2010 Log
6/16 to 6/30/2010
This is the current period of our log for 2010. At the bottom of the page are links to this year's pass weeks; our earlier voyages are in Prior Voyages.
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Updated on 07/03/2010
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6/16/10 - Still cloudy, like a sauna. I sewed a line storage bag for AA's dodger; a little job to help keep things better organized. It drizzled and rained off an on most of the day. Where is that cold front they'd promised? Bradd & Maeve arrived from Canada about 6:30pm. We'd invited them for dinner figuring they'd be tired from the long drive and looking forward to some downtime and food. Great to see Maeve again! 6/17/10 - Beautiful morning, clear and cooler. Ariel departed for Port Washington, NY at the 9am bridge. We'll catch up in a few days. We caught a ride with Maeve & Bradd, provisioning the boat for our next journey. Back on AA I finished the third book of the "Girl" trilogy, "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest". What a great series! A dinghy ride to the harbormaster's with 13 books to exchange finished off the day. Now I have a new supply of reading material. 6/18/10 - What a great morning, cool and cloudless. We made the 9am bridge, stopping for diesel, pump-out and water. AA was ready to go! As is frequently the case the prevailing breeze was coming right down our course so we motored along behind Sampatecho. Later in the morning we got the chance to motor sail a couple of hours. It allowed us to drop engine rpm by 25%, saving a little fuel while we held our pace. We elected to traverse the C&D canal even though there was about a knot of current running against us. The anchorage NE of inlet at the Delaware was perfect for a 7am ride with the tide in the morning. 6/19/10 - The forecast 6-10 knots from the South clocking to SE were 14-17 out of the East last evening. This morning there is virtually no breeze. We met or were passed by about a dozen ships as we motored down the Delaware. They were pretty evenly split between tankers and container ships. The wind managed to shift just enough to stay on the nose all the way to Cape May. Rounding the cape about 1/4 mile offshore is always a little tense as we pick our way through the shoals in 16 - 40 feet of water. The waves and currents create a very confused seas, lots of stuff in the cabin ended up on the floor. As we rounded the cape we put up our headsail to stabilize the boat... resulting in a fast motor sail the 3 mile stretch to the harbor channel. As we were anchoring near the Coast Guard station they sent out two vessels in response to a May Day call 3 miles from the harbor entrance. A 26' cruiser was taking on water and the skipper figured they were going to sink with his young children on board. It ended well as we saw a couple of SeaTow boats and the Coast Guard escort him into the harbor. 6/20/10 - A lot of moisture in the air this morning. Lots of activity starting with the sport fishermen heading out at dawn, new sailboats arriving from overnight runs and tugs. The day turned into a scorcher. First task was6 to change filters and do another fresh water flush of the watermaker readying it for service as we get back into clear ocean saltwater. Next I dug out the sewing machine and finished the line storage bag for the dodger that cleaned up another little mess. Then I did the domestic bit and repaired two pair of shorts for Ruth. Kyle sent me a cute father's day e-card with a very nice note. Nikki sent me a short note too. Our day ended with a little excitement. Ruth and I were talking to a gentleman in his dinghy, he'd grown up in the same area as my mom and knew where we'd bought our boat. Ruth heard a "not normal" sound from the galley and went down to explore. She called up to me "Barry, get down here fast, we have a problem - quick!" I went down to find water spraying out of the cabinet below the galley sink. We quickly identified the source, the raw water strainer on the watermaker. I closed a valve and shut off the boat pressure water system pump... the flood stopped. Further investigation revealed the clear plastic bowl on the strainer had split allowing the 30 gallons of fresh water to pour into the bilge. While Ruth cleaned up water I assembled a set of fittings to replace the strainer temporarily (hurrah for the spare parts bag). We're still fully functional, just down 30 gallons of water; but we have a nice clean bilge! 6/21/10 - Another sunny morning. Ruth and I watched the video "W". I can't believe George W's background hadn't come out before the elections. We headed north for Atlantic City around 9. Initially motoring, then sailing for most of the way. The autopilot is still acting funky, fighting us the first hour then settling down for the rest of the day. In Atlantic City we stopped for fuel before going out to anchor near the bridge and Harrah's. 6/22/10 - Hazy but clear - if that makes sense. At 7am we hoisted anchor, heading for Sandy Hook on the south side of the entrances to New York's harbor. We motored a couple of hours and motor sailed the rest of the day, anchoring at 6:30pm just off the Coast Guard station on Sandy Hook. Long day but a smooth beautiful day. Our only excitement was the auto pilot that kept drifting off course all morning, finally settling down at 1pm for the afternoon. Arrgghhh! We backed down hard on our anchor as NOAA and Weather Underground both indicated we were in line to be hit by thunderstorms in the next 1/2 - 1 hour. 6/23/10 - We'd just finished dinner were watching a DVD when the squall hit. Ruth ran to the helm while I fired up the instruments, secured Buddy's cage