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.