The Brio Boogie

Just when you thought Brio was going to just hang (on the mooring) all year, she wants you to know she's ready to boogie! Tomorrow, September 7th, she's off to the Chesapeake Bay.

Here's a map covering Brio's travels from 2019 through 2024

This year, Brio starts from her mooring in the Millpond in Pocasset Harbor in Bourne, Massachusetts. That's on Cape Cod, which looks like a finger crook sticking out into the Atlantic Ocean.

In 2022, Brio started the Downeast Loop, going all the way to Nova Scotia and the southern coast of Newfoundland, visiting the two small French islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Then across the Gulf of St. Lawrence, past the Gaspe Peninsula, and up the St. Lawrence. That's where she hit a submerged log which prematurely ended her Loop.

In 2023, she had a shortened cruising season and did the Maine Coast all the way to New Brunswick's Grand Manan.

Last year, she completed the Loop, going up the Hudson River from NYC, out the Erie Canal, across Lake Ontario to the Thousand Islands, down the St. Lawrence, past Montreal and Quebec City, to just about where she hit the submerged log. She went northwest up the fjord known as the Sangeney River and retraced her wake to Sorel (almost to Montreal) and south on the Richelieu River to Lake Champlain and then to the Hudson River by the Champlain Canal.

This year, Brio leaves the Millpond and heads southwest to Montauk at the eastern tip of Long Island, NY. If the weather cooperates, she'll jump 200 miles across the "New York Bight" from Montauk to Ocean City, Maryland, just south of Cape May, New Jersey.

From there, she'll circle south around the tip of the Delmarva Peninsula and into Chesapeake Bay.

The Three Amigos

The Three Amigos

For this trip, Brio has invited her captain, Chris (center), Jeff (left) and Steve (right). Later in the trip, Jeff will sadly depart and Charlie will happily join.

These three all grew up sailing in Buzzards Bay and have more stories than could ever fit on any reasonable blog.

Why the Chesapeake?

Brio hoped you'd ask.

For starters, if you like to eat crabs and oysters, there's no better place. Really, that is sufficient right there.

Jeff spent time as a young lad sailing with his parents on the Chesapeake and we all know how important it is to rekindle such connections. We look forward to his reliving those times with us.

The Chesapeake is the third largest estuary in the world and the largest in the U.S.

The Chesapeake is really many different worlds, one urbanized and the other still remote.

The western shore has the major metropolises, such as Yorktown (Washington's defeat of Cornwallis, colonial Williamsburg and the early settlement of Jamestown), Washington, DC, Annapolis (Maryland's state capital, the Naval Academy and famed boating capital) and Baltimore (War of 1823, Star-Spangled Banner and Fort McHenry).

The eastern shore is a world away. Remote fishing centers and hamlets, all far from the bustle of the western shore. History is here, too, but without the flashing lights on the western shore.

Both shores have pristine gunkholes and anchorages that will beckon to us.

Being history buffs, we will have treats at every corner and much to learn.

Bring it on!

Cheers,

Brio