Further North
We’ve made our way further north step by step. The limiting factor in moving north has been the weather. Cold, wet and grey spring weather has kept us down below and reticent to move north as fast as we would like. Nevertheless we have taken advantage of poor weather to see more of the north east American coastline.
We have found it to be a potentially beautiful cruising ground despite the array of mooring buoys that pepper every wonderful looking anchorage. Of course, we are moving through the area at a time when there are very few boats out here and the moorings remain unused but still blocking anchoring possibilities. So, what do we do? We just grab a mooring with the assumption no-one is coming; so let’s make use of it. This works in most harbours with the downside meaning we are never sure how secure the mooring would be in a blow.
Martha’s Vineyard
All the iconic names of the NE boating and glitterati set are in abundance in this area and all of them preparing for the summer onslaught – Cuttyhunk, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket etc. But a real treat for us was Wood’s Hole – a US oceanographic/climate change centre.
One of our sunnier days so no need to wipe our feet!
Woods Hole is a “scientific research organization that studies climate change impacts and solutions. WHRC was named the world’s top climate change think tank for 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 by the International Center for Climate Governance”
Woods Hole offered a glimpse into the scientific world of oceanographic and climactic studies. There were numerous buildings open to the public complete with interesting displays of some of the work completed or underway. We spent a couple of windy days tied to an unused mooring and walking around fascinated by the ships in dock and the public displays and aquariums.
Love the gate
Standing on the lifting bridge and looking to the totally protected inner harbour of Woods Hole
Cape Cod Canal
Time to move north – in a mixture of weather we decided we had best take the plunge and transit the Cape Cod Canal. Here the current can run at upwards of 7 knots and it’s the widest sea-level (127metres) canal in the world. No doubt we are going to meet sea-going ships on this canal!
In preparation we beat our way up Buzzards Bay to anchor at the southern end of the canal in order to be ready to transit the canal at 0400hrs. We spend the night on another mooring buoy and awaken at 0330hrs. The canal is lighted so it’s an easy start. Thinking the current wasn’t too strong we entered the canal and in an instant we are doing 9 knots.- wow. No ships, all lighted, constant current and before we know it we are in Cape Cod Bay.
There are no anchorages on the north side of the canal. The wind was light and Provincetown is only 20 miles across Cape Cod Bay. By 1200hrs we were tied to another mooring buoy that was marked Raider 3. We picked the largest mooring buoy in behind the breakwater thinking that it must belong to a huge boat and more than likely is quite secure (we later learnt it belonged to a 34ft local fish boat).
Provincetown’s bay is lttered with mooring buoys and the only place to anchor is well out in the bay. It’s a safe anchorage but the bay is like a wind tunnel that magnifies local winds. The anchorage is choppy and combined with rain and cool weather we didn’t like the thought of putting on oilskins just to dinghy into the docks hence we stayed oon the mooring ball until 2 days before departure when the harbourmaster asked us to move. There were at least thirty mooring balls behind the breakwater and only 5 were being used!
There is a marina in Provincetown ( Provincetown Marina)- the cost for our boat (38ft) for one night was US$240!! They also had showers (none onshore) and a laundromat both of which they said we could not use unless we were staying the night. Their cost was the most expensive of anywhere we saw in 9 years of cruising the world. For 2 nights in this marina we could stay a month in a luxurious marina in Grenada with pool, restaurants, wi-fi etc Needless to say we didn’t take them up on their offer not did anyone else other than a super yacht and three visiting powerboats from Boston.
However, we did enjoy the Provincetown Film Festival including 2 great movies. One was called Maiden and the other was Yesterday. There were others but both of these were very enjoyable.
From Provincetown streets
Provincetown also has many other things to enjoy but again weather played its part in restricting movement and then it was time to go.
Just a Few Pictures
While in Newport we visited 2 mansions – first a summer home (called The Breakers) of the Vanderbilt family and then the summer home (called Rough Point) of Doris Duke (back in Hawaii we had visited another home of Doris Duke called Shangri-la)
This is the kitchen in the home of the Vanderbilts
This is the kitchen in Doris Duke’s home
So many beautifully restored older homes in Newport. It’s great to just take a few hours and wander the back streets f Newport to enjoy the efforts gone in to maintaining the ‘old’ Newport
And for those of you with deep pockets you can always join the New York Yacht Club. This is one of their shabbier outstations
Connie mailing several of those oh so important post cards off to friends and family
X marks the spot. One had better get out of the way even if you can’t see the ship
Damn things are everywhere. There’s hardly a minute out on the water that one doesn’t see one of these floats (photo by Connie)
Can think of a number of men who would love to participate in this elder care program
Politics is never far away. Here Connie is celebrating the fact that her letters regarding a lack of hot water at the municipal mariners centre met with success. After 10 days we were finally paying our US$1.75/7 minutes and actually getting steady hot water. Thank you Newport Municipal Hall
Of course I have to end the post with a picture of boats. This was amazing as every boat in this Newport boatyard, except this yellow one, was worth at leat $5 million dollars. But this guy was almost oblivious to the contrast as he was happily sanding away on the hull.
