a central role in the American War of Independence.

We now have a better understanding of the significance of those events than we did before. Nevertheless — or perhaps because of this — we refrain from participating in the tourist tradition of tossing imitation tea chests over the side of the replica ship in the harbor.

Toss a coin and predict the wind

On the U.S. East Coast, autumn offers sailors a colorful array of weather. Beach days with glassy seas seamlessly alternate with rain and storms. It’s like a game of roulette: it often turns out other than expected, so the trick is to find a balance between careful, medium-term planning and spontaneous changes of plan. In Gloucester, we bite the bullet and leave the harbor in rain, terribly unpleasant waves, and winds of over 30 knots, heading for Plymouth. The crew perseveres, and even has fun sliding across the cabin table with every big wave. As a reward, dolphins accompany us through the seemingly endless rain.

Grateful and battered, we arrive in Plymouth. The next day, we visit Plymouth Rock, the Mayflower, and Plymouth Plantation. There, actors pretend to live in replica houses of the first settlers and tell their stories. Once again, we have changed our perspective. Last time, we looked at history from the English town of Plymouth, where the Mayflower departed on September 16, 1620, reaching the North American coast after 66 days.

With sunshine and plenty of wind, we time the tide just right the next day and rush through the Cape Cod Canal to Onset, hoping to hide from the forecasted northeasterly storm. The bay proved to be a good shelter, and we spent the stormy and rainy days well protected. We just wished for more presentable conditions for our visiting family member.

Coming home to Newport

Our journey is a transit. So far, we have been to each place exactly once. The first place we are now visiting for the second time is Newport. And how much we are looking forward to it! For a change, we don’t have to reorient ourselves or search for everything anew. We know our way around here, both on water and on land.

That’s good timing, because after an excellent day of sailing, we’re not only sailing into the golden evening light, but also into a more than decent wind. In the dark, we’re glad to be able to head straight for a suitable spot to anchor without first searching for one.

The days pass with glorious sunshine, lots of time in the library, on the playground, and enjoying the last lobster rolls. This time, we even manage to visit the Vanderbilts’ summer residence. In the summer, the tourist crowds were too large and tickets were often sold out.

The boat needs love and care

Life on a boat wouldn’t be proper if there wasn’t always something to repair. After the staysail received some TLC from the sailmaker in Salem, the solar panels are now crying out for attention. Despite the sunshine, they are barely supplying any power to the batteries. The MPP controller, which was initially suspected, was probably not the problem, as replacing it had no effect. However, replacing the pressure exchange tank of the water pump has made a big difference. The water from the taps is finally clear again and no longer changes between different shades of rust. Thanks to the great sailing community in Newport, we have managed to get all the necessary spare parts and are well prepared for the next stages.