Sandwich, After the Storm, 7:00 am

The winds peaked at 35 kts according to our anemometer. We're in good shape and the only damage we saw in the marina so far was one sailboat with a loose jib flapping away but someone rolled it up a few minutes ago. Currently the wind had backed down to 15 kts and compared to the gusts we've been through, it seems like no wind at all. We'll let the seas subside and explore Sandwich today and then head out for Cuttyhunk tomorrow.

Sandwich - Hanna Coming

I added more lines to the boat. I always ask the question, "Will my extra lines do more good in the locker or on the dock?" And the answer is always the same so I usually wind up with more line than I actually need. Hanna's winds are due to start around 10:00 pm and peak at 1:00 am at 30 kts sustained with higher gusts. It's 8:00 pm now and we only have 12 kts or so of wind but it's starting to increase as I write this.
Meanwhile, we found a wonderful fishmarket, Joe's Lobster Mart. They had the best selection of seafood I've seen anywhere and with the best prices too! Ann bought fresh swordfish with stuffed clams as an appetizer and I had a bottle of wine to go with everything, great! We've had a number of concerned callers but we're tucked in securely in a marina that was designed to be a Harbor of Refuge by the Coast Guard so we feel fine. I'll be up for awhile and may give an update later tonight. I set the wind anemometer to record the maximum wind velocity just for the record. We'll stick around tomorrow to let the seas abate and to enjoy the town of Sandwich which we couldn't do today due to the rain.

Sandwich, MA east end of Cape Cod Canal

We left Scituate and motored for the first few hours before the wind came up enough to sail, but then it died and then it came up again! When we reached Sandwich, all we had up was a jib reefed to four marks (all the way) and a half furled mainsail and we were still making 7 kts, the wind was gusting in the 20's but coming off the land so there was very little wave action.

We refueled at Sandwich and found that the marina was going to be full for the passing of Hanna, luckily we had reservations for the next three days. When the canal was built, the area where the marina presently resides was dredged for a "Harbor of Refuge" so boaters had a secure area to ride out storms. However, a town marina eventually took over the area but with a condition from the Coast Guard that the marina maintain 21 docks for transients so the Harbor of Refuge could continue being used as such. The dockage fee is a very reasonable $2.50/ft, low for the area. Even so, it is still very much a working harbor with fishing boats going out everyday, some are quite colorful as in the photo.

Well, the big news is the predicted arrival of Hanna in the wee hours of Sunday morning. I've included a photo of the Ugrib display showing Hanna over Cape Cod. The odd looking things that resemble the feathers of an arrow are symbols showing the speed and direction of the wind. The "feathered end" points in the direction where the wind comes from. Every large feather is 10 kts so one with three slashes (or feathers) shows 30kts of wind. The display can be stepped in 1/2 hour increments up to 24 hour increments. We've found it to be more accurate than the Morning Lies since you can pinpoint your area of interest. Needless to say, we'll be watching the approach of Hanna closely tomorrow. You can see from the photo of the marina that it's somewhat below the level of the surrounding land since it had to be dug out when the Canal was built. We're hoping that the winds that actually reach our boat will be less due to sheltering by the higher land. We'll see if fact matches expectation or if it's just wishful thinking on Saturday night. Stay tuned, I'll send updates Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Scituate

We left Gloucester with some apprehension from our experience yesterday with the swells from hurricane Hanna. Perhaps, we thought, they would be worse today given an another day for them to build. However, the further south we went, the less the swells. I guess Cape Cod is finally taking effect, giving some shelter from the south. Once again we had to motor since the wind wasn't enough to push us along at 7 kts (we wanted to make Scituate early in case of storms).

The harbor was a busy place. Evidently boaters are choosing where they want to weather the coming remnants of hurricane Hanna due by Saturday night. We have three nights reserved in Sandwich starting Friday so we're all set even though what's left of Hanna is supposed to pass directly overhead. Ann shot a photo of the lighthouse and several gulls nearby. The picture of the beach shows some of the summer houses. They are packed between July 4th and Labor Day. The breakwater was a favorite of Matthew's since he loved to climb the boulders. Off the Sandwich tomorrow.

