Wednesday, October 31, 2018

October 17-22, 2018 Narragansett Bay

10-17 Wednesday
LAZY DAY!! and LAZY WEEK!!
I made custard for the first time.  I didn’t grow up eating it very often, so Dave has always been the one to make it in our home.  We wanted to use up some milk that was on the edge, so custard it was. 

We both spent time on the computer and just tried to stay warm. 

10-18 Thursday
Another windy day.  We are planning to go to Bristol Harbor, but no hurry.  We spent the day making bread and Clam Chowder.

Always researching something on the internet (or playing solitaire). 

The gloves that allow you to use your phone come in handy.  I had to put them on in bed last night to be able to use my phone before going to sleep.  AND I could see my breath. 

10-19 Friday
Chilly morning, so we didn’t get going real early.  We moved the boat to Bristol Harbor today.  We knew it was a short trip.  We left at 11:00 am and were anchored by 12:40 pm.  We usually anchor near the far shore away from town.  I convinced Dave to anchor more in the middle of the bay so our dinghy ride wouldn’t be as long into town.  These are things we didn’t think about with the cold weather.  We may be fine on the boat, but going to shore can be a little cold, especially if you get wet.

It ended up getting windy, so we didn’t go to shore today.  We plan to do some laundry here and pick up mail at the Post Office General Delivery.  But just settled in to stay warm. 

!0-20 Saturday
We just spent the day on the boat again cleaning and listening to Alabama football.  AND Alabama won.  Roll Tide!!
Only time we have seen the Boston Recipe.  Wouldn't bother to buy again
10-21
Another windy day.  I wanted to make a butternut squash soup, but found a curry recipe.  Turned out fantastic. 
chicken thigh on the squash curry and bean clear noodles
10-22
I went to shore today to do laundry at the Maritime center.  It was the first day I have been on shore in a week.  Dave did some work on the boat and heated water for us to take showers.  The 11 gallon hot water heater doesn’t stay warm very long. 

When we were at anchor in Woods Hole and had rough weather, we took on some water.  Usually we only take on water when we move the boat.  So Dave closed the through hull for the water coolant intake for the shaft.  No water has come in at anchor.  So we feel we are  narrowing down our leak. 
my rendition

Monday, October 22, 2018

October 16, 2018 Woods Hole, MA to Narragansett Bay, RI

Weather always determines our sailing plans.  We have a short weather window to get to Nantucket.  Then we’d have only a short window go get back to the mainland with wind on our nose.  Therefore, we scratched the idea of going to Nantucket this week.  If we have good weather in early November, we’ll still go.  Otherwise we’ll just have to come back.

We rolled side to side all night, which makes it difficult to sleep.  Dave actually found more water in the aft section of the boat after rocking and rolling all night than he did with our passage to Woods Hole.  Hmmmm.  But he is no longer finding water under the batteries.  He thinks the aft deck shower was the culprit for that water. 

After breakfast and knocking about our sailing plans, we left about 11:30 am for the southern part of Narragansett Bay.  We figured it would take about 5 hours, before sunset, no problem.  WELL, we had 20k wind on our nose all day and had a hard time making 5 knots.  It ended up taking us 7.5 hours. 

We saw sun dogs on both sides of the sun as we approached Narragansett Bay.  As a child, I always thought that meant cold weather.  As an adult, I can google it, so I did.  Sure enough, they are due to the refraction of the sun in ice crystals.  Now we know.

There wasn’t a lot of boat traffic in the bay.  We followed a tug and barge under the Claiborne Pell Bridge that connects Newport, RI to Jamestown on Conanicut Island.  We have anchored in Potters Cove before and knew it was a wide open bay.  But, we remembered that there were crab pots.  So Dave ended up out on the bow with a search light to direct me into the anchorage.  (In the morning, we saw the crab pots that we had missed!)
Castle Hill lighthouse and Inn
barge under Claiborne Pell Bridge

Dave was at the helm all day.  Quite the trooper.  I was able to take a nap in the warmth of the boat. 

