Boston

A bracing sail brought us to the centre of Boston. What a view of downtown...

Now Follyfin is tucked up nicely in Admiral’s Hill Marina in Chelsea, about 2.5 miles from the centre of town. Follyfin is being left here for 6 weeks whilst we return to UK for some family events. So now we have 4 days to put away most of the things that we spent a long time getting out when we returned to the boat in mid-April - and as temporary crew have previously observed on more than one occasion, this is what sailing is all about! When we return in July we look forward to warmer, sunnier days cruising north towards Maine, exploring its beautiful coastline and islands.

Racing boats of the giant variety

It rained again on Saturday but the day was brightened considerably for us by Ami and Bob, the OCC port officers for this area. We enjoyed a nice time with them over brunch with nautical tales exchanged - one of theirs was horrific, but this is not the place to relate the details...important thing is they survived!

An early start from Stonington on Sunday 20 May was needed if we were to see anything of the Volvo racing boats taking part in leg 9 of the Volvo Ocean Race, starting from Newport - some 35nm east of Stonington. After heavy rain during the night, thick fog blanketed the area. Had we not had a purpose to our planned passage, we might well have stayed put but with RADAR and AIS, and a forecast of SW winds we decided to face up to the challenge. It paid off as Newport Harbour was reached by 12:30 but as mentioned before, sailing in fog is extremely tiring so we were a little wilted by the time we arrived. At times there was less than a quarter mile visibility.

The race started at 14:00. Every boat owner in the vicinity, not to mention a couple of ferries, seemed to be on the water to watch the event, and this energised Follyfin’s crew. Helmsman had to be constantly ‘on the ball’ to make sure no accidents occurred. Indeed, the race marshalls faced a big challenge just making sure none of the spectators strayed into the race course, let alone shifting the starting line buoys several times to take account of the changing weather conditions. Follyfin has never faced such a crowd before so it was somewhat disconcerting for her crew, especially after the tiring passage to get there. 

Below are two photos of our plotter taken about an hour apart. All the little triangles are other boats near Follyfin, shown as the bigger black boat icon. The ones outlined in red are deemed to be at collision risk with Follyfin!

It was worth it though. Luckily the fog cleared in time so we had a grandstand view (albeit occasionally blocked) of the seven competitors  - very large racing maxi yachts with massive colourful sails. The racers first sailed North up the east passage and under Newport bridge, turned and then tacked back down Narragansett Bay and out into Rhode Island Sound, thus passing us spectators twice. 

Next stop for them is Cardiff, UK - 3300nm in about 8 days time, so that’s an average of 17kn. Now that is travelling - Follyfin is lucky to average over 5kn, on a good day 5.5kn and maximum this season is 5.7. But as everyone knows, we are not racers...

This blog post is being composed as we motor sail from Newport into,Buzzards Bay towards Woods Hole on Cape Cod. Glorious sunshine today with a favourable but gentle wind - what a contrast to yesterday. It’s even quite warm for a change. [Kevin - if you are reading this, you made a good call to join us in July rather than May!] Plan to anchor overnight and then head through the Cape Cod Canal tomorrow, all being well.

Blogger’s note

Text above is now outdated...poor internet connection between then and now meant this post could not be uploaded promptly. In the meantime Follyfin has travelled up Buzzards Bay, anchoring overnight twice in Hadley Harbour and Onset Bay, has today traversed the Cape Cod Canal and is now safely moored on a buoy in Scituate. Excellent WiFi and showers provided courtesy of the very friendly Satuit Boat. Tomorrow, Thursday 24th May, we sail into Boston harbour, our final destination for this leg of the journey to Maine - until July.

Did you say a late Spring?

For the last 5 days we have been battling wind and weather in our quest to sail east along the 90nm length of Long Island Sound. So what’s new? The best 2 days were Monday and Tuesday, 14 & 15 May. On the first we stayed put on a free mooring buoy in Port Washington, went ashore for provisioning and the inevitable internetting. On the second it was even quite warm and I managed to don shorts; we did have an excellent sail and in favourable southerly winds. Ironically we had only planned to go 20nm east to the famous Oyster Bay anchorage - famous because this is where President Theodore Roosevelt decided to make his home, Sagamore Hill, the summer White House. Sadly we did not have a spare day on which to visit this historic house (and it’s only open during the season I believe, which begins on Memorial Day 28 May), nor did we taste any of the mollusks that give this place its name. Another year perhaps, a visit by train from NYC during the annual Oyster Bay Oyster Festival in October...

Tuesday evening, whilst quietly anchored in the SE corner of the bay - quite hard to find an anchor spot amongst the vast mooring field - a huge thunderstorm broke over us. It subsided eventually but not before we saw a 35kn gust of wind. The subsequent sunset was dramatic.

