Maurie is named for Maurice de Rohan AO, who spent his life as an ambassador for Australia in Europe and around the world.  Maurie was a wandering Australian.  We picked up Maurie in Philadelphia in September 08, and then cruised to the Annapolis Boat Show where Maurie was the Show Boat 1160.  We then sailed in convoy with East Coast Seawind agend, Steve Marsh, to Stuart Florida, where Maurie spent the winter moored behind the house of a famous Schooner Captain, Jim Sharp and his wife Meg.  We cruised the Florida coast, and in the spring decided to return north.  We went to Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina.  We spent a month in North Carolina, at Oriental, and then made a rapid passage to Huntington, Long Island.  As is typical in early June, we had fog and wind.  We didn't see anything from Newport News, Virginia until we emerged into Long Island Sound.  We could hardly see the sides of the East River as we came through New York!  Maurie spent a great summer in Long Island.  Then we had to decide whether to head further north, or return south.  We decided to go to Nova Scotia!  Heading north in mid September, we changed crews in Gloucester Massachusetts, and again in Rockland Maine.  The trip across the Gulf of Maine was lumpy, with lows running up the coast, and tides ripping out of the Bay of Fundy.  We scooted up the Nova Scotia coast and arrived in Lunenberg just in front of another low.  Lunenberg is a spectacular Unesco World Heritage site, but it is also one of the few places on the east coast with a 75ton travel lift, wide enough to lift Maurie.  We are over-wintering in Nova Scotia, with a plan to cruise the bays of Mahone and St Mary's in late spring, and then the Maine coast next summer, before returning south to warmer climates for winter 2010.  Year 1 for Maurie has seen about 3500nm on the log and we have enjoyed almost all of them!