Newport and The Sirens of Titan
You know, Kurt Vonnegut lived and wrote the Sirens of Titan here but the strongest sirens I heard and felt were those of old Nathaniel Herreshof. For non sailors this will not set off any sirens but for anyone worth their sea salt the name sends shivers down ones spine.
Nathaniel Herreshoff was of Prussian ancestry and the family gained notoriety through their innovative steam engines; but, Nathaniel was besotted by sailboat design. Through the early 1900s he designed and built a series of Americas Cup winners as well as building a line of sailboats which still grace the waters of Narrangansett Bay.
The actual Herreshoff boatyard is/was in Bristol just a few miles up the Bay. What remains today is the Herreshoff Museum which is located on the same property where the Herrshoffs built their boats..
A small sign denotes the mainn building
Inside are some of the most incredible boats built by Herreshoff but not any of the Americas Cup Winners of which Reliance – Reliance – was the largest gaff rigged vessel ever built.
Overlooking the floor where a number of original Herreshoff boats are on display
Connie’s favourite – Torch
Beautifully restored Torch
For those of you interested here is Torch’s history
And rooms full of half models
Although not a Herreshoff original this gaff rigger, Columbia, is a near replica to an Americas Cup winner at the turn of the 19th Century
Of course, Newport has money. Here are a few pics of some of the boats we saw.
Of course there are no power boats. I wonder why!
Cold Feet, Wool Sweaters and Blustery Winds
The sun is shining, the wind howls through the rigging and the locals say this is all very unusual. A sailing friend on his way north to the North West Passage is convinced to pull into Halifax due to bergy bits off south-east Newfoundland. Other friends who returned to their winter-stored boat in Lunenberg still can’t take the shrink wrap off the boat otherwise the glue used in repairs will not harden.
All of the above have slowed our crawl north to Nova Scotia and our enthusiasm for cooler weather sailing is waning. Our eight years in the tropics is turning us into sailing sissies. Where’s our Canadian hardiness gone? I say “don’t just turn the heater on, turn it to max!”
While I paint a gloomy picture of the north east coast weather we are making the best of it. When we left Norfolk the temperature was in the mid 20s but by the time we reached Cape May the temperature had dropped to the high teens. Still bearable considering the sun shone and the water temperature was in the high teens. But still it did feel a lot cooler.
Business like Connie getting ready to depart Cape May. Note lack of short sleeves and shorts!
Cape May was a bit of a trial – three days ‘on the hook’ in winds up to 35 knots. Dragging anchor, shallow water and no showers. Well, no showers until the third day when we said enough is enough let’s go to a dock. 2 nights and US$239 later we say enough is enough and sail out. Yes, US$120/night and believe it or not that’s a common price for a 38 foot boat in a marina on the east coast. And no clean sheets are provided, no-one turns down the bed in the evening and then on top of that one also has to have the right change to pay for a shower! Should have just checked into a hotel and believe it or not it would have been cheaper!
We like Cape May. It’s an old resort town with a great history, a lovely pedestrian-only downtown and with numerous bicycle pathways to explore and no hills. On top of all this it has a very active offshore fishing fleet.
A myriad number of masts and a constant stream of fishing boats in and out of the harbour
To compliment the fishing industry are restaurants galore serving up great seafood. One of the oldest and largest restaurants is the Lobster House
Yeah, but we had crab cakes
So, on a full stomach it’s time to head north so it’s out of the harbour and under beautiful sailing conditions parallel the coast to our next stop Atlantic City. Atlantic City? Yup…
Our view of Atlantic City
This stop was not really planned but rather driven by weather conditions. What was to be an overnight stop turned into three nights trapped on the boat anchored in a river with a 3 kn current. Having spent all our gambling money in Cape May on 2 nights in a marina and no great music at the venues we stayed on board and, then, on the third morning hurtled out of the anchorage with the ebb current and out to an overnight sail to Block Island. The sailing was great despite the continual drop in temperature. There weren’t many ships in sight other than numerous cruise ships heading in and out of New York. We kept seeing helium ballons floating in the water that must have come from celebrations onboard the cruise ships – more plastic in the water!
Block Island – remote, windy, desolate but come July 4th there are apparently 2,000 boats that anchor in the bay. For us there were three boats. That was the first sign that we were early in the season. The wind howled and it was another 2 days before we got ashore. We took advantage of the opportunity, rented bikes and cycled completely around Block Island. Beautiful landscapes but sad to see there were almost no active farms left on the island. Most land has been bought by wealthy mainlanders using the properties for vacation homes. There were beautiful stone walls that encircled once productive fields but few of the old farmhouses still stood.