Knowing that rain and moderate NE/E winds were forecast from about midday on Wednesday, we planned an early start, 07:45. Planning, however, does not take account of unforeseen circumstances: first, thick black mud in which the anchor was firmly lodged requiring a lot of pulling to get it up and second, weed gumming up the engine sea water cooling system. Smoke instead of water coming out of the exit pipe is a sure sign something is wrong... Engine off, drifting (luckily calm conditions, and no other boats near or moving at that hour), Skipper clearing the filter and the blockage, engine on, more smoke after short distance, engine off, anchor dropped, Skipper to the rescue again, testing, testing. Eventually got underway at 08:45, emerging into the Sound 45 minutes later. The rain started at 11:00 and adverse wind on the nose at 13:00 and when 2 hours later the tidal current reversed in our favour, with the wind against us, imagine the confusion of the water. This sea state is known in nautical circles as ‘a short chop’, and by golly, choppy it certainly was! My, were we glad to drop anchor at 18:30 in the calm, sheltered water of Joshua Cove on the Connecticut shore on the north side of the Sound. Motoring 45nm all day long in those conditions is very unpleasant. 

Yesterday, Thursday, was a different kettle of fish altogether (and incidentally we have not caught any fish at all despite trying on every passage except the East River). It was cold, and there was virtually no wind at all. Instead there was thick fog, all day long for the 40-45nm passage to Stonington Harbour, located just west of Newport, Rhode Island, aka ‘Sailing Capital of the World’. Despite having RADAR and AIS to warn us of approaching vessels or objects such as channel markers, beacons, lighthouses etc., making way in fog is extremely tiring for the watch keeper.

So we are now tied onto a very secure mooring buoy belonging to Dodson Boatyard and have had a quiet day, enjoying the laundry (well, ‘enjoy’ maybe not quite the right word) and showering facilities plus the excellent launch service included in the $55 fee for the buoy. Stonington is a most picturesque village, full of beautifully kept New England houses deserving of much admiration. It also has an excellent coffee shop, aptly named Indulge, with an amazing choice of ‘artisan’ sandwiches, coffees and high speed internet. What’s not to like, as they say?

The forecast for tomorrow is strong NE/E wind so sailing to Newport would be difficult, not to say long, and our engine is too weak to make progress against such wind. Instead we will have another day here, meeting the OCC port officers for brunch. On Sunday the forecast is for strong SW/S winds, much better for us, so we plan to head to Newport, hoping to see some of the Volvo Ocean Racers, who start from there this weekend.

Long Island Sound

Foiled again by the weather, we broke into Long Island Sound one day later than planned. It was pouring with rain at the time set for weighing anchor on Saturday morning. All togged up in our wet gear at 07:00, Skipper got as far as half-way up with the anchor when common sense prevailed. Why get thoroughly soaked and cold when we don’t have to? Instead we stayed inside and went up the Hudson to Liberty Island on the afternoon tide and anchored overnight there. Traversing the 14nm East River between the Hudson River and Long Island Sound requires careful planning since currents run at up to 5kn through Hell Gate - aptly named - at the centre point. Lucky for us first-timers, there was very slight wind, very few other boats as it was Sunday afternoon and, most important we timed it right! Maximum speed over the ground was 8.4kn with engine running at 1800rpm. 

Sailing under the Brooklyn Bridge and 7 other fixed bridges on the way, we passed downtown Manhattan and spotted a few well known land marks, e.g. the Empire State Building and Freedom Tower (though its top was lost in cloud). Having sailed up the Thames into central London back in 2012, and the Loire into Nantes in 2014, the East River should have held no worries for us but there’s no escaping the anxiety that busy waterways in big cities engender. Glad to have got that behind us now!

By 19:00 we had picked up a mooring in Port Washington just outside the east end of the river and spent a very calm and quiet night. So all good for now.

For the next week or so we will be working our way east up the Sound towards Cape Cod, hoping the weather warms up a bit. Summer seems to be a long time coming in these parts.

NYC, a stepping stone to Long Island

The overnight passage from Cape May to Atlantic Highlands is about 100nm on a direct course, with estimated passage time of 18-20 hours. But, as ever, in a sailing vessel the course is governed by wind direction. We ended up travelling 146nm - see below for why, and took 26 hours. Forecast said early fog but then light SE winds to start, picking up later to force 4, gusting 5-6 then turning S, then SW winds for the 18-20 hours of the passage; an opportunity too good to miss, so the lines were slipped from Utsch’s friendly marina at 06:45. Once outside Cape May Harbour channel, few obstacles exist on the passage north. A sharp eye for crab and lobster pots is required but otherwise there is only sail trim and other vessels to worry about. Our colourful ‘Magic Zero’ sail was successfully deployed with the main sail and we were off on a delightful broad reach. Once wind increased a few hours later, swapped the MZ for the jib sail - sturdier and unlikely to ‘blow out’ like the MZ - and a couple of hours later put two reefs in the main as wind started gusting up. Follyfin veritably clipped along; maximum boat speed seen was 9.0kt and maximum gust was 25.9kt, nothing to trouble her. Only flaw in the plan was that the wind direction took longer to change to SW than forecast, so our course went further and further off shore. Anyway, we jibed to head back inshore at 22:00 just before I went off watch to sleep ... but at midnight there was a sudden drop in wind speed, going from 20kt to <5kt within 2 minutes. So by the time I went on watch at 02:00, we were motoring NW in a westerly very light wind, insufficient to fill the sails. So the best made plan went very much awry.

