Log of Sunday, June 22, 2008

Sunday, June 22 - overcast, damp, Southerly ~5-8 k. Destination: Lewis Bay from Sippican.

I had been listening to a forecast of foul winds with unstable and deteriorating conditions, so on Saturday afternoon I called Tom and asked him to come earlier so we could get some miles under our keel and be sure to make the tide in the Hole.

I wasn't enjoying reunion much except for a good long discussion with my classmate Phin Sprague in which we failed to solve many of the pressing problems of our age. He and I differ greatly in our political outlook and we had a good time exploring the terrain. He also drew me a great little sketch of the Richmond Island anchorage just South of Cape Elizabeth. I look forward to trying it out soon.

0930 underway with Tom Gels & GW

1010 Converse Pt. abeam to Stbd. Closehauled Stbd tack under Jib & Jigger making good 174M @ 5 1/2 kts

Tom is a good local pilot for the upper reaches of Buzzards Bay, so he was calling the shots on how far we beat out the west shore before crossing over. It was blowing somewhere in the high teens and the forecast was for more later, so I was glad to be making tracks. We continued motor sailing to get to windward as fast as possible before the chop got too bad.

1036 - finished a hitch on Port to Pease's Point & back to Stbd. for the Hole.

At some point the wind eased and we raised the main. Then we started to labor a bit and I tucked in a reef. North Wind likes to sail on her feet, like most beamy centerboarders, so she was much happier after that.

1230 In Woods Hole - Engine quit while beating out Buzzards Bay - expect fuel starvation - so sailing through.

We were over on the East side of the Bay when the engine quit. My best guess was that the Racor filter just got clogged up with crud after a couple of days of bouncy Buzzards Bay seas, so I didn't worry too much about the machinery. And since we had a fair breeze through the hole and on out the Sound, I thought it was better to keep sailing than to stop and play mechanic.

We blasted through Woods Hole in fine style. It is fun to sail through and I always think of my father's story about visiting a member of the Forbes family on Naushon Island and, together, beating through Woods Hole in a six meter against the tide. That must have been some time shortly before WWII; it remained a favorite memory of his.

1315 hitting 9.8 kts on the GPS as we reach for the west end of the Hedge Fence with the current under us.

The tide runs hard through here. In many ways it is more important to have a fair current in the Sound than in the Hole; the current isn't as strong, but the distance is much greater.

~1340 Ryck calls to report a squall cell over Chilmark headed our way - we drop the main & suit up.

Oh, the marvels of modern technology. We had a weather eye peeled and things looked pretty murky to the south so it was great to get a timely heads-up from Ryck who was trying to get some work done, but was actually sneaking a peek at the weather radar and daydreaming about sailing.

We dropped the main and were all suited up in our foul weather gear by the time the squall line came through. Between our preparations and it losing some punch as it crossed the Vineyard, the squall wasn't much of a problem, but it was wet and windy and visibility dropped to almost nothing for a few minutes.

We cleared the East end of L'Hommedieu Shoal and bore away for Lewis Bay.

1455 R "8" Wreck Shoal abeam, squall long gone--non-event thanks to Ryck. Raise main with single reef. 057M for the Hyannis Channel 6.5 NM ahead.

Perfect timing; this was slack water almost to the minute. We had carried a fair current up to now, and as we put Wreck Shoal astern, we left the fierce currents which made Geo. Eldredge's fame and fortune and entered a part of the Sound where the currents are minimal.

1600 Entering the Lewis Bay channel--Spindle abeam to Stbd, R"4" to Port.

As we came up the channel I was putting things to rights and getting ready to leave the boat. After putting her on the mooring, I was flying to Alaska to join cousin Phil for two weeks of salmon fishing in Bristol Bay--a totally new experience for me--and then returning just in time for my stepson George's wedding. So it was going to be a long time before North Wind got any TLC again.

1715 Rigged mooring pennant by anchoring to windward, rigging pennant from Zodiac & then transferring to the mooring.

The final challenge was to rig the mooring pennant. The float was in place with the chain coming up through the center of it. We had to remove the shackle, put on the pennant and reconnect the whole thing. We did it by rounding up to windward, dropping the hook and then, after dropping back, bringing the Zodiac alongside and futzing with the gear from the Zodiac. It worked fine, but another time I might try to pass a temporary pennant and then work from the Zodiac while moored rather than anchored. Especially if I could approach under power!

1740 Cleaning up & getting ready to go.

1810--Loading out--the voyage is over.

A very successful two week cruise. Thanks to all the friends and family who took part and made it so enjoyable.