Sunday, October 10, 2010
October 10, 2010 Winterization - 264 Days To Go
As the weather is getting colder, boating activities turn from enjoyment to work! Bob is working on winterizing the water systems and generator. Lynda is putting all the boat linens in space bags and will take home all items that might freeze. We have found over the years that storing the clean linens on the boat for the winter solves the problem of where to store everything at home! During the week, Bob and his friend Vinnie will move the boat from our summer dock in Mystic, CT down Long Island Sound, up the Connecticut River for winter storage in Portland, CT. Portland is only about 15 minutes from our home and we decided that it would be more convenient for getting all our "stuff" on board in the spring in preparation of leaving on our Loop adventure. So we are signing off for now as our season is drawing to a close. Be sure to check back in the Spring and join us as our adventure begins!
Sunday, October 03, 2010
October 2, 2010 Dock Party - 271 Days To Go
As the season is quickly coming to an end, "B" dock had a Farewell to Summer get together. Who would have known that our dockmates decided to take this opportunity to bid us an early Bon Voyage!! Great food and a great surprise. Thanks to all who helped make this a day to remember. We hope that you all follow our adventures and share experiences with us!
Sunday, September 05, 2010
September 1, 2010 to September 5, 2010 - Hurricane Earl - 299 Days To Go!
Wednesday, September 1st - Cast off from the Herreshoff dock at 10:30 am, traveled past Newport and Point Judith, RI. The seas were a little lumpy with a swell that would rock us side to side. Once we rounded Point Judith, the seas smoothed out and we enjoyed our lunch that we had purchased in Bristol. We are now in familiar waters as we head through Watch Hill Pass, past Stonington and on up the Mystic River. We arrived at our home port around 4 pm after a pleasant, uneventful sail.
Thursday, September 2nd - Hurricane Earl is supposed to arrive in the area tomorrow night. Boat owners have begun to arrive and tie extra lines on their boats. The marina has begun to make preparations for his arrival. They have hauled a boat or two, removed and stored the dock carts and umbrellas that are usually on the picnic tables throughout the yard. We will be staying on board for the duration of the storm unless it gets to rough and unsafe.
Friday, September 3rd - The day started sunny and little wind, but as time went by, clouds began to form and the wind picked up a little bit. Hurricane Earl is scheduled to arrive around 7 pm as a category 2 hurricane. We sat on board all day, read and watched the Weather Channel for updates on his progress. Bob and I took a dinghy ride up the Mystic River. We had seen a number of very large boats go up the river during the day to take refuge from the storm and we wanted to see where they were. There were three large (over 120 feet) yachts that had been tucked into slips at Mystic Seaport Marine. One of them, Bayou, even had an amphibious car on the upper deck! We decided to have an early dinner, so Bob went picked up a pizza at Angie's. Once the pizza was finished, again, we sat and waited, still not much happening. We briefly lost TV satellite reception, so I decided to go read some more in bed. I was waiting all night for the wind to start to howl and the waves to begin slapping on the boat, but nothing materialized. We may have wind gusts of only 15 mph.
Saturday, September 4th - woke up this morning to find a much cooler day and that Hurricane Earl had been downgraded to a category 1 hurricane and had passed the Mystic area with not ill effect! Today, a front from the west had arrived, which brought the much cooler, less humid weather, but strong winds. One of the folks on a sailboat here at the marina clocked wind gusts at 42 mph! The wind today was much stronger than during the hurricane. Here is a picture of the swells that rolled through the marina
Thursday, September 2nd - Hurricane Earl is supposed to arrive in the area tomorrow night. Boat owners have begun to arrive and tie extra lines on their boats. The marina has begun to make preparations for his arrival. They have hauled a boat or two, removed and stored the dock carts and umbrellas that are usually on the picnic tables throughout the yard. We will be staying on board for the duration of the storm unless it gets to rough and unsafe.
Friday, September 3rd - The day started sunny and little wind, but as time went by, clouds began to form and the wind picked up a little bit. Hurricane Earl is scheduled to arrive around 7 pm as a category 2 hurricane. We sat on board all day, read and watched the Weather Channel for updates on his progress. Bob and I took a dinghy ride up the Mystic River. We had seen a number of very large boats go up the river during the day to take refuge from the storm and we wanted to see where they were. There were three large (over 120 feet) yachts that had been tucked into slips at Mystic Seaport Marine. One of them, Bayou, even had an amphibious car on the upper deck! We decided to have an early dinner, so Bob went picked up a pizza at Angie's. Once the pizza was finished, again, we sat and waited, still not much happening. We briefly lost TV satellite reception, so I decided to go read some more in bed. I was waiting all night for the wind to start to howl and the waves to begin slapping on the boat, but nothing materialized. We may have wind gusts of only 15 mph.
