September 19th- North Cove/ Old Saybrook, CT to Mattituck, NY

We really enjoyed Old Saybrook on “shore leave”. The town has just about everything you need within walking distance. We only needed AAA batteries and a little water. Later on in the day we had sun downers with some sailing friends that we met on our last Southern Odyssey. They suggested Mattituck as a nice anchorage. We headed over to Mattituck on Long Island.

Mattituck looks challenging to enter when looking at a chart. It appears to be a little dug out hole up a creek. The creek is actually well marked and the “hole” is a good sized basin. Beautiful scenery. One passing shower to wash some of the salt off the decks.

Some scenes from Mattituck.

The Creek-

Happy about the easily accessible dinghy dock.

Evergreen anchored in Mattituck Basin.

September 20th- Mattituck to Northport Bay, NY

Plan A was Port Jefferson but we were feeling inspired to continue on. The north shore of Long Island is dotted with many anchorages. We decided on the area around Huntington Bay to end the day. A little further up the Bay is Northport Bay. This anchorage boasts good protection and a really nice beach. Ollie got a good workout on his commando raids (he needed it).

Happy pirate cooling off after some intense ball action.

This little island is called Sand City Island.

Evergreen anchored in Northport Bay.

September 21st- Northport Bay to Port Washington, NY

With approaching weather coming we decided that Port Washington would be a good place to spend a few days. I had high hopes of sailing up Long Island Sound but it wasn’t to be. We had light, flukey, winds mostly on the nose. Today I observed my first sunrise in a long time. We caught the morning flood up the bay and sailed/ drifted along at 2 knots for a while. Eventually, we fired up the diesel engine.

You can just barely see NYC off in the distance.

Due to all of this engine work we have used up much of our diesel fuel. We decided to fuel up in Port Washington so as to be prepared for the NJ coast and Delaware Bay. The significance of this is we’ve NEVER docked Evergreen. Ok, we have piloted her onto a truck for haulout. That takes some skill. Our docking went well as did the fuel up. Lynne and I were very organized and proud of our accomplishment. While Evergreen is larger than Catalpa, she maneuvers well and stops. We then grabbed a mooring for the night.

September 22nd- Port Washington, NY

Today we’re hanging around Evergreen waiting for the rain to cease. Lynne managed to get Ollie to shore (between squalls) on the Port Washington Water Taxi. I managed to donate our grill lighter and canvas bucket to Neptune. I was very attached to the canvas bucket but sometimes the sea takes things. We’ll stay here a while. We need a few items in town. One of Lynne’s favorite farmer’s markets is on Saturday so we’ll be here at least until then. Looking forward to fresh bread, ravioli, and produce.

Rainy day.

September 17th and 18th- North Cove/ Old Saybrook, CT

We left Block Island early. Using our yellow Eldridge Tide and Pilot book, we picked up a favorable current through the Race into Long Island Sound. The day was the usual mixture of sailing and motoring.

Coast Guard Cutter at The Race

The autopilot functioned properly when needed. Our problematic remote is working again and seems to have been caused by dead AAA batteries. We inadvertently loaded Evergreen with a bunch of half dead batteries. Nothing else broke today.

Saybrook Breakwater Light

Somewhere around 2:00 We spotted the entrance to the Connecticut River. We motored up the river and moored in North Cove, Old Saybrook.

North Cove Yacht Club

Sunday the 18th- Today we’re spending an extra day in harbor. There is a gusty wind blowing out of the Southwest with a small craft advisory in effect. Unfortunately, that is the direction we need to travel to get to our next stop. Evergreen sails well up wind. I had a plan. We probably have over an extra 1000lbs of food, gear, water, and diesel onboard. I’m still figuring out Evergreen’s quirks. The crew might mutiny. The plan changed.

North Cove is a protected Federal “harbor of refuge”, with easy shore access. Eggs and bacon for Sunday breakfast. We’ll spend the day relaxing and getting caught up on sleep (maybe a little boat maintenance).

Evergreen moored in North Cove

September 16- Block Island, RI

We left Padanaram Harbor mid day on the 15th and headed out to Cuttyhunk Island. It’s only a short trip but we needed to break from land. Additionally, we were both exhausted from preparing for our voyage. Before leaving we used Evergreen’s windlass to crank up our mooring chain. I swapped our mooring ball for a cedar fence post (winter stick). The mooring ball went home to be cleaned and the fence post will ride out the winter.

Cuttyhunk was just a quick one night stopover. We grabbed a mooring for the night and left early the next day. We are still sorting things out and rearranging our gear.