Gloucester

Another sunny morning, no fog. We've been following the progress of hurricane Hanna for the last several days and were dismayed to see that the latest track has her headed directly over the top of our hurricane refuge at Sandwich, MA on the east end of the Cape Cod Canal. She's not predicted (ha!) to be a hurricane by that time but she will still pack winds in excess of 30 mph when she pays us a visit. We will arrive at Sandwich Friday around noon and have reservations until Monday morning when we'll head to Cuttyhunk if all goes to plan. We've been comparing the Morning Lies to Ugrib predictions and found that Ugrib has been more accurate in wind speed along the path we've taken (since you can pin point your location better with Ugrib than "coastal areas out to 25 NM...." as in the area forecasts) Now that I'm in internet range the rest of the trip, we find ourselves checking the status of the hurricanes several times a day directly at the National Hurricane Center website.

As we exited the harbor at Portsmouth, we found an easterly swell coming in of 3 to 5 feet on top of the waves produced by the overnight north wind. It made for an interesting ride with the two wave fronts intersecting. We went up and then we went down! It's interesting when the top of the wave coming at you from the port side is level with your eye. As it passes under the boat, it's like you're on a giant elevator that can't make up it's mind whether to go up or down. We continued on in this mode for the next 30 miles motoring all the way. As we came to the characteristic twin lighthouses at Gloucester, the seas roughened and the waves got a little steeper but we ploughed on okay.

Turning the corner to head along the point towards the harbor, the swells were behind us and we started to surf on the waves, reaching over 9 kts at one point. Just to make things more interesting, a few lobster pots were thrown in the mix which were hidden temporarily as the 6 foot swells passed under the boat. As they popped into view, one had to be careful to miss them, you could hear the surf crashing on the nearby rocks. Nearing the harbor entrance itself where you had to pass between a closely spaced green and red buoy pair were placed for, the visiting yachtsman's enjoyment, a gaggle of lobster pots swaying in all directions on their long lines in the waves and partially buried by the 1 to 2 kt current. Such fun you just don't want to miss!
Well, we made it and the harbor was a great relief, dead calm. We picked up the mooring we had reserved the previous night and had the rest of Leathem's chili that was left over from their cruise with us in August, it was good. We didn't go ashore, we didn't go anywhere, early to bed tonight. I did take a photo of the a windjammer being refitted. Tomorrow we head out for Scituate and then Sandwich the next day. Should be an interesting ride again tomorrow.

Wentworth at Portsmouth

Ann had a very vivid dream last night of us being up high and dry on the rocks at Richmond Island! It must have been the sound of the surf hitting the breakwater that triggered the dream. Normally we don't anchor in places where you can hear the surf, it's somewhat unsettling. However, we were fine, the anchor held as usual and the night was calm.

The morning was sunny again (ever since the Bunches left...) and we weighed anchor around 8:15 or so and headed south with a north wind behind us. The weather could not have been scripted better but we did have to motor today, the north wind was not strong enough to push us at 7 kts. We are eyeing Hanna every day now and with the current forecast, she's due to go right over us with high winds predicted on Saturday. With that forecast, we reserved a slip at Sandwich for Friday through Sunday night. We figured by Monday that Hanna will be far to the north and we'll be free to continue our course west, stopping at Cuttyhunk on the way to Block Island, at least that's the plan. Our Fleetwing is quite small compared to the behemoths docked near us (see photo). We did find a run-a-bout that would be perfect for the Zeisings to zip around it with three 300 hp outboards mounted!


Today was my 65th birthday so Ann took me out to a restaurant at the Wentworth which was very nice. We had drinks, wine, calamari and fish entrees for dinner along with a chocolate dessert. A great way to celebrate going on Medicare for paying all medical bills!

Richmond Is - 35 mile sail!

We were going to stay at Jewell Island, the same place we anchored on the way up but the Morning Lies indicated the winds were going to be out of the north and northeast, not a good direction for that anchorage. The winds were to be 15 to 25 with gusts to 30 kts! With that we aimed for Richmond Island south of Portland. Since the winds were to gust in the afternoon, we headed out in the morning around 7:30 am. After motoring out of Boothbay Harbor, we sailed for the next 33 miles! The wind was on the starboard beam all the way, averaging 15 kts with gusts to 25. We reefed the main halfway and the jib to the fourth mark and still we routinely hit 7.5 to 8.0 kts! Since the wind was coming off land out of the north, there was very little wave action which gave a comfortable ride. We raced along with a 42 foot Catalina for awhile. They had a fully batten main up and a jib reefed to the first mark and we sailed even with them even though we were reefed much more.

Once around the island we were in the lee of the mainland where we anchored in 15 ft. Richmond Island has a caretaker but they allow guests to come on land and hike around. A breakwater connects the island to the mainland so the anchorage is very protected. The sunset was cloudless but still nice. The night is clear and the moon is not up so we're hoping for a starry night.