and moved the TV to the floor; we were heeling about 20 degrees at anchor. By the time I got to the cockpit Ruth had the engine running and was reporting 45 knot gusts. She said they were higher before the instruments came on. In 45 minutes it was all over but for the rain. In an hour the moon was out. Fun while it lasted! Beautiful sunny clear morning today. It took us a little while to get the anchor up at 7am as our chain was tangle in a string of fish traps. Once cleared we headed for the Verrazano Narrows Bridge under sail. Powered by 15-24 knot winds we quickly entered New York Harbor, Ruth at the helm. We gave up on the auto pilot, it was on strike. We arrived at the East River too early as the current was running full against us so we played in New York harbor for a couple of hour, sailing by Liberty, Ellis Island and the Trade Center site. About 2:30 we headed up the East River under power, sailing out the east end after our passage through Hell's Gate. After sailing into Port Washington we anchored next to Ariel. What a great day of sailing! 6/24/10 - Beautiful sky but warm and humid already. Late morning I installed the screen door on Summersault, all of a 20 minute task while Leslie took the women to a grocery store. After lunch Ruth, Maeve, Bradd and I took our dinghies to Port Washington for a West Marine fix. As we walked the last of the 8 blocks to the store we noted the sky getting dark... surprise, rain was coming and our boats were basically open. We figured we'd better get our shopping done quickly and get back to the boats. Minutes after we entered the store the sky burst open - high wind and heavy rain. We sat it out in the store, heading for the boats after the 30 minute squall. Small lakes had formed in the streets and tree limbs littered the village. Emergency vehicles were screaming up and down the streets. We later learned Miles had clocked 55 knot winds and the yacht club 69 knots. Buddy was sure glad to see us. Overhead hatches that we'd closed but not dogged down had blown open drenching Buddy and about half the boat interior. Ruth cleaned the boat while I helped Miles with his outboard; the wind had flipped his dinghy and drowned the engine. We got it dried and running only to have it stop again. Supper at the Wollin's, an excellent meal and good company. David and Leslie introduced us to their friends Michael and Pat, sailors themselves. 6/25/10 - Woke to bright sunshine and the whine of a very large mosquito. As my mind cleared I realized the annoying bug was Miles, he'd gotten his outboard running again. Received an e-mail this morning from an individual named John with a Navy address. He suggested a test for the autopilot actuator that would ID a burned spot on the motor commutator. Makes sense, I need to get a tester and check it out. The unit isn't working today. We motored to Oyster Bay after Leslie had run Ruth to Macy's to pick up a small inventory of syrup for our soda maker. It was a short run, about 2 hours. After anchoring we stopped by Sampatecho to do some trip planning. They are headed to Canada on a fast track while we have parts, repairs and paperwork to resolve before we can head to Nova Scotia. We've elected to sail to Chatham with them, then double back while they go on. Ariel will be leisurely exploring the Sound, likely joining us in Newport. 6/26/10 - Another beautiful summer morning. We've been looking for a July issue of Cruising World magazine. They published parts of a loop article I sold them as a sidebar to their editor's article. We motored and motor sailed to Fischer Island just off the coast of New London, CT. Our anchorage was Chocomount Cove on the north side of the island. Ruth voted that it was a very pleasant surprise with its lush foliage and well kept homes. Our autopilot faulted about a dozen times before settling down and working flawlessly for 10 hours. While it worked I read it's manuals and figure the best place to get a reading on the commutator without having to empty the rear quarter locker, remove a bulkhead and access the actuator junction box... a job more easily done if I were 10 years old and 75 lbs. 6/27/10 - Rained last night. It was expected so we were buttoned up tight. I hoisted anchor at 7am and followed in Sampatecho's wake. The auto pilot struggled for an hour before settling down to work. Thankfully it settled down to work as Ruth had spotted a dark fog bank ahead and soon we were had visibility of less than 100 feet. Radar on and horn signaling we threaded our way through the dozens of commercial and sport fishing boats on the path to Point Judith. Our radar is discerning when dealing with small sport boats as they slip under our signal at about 1/4 mile away (probably because our scanner is 25' up the mast). After that it was up to Ruth to call their position if they appeared in the fog. As we entered the narrow Point Judith channel we encountered a half dozen small fishermen that did not appear on radar. We had to stop to sort through them. I'd been tracking a ferry coming down the channel, I sounded our horn and he replied so loudly it shook our canvas. Though this large ferry passed within 100 feet of us we never saw it. After fueling at Point Judith Marine we threaded our way up the channel to Salt Pond following Sampatecho (when we could see her). The auto pilot freaked out during the break to fuel and was making turns long after they were input resulting in my having to hand steer while monitoring the radar and chart plotter. The delay in the chart plotter display make over-steering a real problem. We were glad to be anchored after 1 1/2 hours in the pea soup. On going ashore I found I had a mild case of fog induced vertigo, I couldn't have walked the plank or walked the white line along a highway... weird. Dinner was a feast at Wellman's home. Eleven of us had mussels, lobster, swordfish and steak along with salads, potato salads, corn on the cob and several other sides. I kept reminding myself of the narrow doors on AA and ate in moderation. 