Cuttyhunk to Block Island was mostly an upwind sail. Eventually we had the diesel engine pushing us into New Harbor.

Evergreen sailing Rhode Island Sound

We had a few more autopilot problems but all seems to be working properly again. The door to the head (bathroom) decided it was no longer going to function (after 43 years). It’s now on the maintenance list. Both sailing days I’ve been adjusting the rigging. This is still a new boat for us so there is a bit of a learning curve.

Lynne is sporting several bandaids from a kitchen accident but at the end of the day, we had a grilled steak with corn and potatoes. I provided Ollie with some exercise on the beach. Block Island provided us with a nice sunset.

Tomorrow’s destination will most likely be The Connecticut River to North Cove in Old Saybrook.

September 13th- Dartmouth, MA

A ballpark figure for our departure date is September 15th. We had a perfect weather window last week but I just couldn’t make it happen for various reasons. It’s looking more like the 15th or 16th now. We were supposed to have moved onto Evergreen but the severe drought we’ve been having has ended and it has been raining buckets for the last couple of days. Frustration is starting to set in. The Captain is getting a little batty.

Evergreen is mostly loaded up and is ready to go. The fresh and frozen food will go on the boat with us.

Evergreen’s salon a week ago. A disorganized mess.

There have been a bunch of last minute boat projects to complete. Our autopilot was acting diabolical. Some detective work, wiring, and the addition of a remote on the helm, seems to have tamed the situation. We also figured out our thermal coffee mugs have magnets in the lids. Autopilots and compasses both are affected by magnets. We both drink coffee or tea while sailing. We acquired new mugs.

Lynne has sewn new windows on the dodger. She has also purchased a titanic amount of groceries. Groceries are available along the way but we think it’s better to stock up on the staples so we’re not lugging around canned food and cases of beer/wine.

It wasn’t all work. We did get out on a bunch of fun sails last summer.

When the weather clears we’ll get out on Evergreen and get the show on the road!

July 16th- Cuttyhunk Island, MA

After about a year and a half of labor Evergreen’s refit has wrapped up. There is still a long list of future projects (she’s a 43 year old boat) but the major systems have all been updated or replaced. More importantly, the boat is seaworthy and sailing.

EVERGREEN- winter deck work under cover

In other news, CATALPA has made her way north and has a new berth on the waters of Lake Champlain. The boat shed looks a little empty with just a few dinghies and a lawnmower in it. We hope the new owners enjoy her as much as we did.

CATALPA’S road trip.

The sail over to Cuttyhunk was great. The wind was about 12 knots with blue skies. I’m really happy with the way EVERGREEN sails. After adjusting sails and center board we rarely had to touch the wheel. The boat gets in a groove and self steers, upwind.

This is the beginning of a summer shake down cruise for us. We’ll be back and forth between our home port and our favorite anchorages to test the boat. So far no issues have come up. We are enjoying our new Engel refrigerator. We still have to lug water out to EVERGREEN but no ice. The new solar panels seem to easily keep up with our increased electrical demands. I changed some of the rigging, mimicking Catalpa’s running rigging. The changes make it easier for me to find the right string to pull. There are more storage lockers. We’re still working on organizing them.

Most of last winter’s work was “quality of life” projects. Much varnish and paint was added. While I eliminated some bright work from the deck, I added some to the cockpit. For a while I was debating changing Evergreen’s name to Rain Forest due to the amount of water pouring into the cabin during rain squalls. 99% of the leaks have been plugged and the cabin is dry as is the bilge (hopefully I don’t regret that statement). Lynne has made extensive repairs to the dodger and has sewn a large awning along with other material notions for the ship.

Midshipman Oliver is also enjoying the extra space afforded by a larger vessel. He’s done his best to spread hair and sand from stem to stern.

Lynne and Ollie at the Cuttyhunk dinghy dock.

Cuttyhunk Island is in full summer mode and seems to be bursting with activity. The island is going through some transformations. The roads have all been ripped up and the municipal water pipes replaced. Apparently there was asbestos in the old pipes. The island is very dusty due to no pavement and many golf carts. We’ll head back to Padanaram Harbor soon. The internet is spotty out here so this post will be uploaded later. We’ll be back out on the bay before the end of the week.

EVERGREEN anchored in Cuttyhunk Harbor.

July 17th- Somewhere on Buzzards Bay

The ship’s clock has stopped! A change of batteries does nothing! It’s going to the clock repair shop next week. Something had to malfunction. It’s a shakedown cruise.