A sampling of one of the older properties
The landscape reminded me of Ireland. And I am sure many Irish settled here as this would have been one of the first islands the settlers saw upon arriving in the New World.
Almost every tourist town has one of these
Not my choice for chair colour but….
Sage is on the very right hand side about a mile from the closest landing spot. The bay is peppered with mooring balls
Now we are really feeling the cold. With water temperature of about 14C and 30knot winds we’re screaming ‘let’s go south’…
Hard At Work
Trying to get Sage ready for launching and the coming season of cruising up the east coast of North America – Nova Scotia, P.E.I., Newfoundland, Gaspe ….. Plenty of work to do and we were lucky enough to get a housesit across the water from the marina.
Now cleaned up Sage is almost ready to go.
And here is Connie with our newest responsibility – Nemo. Great name for a dog who can help with all the work!
Well, Nemo could at least keep the seats warm while we worked on the boat.
With work completed Sage heads for Sea
Waiting For Spring
It’s March not January. This morning, after almost a month of snow on the ground, it started snowing again WTF!
Brr -1C last night
Okay, look closely. After the snow stopped the sun came out, the temperature rose and it all started to melt. I felt like a puppet on a string. Whoever was pulling those strings was cruel…this is not supposed to happen on the ‘left’ coast of Canada.
Yes, in the background the white is snow on the branches of the evergreen
The warmest place in Canada today was Herbert Island just off the northeast tip of Vancouver Island. This is about 200km north of where we are located on central Vancouver Island.
Canadians love to talk about the weather – it’s either too cold or it’s too warm. For me, I have enjoyed our northern sojourn this winter. I have the luxury of staying inside and looking at the weather through large picture windows onto a beautiful landscape. No matter what the weather I always get enjoyment but then I don’t have go to work or go out if it pleases me.
The only evidence that spring is on the way are the snowdrops coming up in the garden. Even though they had to push through the snow this morning by the afternoon the snow had melted and we are left with the first signs of warmer weather to come.
In preparation for the warmer weather the chairs are out in the shade under the trees and all we have to do is wait for the snow to disappear…and
the hot tub to be filled….hope everyone gets to enjoy spring soon
It’s quickly disappearing
It’s all over too darn quickly. One minute we’re sitting in a restaurant in Richmond having driven there in the almost sunshine and the next we’re leaving the restaurant in blizzard like conditions.
We sail across the Straits of Georgia while seeing nothing of either the mainland or Vancouver Island. We arrive on the island, dig out the car and creep our way back home.
The next minute the snow slithers off the roof or slowly disappears one drip at a time. There’s little time to contemplate the beauty of the scene and take in this momentary interruption to our normal routines. Occasionally the sun pokes out of the bruised clouds and the light is incredible.
Important to enjoy for the little time it’s here.
Moosemeat and Marmalade
Okay what’s with the title and what does this have to do with a sailing travelling blog. Well, further down the blog line this will become evident.
To start, we were heading out for an early morning walk along the Chemainus River. The day was foggy and cold (1C) but promises of sun coming later in the morning.
So where’s the promise of sun? Things are looking a little bleak
The Chemainus River is south of Chemainus which is located on Vancouver Island. We are house sitting not far from the river and have 2 dogs, a standard poodle and a portuguese water dog, to take care for 3 months.
We need to take the dogs for walks and this is one place we haven’t explored yet. So off we go….
With dimming hopes of sunshine Fred tells us of the beautiful views to be had on a clear day, the number of ducks to be seen and wonderful swimming holes for summer fun.
And then as we were walking back to the car we looked behind us and out of the mist we saw what we thought were three hikers
But then as they came up to us we realized they weren’t campers
Dan Hayes is a trained British Chef who, working with Art Napoleon, produce a show called Moosemeat and Marmalade for APTN. Dan and his film crew had been out very early in the morning hunting for duck and were looking forward to heading back for a morning of lunch preparation.
Coddiwompling*
It was -20C when we headed to the National Art Gallery and the twin bell towers were sparkling in the sunshine and made for an amazing contrast with the blue sky
Serving the most glorious pogaca (Turkish cheese filled bread)
And a selection of mushrooms to die for…
Flying into Puerto Vallarta from the east. So happy to see the mountains after the flat landscape of the east coast of America – felt like we were flying home to the Pacific
Season’s Greetings
This year you can choose. It’s either the warm fire inside the kitchen with the blowing snow storm outside
OR
The sounds of the gently rolling surf surging up the beach with sunny blue skies, a bottle of tequila and a few tacos.
Which would you choose;
Times running out. Make your choice now.
Clock made of wood by Nick Hally of Maple Hollow Studios
Sage on sail 