Oct 23-24 We are on the move again! Our favorite boatyard finally finished all of the repairs, maintenance and upgrades. They all came out to send us off (and make sure we didn’t hit anything!) The skies were gray but the weather settled for our 5 hour trip down to Fisher’s Island East Harbor. Coming in to Fisher’s Island Sound and on to our anchorage in the dark was a bit unnerving as we hadn’t rigged any night vision covers for our electronic charts. I went out on the deck and looked for buoys with our binoculars while John stared at the charts and slowly maneuvered the boat safely into the anchorage for the night. The next morning we made the short hop over to Skipper’s dock in Stonington Harbor. A good friend was there to take out lines. For most of the day, we rocked and rolled at the dock because there was a southerly wind and the harbor is exposed to the south. We were there to let our friends see the boat which many had not been able to do yet as it was in either Maine or Rhode Island for all of the summer. After the festivities, John and I had a nice quiet dinner at Skipper’s and went to bed early.
Oct. 25-28 Up early and off the dock with no problem. It is sure nice having a boat that maneuvers well in tight places. Down Long Island sound in nice conditions, we motored for the whole day. At about sundown, we anchored in Indian Harbor for the night. This boat has a new tool to us- an AIS system. As the system picks up any boat registered in the system (most large commercial boats and some pleasure boats like us) that are nearby, they show up on our electronic chart labeled by name, speed traveling, and direction traveling. This information is wonderful to have at our fingertips. To be able to call them by name on the radio, as they barrel down on you, and get a response is very reassuring especially in the dark on passage.
The next morning, we pulled into the dock at IHYC and settled in for a few day of showing the boat to friends and family. I am finally calm about coming into a dock! My mother and her nurse even came for dinner, a movie, and spent the night. My son, Chris, and his girlfriend drove over from Long Island and had lunch. John’s mother came too. He has been diagnosed with early prostate cancer and he spent all day Tues. in NYC having tests. We hope he can have treatment in the spring so we can be on the boat all winter in the Bahamas.
Oct. 29-31 After looking at the weather report for the mid atlantic area, we decided to try to go all the way from Greenwich to Beaufort, NC in one fell swoop. We left IHYC at about 9 am and motored down Long Island Sound, down the East River and our into NY Harbor with all of its hustle and bustle. Out the main shipping channel with a good tide and down the Jersey coast we went. By the next morning, we were off of the Delaware Bay area. The first day on any passage is spent constantly listening to things shifting and making noises and “battening the hatches”. We are still learning what objects need to be moved to safer locations. The seas were not bad but coming from several direction (confused). I learned warming even a simple pot of chili on a powerboat with no gimbaled stove or fiddles to keep the pots in place, is quite a challenge. Note to self: design some thing to help with this problem! It was nice to be warm and cozy and have a bed that we could sleep on sideways (boat was slightly rolling) that didn’t slip on its platform. The AIS worked like a dream the whole way. For the next 28 hours, the seas and wind were better. We had franks and beans (John’s favorite) for dinner. Around Hatteras, the seas got confused and choppy because it is shallower there. Also the northern edge of the Gulf Stream seemed to be closer in due to the south wind. For the last stretch to Beaufort, it was sunny but the going was slow due to the current against us from the Gulf Stream. We could tell we were in part of the stream because the water temperature went up to 78 degrees!. Finally around 2 am, we pulled into our anchorage by the coast guard station for Beaufort, NC. We had traveled 462.5 NM in 75 hours. To bed!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Another glorious day greeted us and the wind was blowing from a good direction for Mike and De to have a good sail up the bay. We follwed them and got some good photos of their boat in action. Pickering Island and its protected cove was our destination. After anchoring, an expedition was oragnized to hike through the dense woods on the island out to a point with a grand vista. We had invited some other sailing friends to join us for dinner and just by chance, they came by as we were enjoying the view. That night, we all enjoyed the clams for hors and seafood pasta for dinner.
The next two days, we explored the Castine area and dropped off our guests because it was time to head slowly home. The weather continued to be sunny and pleasant. We stopped overnight in Portland and some friends rowed out in their dinghy and brought dinner. We have connected with this younger couple in the Carribean, Bahamas, and Maine and always enjoy their company.
The weather now got rainy and windy and the seas were confused which made our trip down to Gloucester a bit rolly and uncomfortable. It was nice to be inside and have windshield wipers! Things kept rattling in their drawers, etc. and we had to “batten the hatches”. The toaster oven fell off the counter and was broken but was the only casualty. Gloucester was a welcome site with its big protected harbor where we anchored for the night. The next day, the ses were better and we made our way down to the Cape Cod Canal without incident. The tide was just right as we transited and John saw 10.3 knots for our speed at one point! The next day, we headed down Buzzards Bay and turned in the Sackonnet River heading for Barrington and our boatyard. There is a narrow spot up the river a ways and as we came to it, we noticed kayakers riding the waves caused by the outgoing tide. John safely navigated Windermere through this gauntlet and then under a bridge while dodging all of the little boats around us out for their Sunday cruises. His final moment of glory was docking the boat, for the first time, going sideways using our Z drive while the head of the yard was watching and waiting to take our lines. We got cheers from the other line takers.
Now Windermere will be at the boatyard for almost a month getting everything up to snuff for our trip to the Bahamas for the winter.