December 28th- Dartmouth, MA

Catalpa sailed late into the 2020 season and we had her hauled out at Bayline Boatyard in New Bedford. It was almost two years since she had been on boat stands.

Catalpa navigating the streets of New Bedford to her shed.

Her bottom paint was in rough shape with many thick patches peeling off. There was also a few blisters in the fiberglass. We decided to have the bottom of the boat sand blasted so her hull could dry out over the winter.

You may have noticed that the title of the blog has changed along with the header picture. I happened to be chatting with the truck driver that delivered Catalpa to our house. The conversation turned to the trip. I mentioned that Lynne and I had been discussing getting a larger vessel as Catalpa was a little cramped when loaded up with a ton of gear. We looked at a few boats along the way but didn’t find the right boat. Long story short- He knew a guy…. and he has this boat…..

Two weeks later we had two boats. Evergreen is a 1979 Bristol 35.5. I guess I like to buy local boats. Iris was built in Dartmouth, MA. Catalpa in Taunton,MA. Evergreen in Bristol, RI. Another coincidence- I worked in a boat yard that was owned by Ted Hood whose office designed the Bristol 35.5.

So, why did we buy a boat that is even older than the the one we have (Catalpa was launched in 1986). Evergreen has a new 30hp Yanmar diesel Engine with only 150hrs on it. The fuel tank was also replaced. Her sails and rigging looked serviceable. The price was right.

On the down side she’s a 42 year old boat. Iris (our catboat) was older than me so I knew there was work to be done. Lots and lots of work.

Electrical problems.

Plumbing issues…

The list filled a page. Then more lists were made. Basically we spent the next year working on Evergreen and Catalpa.

Launch dates came and went. It looked like we might launch in July but then we ran into big problems with the center board which had me cutting the whole system out and building a new one. The centerboard is a lowering keel that helps the boat sail to weather. When retracted into the hull the boat can get into shoal areas that a deeper keel would restrict.

In the end I saved the board but changed how it was raised. Eventually we launched Evergreen by the end of August.

We spent a month on a shakedown cruise in our local waters. Most of that time we toured Martha’s Vineyard. Evergreen sails well and is a comfortable boat. We continue to chisel away at the work list.

Evergreen anchored in Cuttyhunk Harbor

In the fall I got caught up with the work I needed to complete on Catalpa. Her hull was patched and faired. Followed by many coats of an epoxy paint to barrier coat the bottom. She’s again ready for adventure. Unfortunately, we only have enough energy for one old boat so she’s going up for sale soon. SOLD

Evergreen is currently on the hard at Bayline Boatyard. She’s under cover and much of her gear is in my shop and office. Recently my mother sent us a nice refrigerator which is also currently in my office waiting for a home in Evergreen. Lynne is sewing yards of canvas to help shade from the southern sun. The original plan was to head south this winter but we had too many loose ends to figure out. We will be back! The new plan is to head south for next winter.

Happy New Year  from Brian, Lynne, and Ollie

September 1st- Cuttyhunk Island, MA

Yesterday we shook the cobwebs out of Catalpa’s sails and headed out to Cuttyhunk for a few days of salty relaxation. It has been a month since our return to Dartmouth. We’ve, more or less, reaclimated to life on land. A portion of my mind is always at sea.

Most of the past month has been taken up with domestic duties. With the exception of a few maintenance issues, the house did well over the winter. No frozen pipes. There was (and still is) plenty of yard maintenance to be done. We are still evicting the mouse population that have taken up residence. This is a boat log so I will end my land stories there.

Catalpa has had some light maintenance and cleaning. After unloading a ton of gear (and an extra 35lb anchor) the waterline has risen and she seems a little quicker when sailing in light air. My much abused varnish has had some work done. The cockpit combing is looking much better. A few more coats will go on in the future.  The dinghy has had some fiberglass repairs and 4 coats of white marine paint on the exterior. It’s looking very “Bristol”. While working on the dink we used our rowing dory that I built a few years ago.


I wanted to do a recap on our trip South. I’ll include any information that seems relevant to a mariner along with some thoughts and observations.