Saturday, September 4th - woke up this morning to find a much cooler day and that Hurricane Earl had been downgraded to a category 1 hurricane and had passed the Mystic area with not ill effect! Today, a front from the west had arrived, which brought the much cooler, less humid weather, but strong winds. One of the folks on a sailboat here at the marina clocked wind gusts at 42 mph! The wind today was much stronger than during the hurricane. Here is a picture of the swells that rolled through the marina
August 28, 2010 to August 31, 2010 North Falmouth, MA to Bristol, RI
Saturday, the 28th, we are still at Brewer’s Fiddlers Cove in North Falmouth, RI. It was a good day to do some laundry, so Lynda gathered up the towels and clothes and went off to do the wash. The marina has one washer and two dryers, so while the wash was being done, Lynda sat, relaxed and did some reading in the marina clubhouse. Before long, the clothes were washed, dried, folded and brought back to the boat. In the afternoon, we (Bob, Lynda, Willow and Tucker) went for a dinghy ride to explore Fiddler’s Cove. We traveled up a narrow inlet, and were surprised to find the inlet lined with beautiful privately owned homes, each with their own dock and boat tied up to it. Later, for dinner, we enjoyed swiss steak for dinner that had been cooking all day in the crockpot. Tomorrow we will travel a short distance up Buzzards Bay to Red Brook Harbor and stay at Kingman Yacht Center in Cataumet, MA.
Sunday, August 29th, we left Fiddlers Cove around 10:30 am and headed up Buzzards Bay. There was a small swell on the Bay, but other than that, it was a pleasant, short trip to Kingman Yacht Center. Along the way, we noticed a large plane that had just taken off from a nearby airport. Bob said it was one of the presidential planes, if not Airforce One. President Obama had been vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard and we figured the plan was on its way back to Washington. Kingman Yacht Center is a fairly large, well protected marina. Our slip was tucked around back and was very quiet. Just a short distance from our boat is a popular local restaurant, The Chart Room. The Chart Room is a former covered barge that was built around or before 1900. The ceiling is still the original curved beams and the floor is made of old railroad timbers. We noticed a sign on the wall that marked the high water line of Hurricane Bob from 1991. The restaurant is approximately 15 feet above sea level, and the mark on the wall was about waist high! We watched another beautiful sunset and tomorrow it’s off to Hadley Harbor on Naushon Island. From Hadley Harbor we will head to Cuttyhunk Island. We won’t have any internet access until we leave Cuttyhunk, so I won’t be able to post any updates until we have access.
Monday, August 30th, traveled to Hadley Harbor. We hadn't been here in about 20 years. We were surprised to find a number of moorings in the harbor. Some were marked private, others were not. Other folks in the harbor indicated that if the mooring was not marked private, it was available to use. We located an empty, non-private mooring and settled in for a quiet, peaceful afternoon. Since it is after the weekend, the harbor was quiet. During a weekend, the harbor can become extremely crowded with anchored boats as it is a very popular spot. The mooring we were attached to was right behind a boat with an AGLCA looper burgee. The boat was Potest Fieri, a Nordic Tug from Ontario. We chatted with Dan & Susan for some time and they gave us a lot of helpful info for our upcoming trip next year. Tomorrow we will head to Bristol, RI to the docks at the Herreshof Maritime Musuem.
Tuesday, August 31st we said goodbye to Potest Fieri, wished them a safe journey and left Hadley Harbor around 10:30 am. We headed west on Rhode Island Sound, traveled up the Sakonnet River and arrived at the Herreshof Museum around 3:30 pm. They were closed today, but we had previously received a dock assignment. Bob and I got the boat docked safely, washed the salt off and took the rest of the afternoon off! Later on, we walked into town and had a nice Italian dinner at Roberto's restaurant. After dinner, we walked a little further into town and picked up a grinder for lunch tomorrow. Because of the impending arrival of Hurricane Earl later this week on Friday, our reservations at Brewers Wickford Marina were cancelled. We decided to head back to Mystic on Wednesday, rather than try to find another place to stay on Wednesday and then try to hurry home on Thursday. The trip from Bristol to Mystic will be just a bit longer than we like to travel, so we thought we would be prepared with a pre-made grinder for lunch!
Sunday, August 29th, we left Fiddlers Cove around 10:30 am and headed up Buzzards Bay. There was a small swell on the Bay, but other than that, it was a pleasant, short trip to Kingman Yacht Center. Along the way, we noticed a large plane that had just taken off from a nearby airport. Bob said it was one of the presidential planes, if not Airforce One. President Obama had been vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard and we figured the plan was on its way back to Washington. Kingman Yacht Center is a fairly large, well protected marina. Our slip was tucked around back and was very quiet. Just a short distance from our boat is a popular local restaurant, The Chart Room. The Chart Room is a former covered barge that was built around or before 1900. The ceiling is still the original curved beams and the floor is made of old railroad timbers. We noticed a sign on the wall that marked the high water line of Hurricane Bob from 1991. The restaurant is approximately 15 feet above sea level, and the mark on the wall was about waist high! We watched another beautiful sunset and tomorrow it’s off to Hadley Harbor on Naushon Island. From Hadley Harbor we will head to Cuttyhunk Island. We won’t have any internet access until we leave Cuttyhunk, so I won’t be able to post any updates until we have access.