The next two days, we explored the Castine area and dropped off our guests because it was time to head slowly home. The weather continued to be sunny and pleasant. We stopped overnight in Portland and some friends rowed out in their dinghy and brought dinner. We have connected with this younger couple in the Carribean, Bahamas, and Maine and always enjoy their company.
The weather now got rainy and windy and the seas were confused which made our trip down to Gloucester a bit rolly and uncomfortable. It was nice to be inside and have windshield wipers! Things kept rattling in their drawers, etc. and we had to “batten the hatches”. The toaster oven fell off the counter and was broken but was the only casualty. Gloucester was a welcome site with its big protected harbor where we anchored for the night. The next day, the ses were better and we made our way down to the Cape Cod Canal without incident. The tide was just right as we transited and John saw 10.3 knots for our speed at one point! The next day, we headed down Buzzards Bay and turned in the Sackonnet River heading for Barrington and our boatyard. There is a narrow spot up the river a ways and as we came to it, we noticed kayakers riding the waves caused by the outgoing tide. John safely navigated Windermere through this gauntlet and then under a bridge while dodging all of the little boats around us out for their Sunday cruises. His final moment of glory was docking the boat, for the first time, going sideways using our Z drive while the head of the yard was watching and waiting to take our lines. We got cheers from the other line takers.
Now Windermere will be at the boatyard for almost a month getting everything up to snuff for our trip to the Bahamas for the winter.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
This week we had some good cruising friends come up to visit and our mission was the Ocean Cruising Club rally in South Bristol, ME. This spot is around the corner and back west from Rockland and it has a very protected harbor. This was important as hurricane Bill was headed our way some time over the weekend. Our friends arrived in the late afternoon so we only motored a short distance to the closest island anchorage. The next day, it was totally foggy but this didn’t stop us from dodging lobster pots for the few hours it took to get to South Bristol. A mooring was waiting for us but we didn’t know where it was so we sent our guest out in the dinghy to comb the harbor for it. He finally spotted it and we tied up. Over the next two days there were various get togethers with the members over hor’s and a New England boiled dinner. This dinner consists of lobster, clams, corn, potatoes, onions, and eggs all steamed/cooking in seaweed over a hot wood fire. When the eggs are hard boiled, the lobster is done! The hurricane came through during the night but really didn’t have alot of wind but it did rain hard.
On Sunday, it was time to leave and going out the seaway between two land masses, that has large surf breaking on the rocks, was exciting. Luckily it was a glorious sunny day. The swells from the hurricane were at least 8 to12 feet high but were far apart. Dodging lobster pots was tricky because they would go way under water as the swell came over them. The next few hours, we just bobbed along in the swells with out a problem. As the evening approached and we were about an hour out of Rockland, the heavens opened up and the downpour followed us right to our anchorage.It took all 4 of us to watch for the pot in the failing light. Putting the anchor down, I got soaked through my slicker but we landed safely.
Our guests left with me in tow as I had to go down to Greenwich to take care of my mother for a week. John stayed on the boat, did projects and went out with friends. It was good for him to have some “down time”.
The next set of guests brought me back and the adventure continued. The weather was sunny but getting cooler. We headed to one of our favorite anchorages on Vinalhaven called Seal Bay. Our friends, Mike and De joined us and the party began. They brought lobster which we ate on the stern deck at our wonderful big table. The next day, Mike treated us to a dinghy ride through the interior of Vinalhaven. That afternoon, a whole bunch of boats came into our spot so we decided to move to a quieter location. After anchoring, John and our friend, George went looking for mussels for dinner and Mike and I went to look for clams. Finally, he found some and dug them up for our supper the next night. They must hang in the water and purge themselves of sand before they are edible. That night, we feasted on mussels in white wine and several vegetable salads, garlic bread and, John's favorite, stuffed mushrooms!
On Sunday, it was time to leave and going out the seaway between two land masses, that has large surf breaking on the rocks, was exciting. Luckily it was a glorious sunny day. The swells from the hurricane were at least 8 to12 feet high but were far apart. Dodging lobster pots was tricky because they would go way under water as the swell came over them. The next few hours, we just bobbed along in the swells with out a problem. As the evening approached and we were about an hour out of Rockland, the heavens opened up and the downpour followed us right to our anchorage.It took all 4 of us to watch for the pot in the failing light. Putting the anchor down, I got soaked through my slicker but we landed safely.
Our guests left with me in tow as I had to go down to Greenwich to take care of my mother for a week. John stayed on the boat, did projects and went out with friends. It was good for him to have some “down time”.
The next set of guests brought me back and the adventure continued. The weather was sunny but getting cooler. We headed to one of our favorite anchorages on Vinalhaven called Seal Bay. Our friends, Mike and De joined us and the party began. They brought lobster which we ate on the stern deck at our wonderful big table. The next day, Mike treated us to a dinghy ride through the interior of Vinalhaven. That afternoon, a whole bunch of boats came into our spot so we decided to move to a quieter location. After anchoring, John and our friend, George went looking for mussels for dinner and Mike and I went to look for clams. Finally, he found some and dug them up for our supper the next night. They must hang in the water and purge themselves of sand before they are edible. That night, we feasted on mussels in white wine and several vegetable salads, garlic bread and, John's favorite, stuffed mushrooms!
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