Still in Cuttyhunk

We could have moved on today but why do it? We would have had 20 to 25 kt winds and quartering seas. We rather sail in more comfortable conditions and besides, we’re retired, we can take al the time we need (I don’t have to go to work on Monday…) With that philosophy, we’ll probably stick around until Sunday when the winds settle down and head for Stonington in one hop from Cuttyhunk.

Meanwhile, after taking Hoolie ashore, we noticed a guy in a dink with a dog holding on to our mooring and his wife in the boat ahead of us waving frantically. It turns out that he was on his way back and had a problem with his motor. We threw him a line and towed him back to his boat. Later that morning I returned to see if he needed a ride into shore for his dog but he had already gone. On the way I noticed a line floating on the surface of the water, a real danger in a crowded anchorage. Since the line was ahead of the boat (in the direction of the wind), any boat with a fouled prop would head straight for Fleetwing! I called the problem into the harbormaster and he promised a quick trip out. About ½ hour later he finally appeared. He looked around but didn’t see any line and I’m sure he was thinking bad thoughts about an overactive imagination of a transient boater (me). I went out on the bow and he turned and said, “Where’s the (clunk!!) line…” He had picked it up on his prop and now he was drifting downwind, away from me, luckily. He hauled on the offending line and found that it was wrapped around one of the moorings. He cut the line before freeing his prop of the rest of the line, I would have thought he’d do the opposite but then I’m not a harbormaster.

The rest of the day was not near as exciting but then we had a beautiful sunset and Ann took some more cloud photos for her paintings in the fall. I had another session with the genset (it overheated this morning) but now I think everything’s working. Never a dull moment.