We sat in Onset all day. It was another beautiful day and windless day. We walked into town and did some grocery shopping. I took the dinghy out for a nice sail. It was a nice quiet and relaxing day.

June 26th Sunday  We left Onset at 8:00 to catch the tide in the canal. We shot through the canal like a watermelon seed between your fingers. We exited around 9:45 and headed for Province town. It was pretty flat and no wind so we ended up just motoring across the bay. We tried to sail for a little while but there was not enough wind. We did have the jenny out which helped and added a couple of knots to our speed. The harbor was very busy as we wound our way through to a mooring.
   The town was pandemonium, there were people of all sorts just streaming around with bike walking and mopeds and cars!! There are tons of eclectic shops and restaurants. It was a pretty bumpy night as the anchorage is kind of exposed to the south and the wind had picked up considerably.
   
June 27th Monday We rented  and rode up to the Cape Cod National Seashore. This is a really beautiful place. The bike path is the best way to see it as it winds through the pine covered dunes down to these wide sandy beaches. We saw a seal swimming there and there are warnings out for Great white Sharks who feed on seals.
   Town was almost as busy as yesterday which is fun. The wind is still up so I'm expecting another bouncy night.

Friday, July 1, 2016

June 28th We left P-town about 8:30 and after tacking a few times. After leaving  bay we took off on a broad reach all the way across to Plymouth. This is whale country as this is  a sanctuary for them. I'm not sure whether I want to see an animal that is bigger than my boat. It was a nice broad reach all the way until the entrance to Plymouth harbor. The entrance is long and winding and there are many buoys. There is a cachopy of bells,gongs ,and whistles from all the buoys. we finally got tied up at the end of the breakwater and took a water taxi a long way  into the pier. We walked down to the Mayflower and the less than inspiring Plymouth Rock. This is the smallest state park in Ma. but the most visited.

June29th We wound our way back out to the ocean only to find a cloudy windless day. We did some more motor sailing and ended up in Scituate harbor. There was some confusion as the mooring the launch kid told me to pick up turned out to be a lobster pot. After more senior people arrived we were moved to the correct mooring. There we walked into a farmers market and bought some groceries.

June 30 We sailed for a couple of hours this morning into a NW 5-10 knot breeze until it died completely and we motored until the entrance to Boston harbor. This proved to be a maze of channels and islands that was very confusing. there was a bridge shown on the charts that did not exist anymore. We got to Spectacle Island marina and took a free mooring. This island was a garbage dump for Boston until the 90's when they decided to clean up the harbor. They capped it with fill from the Big Dig and made a park of it. The views are spectaclular of the city and surrounding islands. This is a seaglass collectors paradise. The beach is filled with bits of glass and pottery from the dump days. Its pretty cool to find a piece of pottery that someone used a 100 years ago.

   Other than that it was a very bumpy night. The main ferry route and not to mention every boat  in Boston seemed to go by and the wakes were exhausting. It finally calmed down only to have the jets from Logan change their course right over the top of us.

July 1 We left to a windless day but as we came around the corner of the island there was a large tanker coming out of Boston. Coasties with machine guns chased us away from it until it was passed. Following that was a Navy Cruiser coming into port for the 4th.

   Then it was a 30 mile broad reach until we turned the corner of Mass. at Cape Ann. It was a great sail past all the coast of Northern Ma. until we arrived in Rockport. We got into the harbor at low tide and it felt like being at the bottom of a bowl. The tide is 11 feet here and there were all kinds of people lining the walls looking down on you. This is a very quaint little town and we are enjoying it. We have met several other sailboats in here. I asked the harbor master about buying some diesel and he told me to go down and see Billy Lee in this derelict fishing boat. Sure enough he pumped some diesel out of his tanks. Big thunderstorms are due tonight!!

