Date: 17 June 2007 Time 0915 Position Newport Rhode Island Distance covered from the dock at Royal Bermuda Y.C. 639 Distance traveled last 24 hours:168 NM Approximate distance to go: 0 To Brenton Reef Buoy off Newport Total Nautical Miles traveled from Coral Ridge Yacht Club 1,675 Summer Skis and Crew of Pete Judd & Dave Balfour have arrived safely in Newport Rhode Island in company with Beso & New Frontier. The last 24 hours were very comfortable. Seas less than 2' and swells very gentle. It was a picture perfect conclusion to a wonderful trip. As was to be expected when entering New England waters the way to describe the local weather is "CHANGE." We awoke to a beautiful sunrise and clear skies and warm temperatures. As we approached Newport the local commercial traffic began to pick up and the AIS did a wonderful job of identifying the traffic. In addition Mother Nature added a little challenge buy laying down a blanket of fog that reduced visibility to about 200 yards. Our little fleet closed ranks and reduced speed as we approached Newport Harbour. Unfortunately we missed seeing the very picturesque Castle Hill Light and the surrounding scenery. The fog did lift in time to see the last third of the trip to Ft. Adams. As we rounded Ft. Adams the sun came out and the temperature was in the high 70's and a spectacular day was upon us. Jenny had made arrangements with Newport Harbor Inn & Marina and they were ready to let us tie up. We had made arrangements with Homeland Security and they were en-route to Newport. As we waited for them we all had a Champaign toast to all for a successful trip. Homeland Security arrived and after a very easy clearing in process everyone was allowed to move freely around. While waiting for Homeland Security we all got a chance to clean the boats. With this done and Marge arrived we all made the pilgrimage to the famous Black Pearl Restaurant for the required signature calm chowder and of course a little something to wash the salt taste from our mouths. They did not have any milk & cookies so we had to do with an alternate choice. For those who have not been to Newport it is a great destination. Lots to see and do and the everyone went in search of maps and guides to take advantage of what was available during our short time at the dock. Newport is very expensive so we had only booked ourselves until Tuesday afternoon to be tied up in town. Everyone was going to stay in the area so there would be additional time to see the sights by either renting a car or borrowing a car from someone at the boat yard or Marge & I would give them a ride if necessary. Sunday evening was the disbanding party that was hosted by PAE at the Moorings. A wonderful meal was arranged by Jenny and she out did herself on this. Great Job. In addition there are a number of good pictures on the Nordhavn web site that captures this fun event. Each captain received a personalized memento of the trip which was a chart weight & magnifier with the boat name and Med Bound 2007 engraved on it. A nice gift to remember a memorable trip. Now the question; will I do it again? Most likely not. I have done it twice and each time it was a wonderful adventure that requires a lot of preparation and planning, especially so when doing it as a rally such as Med Bound. So it is time to do some coastal cruising and when we want to make the 24-48 hour run we know the boat and crew can do it. Jim Fuller Summer Skis Nordhavn 43