The ICW mileage from Padanaram Harbor to Boot Key Harbor is roughly 1850 miles (1608 nm). Round trip that’s 3700 miles (3216 nm). We stopped at 64 different anchorages on our way south. 55 anchorages on our way north. This number is a little muddy as we sometimes anchored at multiple locations in the same harbor (4 or 5 places in Boot Key). I didn’t count those instances. We left on September 16th and returned on August 1st for a total of 321 days away from our home port. We grounded in the mud once (somewhat intentionally). We hit bottom a few other times but in all instances were able to continue on. We hit several logs and one 10′ 8×8 beam. The beam was the most memorable but none did any damage. I hit one aid to navigation in a moment of inattention. This is to be avoided. We mostly anchored or moored on the trip. We probably tied to a dock for a week or so. We spent around 5 1/2 months in Florida. 62 days in Vero Beach. 46 days in Marathon. Somewhere around 3 1/2 months were spent at those two locations. Marathon/ Boot Key Harbor was our furthest point south.

The trip north was MUCH easier than the trip south to Florida. The daylight hours are shorter in the fall. We kept to traveling during daylight with the exception of our NJ passage to Atlantic City. My days were spent piloting Catalpa. In the evening I was preoccupied with navigation. I often wasn’t sure about where our next stop was going to be. I’d run Ollie to shore, eat dinner, then look over the charts and guide books. Weather and currents predictions were also on the evening menu. I was often tired and needed a break after a few days. On the return trip I knew the good anchoring spots and sometimes found better harbors. I was able to spend more time paying attention to currents and weather routing. I was more organized and knew where to fuel up or get groceries. Experience is the best teacher.

Cruising with an active, young, dog takes a lot of dedication but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Oliver is very intelligent and was able to pick up skills easily. If I say, “Back to the boat!”. He runs to the dinghy and jumps in. It’s a great parlour trick if people are hanging around the docks. We got him to shore EVERY day. It was part of our navigation equation. The satellite view on Google maps was very helpful. We made sure to provide plenty of doggy activity in the appropriate places. He mostly slept during the day while we were sailing. He will “eliminate” on deck if he has to but avoids it. We’ve had him on the boat since he was a pup so he knows the drill. People ask about dog hair. I say, “don’t ask”. Getting good dog food was a bit of a problem in the south. We feed him a specific brand (Orijen) and supplement it with a dehydrated food (Honest Kitchen). I either mail ordered his bags of dry food or I’d buy 80lbs if we found it in a pet shop. The dehydrated food lasted until Vero Beach and we were able to buy more there. He made many friends along the way (as did we).

Our Beta Marine diesel engine was indispensable and ran flawlessly. We had around 200 hours on the engine before departure. We now have over 1000. A reliable source of propulsion is important for a trip down the Intracoastal. We broke two water pump impellers in the first few months but none after. I suspect they were defective. The Beta is a Japanese tractor engine (Kabota) which is then converted to a marine engine by an English company (Beta). I like to think it has some international flair. Since neither GB nor the US can stomach the metric system, it is necessary to carry both imperial and metric wrenches. Other than carrying two sets of wrenches, the engineers at Beta made it easy to service. I have to do an oil change every 150 hours and they made it as enjoyable as an oil change can possibly be. On the other hand, Carl Alberg (Catalpa’s designer) didn’t make engine access a priority. Getting at the transmission is torture but I’ve become used to it.

September 2nd- Cuttyhunk Island, MA

Rain.


Navigation-     (boring technical information)
I enjoy cranking winches and pulling strings much more than researching electronics. My setup is pretty simple and I am no expert on GPS.

The Books of Bob were out every day. 2018 ICW Cruising Guide by Bob423 (Sherer) really helped in the planning. He migrates down the ICW every year and talks about problem areas and his favorite anchorages. The book is layed out in legs which helps to keep things organized. He makes suggestions about navigation software and ways to shut down a house. He cruises with his wife (Ann) and his dog (Hoolie). He points out many good places to land your furry friend. Bob has a big, fast, Beneteau sailboat. He seems very driven to get down to Florida quickly. We average 5 knots or less and explore different spots. We anchored in many more places. This brings me to, Anchorages Along the Intracoastal Waterway by Skipper Bob. He also has several other books on marinas, the Bahamas, the New York canal system, etcetera. The Anchorages book lists lots of different coves and creeks to drop the hook. Very useful.

I’m a big believer in paper charts. It was expensive, but I purchased chart books for the entire East coast of the US. The charts I used were produced by Maptech, NV Charts, and Kettlewell. GPS screens are small. It’s nice to have “big charts” to give you the “big picture”.