In case any one was wondering the last place we stayed was in Newport RI. This has to be the sailing capital of the US. There were tons of beautiful sailboats everywhere. We watched 12 meter yachts racing and just some gorgeous yachts at anchor.
   We fueled up (6gal)and took on water for the tanks and then departed around 9:15. There was very little wind if any, so we resigned ourselves to motoring. About 10 mile out we were passed by a Nonsuch with his sails up and so I rolled out the jenny. What a difference!! We were going along at 4 knots and being bounced all around by the swells and then boom away we went at 5.5 knots. With  the sails full it really made the boat behave better. We arrived in Cutty Hunk at 3:30.
    This is the last of the Elizabethan Island chain and is a real gem. There are cars but there is only like 2 miles of road on the island. everyone drives around in golf carts or ATV's. We met a guy from Randolf VT who's family has a house on the island.
    We got out and walked around and hiked up to a look out with a beautiful 360 view. We had been there before with the kids. This is an old gun emplacement left over from WW 2 to keep a lookout f

or German U boats.
   When we got back to the boat I saw that Jim H. in his boat Xena had arrived. He is bringing his boat to Maine also and he is from Vermont.

Friday June 24th  We left around 8:30 and entered Buzzard's Bay. the wind was NE 10-15 which was right where we wanted to go. We ended up beating all day into the wind. It really reminded us of lake Champlain. Beating into the short steep waves because of the tide reminded us of heading to Valcour. It was a beautiful day though and the wind was perfect. Once the tide changed the waves got much smaller. Its really incredible the color of the water. Its this intense emerald green.
   We tried tacking for a mile on either side of the rhumb line and that kept us moving pretty good. On some tacks in the morning we got a good boost from the tide but on the other tack not so much. anyway we did 27.3 nm in 6.5 hours to go 14 nm. Finally at Cleveland Ledge ( the control point for the Cape Cod Canal) we took down the sails and started motoring. Of course this was directly against the full ebb tide so we crawled to a mere 2 kts over the ground. anyway we finally got into Onset marine and picked up a mooring. Jim H pulled in right behind us. We are going to spend an extra day here.

We left Westerly around 8:00 to a bright calm day. We motored out by Stonington and there was still not much wind so we motored out through the reefs and then put up the sails. We lugged around for a few minutes until the wind filled in. We sheeted in the sails and ran close hauled all the way to the Block Island entrance. We picked up a town mooring and right in front of us was a CD 31. Turns out they live in Vt in the winters.
    We walked around and had a beer at the Oar. A big t-storm rolled through at 6am but after that it cleared out and was a very nice day. We rented bikes and rode around the whole island. Mohegan Bluffs was my favorite part. Towering cliffs right down to a small beach. There was a stairway so we could go down and check out the ocean.
    On Wednesday (6/22) we headed out at 10:00am to very light winds. We sailed for about 5 miles before the wind died. There were 5 foot swells and no wind so it was like a washing machine. We rolled all around until we took down the sails and motored. Around Point Judith the wind picked up so we rolled out the Jenny. We made it into Conanicut marina where we picked up a mooring.
    We had spent a couple of days here 17 years ago. It is amazing how much we remember. There was a pizza place that we ate at that still looks the same. It's kind of like deja vu all over again.

We had a great weekend in the Westerly Yacht club. Everyone here has been very friendly and accommodating. The weather was just gorgeous. Sue and John and their kids came down on Friday night and we grilled out and then drove into Watch Hill to walk around.  On Saturday they had sailing school so I rigged up the dinghy and went sailing. Not much wind but it was the first time sailing the dinghy in salt water. In the afternoon we raised the mast and launched John's Highlander 20 sailboat. And that night we went to a concert in the park at Westerly. The Boston pops orchestra along with the Westerly Chorus gave a great show. There must have been 10,000 people in the park. There was canon fire, church bells and fireworks all under a beautiful full moon. Alas no T Swift.
    Sunday we drove up to Tolland to meet with my parents and our kids for  Father's Day. We did laundry and recharged all the electronics. We had a great grilled tuna lunch. Emily drove us back and we stopped and went grocery shopping.
    It appears the refrigeration unit will require us to run the motor at least every 3 days. On the third day the battery indicator showed no lights so we ran the motor for about a 1/2 hour on Sunday morning and hopefully that will be enough.

