10/30/13 1821

One of the most gorgeous days of sailing thus far from Oak bluffs to Goosberry Island. Winds were N/NW going S/SW much of the trip. Arrival at 1600 in time to work on finishing up the installation of the rigid boomvang before the sun set. 

Met Norm Stone in Newport for lunch and delivery of replacement auto helm. Oops, I think I forgot to mention that the auto helm seemed to fail a few days ago during the Woods Hole traverse...the electronic wizard is still working on specifically what has been compromised. I continue to work on being the best first mate by memorizing the location of every single tool on the boat and you can imagine the array of tools that were packed for the trip.

We spent a delightful night last night at one of our favorite spots, Gooseberry Island. Surrounded by the mansions of Newport and protected in a little cove, Gooseberry is a little gem one would normally never find without local knowledge .

Diane and Tim saying good bye and thank you to Norm for his never ending support and tasty lunch!

Arrival at Point Judith... again, before sunset! Wow, what navigational skills we are displaying! We are anchored behind the breakwater which has been beaten up over the years.

Tomorrow brings a big adventure departing before dawn to reach either Hamburg Cove 7 miles up the Conn. River, or Port Jefferson depending when I can awaken captain Tim. 

10/24/13 castoff!

Beautiful cool morning for a send off. Steve arrived, as he has most mornings, to help get us off. This morning he arrived with a camera in tow...it must be happening, we are really leaving with this mornings out going tide. All the last minute packing and cleanup details came together in about 2 hours. Laundry was completed, last outdoor showers were taken and the shower was turned off for the season.

Captain Tim started the engine and Robin appeared at the dock!!! What perfect timing but that's nothing new for Robin. Lots of hugs and kisses were shared and we cast off.

The winds started to pick up and the white caps were all round as we got beyond 2KR. The predicted NW winds ended up being W/SW as we began the journey south so it was a beat to Rockport with a partially furled jib. We made it just in time before Tucks Candy, best taffy in N.E., closed shop for the evening so we were able to buy a huge bag of salt water taffy for ourselves and for the "gyne girls" of Dover. Enjoy!

We were quite tired after our first crazy day of sailing and settled in to our cozy bunk early. Breath taking sunset.

Tim though he had gone weak when we was attempting to pull the anchor the first morning of our cruise. The picture below is what we found was making him wish we has installed a windlass .

Awoke early and departed Sandy Bay at 0730 after I made both breakfast and lunch for the day. Thank you Paula for the tip as there was no way I could prepare during the fast sail south to the Cape Cod Canal. Tim got quite soaked before donning his full foulies in the 20-25 knot W/SW winds. I was a smart first mate and donned all the warm and waterproof clothing I own, as the day proved cold and wet from ocean spray.

We realized the iPad, which we have now given the name of "Oz", goes through juice quite rapidly. Mid day we had to recharge when the engine was running, not the perfect situation. Luckily Tim has www.navionics.com on his iPhone and we were able to continue our electronic voyage. You will all be happy to note that we are also using paper charts. I was at the helm through much of the canal which was a first. We made it through the canal at 9.8 knots with the current. We made such good time that we decided to continue on to Pocasset where I could see the beach and houses of my child hood friend, Debbie Gordon. Wow, such a lifetime ago. 

We picked up a mooring in behind Bassett Island and set out to relax for the evening. Winds were to pick up in the morning so we wanted to get an early start. 

Windy and sunny when we left at 0800. Winds were predicted to pick up from the SW which creates a bumpy ride.  We were immediately in 2-3 foot seas with W/SW winds again. We ducked into Hadley Harbor for brunch and to wait for the perfect current for getting into Nantucket Sound through Woods Hole. We decided not to take the shortcut through Broadway and instead went around to stay out of the way of the ferry boat. We heard that the conditions caused a few of the scheduled trips to be cancelled. I was nervous about Woods Hole and Tim was aware. We passed through Woods Hole  to enter the north end of Vineyard Sound with 35 know winds from the SW and had a rip roaring sail to Oak Bluffs. As soon as we got through the hole, he asked me to take the helm. It was a brilliant idea of the captain as I had to focus and was able to let go of my anxiety. I was at the helm for the entire trip across the sound in 5-6 foot waves with gusts of 40! How so exhilarating for me! It truly felt like quite an accomplishment.

Arrived in Oak Bluffs to learn that the docks are free this time of the year. Backing into a slip between pilings, mediterranian style, in 15-20 knot winds broadside, made it a challenge but we succeeded first try! Sitting at the free dock in Oak Bluffs enjoying the water and electric hookups for a few days. Enjoying visiting my family home where we did laundry, took long baths and even made a blueberry crisp with my hand picked blueberries from home!

Took the bus to Vineyard Haven to the U.U. Church and spent time at the library catching up on e- mails and solving minor problems like the registration on my car being outdated!

Just finished Tim's delicious pancakes with the leftover juicy popping blueberries.

You can track our progress at www.marinetraffic.com and search the vessel, Kuivato, to see our latest position? The position posts from Tim's cell phone only when he turns the function on as it drains the phone battery. Do not worry if you don't see a position posted for a period of time.

We have a departure date!

I have been on vacation from work for over two weeks. I can not believe how quickly the time has passed. I have spent my days sanding, painting, lugging, and hauling with countless trips to HD, Joanne's, Jackson's, Bed Bath and way Beyond. I have cleaned the bilge, bouy's and boat bottom. Flaked, sewn, furled and washed sheets, and packed items in spaces I never knew existed in this 38 foot sloop. Here are father and son working on the solar panels!

The past two weeks have been a true test of our patience. I have always said my time off begins when I leave the office at 5 pm and this is a perfect example of appreciating the "in between" times. This process of planning and organizing for the trip is as much a part of the experience as getting to the destination. The chaos of living on the boat during the preparations has made it more difficult in some ways and helpful in others. Fortunately, we have had continued access to our basement including laundry , toilet and outdoor shower. And yes, we have our nightly hot shower and then run down to the heated cozy boat and hot toddy. There were evenings we could barely climb into the quarterberth to lay down our heads because of all the galley gear.  However, I am grateful to have had this trial run as it has enabled us to jettison things we thought we must have and also to grab more supplies we thought we could live without.

Yesterday I realized, or maybe Tim brought to my attention, that I was getting a little cranky so I marched myself to a yoga class in Portsmouth at Yoga by Donation. After a 1 1/2 hour class, including shivasana of an undetermined length of time, I became a renewed woman. It literally felt like a pile of bricks was lifted from my shoulders. I raved about the experience so much that Tim and I went back for another class together, today. Thank you Bob, what a fabulous gift to ourselves in the midst of this stress. I might try to sneak another class in tomorrow before we castoff

if I have the time!

We are so grateful to all of our dear friends and family who have taken such good care of us; lending industrial sewing machines, mending mattress covers, delivering delicious food, inviting us to dinner, kidnapping us from the boat  to take us out to dinner, lunches, cappuccino etc. This outpouring of friendship and love will be in our hearts for a lifetime, thank you all!

I want to say thank you to Anna for her instruction, patience and Apple expertise. Her support and encouragement have made me realize how much I can accomplish electronically and if in doubt, turn the machine off and start over!

We started looking at the weather window yesterday and have come up with a departure date and time. We will be leaving on Thursday morning with the outgoing tide. We have plans to stop in Rockport for lunch and to pick up salt water taffy for the trip and to send to my incredibly supportive office, the "gyne girls"! So far, those are the only plans on the itinerary....kind of nice!

I took this picture of the boat at the cottage dock this afternoon from across the river.