We have an older Lowrance GPS chartplotter hardwired into Catalpa. It works. It has a depth sounder built in. The chart chip is old so I don’t always trust the information. I have an Android pad and downloaded a navigation app called Aqua Map Marine. This became so important that I actually purchased a second pad in Florida just in case one died. Aqua Map has constantly updated chart information. It also displays Active Captain information. Active Captain (AC) is a crowd sourced online database of information on marine hazards and anchorages. Since AC is crowd sourced not all the information is accurate. Some of the info is more opinion than fact. Having said that, it’s generally pretty good. My only complaint about using an Android pad or IPad for navigation is that we had over-heating issues on sunny days. I tried to keep them in the shade when necessary. I used Aqua Map for the whole trip. I’ve heard Navionics is also good and is tied in with AC. I plan on trying it sometime. As mentioned earlier, I also used Google Maps to find parks, grocery stores, pharmacies, and fuel. It’s also a very useful tool.

Our electrical needs were small. All of our lights are efficient LEDs. We have one 50watt solar panel to keep the batteries topped up when we’re sitting for long periods. We also have oil lanterns and Luci Lights (solar lanterns). The oil lanterns helped to keep us warm and dry gear out when necessary.

Hot and Cold-
Our Portable Buddy Heater propane heater wasn’t used much but when we needed it, we REALLY needed it. We got hit with some pretty cold weather near Charleston on our journey south. We were stuck in a remote location for a few days and almost ran out of propane before the weather improved.

Lynne and I both have decent foul weather gear. I have two full sets. When the weather got really cold and wet my Grundens fishermen gear was what kept me dry. Since I had two sets of foulies, I could dry out one set while wearing the other. On the other hand, I only had one set of gloves. My hands were often cold and wet until I received a second pair from my mother. In Florida we both switched to really light (hiking) raincoats that we had packed away. We used all of the cold weather gear we brought with us. It all got packed away in Marathon and we were in tee shirts and shorts for the remainder of the voyage.

Sticking with the hot/ cold theme: refrigeration.
Lynne is a great cook and likes to work with fresh food. Our tiny galley seems to be constantly in use. We have an icebox without any kind of mechanical refrigeration.  It was a project to get ice. We’ve never had a problem before, but we live in the North where both the air and water are cooler. We went through about 10lbs a day. When the weather heated up and we were running the diesel, we’d burn through almost 20lbs. I’d say refrigeration is important and I’d consider it a priority for the next trip. There are a few different options. Ironically, we ate like kings but we both lost a lot of weight. Perhaps it was from lugging around ice and water.

Shade. Many cruisers have full enclosures to protect them from the weather and sun. We have a dodger which is sort of a windshield with a small roof. I prefer this kind of setup to the full enclosure. We have extra awnings to use in harbor. They aren’t really made for travel. Eventually the sun got so hot that I really needed some shade. We used the awning when possible. Some sort of Bimini (little canvas roof) would be a great addition. Our big straw hats were in use.

I was concerned about showering and keeping clean. It was never really a problem. We have an Advanced Elements Summer Shower. It’s basically a black bag with a shower hose on it. The bag heats up in the sun. We hang it from the boom in the cockpit. We have lee cloths to port and starboard. We put up another privacy curtain on the back rail and shower in the cockpit. If it’s cold out we heat up a kettle and add it to the bag or just have a quick wash down in the head (bathroom). Most marinas have showers. Even if we didn’t stay at the marina we could often pay a small usage fee. Early pandemic we stayed away from public showers. Later we brought bottles of sanitizer and sprayed everything down. We also have a black bugsprayer with a kitchen sprayhead on the hose. This pressurizes the water and is nice for hosing down Ollie. We don’t have a water heater or pressurized water on Catalpa. The sinks have foot pumps. They work well and conserve water. It’s a good idea to pack rebuild kits as the rubber bellows and small valves degrade over time.

Both of our boat handling skills improved. We got better at docking. Docking can be difficult due to river currents and wind. We planned our approaches and waited until the wind was right (calm).

We’ve always anchored a lot and continued to do so on this trip. We’re on a budget and anchoring is free. We made an anchor switch down in Boot Key Harbor. My main hook (35lb Delta) seemed to be having issues grabbing the hard sand and coral. This culminated with a dangerous situation where our anchor dragged in the middle of the night. I decided to switch to a 35lb Rocna Vulcan and am happy with the new hook. We attach it to 50′ of chain along with 250′ of rope. We also have a second, lighter, anchor to help out when needed. We only used both anchors once but were glad we had the extra hook when faced with 45mph winds. We crank up all this stuff with a Muir manual windlass. This is heavy gear for this size boat but we sleep well at night. We actually had the older Delta anchor stored onboard along with a bunch of extra chain and rope too. I probably should have sold it down in Marathon. Hurricane? You never know.