October 15, 2018 Woods Hole, MA

The wind is supposed to really pick up later this afternoon.  So we went into town to check it out and have lunch today.  Woods Hole is very interesting.  It only covers 219 acres but it is the home to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Woods Hole Research Center, Marine Biological Laboratory, the Sea Education Association, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Atlantic Marine Geology branch of the US Geological Survey.  Many of these places have tours during the summer.  A good reason to come back. 

We stopped a lady on the street and asked her if she was local and where she would recommend having lunch.  She recommended Captain Kidd’s and the Landfall.  We chose Captain Kidd’s which turned out to have a better view of the inner harbor vs the working docks.  Great meal of New England clam chowder and haddock fish sandwich.  Dave had the seafood platter and brought the haddock home.  The shrimp, scallops and clams were enough.
fun decor


Add caption
They had my new favorite beer, Cape Cod Red.  I made Dave take a trip to the liquor store to see if they carry it.  It is made in Hyannis, MA, close to here, and I haven’t found it elsewhere.  So we picked up a few cans.  We also thought we should get some Cape Cod potato chips since we were here.  I’m sure we will be able to taste the freshness :)

 

pretty low clearance, even in a dinghy

 The wind was picking up by the time we headed back to the boat.  Dave fixed the switch for the water maker, heated water, then made water.  With the Honda generator, we can’t heat water and make water at the same time.  But, it is good to shower while the water maker is running to replace that water.  And we want to have dry hair before going to bed since it’s been getting into the 40’s and 50’s at night. 

Monday night football-Packers vs the Patriots-and the Packers won!!

October 14, 2018 Goucester, MA-Cape Cod Canal-Woods Hole, MA

We were up at 5:00 to get an early start for the day.  BUT we didn’t think about what time sunrise was-almost 7:00am.  We have left in the dark before, but not through lobster pots.  We settled in and had breakfast and coffee.  About 6:30, we were ready to go.  We were off of the mooring ball by 6:40 and on our way as the sun came up-great photo opportunity.

 

as we left the harbor, we could see the skyline of Boston
zoomed in to pick up the sun reflecting off of that building
 

By 7:30, we set sails and turned off the motor.  We sailed until about noon and averaged 8 knots.  That’s faster than we can motor.  We made up for lost time and entered the Cape Cod Canal at 2:30, which was slack tide.  That is when the movement is the slowest between high and low tide.  We were with the current the rest of the way through.  Didn't take pictures today as we went through.  There is a great bike path along both sides of the canal and camp grounds.  Would be a nice destination of RVers. 

We originally planned to go to Marion, MA and wait out some bad weather.  But we changed our minds as we traveled today.  We ended up anchoring at Hadley Harbor outside of Woods Hole, MA.  This will position us to take advantage of a weather window on Tuesday to go to Nantucket.  That is a big one on our bucket list.  We may end up getting a slip, now that they have off season rates.  It will still be cheaper than taking a ferry or flying there-the other options we looked into. 

October 12-13, 2018 Prepartation for leaving Gloucester, MA

Friday
We are staying in Gloucester until Sunday.  We are waiting for parts to arrive.  And we are waiting for hurricane Michael to pass by.  Originally, we thought it was going to pass over us, but it moved off shore further south.  What’s strange is that the wind is from the north today because of the circular pattern of the hurricane.  Little different from the blizzards I grew up with. 

 
My airport shuttle driver recommended we eat at Virgilio’s Italian Bakery for their sandwiches.  We decided to stop there on our way to the grocery store today.  Wow!  What great sandwiches!  Dave had a meatball sandwich and I had an Italian sausage with peppers and onions.  The bread was amazing.  I guess they run their bakery 24 hours.  Many restaurants in Boston use their bread.  Great recommendation!  We like to ask the locals for their favorite places.

We walked about a half mile up hill to the grocery store.  We carried everything back to the boat on our backs and in bags.  We’re thinking next time a cab ride would be cheaper than physical therapy. 
 

cool city hall
Saturday
We spent the day getting the boat ready to move south.  We have been in Gloucester for about 2 weeks.  I spent the day cleaning.  Then I took the dinghy to shore for church in the afternoon. 

Dave stored our fuel jerry cans on deck after filling them this morning by dinghy. 

