This is about our thwarted cruise back in September:
Well here we are on the boat again. We had a great elaborate plan to make it down through the canal down to Cuttyhunk, to Martha's Vineyard and maybe even to Nantucket, but this annoying thing called a hurricane has intervened.
No not Harvey, that made such a mess of Houston. And not Irma that giant scary storm that devastated the Caribbean and hit Florida but could have been so much worse. No, I'm talking about Jose, the irritating little storm that has been meandering around in the Atlantic for what seems like weeks, twirling around in a circle, heading here, heading there. Now it seems to be slowly making its way northwest. It probably won't hit the east coast, but it might. It may make for a tropical storm, or it might not. It most certainly is going to create some really big seas, and those we must avoid as much as possible.
Our plans keep changing. Plan A, plan B, plan C. Today we just came down to Salem, MA. We loaded the boat, ate lunch at Sea Level, fish tacos for me, Lee and Phil, and a lobster roll for Gail. A small storm blew through so we stopped at the Custom House and took a short tour. Did you know that before the income tax was created in the 19-teens, Custom Houses were the main source of income for the United States government? Did you know that before ships became too large for this harbor, Salem, MA provided 9% of the governments income through Custom House fees? Did you know that Nathaniel Hawthorne once worked as a clerk at the Salem Custom House? Well, now you do. Just think, all the years we have been sailing out of Salem and we have never been in that building before. The House of Seven Gables is right next door to the Marina and we've never been in there either. We're terrible.
Right now the weather for Saturday though Monday looks okay, but Tuesday says "possible tropical storm warnings". We don't want to be far away if that comes to fruition. So we think tomorrow we will sail to Scituate. And then we'll just have to see.
Saturday.
Well our plans have changed again (plan D?). Last night in the middle of the night I lay there worrying. Even in a safe harbor, if the ocean has 9 foot swells, it's going to be very uncomfortable on a boat. There will probably be 3 foot swells in any harbor, and most places will stop running their launches in that sort of weather. Add possible tropical storm winds to the mix and we have realized that we need to go home until this blows over.
I feel bad for our friends. We've planned this vacation with them for a long time and I know they are disappointed. But it's out of our control.
Instead, today we motored over to Marblehead and got ourselves a mooring for the night. Then we went over to Great Misery island and picked up a day mooring. We ate our lunch and then took the dinghy into the island for a hike.
This was really fun. It's one of those things we've been meaning to do for a long time but for whatever reason it never worked out before.
The island is really beautiful, and it has some interesting ruins as well. We discovered more beaches and coves that boaters hang out at on the other sides too.
On the way back to Marblehead some really pea soup fog socked in. It was bad enough that we turned on the AIS and I stationed myself on the prow of the boat with our fog horn, emiting a loud blast every 2 minutes. We couldn't see a thing.
As we drew closer to Marblehead we could hear other fog horns from other boats. Suddenly there we were right in the middle of a race! What a strange thing! I know racers can be pretty hard core but this seemed ridiculous, and dangerous too. I mean they couldn't even see their marks! We skirted around the activity and before too long we were on our mooring.
Plans for tomorrow are up in the air as well. We can safely stay out until Monday, but don't want to range too far away. We'd like to go to Manchester-by-the-Sea but the yacht club is not sure they'll have any moorings available since everyone is staying close to home. Once again we'll just have to wait and see.
The one positive note is that the marine forecast is moderating just a little. So although the tropical storm warnings are still there, and the intense seas as well, they seem to think they will diminish rapidly. So we'll cross our finger that by next Friday it will be safe to venture out once more.
Sunday.
We wake to the most amazing fog. Marblehead is just totally socked in. So we take our time. There's nowhere to go and nothing to do anyway. I go ashore with Lee, Phil and the dogs. I take a shower and then we go to a nearby coffee shop for breakfast sandwiches and muffins and coffee. We go back to the boat and go down to the pump out station, get pumped out and load up on water. Still very foggy. Finally we head out of Marblehead Harbor and start to head back to Salem. There are no moorings to be had at Manchester-by-the-Sea. As we get close to Winter island suddenly the fog lifts and it's bright and sunny. There is even a bit of a breeze. Maybe we can at least go for a little sail? But no. There is still fog over by the islands and Marblehead. We wait to see if it will lift, but instead it starts to sock back in. Oh well!
So, now we're home, waiting it out. It just depends how long Jose takes to pass us, and how high the wave height gets, and how quickly it diminishes. We're hoping we can get back out on Friday and cruise for 5 days. The forecast changes day by day. What happens next is anybody's guess.
Monday - Wednesday
Well we're not on the boat. Monday our friends went to Boston, walked the Freedom Trail. Tuesday we hung out, making pies and applesauce. Today a movie (Dunkirk, very good!) and trip to Arlington to get sushi from Torero. We're making the best of it. Friday is out, seas are still forecast to be 8-9 feet. Now Saturday isn't looking good either, still 5-6 feet. Right now Sunday is 2-3 feet.
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