In with the big boys

The wind howled all night long. Later we heard people saying they saw gusts to 50 knots on their wind meters. That's why I don't have one, it would just scare me to know that. I like pretending the wind was lighter. When we got up the wind was nw 15 with gusts to 25 (NOAA). We left the mooring around 7:15 and rolled out a little Jenny. It was fine until we turned the corner of City Island where it was slightly ahead of us. It lightened up around Execution Rock ( love that name for a hazard) so we put a reef in the main and away we went.
   The motor had a strange odor to it this morning and so when I checked it out it turned out the alternator belt had burned up. Fortunately I had a spare which I threw right on.
    We cruised along with the wind on our beam and being pushed by the tide. About 3 miles outside Port Jefferson the wind lightened up and the waves were odd. The sails were flogging away so we dropped them and motored into Port Jeff. It must have been some sort of tidal rip. We turned left (west) just inside the entrance channel and anchored in about 25 feet of water. 37.5nm in 7:30.
    Met a couple of boats here. One from Milwaukee doing the great loop and another from Montreal. They keep their boat on Lake Champlain. It was pretty windy to start the night but it calmed down later. A good test for the new anchor which performed admirably.

June 14th.  It dawned a bright sunny day and the winds were still NW so we headed off across the sound around 7:30. Broad reach sailing!!! We had 10-15 knots of nw wind for about 20 miles before it dropped off. We bounced around for a while until it picked back up and we raced down the CT shore. It shifted SW so we gibed and broad reached again. 40 miles in 9 hours now that's sailing. We motored into the mouth of the CT River around a point into North Cove. We picked up a free mooring. This is a federally designated harbor of refuge so you can tie up to any mooring for free. However if the person renting that mooring comes back you are expected to move. The lines on the one I picked up were so shabby that I was positive no one had been on it in years.
    We dinghied in to the town dock and walked into Old Saybrook. This is a nice neat little town.
    One thing about ocean travel is the salt. It gets everywhere. The boat is covered in a layer of salt. The lines, dodger windows, even us are just encrusted with salt.

June 15th. It was a very quiet and still night. We left at 8:00 in order to catch the tide. And catch it we did. It swept us right down the sound. Of course the 10-15 SW wind right behind us helped. Around New London after gibbing a couple of times we rolled up the genny and went with the main alone. We hardly even slowed down and now we could go directly down wind.  We pulled into Stonington/ Westerly around 1:00 and anchored behind Napatree in about 5 feet of water. We walked on the beach and into Westerly where they have plenty of shops selling the same overpriced crap as everywhere else. We watched a fleet of Herrshoff 15s race. Had to move the boat into deeper water as we would have hit at low tide but holding is good everywhere in here. Finally switched water tanks to the bilge tank.
    One thing that I'm still having trouble getting used to is the pace of this life. You really have to slow down. If something is a mile away it takes 20 minutes to get there. 20 miles away is 5 hours. We've only been out two weeks so hopefully the adjustment is near.

June 16th.  After a very calm night we got up and walked down the beach again. Around 10:00 we hauled anchor and motored up the river to the Westerly Yacht Club. My brother-in-law John had arranged a slip for us for the weekend. The slips here are pilings and while everyone else is stern to we put in bow to. Mostly because this boat doesn't back up and we have never done this kind of dock before. We got plenty of advise from all the kibbutzers about how to tie her up. Anyway she's spider webbed in here.
    There was a big vote at the yacht club last night about whether to allow women members. It was all the talk on the docks. It was defeated!!?? It was a very calm day and we walked a ways down the road. My niece Emily stopped to visit with us before her sailing lesson.

We stayed at the Harlem Yacht Club last night. There were big thunderstorms in the area but none really affected us. We got off the boat( they have a launch service) and walked through City Island. We went out to eat at a place called Artie's. I had sautéed crab which I had never had before. It was a calm night but we got up in the morning to 25-30 knot winds so we decided to stay here another night.
   In the morning we walked the entire length of City Island, all of 2 miles. The Main Street is lined with restaurants. We reprovisioned at the local IGA. Emptied the head out today also.