Dave used an old trick he learned on our Catalina 25.  He ran chalk around the inside of the hull to detect water leaks.  The line will smudge where the water runs across it.  He had found a leak in our aft deck shower.  The mixing valve was one of the parts we received this week while we had a mailing address.  The water under the batteries looked like it could have been coming from other hoses, but once he ran the chalk line, he found the leak in the shower.  As he was replacing the mixing valve, he noticed that the hose clamps on the hot and  cold water hoses had corroded and both of these hoses were leaking, too.  Amazing how all things things are discovered and add to the overall problem.

Our neighbor Will had picked up the blue chalk for Dave.  Dave sent him this text “I mixed the chalk with some beans and farted a blue streak around the boat.  Can I write you a check to pay you for the chalk?”  Will replied “no, farts are free amongst friends”.  We found someone who gets Dave’s humor and throws it back at him!

The access to the aft shower is through the aft lazerette.  So today he had to place things back into the lazerettes.  We also spent the day tucking up things inside that won’t stay put once the boat heels. 

We listened to Alabama college football tonight.  We were in bed for the end of the game, since they were winning.  We planned to take off early in the morning to make it through the Cape Cod Canal with the correct flow of the tide and be able to anchor before dark. 

October 11, 2018 Superhero Dave

While I was gone over the weekend, Dave did more trouble shooting for our water leak.  There is a useless “box” in the aft swim platform.  Beneteau calls it a “cooler”.  It has a drain hole that lets in sea water.  It had always been a slimy mess to us and useless.  Dave found a couple areas where the gelcoat was thin and had broken through creating a hole for water to enter the boat while we are at sea.  He used 5200 silicone sealant also known as “52 million” because it lasts forever.  Here’s Dave’s favorite part.  One tube is expensive.  If you don’t use it all, the cap cracks and the rest of the tube hardens.  So he goops on as much as he wants and ends up throwing away the rest of the tube.  Whenever he uses it, it seems to smear somewhere somehow.  You can wipe it up, but it eventually has to wear off over time.  He was really proud of how well he handled everything this time. 

photos taken after I returned- left section of teak is the well
smelly well that we don't use.  Dave is considering sealing it and accessing it from inside the aft cabin for storage
repairs on corner and hear latch
 Dave was wishing he had put police tape around the 5200 to keep out.  Just after he finished gooping things up, he saw a boat at anchor dragging out to sea, but through another boat with a family aboard.  So he hopped onto the dinghy.  In the process of leaping into action, he leaped into the fresh 5200 barefooted.  It deflated his super hero moment.  No one was on the boat that was dragging.  He went to the boat that was in the path of being hit, explained the situation and that boat owner said “that boat is moving really fast right towards me, what should I do?”.  That’s when Dave told him to get in his dinghy and help.  They both went to the dragging boat.  Dave climbed aboard to let out more anchor rode, but realized it wasn’t going to set.  So he got back in the dinghy.  In the meantime the affected boat owner was trying to use his dingy at the bow of his boat to fender off the dragging boat.  He got his anchor rode caught in the prop of his dinghy.  So Dave told the wife, with their 7 kids aboard, to call the harbor master for help.  Dave then grabbed the anchor of the dragging boat in our dinghy and worked against the wind to move the boat away from the second boat all with our 15 hp outboard.  He was able to clear the family’s boat before the harbor master was able to take over.  The harbor master tried to reset the anchor with more rode and it still wouldn’t set.  He ended up taking the boat to a slip on shore.   Wish I had pictures for this adventure.

Dave checked out the raw water pump for the diesel engine again.  There still seems to be a small leak coming from this pump.  He’s not sure we have a new gasket, so he is going to wait until we are in a place to get parts, if needed, to tackle this. 

Today we had to heat water with the Honda generator to be able to take showers onboard.  I spent time making flight arrangements to go to South Dakota for a wedding in a couple weeks.  That may seem simple for dirt dwellers, but we had to plan where we were going to be for me to pick an airport, let alone which flights.  You just have to plan for the best.  If for some  reason we don't make it to that destination, you have to get a rental car and drive there.   We'll have to get a rental car anyway just to get me to the airport and for when I return.  