Never mind, we dropped anchor at 08:45 in Atlantic Highlands Harbour (we were last here 9/10 July 2017 with friend Smitch) in time for breakfast. With the sun shining we are generally ‘chilling’, catching up on a bit of sleep and a few chores. Always something to do on a boat! Tomorrow we plan to pass east to west through the East River to Long Island Sound but will need to revisit and pause behind the Statue of Liberty to wait for the tide in the river. An iconic anchorage if ever there was one.

Still waiting in Cape May!

Weather is peculiar here: very changeable and not performing according to seasonal norms. All being well, and assuming it doesn’t change its mind again between now and tomorrow Thursday morning, we will slip the lines early and set off North towards Sandy Hook and New York.

Today we got the bikes out (very useful additions to Follyfin’s cargo) and explored the rather charming, olde worlde centre of Cape May.

Stocked up on provisions and visited the largest hardware store (possibly also the oldest, at least in my experience) where one could spend hours searching for the particular item required. Fortunately assistance was on hand..

Next post will hopefully be from 100 or more nautical miles north of here

Waiting for the weather

Bouncy anchorage overnight in Bohemia River, what with wind shifting and strong current but quietened down in the early hours for a short lie in for the crew. Timed our departure mid-morning to get the strong current going with us west to east through the C&D Canal. Meeting the tidal flow in the huge Delaware River at the east end of the Canal is always a challenge. Having already decided not to try to sail the 50nm to Cape May against the current, we revved up and turned in through the turbulence to anchor in the shelter of Reedy Island, between it and the west bank of the main river. This short passage - only about 20nm - allowed relaxation. Just as well, since the ensuing night was even more bouncy than the previous one, wind shifts and strong tidal flow again responsible.

At 05:45 on Saturday 5 May, Follyfin headed out into the Delaware River, taking full advantage of the strong current and favourable NE/NW wind to sail SE down river until it died at 14:00. No matter, the lion’s share of the trip to our destination - Cape May - was done. Unlike our passage to this Harbour last year, we arrived in daytime and good weather. Knowing we would need to wait for adverse weather to pass through before continuing north, decided not to go into the crowded anchorage most transient vessels use, at the eastern end of the harbour, but instead we chose to go through the opening Two Mile bridge and motor 2nm east up river into ‘Wildwood’ to anchor in Sunset Lake. Although the entrance is quite shallow (not a problem for Follyfin’s lifting keel), there is a perfectly sheltered deeper pool in the SW corner of this small lake. Here we dropped anchor and are prepared to wait for southerly winds again for our 200nm passage up to Long Island.

Sunset Lake proved to be somewhat of a misnomer at first, since Sunday brought heavy rain, dense fog and overcast skies as well as much cooler temperatures. We were glad not to be going out anywhere. Monday saw an improvement in the weather but wind still NE, no good for us. And by Monday evening the reason for the name was clear.

Provisions will be needed before setting off, so Tuesday 8 May Follyfin will take a berth at Utsch’s Marina at the west end of the Harbour. All being well we will embark on our next passage North sometime on Wednesday 9 May afternoon.

On our way - bye bye Baltimore

Slipped the lines from Tidewater at 08:00 and passed under the Francis Scott Key bridge just over an hour later. FSK was the chap who composed the words for the Star Spangled Banner whilst languishing as a prisoner of the British in 1812. 

Water was flat calm, no wind so motoring. But once under the bridge and out into the Chesapeake Bay, a lovely F4 SW wind came up - perfect for us in every way. Under full sail we sailed a broad reach/downwind north-east towards the very tip of the Bay, having to gybe occasionally to avoid big ships or channel markers. Picked spot to overnight just short of the entrance to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. Dropped the hook at 16:10 just inside the mouth of the Bohemia River, about 5nm south of the west end of the canal, ready to transit it tomorrow. Lovely day, full sun and blue sky. A quiet evening and a chance to rest up after quite a strenuous day (not being used to this sailing business after such a long break!).

Launched!

So we’re finally back in the water, yesterday May 1st. Celebrated with G & Ts at sundown.

After good night’s sleep, an early start today saw the main sail ‘bent’ on and hoisted, all reefing lines put in and checked before breakfast. Mind you, that operation did take the best part of 2.5 hours. Now only two spinnaker lines left to rig, and Skipper to ascend the mast to check all the blocks running smoothly at the top. Then we should be ready for the off early tomorrow, fingers crossed!