September 3rd- Cuttyhunk Island, MA

Fog with light rain. Will it end?


The trip could be divided into pre-pandemic and post. I suppose most important historical events happen that way. Restaurants, brew pubs, and museums were all pre-pandemic. We changed the way we were doing the trip after Covid. Obviously, it was easier to meet up with other cruisers and locals when not worried about becoming mortally ill.

We made friends with many boat gypsies along the way. Lynne is still in contact with a lot of them. It’s a diverse group all united by an odd boat obsession. We recently met up with the captain of SV Loon. We met him down in Vero and were in contact often during our trip. He recently brought his beautiful Loon up here to sell. He is “swallowing the anchor” and going into semi-retirement down in Vero. I think he’ll be back on the water. It was great to hang out for a few days and talk “boats”.

We plan on skipping the ICW this year but are making plans for a future trip. Catalpa is a great boat and I’m attached to her. If she was only 5 or 10 feet longer! She is a little tight for 2 adults and a dog to live on. The 4 foot draft (keel depth) is ideal. There are many shallow spots along the way. We are wading our way into the used boat market and will be making some decisions over the coming months.

I think the rain on Cuttyhunk might be tapering off. Lynne has informed me that she can see a patch of blue sky. Time for some fresh air. Possibly we’ll get some little necks for dinner. There is very little cell phone reception on Cuttyhunk so this post will be going up on our return to Dartmouth.

Some scenes from Cuttyhunk Island.




Perhaps he has realized the evolutionary niche of his grey coat.
September 4th and 5th- Cuttyhunk Island to Tarpaulin Cove/ Naushon Island, MA

A sunny day.

We were going to return to Dartmouth today but the weather is perfect. Last night we almost had an issue with two large sailboats dragging anchor. Both boats were rafted up and hanging on a single anchor. We woke to shouting and engine noise. Somehow, while still rafted together, they were able to reposition a safe distance away. Such is life on the hook in Cuttyhunk Harbor. There is always some kind of shenanigans going on. Since it’s Labor Day weekend we decided to use some caution and get out. I spoke to the harbor master and he was expecting a full house. Cuttyhunk often slows down in August but with the Covid lockdown, Massachusetts got a late start on summer fun.

After a quick consultation with the Eldridge Tide and Pilot book we found that we’d have a favorable current to bring us to a place we haven’t been in a few years, Tarpaulin Cove.

Brush teeth. Ollie to shore. Get some extra water. Coffee. Up anchor. Attempt to wash some of the mud away. Get out of the entrance before being run down by the MV Cuttyhunk (ferry).

Cuttyhunk is the western extent of the Elisabeth Island chain. It is the only island with a town. Penikese Island is run by the state and has a school for juvenile delinquents (probably not the right term). The school has been shut down for a few years so the island is unoccupied. The rest of the islands are owned by the Forbes family. They’ve been good stewards of the islands and have left them largely untouched. The Forbes family allow landing at a few of the nice beaches (Tarpaulin Cove) and Bull Island. The history of the islands is interesting and worth a read.

We exited Cuttyhunk Harbor passing Penikese to port and Nashwena to starboard. Then onward through Quicks Hole. Quicks has a fast current but it’s working with us today.

Buoy G3 in Quicks Hole. The tide creates the current.
We entered Vineyard Sound with Pasque Island to port and Martha’s Vineyard to starboard. Next on to Naushon Island and our destination, Tarpaulin Cove. I believe we made the trip in under two hours.

Tarpaulin Cove is wide open to Vineyard Sound on one side of it. You have to watch the wind and be prepared to bail-out if necessary. It looks good for the next few days. 

We lounged around Catalpa and soaked up some sun. I’m suffering from some sort of mild ailment and figure sun and relaxation might be the treatment. I should stick with eating mild foods, but what fun would that be.

We enjoyed our little necks from the Cuttyhunk Raw Bar yesterday. Today we went over to the beach and attempted to dig for more Quahaugs (clams). None were found but we found some mussels under the rocks. Our take was 11 mussels . Not enough for a meal but they made a fine appetizer.

Lynne and Ollie getting some exercise.

In Howard Mitcham’s Provincetown Seafood Cookbook, his friend Gaspie has a hound dog (Chicki) that can find Quahaugs. Dig Ollie! Dig!

This little vacation is a real “seat of the pants” operation. We only planned for a couple of days at Cuttyhunk. Supplies are running a little low. Ollie has enough food for a few days, then he’s on his own. Today (Saturday the 5th) Lynne has decided she’d like to stay through Labor Day. We’ll sound the tanks to see what the water situation is. We don’t have much ice but then again, we don’t have much food.