Dave coined a new phrase today to explain why he teases me, and everyone else.  He has “created the circle of strife” -here we go again. 

October 10, 2018 Laundry and dinner with new friend Will

Dave walked to the laundromat with me to help carry the laundry and a computer bag.  Then he headed back to the boat to make water.  While Dave was making water, the boost pump stopped.  This pump brings raw water into the system so the main pump only has to run the reverse osmosis filters.  He had to shut everything down.  The switch was broken, so he had to put wires together to get it running again.  Then he ordered a new switch.  Guess we’ll be here a little longer waiting for it to arrive. 

When I was done with the laundry, Dave didn’t want to shut down the water maker yet.  So I walked to a small library on main street to hang out until he was done.  That library was just closing, but the woman working there gave me a ride about 5 blocks up hill to the city library (with my 2 laundry bags and computer bag).  Carol said to stop by over lunch hour or the end of the day if I needed a ride again.  How sweet. 

Dave met me about 5:00.  Neighbor Will from Maine wanted to join us for dinner.  We met him at the Topside Grill and enjoyed dinner outside on probably the last nice day of October.  We actually let him talk this time.  Will is from Maine, has been sailing about 30 years, but full time cruising only about 2 weeks.  He is heading to the Caribbean, mainly the British Virgin Islands.  He was interested in hearing about the Bahamas from us because he is flexible and wants to enjoy the ride.  Great sense of humor.  We hope we cross paths along the way south. 

October 9, 2018 Tour of Gloucester Harbor

We decided to take a tour of the harbor by dinghy today.  First we stopped at a neighboring boat to say hello.  He was from Maine and heading to Florida.  We found a pontoon type of boat that advertised Burgers and Bait.  Sounded fun, but we found out he was closed for the season. 

On shore, we picked up packages from the Harbormaster.  Next stop was the hardware store for Dave to complete his next project.  Then we had a late lunch at a Chinese restaurant that Dave found while I was gone.  Good choice.

On the way back to the dinghy, we ran into the neighbor from Maine.  I think we talked his ear off for about 20 minutes before I remembered he had asked us about public restrooms.  Boaters!!  At the dock, we realized at low tide there is a huge boulder in the last slip.  We saw it partially exposed one day and wondered what it was.  Crazy how it is completely covered at high tide.  We toured a little further before heading back before sunset. 


not a great photo because of the light, but wanted to show the white buoy that is attached to the rock
obviously taken at high tide, not same day. Surprised there isn't a gate across the entrance
checked out the waterway that passes through Cape Ann Peninsula



Friday, October 19, 2018

October 7-8, 2018 Red Rock Canyon, Nevada and back to the boat

We had another frittata this morning, made by me :). Then we had a beautiful drive through the Red Rock Canyon on the outskirts of Las Vegas.
 




















Debbie left today to drive back to Phoenix (had to work on Monday).  Cheryl, Martha and I enjoyed a nice steak dinner at the house, compliments of Chef Martha. 

We had such a great time together again.  I really feel blessed to have these friends in my life forever.

 Monday
We didn’t even hear Cheryl leave at 5:00am.  We said our good-byes last night.  Martha and I enjoyed bagels with salmon and cream cheese and any leftovers for breakfast.

Martha arranged a Lift ride to the airport for us.  We both flew Delta about 30 minutes apart. I talked to Dave that morning and he wasn’t feeling well.  I arranged for an airport shuttle instead of him picking me up with a rental car.   My flight was delayed from 2:30 to 4:00 became of fog in Boston.  That meant I would get into Boston at midnight instead of 10:30.  I had to check with my airport shuttle to be sure they would run that late.  Everything was cool.  Arrived at midnight.  Patrick picked me up in a Cadillac.  And Dave met me at the dock.  Back to the boat by 1:00am with no plans for the morning.  Great trip.

We like flying Delta.  I have to add that when I entered the plane in Las Vegas, a male attendant exclaimed “There you are!  We’ve been looking for you!  They said we should look for the woman with a great smile.  Welcome aboard!”.