Monday, August 30th, traveled to Hadley Harbor. We hadn't been here in about 20 years. We were surprised to find a number of moorings in the harbor. Some were marked private, others were not. Other folks in the harbor indicated that if the mooring was not marked private, it was available to use. We located an empty, non-private mooring and settled in for a quiet, peaceful afternoon. Since it is after the weekend, the harbor was quiet. During a weekend, the harbor can become extremely crowded with anchored boats as it is a very popular spot. The mooring we were attached to was right behind a boat with an AGLCA looper burgee. The boat was Potest Fieri, a Nordic Tug from Ontario. We chatted with Dan & Susan for some time and they gave us a lot of helpful info for our upcoming trip next year. Tomorrow we will head to Bristol, RI to the docks at the Herreshof Maritime Musuem.
Tuesday, August 31st we said goodbye to Potest Fieri, wished them a safe journey and left Hadley Harbor around 10:30 am. We headed west on Rhode Island Sound, traveled up the Sakonnet River and arrived at the Herreshof Museum around 3:30 pm. They were closed today, but we had previously received a dock assignment. Bob and I got the boat docked safely, washed the salt off and took the rest of the afternoon off! Later on, we walked into town and had a nice Italian dinner at Roberto's restaurant. After dinner, we walked a little further into town and picked up a grinder for lunch tomorrow. Because of the impending arrival of Hurricane Earl later this week on Friday, our reservations at Brewers Wickford Marina were cancelled. We decided to head back to Mystic on Wednesday, rather than try to find another place to stay on Wednesday and then try to hurry home on Thursday. The trip from Bristol to Mystic will be just a bit longer than we like to travel, so we thought we would be prepared with a pre-made grinder for lunch!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Next Destination - North Falmouth
Countdown = 308 Days To Go
Awoke early, 6:00 am, took the dogs to shore, packed up and headed out for our next stop, Brewers Fiddlers Cove, North Falmouth, MA. Had a great travel day, waves of only a foot or so and very light wind. We had purchased sandwiches at Dutch Harbor yesterday so that we could eat them today, while underway. They were terrific! We arrived around 1:00 pm and will be here for two days. After washing the salt off the boat, we both sat down and enjoyed the view off the back deck.
Here is a picture of the marina
And another great sunset with a promise of a warm, sunny day tomorrow.
Awoke early, 6:00 am, took the dogs to shore, packed up and headed out for our next stop, Brewers Fiddlers Cove, North Falmouth, MA. Had a great travel day, waves of only a foot or so and very light wind. We had purchased sandwiches at Dutch Harbor yesterday so that we could eat them today, while underway. They were terrific! We arrived around 1:00 pm and will be here for two days. After washing the salt off the boat, we both sat down and enjoyed the view off the back deck.
Here is a picture of the marina
And another great sunset with a promise of a warm, sunny day tomorrow.
Finally!!
Countdown = 309 Days To Go
The weather report for today, August 26th is for SUN! We woke before dawn to the sound of rain falling on the cabin top and thought, Oh no, not another day of rain! But we waited a bit, the rain stopped, sun came out and we were able to get underway and leave the dock by 9:00 am. As we were leaving the dock, a boat with an AGLCA burgee went by, Potest Fieri! We heard another boat call them on the radio and heard they were tavelling to Newport. We were headed for Jamestown, so they were in sight for some time. We had snacks for lunch and arrived at our destination, Dutch Harbor Boat Yard in Jamestown, RI around 1:30 pm.
The sunset was beautiful, but it was rather rocky, rolly all night and we didn't sleep very well.
The weather report for today, August 26th is for SUN! We woke before dawn to the sound of rain falling on the cabin top and thought, Oh no, not another day of rain! But we waited a bit, the rain stopped, sun came out and we were able to get underway and leave the dock by 9:00 am. As we were leaving the dock, a boat with an AGLCA burgee went by, Potest Fieri! We heard another boat call them on the radio and heard they were tavelling to Newport. We were headed for Jamestown, so they were in sight for some time. We had snacks for lunch and arrived at our destination, Dutch Harbor Boat Yard in Jamestown, RI around 1:30 pm.
The sunset was beautiful, but it was rather rocky, rolly all night and we didn't sleep very well.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Still in Mystic
Countdown = 310 Days To Go
It's Wednesday, and we are still in our homeport, waiting out the weather. It isn't raining much anymore, only misting every now and then. The wind has died down quite a bit and things are looking good for leaving tomorrow. Mystic Seaport, a recreated seaport village, is just up the river from us so we spent some time there this afternoon viewing the new exhibits on tugboats and canal building.
As the skies clear
And the sun sets
There is hope that tomorrow will be a good travel day. After all, as the saying goes, Red skies at night, sailor's delight!!
It's Wednesday, and we are still in our homeport, waiting out the weather. It isn't raining much anymore, only misting every now and then. The wind has died down quite a bit and things are looking good for leaving tomorrow. Mystic Seaport, a recreated seaport village, is just up the river from us so we spent some time there this afternoon viewing the new exhibits on tugboats and canal building.
As the skies clear
And the sun sets
There is hope that tomorrow will be a good travel day. After all, as the saying goes, Red skies at night, sailor's delight!!
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