6/28/10 - Poor Ruthie was sick all last night. Everyone else was okay so I think I'll have to watch her diet for food reactions. Windy day today with just a touch of haze. While Bradd and Maeve tried to recover computer data (a result of the storm a few days ago) and replace their laptop I tried to find a service manual for our Johnson outboard. As part of the search I found the engine the dealer had sold as a 2005 was part of a 2003 production run. Still haven't found a source for the manual I need to rebuild the water pump though I've spent a couple hours on the web. We found out the cost to extend our boat insurance to cover the Canadian Maritimes, $50; so we did it. Now we have to resolve about 9 more issues before we can join Sampatecho there. I had supper at the Wellman's (Ruth decided to skip supper and stay on the boat). I visited with Norm & Priscella (S/V Rocking Chair), and Bradd & Maeve. S/V Salty Paws also arrived today. 6/29/10 - Little cloud cover and light winds. Rich ran me in to pick up a water pump kit for our 9.9 hp Johnson. When I returned at 10am we followed Sampatecho back to the sea and on to Woods Hole. We motor sailed most of the way in 6-10 foot swells and 1 mile fog. The last couple of hours we spent leisurely sailing in Buzzards Bay - nice before anchoring in Hadley Harbor. Ruth was feeling much better today, eating lunch for the first meal in a couple of days. We will definitely keep an eye on her reaction to muscles, whoops, that's mussels. She sailed most of the day as I have been experiencing a little vertigo again. The Autohelm faulted once at the start of the trip, functioning perfectly the rest of the day. Aaarrrgh! We are still trying to determine the best way to test the drive motor so we can eliminate one player. Sure wish I had the equipment and skills to put current and voltage monitors on all the components. Miles phoned to report they were at Block Island for the 4th, finding all the moorings taken already. 6/30/10 - Wow, the end of June already! Strong, cool, NW wind this morning. We ducked through Woods Hole just after 7am during slack tide and headed east to Chatham, MA. We were able to sail 2/3rds of the way but had to power up as the wind went aft and slowed. The auto pilot faulted every 3 - 5 minutes until settling down after 2 hours. The next 2 hours it ran perfect. Bob & Judy met us at the town dock a little after noon and arranged for AA and Sampatecho to raft on their mooring. Ruth did a great job o holding station and bringing the boat to the mooring in winds that had built to 15 knots. Chatham is a small fishing village with a wide variety of vessels in a snug little harbor. Grayed shingle sided cottages line the harbor with a few larger new homes mixed in. A Great White shark took up residence in Hadley Harbor last summer. Local fishermen designed a series of nets to herd it back to the Atlantic. Bob & Judy have rented a rustic little cottage on a fresh water pond in Chatham for half the summer as they weren't able to bring their boat north this year. We visited for a pizza supper, falling in love with the lake, forest and cottage. Ruth got her cat & dog fix as she played with their pets. |
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One of the several tows we met as we motor sailed up the Chesapeake.
Ships just don't look like ships any more... this auto carrier looks more like a locomotive for high speed rail.
We anchored just north of the Cape May Coast Guard station
some of our Sunday morning traffic in Cape May
Lighthouse on Sandy Hook viewed from our anchorage
The house is easy to find, it's the brick one with three windows above the front porch...
Sampatecho playing with the winds of New York harbor, Manhattan as the backdrop
As always looking elegant, the Lady watches over the harbor
Bothered occasionally by a NY fly (hmmm, if I move the flame a little to the right)
Helicopter pier at the entrance to the East River
Copter lifts off the pier with a ferry terminal in the background
Ruth shot this NY Sound shoal light house as an example of the elegant lights we see in this area
As the ferry approached New London with its doors open we could see straight through it.
At Hadley Harbor we were visited by hundreds of terns dining on baitfish
Home overlooking Hadley anchorage and an occasional Great White shark
Great Whites! The Atlantic shores of Cape Cod have some unwanted visitors. First came the grey seals, displaced southward from Canada due to overpopulation resulting from the ban on killing seals. As the seal population grew it attracted Great Whites who have a fondness for seal and don't observe man-made bans. Okay so far, as long as the whites don't get swimmers confused with seals. A couple of tips for beach goers: don't clap while swimming, don't swim with a fish in your mouth and don't wear a grey fur swim suit. Canadian fishermen dislike the seals for their habit of taking one bite out of a Cod (the liver) while letting the rest of the fish go to waste.
Rustic cottage the Powell's are renting
Did I say off the beaten path...
Bob (the headless mariner) shows us how it's done
Barry coasting home
Bradd & Maeve take the kayak for a spin
Chatham waterman racking clams in the harbor
Chatham's waterfront is richly New English
Clamming is a family sport in Chatham |
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