Ready to Go East

As Richard recovers from his back going out, we are continuing to prepare for our transition to live aboard.  Activities are both continuing to prepare Atalanta and to pack up the house so that Liz and Stan can move back into their home now that they have returned from their two year sail. 

While most preparations are on the boat, some require one to go aloft.  Fortunately, Kay loves the view and is happy to go up, above, and beyond.  Today’s mast work included checking the spreader boots and repairing a broken flag halyard.  Once back down, Kay was ready for her next adventure.

We are hoping that Richard’s back will be better for our next adventure.  This coming week we are welcoming a friend of ours who spent years sailing with Richard’s father.  Meeting in Bristol and sailing to Newport with Leo will begin our trip east to the Vineyard once again.  We look forward to having Kay’s daughter, Tara and her partner, Chad on board for that leg of our cruise.  After relaxing for a few days on MV,

Kay and Richard will continue east to Marblehead, MA to have Fred Knowles and his mechanics at Hanson Marine work on the engine so that it is in tip top shape for its journey south.

Stay tuned.  

Cape Cod Cruise

The first week long cruise of the season took Kay, Murray, and Richard to points east.  It felt great to finally get beyond the Narraganset Bay and into open waters.

Our first night out took us to Cuttyhunk.  The winds were out of the SW at about 15.  While the seas were behind us, the "yawing" wasn't too bad and the ride was comfortable.  We arrived as the winds were picking up and decided to anchor inside the harbor.  There we found refuge and had a great night's sleep.  By 9:00 we were on our way to Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard.  We decided to go down Buzzards Bay and through Wood's Hole to catch the considerable current.  Fog was thick on the Vineyard Sound side of Wood's Hole.  Once in Nantucket Sound we had very limited visibility (less than 100 feet).  Fortunately, we have gotten used to navigating in the fog and had a great sail up to E-Town.  Once there, we took a town mooring and were tucked in for the Fourth of July celebrations to come.

Terry and Murray on a Starbord Tack

While in E-Town, we were able to connect with Vermont friends, Terry and Dan.  We enjoyed a dinner together on the fourth but missed the fireworks due to more fog.  The following day brought nothing but sunshine, great winds and a fabulous sail with Dan and Terry to Vineyard Haven, also on the Vineyard.

Martha's Vineyard coming into sight

While in Vineyard Haven, we joined our friends from Bristol and three other boats for a three day cruise.  After a wonderful dinner in Vineyard Haven, we all sailed to Menemsha Pond on the Southern end of the island.  We were one Sabre 402, two Little Harbor 44's, a Alden Sloop and a Lobster Boat.  Once in Menemsha we dinked in to get fresh swordfish (harpooned) for a beach cookout with the group.  We have to thank Dennis and Susan for inviting us to sail with the highly experienced group of travelers.  It was wonderful making new friends and hearing all the stories of so many miles of sailing.  New friends, new adventures... what could be better.

Music on the streets of Edgartown - 4th of July

Safely at anchor in Menemsha Bight

Kay makes landfall in Menemsha.

We finished up the week with a great sail back with "Blue Moon" to Bristol. After nine hours, it all ended with a bourbon with Kay, Dennis, and Sue at the Bristol YC. Perfect end to a great week.

Now back to the repairs of Atalanta as we get her ready for our great adventure.

Mark Twain

June is almost gone

June has slipped by so quickly and we are making steady progress toward our goal of living aboard.  Kay is officially retired, the container is safely placed at Paul’s homestead in Westford, VT, and the owners of our rental, Stan and Liz, are making progress back from their sailing adventure toward home.  

There are medical matters to get squared away (medications, immunizations, etc.), a few loose ends with insurance, and finishing our packing.  All should be completed by the end of July.

We are finishing up a few repairs on the boat (main furler rebuild, some electrical issues and head repairs) but that should all be squared away by the end of the week.  Kay and I should be ready to move full time to Atalanta by mid August and depart New England waters by the beginning of September. 

In the meanwhile, we are hoping to get some great sailing in with friends in some of the most beautiful sailing grounds on the east coast.  This weekend Tara and Chad will join us.  For the fourth, we are looking forward to joining Blue Moon for a long weekend celebration. 

More to come.

Weekend in the Narraganset

The weather has not been cooperating lately.  This week brought more rain than anyone deserves.  Nevertheless, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday relented and gave us a wonderful weekend aboard with our good friend John.  While the winds did not make Block Island an ideal destination, we did find Newport and Potter’s Cove to be beautiful anchorages.  Once in Newport, a port that John had never been to before, we went on long walks and visited The Breakers and The Elms, two magnificent mansions of the Gilded Age.  While it is great to see such magnificent architecture and art, they also remind us of how our history has and may always be defined by the distance between those that have too much and those that struggle to get through each day.  It is clear that one cannot exist without the other.  Each owes to the other for their quality of life.

We also went to the Newport Shipyard to look at some of the most spectacular yachts in the world.  This is a yard designed to accommodate super yachts, mostly sail.  They had just put together their new travel-lift that took 8 tractor-trailer loads to bring to the site for assembly.  It can lift a mighty 500 tons!  We have never seen a lift with this capacity.  This lift can pull two hundred foot sailboat, rig out. 

Our preparations for traveling south are now focusing on packing up our belongings and placing them in a forty-foot trailer that Paul has so graciously allowed us to place on his property.  Load by load, we will be packing our possessions.  As we are packing up, Stan and Liz, our landlords are in the middle of a five-day sail to a U.S. port after two years in the Caribbean.  We wish them a safe journey and fair weather. 

More to come!

Memorial Weekend

Memorial Weekend was a challenge weather wise.  When sailing, the best made plans are always weather dependent.  While we had plans for a cruise to Block Island or the Elizabeth Islands, stiff winds, high seas and lots of rain kept us in the Narraganset for the weekend.  Fortunately, we were able to share good food and drink with our friends, Dennis and Sue, visit the Herreshoff museum (pics below) and catch Leo in the Great Gatsby.  Monday showed itself to be a better day.  After a sail in the Bristol area, we wandered over to Potter's cove for lunch on the hook.  What a difference the sun makes. While we are off the boat for the next week to be with the kids, we are looking forward to John joining us as our first guest of the season.     The pics below are some of the classic yachts on display at the Herreshoff Museum in Bristol.  An amazing display of design, engineering, innovation and just plain beauty.

On the Sailing Community

Kay and I are still waiting for summer weather to come to RI.  We have been living on board each weekend but still unable to tackle some of the outside painting/vanishing tasks.  As we put Atalanta back in order for cruising, we are looking forward to our Memorial Weekend cruise with Dennis and Sue on Blue Moon.  Initially our plan is to sail east toward Cutty Hunk and the Elizabeth Islands.  If the wind is out of the NE we could land up changing plans and heading toward Block.  Time will tell.

As we begin this sailing season, it is clear that there is a floating community out there.  Without looking out for each other, many of the challenges of the water would prove more risky and more difficult.  As we have needed support others have offered to help.  As others have needed help, we have offered our time and ability.  It is interesting that this strong sense of community exists where there is such movement and transiency.  Nevertheless, it is evident.  Without this sense of connection, it is unlikely that we would find time on the water as satisfying as it is.  

Dennis at the Top of Blue Moon