Tarpaulin Cove has really filled up. “Filled up” is an exaggeration as it’s big and many more can fit. Everyone is at the beach. There must be a catboat rendezvous as there are 6 or 8 anchored near by. Two of which were the big wooden cats Genevieve and Kathleen. Both the schooners Ishmael and Malabar II sailed in to anchor for the night. John Alden’s famous Malabar schooners were some of the prettiest boats ever built. Ollie hasn’t been here since he was little and is enjoying the sand and sea.

Some scenes from Tarpaulin Cove.

Catboats at anchor with the big (engineless) Kathleen on the right.
Catboat regatta.
Eldredge McGinnis schooner- Ishmael
John Alden schooner- Malabar II

Catalpa anchored in Tarpaulin Cove.
September 6th- Tarpaulin Cove to Padanaram Harbor

We didn’t quite make it to Labor Day. I still wasn’t feeling 100% and the wind seemed like it might be swinging toward the open side of the cove. The schooners left, as did the catboats. Around 1:00pm we decided to do the same.

This turned out to be one of the best sailing days I’ve had in a long while. The wind was out of the southwest and building. We flew down Vineyard Sound to Woods Hole. Woods Hole is a passage between Naushon Island and Cape Cod. It is narrow and confusing to navigate. It also  has a big tidal current whose only purpose is to drive your boat onto the many boulders scattered around. It’s a choke point for boat traffic on busy weekends and the Martha’s Vineyard ferries have their main terminal in the town of Woods Hole.

We’ve  been through Woods Hole many times but I always motor through. Not today. Dodging fishing skiffs and giant buoys, we sailed our way through. Check that one off the bucket list. I guess I was inspired by watching Malabar II short tacking around Tarpaulin Cove and sailing on and off of his anchor.

On to Buzzards Bay! It’s notorious when our afternoon smokey sou’westers are blowing. One reef in the mains’l (sail reduction) and our genoa rolled up a little. We blasted our way into the chop. Some people hate Buzzards Bay for this wind and short steep waves. We find it exciting. Catalpa cuts through the blue water like a knife. I think I may see the knot meter reach 7 knots but maybe it’s just a hallucination through my salt splattered sun glasses. I race with some big sailboats for a while (they may not know it). Lynne suggests I should join a racing crew to get this kind of thing out of my system.

We tie to our mooring for the night. We’ll head home tomorrow.

Catalpa at her mooring in Padanaram.
September 7th Labor Day- Padanaram Harbor, Dartmouth MA

Happy Labor Day! Go Unions! Hats off to all the workers that worked through this pandemic!!

August 1st- Cuttyhunk Island to Dartmouth (Padanaram Harbor), MA

We could have spent the weekend but there were so many boats coming to Cuttyhunk we thought maybe it was time to head back. The anchorage gets a little over packed on a big weekend. We waited a little while for the light morning breeze to turn south.

It was only a short trip to Dartmouth. We even had enough of a breeze to turn off the engine and sail across the bay. The weather was perfect.

Padanaram.

We made it back a little too fast and grabbed a mooring while waiting for the Padanaram Bridge to open. I realized that our bridge must be one of the smallest opening bridges on the east coast. I haven’t seen it in 10 months and 16 days. We caught the 3:00 bridge opening. Some friends welcomed us back as we went through.

Isabella is a pretty fixture in the harbor.

The Padanaram Bridge.

Opened. The center span rotates, leaving a lane on each side.

We tied up to our mooring.

After spending years talking about it, most of a year preparing for it, and 10 1/2 months traveling it, the trip is over. It was an adventure. It was difficult at times. It was relaxing at times. It was always interesting. We learned a lot.

I’ve also enjoyed keeping this log. Many people encouraged us to keep writing and keep sailing. Thank you.

If you’ve been reading this for a while, thanks for putting up with a lot of random thoughts and pictures of water.

I’ve got a few more things to say about our trip so I’ll try to post some sort of conclusion in the next few days. Time to get some “house work” done. We hope to sail south again some day.

July 29th and 30th- Block Island, RI to Cuttyhunk, MA

Time to move on.

Another sunset on Block Island.

We left Block Island with a squall on the horizon. The storm stayed offshore and we didn’t see a drop of rain during the day. We had a nice ride through the remainder of Block Island Sound with a light southwest breeze.

Eventually we passed the Buzzards Bay tower (an offshore weather station) and were back in home waters.