Well I have found that in order to do this blog I need to have a wifi connection and while marinas all say they have good wifi coverage the reality is not. Most of the time you have to hang out in the laundry room or sit on a curb outside the  office. Anyway it is hard to keep up on a daily basis so here is a synopsis of whats happened so far.
   On the trip down from Fort Ti it rained almost the whole way. We stopped at the Fort Edward yacht basin and the Purdy's came over and brought us home for dinner.
   We left Monday morning at 7:30 and made good time. The current was strong from all the rain and it boosted us along. We made Troy around 5:00 and tied up to the town dock. We walked around Troy and memory lane as this is where we met many years ago.
   Some canal notes. I have found that the auto pilot is not precise enough to steer the narrow channels and so we ended up hand steering for the most part. There was very little traffic to start but we ended up  having to wait for the last 3 locks.  Took on 8.6 gallons of diesel at Troy.
   We left Troy at 8:30 and rode a favorable current all the way until Athens/Hudson where we slowed considerably. There were storms threatening but we arrived at Catskill Creek at 3:30 and tied up under the mast crane. Here we met Skip Taylor and another 2 couples who were on their trawlers for a year voyage. They had done the Great Loop and were headed to Lake Champlain to finish up. This is a very nice place and they were very competent in getting the mast back up. We spent an extra day here turning her back into a sailboat. It also rained all day so it was a good lay day.
  We left Catskill at 7:15 with a favorable tide. We were doing close to 6 knots over the ground. The wind piped up NW so I rolled out some jenny and we really took off. We hit 8 knots at times. We were going so well when we hit Pookipsie that we kept going and we flew right past Newburgh also. The wind was now in the 20-25 knot range. Once we turned the corner into Storm King Mountain I expected the seas to calm. Unfortunately the wind was straight down the reach and the waves were 4 feet or more. We finally rounded the corner at West point and the seas calmed. We tied up to the wall at Garrison yacht club. It was a little exposed but we managed all right. There are no services here other than a bathroom. We did 53 nm in 10 hours!!! For a small out of the way place it was incredibly busy all night. Between the tugs and barges and the ubiquitous trains  it never really calmed down.
   We left at 6:30 again with a favorable tide and we ran great. Again I ran out some jenny and we took off. We made the GW bridge by 1:00 and then the tide turned. It wasn't so bad as the flood current is small this time of month. The Hudson in this section of NY is a caldron of wakes and water taxis. I left the sail up because it helped to settle the boat. We got to Liberty Landing Marina around 3:30. We had a bit of trouble getting into the slip  but everybody was patient with us and we finally got settled down. This is an amazingly posh ( read expensive) place but this weekend the Whitbread 60's from the Clipper around the world race were arriving. There were 10 or 12 of the massive boats with all their crew. They had everything strung out to dry. Heading out to the sound tomorrow so here's hoping I have Hells Gate figured out. 43 nm in 8 hours.

Well while I wasn't planning to leave until Sunday or Monday the weather window opened on Saturday and it wouldn't be open for long so we decided to take off. We got off around 10:00 after  swinging by Roger and Marie's boat where he gave us a bottle of wine to celebrate. Thanks Roger!
   The winds were light south and it was very warm. We motored along at speed getting to know the boat and get back in the swing of things. It will take a while to find everything and to get back into the rhythm of the boat. As we neared the Ticonderoga paper mill I noticed a CD in the distance and it turned out to be Doug Jessman. He is the president, treasurer, secretary etc of the Lake Champlain chapter of the CD owners Assoc. and he sails a CD36 which is a very pretty boat. We sailed with him and his friend Roger into the anchorage at Fort Ti. We went over to his boat and had cocktails.
   They left for the night and we had the whole place to ourselves. It was the least buggy I have ever seen this place. In a dumb move I was trying to get the portable anchor light to work and when nothing else worked a swung it in an arc on its leash which quickly parted and I watched as it sailed over the side and into the deep. Oh well it wouldn't work anyway!?? It was a very quiet night. 30.1 nm in 6:30.

She was finally launched and the mast taken down. preparations are now well under way. Provisioning and stores are being brought onboard.
   I added a few amenities for this trip. I added an Isotherm refrigeration unit as well as insulating the icebox. A new VHF radio which has GPS and AIS included was added as well as a new Garmin GPS chartplotter. Also I switched anchors from the old CQR to a new Rochna anchor. I can only hope all of these things work as thereis really no way to test them until we are underway. We are just waiting now for the weather to be nicer before leaving.

The trip is in the planning stages now. All the gear is installed and I'm starting to put food aboard. We are still on schedule to depart in early June. Charisma will be launched on Friday and if the motor works and she putts along I'll have the mast stepped next week.