We wake up in the morning with big plans to get on our way by 10 am. Only one problem; we discover that the dinghy does not have a motor. Because we do not want to have to row to shore when we are on a mooring ball, the Boston Sailing Center has to bring us one from Boston. Oh well. Harper needs a walk, and we all need showers.
One walk and several showers later the motor finally arrives. We head back to the boat. As we are making plans for this day's adventures we discover that we can't find the life jackets. We systematically tear apart the boat, searching for them. An hour and several increasingly furious calls to the sailing center go by. We eat lunch. I'm for a sailing rebellion, where we depart life jacketless and let them figure out how to make us legal. Lee is more practical, noting that if we are stopped by the Coast Guard we are the ones that will get in trouble. Finally we find them, stuffed into the upper inner cushions in the main cabin, not a likely or appropriate place. But thankfully only a couple of hours later, we head off on our next sail.
Our next destination is Cuttyhunk, a small island on the other side of Buzzard's Bay. For the first several hours the sailing is dandy. We're sailing into the wind, so we can't head directly toward our destination. And we have to pay close attention to our navigational aids. It's kind of fun, watching for buoys, and checking our position on the charts.
But then, rather suddenly, the fog starts to roll in. It goes from somewhat foggy to "I can't see anything" in a manner of minutes. At first we use the navigational headings and as long as we arrive at the next buoy appropriately we're not too concerned.
But then it's time to change our heading and head toward Cuttyhunk harbor. The fog is getting worse and it's just not a good idea to continue to sail. So down come the sails and Lee starts following the gps. Thank goodness for modern technology! Lee says "we should see xyz in a moment" and then like magic, xyz appears out of the murk. We even make it through the channel and into the harbor without being able to see a thing.
It's easy to pick up a mooring ball here; they have big sticks attached to them. And it's nice; this harbor is very well protected. Lee and I take Harper in for her walk; Cuttyhunk is just as cute as can be. We enjoy a good dinner of steak tips and salad quietly floating on our mooring ball in the fog. Tomorrow we sail across Vineyard Sound to Martha's Vineyard. With two days of experience under our belt we should be ready for our next challenge. We have to watch the tides and currents to get through Quick's Hole. Wish us luck!
But then, rather suddenly, the fog starts to roll in. It goes from somewhat foggy to "I can't see anything" in a manner of minutes. At first we use the navigational headings and as long as we arrive at the next buoy appropriately we're not too concerned.
But then it's time to change our heading and head toward Cuttyhunk harbor. The fog is getting worse and it's just not a good idea to continue to sail. So down come the sails and Lee starts following the gps. Thank goodness for modern technology! Lee says "we should see xyz in a moment" and then like magic, xyz appears out of the murk. We even make it through the channel and into the harbor without being able to see a thing.
It's easy to pick up a mooring ball here; they have big sticks attached to them. And it's nice; this harbor is very well protected. Lee and I take Harper in for her walk; Cuttyhunk is just as cute as can be. We enjoy a good dinner of steak tips and salad quietly floating on our mooring ball in the fog. Tomorrow we sail across Vineyard Sound to Martha's Vineyard. With two days of experience under our belt we should be ready for our next challenge. We have to watch the tides and currents to get through Quick's Hole. Wish us luck!
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