During our trip I’ve developed the habit of having 2 GPS devices running and paper charts out for navigation. I periodically mark my position on the paper chart just to keep an idea of where I am. In North Carolina we were out in a bad lightning storm. Every 5 minutes I had Lynne write down our Latitude and Longitude. The idea being, if we were hit by lightning it could fry all of our electronics. At least we’d have a hard copy of our Latitude and Longitude so I could figure out where we were and plot a course (worst case- radio for help with an accurate position). Very rarely do I look at the Buzzards Bay chart. My entire sailing “career” has been in this bay. I know it well. I enjoy the navigation so I plotted an accurate course from Block Island to Cuttyhunk Harbor.

It would have been easy to travel a few extra miles and head to our mooring in Padanaram Harbor (Dartmouth). Cuttyhunk is a special place for both of us. It’s our home away from home. It’s only around 10 nautical miles from Dartmouth and was our first “big trip” when we got up enough nerve to cross the bay. I’ve been told it’s a difficult place to anchor (due to eel grass), but it’s where I learned to anchor. Now I have many more anchorages under my belt but Cuttyhunk is still one of my favorites. We felt we started our journey here so we had to visit again before returning. It’s a busy harbor in summer.

Cuttyhunk has a year round population of 20 to 30 people with about 250 in the summer. They recently had a Covid outbreak with 9 people testing positive at last count. The little grocery is closed down. Everyone is wearing masks. We haven’t gone in to town yet.

LAND HO!!! Cuttyhunk and Martha’s Vineyard on the horizon.

Cuttyhunk Island.

Penikese Island.

The entrance to Cuttyhunk Pond.

One of the attractions of the island is being serenaded by breaking waves during the nite. The inner harbor (Cuttyhunk Pond) is calm but you can hear breaking waves on Barge Beach outside. Sometimes you also can hear the howl of seals on Penikese.

We woke to fog which quickly turned into a sunny day.

Wake up! Cuttyhunk!

The ball is in the boat and he knows it.

Some scenes from Cuttyhunk.

A Marshall Sanderling catboat. Our last boat, Iris, was a Sanderling.

Catalpa anchored in Cuttyhunk Pond.

July 26- Threemile Harbor, NY to Block Island, RI

We headed out of Threemile early for the trip over to Block Island. We caught a favorable wind and current out of Gardeners Bay. We kept the wind until we rounded Montauk. NOAA had forecast some good wind for the morning which was supposed to increase through out the day. They even posted a small craft advisory.

I made a few sewing repairs and hoisted the Catalpa and Boot Key Harbor burgees back up the mast.

Goodbye Long Island.

The wind died in Block Island Sound. We still had 3 to 4 foot seas. Catalpa rolled rail to rail in a beam sea (waves coming from the side). I tried to get some sail up just to steady the motion but the rolling just knocked the wind out of the sail. It made for an uncomfortable ride. Life at sea is like that sometimes.

Block Island through the haze.

The wind reappeared the last half hour or so. By the time we were inside of New Harbor (Block Island) the wind was over 20 knots. It wasn’t really helpful for anchoring.

The harbors on Long Island seemed empty. I guess everyone is on Block Island. There are a lot of boats in here. I was here twice last year and I’d say it’s a typical mid-summer boat crowd. With the hot Southwest breeze blowing it was a busy evening. We’ve seen several boats drag their anchor and mayhem ensues. We haven’t seen any damage so no harm done. Our anchor has held. I hope it continues to do so.

Sunset on Block Island with a smokey sou’wester blowing.

July 27th & 28th- Block Island, RI

Another hot breezy day. This is summertime in the various sounds and bays of New England. We ventured out in the dinghy and headed over to a beach. Oliver chased his frisbee 500 more times. The swimming is great exercise for him. He slept for hours on our return to Catalpa.

Igniting the grill with the wind blowing is difficult. We had a good steak marinating for a day so I was determined. With the help of some extra buffering tin foil, the grill was lit. Steak and a bottle of Chianti for dinner last night. Today (the 28th) Lynne is going ashore to hunt for some clams or fish at the local market.

Some scenes from Block Island.

Throw It!

Too many boat pictures? Maybe. We didn’t go into town today.

The Oar. Open with Covid restrictions. We saw many people with masks.

We’re almost home. It feels a little strange to be back in familiar territory again. We had never sailed “beyond” Block Island until this big adventure. We had a visit from the captain of Improbability whom we met down in Boot Key Harbor. We also met up in Fort Lauderdale. Small world.

Catalpa anchored in New Harbor, Block Island RI