;

Voyage 2016: Chapter 2

Heading Up to Nova Scotia

          Page 1

2016 Home     Map                         Chapter 1     Chapter 2     Chapter 3     Chapter 4    

04 Jun 2016, Nine Days in Newport, 41 28.722 N/ 071 19.59 W

Newport is one of our favorite stopover spots. We can always find a place to anchor near Ida Lewis Yacht Club thanks to the limited anchor restrictions set up by the Harbormaster (14 days anchoring, then move somewhere else for 4 days then come back). We dinghy-ed to shore or took the launch nearly every day for fuel, provisioning, shopping, and dining (and of course showers and laundry). As we arrived Memorial Day weekend, the tourists were in full bloom. Navigation on the sidewalks was a major effort as many folks were not very courteous. After the Holiday, life was good.
There was much racing activity in Newport Harbor during the Holiday. As we are not racing sailors, we don't know who was doing what. There were really big catamarans with colorful sails competing in an international event. There were also dinghy sailors racing around the same harbor. It was lots of fun to watch them from the comfort of our cockpit.
Several days ago, SV Over Budget (Jinnie and JW) brought fog with them as they anchored near Jule III. They sailed (or motor sailed) straight from Beaufort SC to Newport, stopping only for fuel in Atlantic City. We're impressed. We played with them throughout our stay here. We even went to Bristol for a meatloaf mountain.
The harbor coast is riddled with mansions from Ida Lewis to Fort Adams. The New York Yacht Club has a huge facility here. Though it does not seem very busy today, in the exciting days of NYYC dominance in the Americas Cup, we imagine a different atmosphere. There are many '12 Meter' boats that provide harbor tours for tourists and locals alike. It is history in motion.
After 8 days here, it is time to leave for Onset. It is a bit foggy but they promise it will lift. We will see. Anchor weighed at 0800 and we waved goodbye to Jinnie and JW. Hopefully, we will see them in Nova Scotia for Shelborne's Founders Day celebration. As we enter Rhode Island Sound, the fog is nearly gone. They didn't lie.

09 Jun 2016, On to Onset MA, 41 44.31 N/ 070 38.946 W

They lied. The fog came back with a vengeance as we approached Buzzards Bay. Visibility dropped below 100 feet for several hours. Our electronics (AIS, radar, GPS) kept us safe as we stayed in or near the shipping channel. We used our new (sorta) electric fog horn for the first time. It was certainly better than the handheld devices. We didn't here any other ship's fog horns even though radar indicated several other boats within an eighth of mile of our position.
Fog lifted before Cleveland Ledge and life was good again. Current was again with us. We only had 2 hours of foul current during the trip from Newport to Onset. By the time we got to the turn on the Canal approach for Onset, the current was running 3-4 knots. The turn is sharp and narrow between the two green marks. The first time we approached Onset, we were really nervous not to whack the really big Q(1) light during the turn. Now we are pros.
We took mooring ball PIYC #9 after a call to the folks at Point Independence Yacht Club. This place is special to us as last year we spent 6 weeks at PIYC while Ann had surgery and recovery for a rather serious skin cancer tumor. The PIYC marina staff are the same as last year; Barry, Will, and Glen. The town's launch driver, Dave, is also back. These folks were so supportive during our stay here last year. It is earlier in the season this year, so the mooring field and anchorage are nearly empty and the summer weather has not yet arrived.
A couple of days ago, we had a nasty blow from the NW. For a while it was blowing 20 kts gusting to 30+. We stayed on the boat to catch up on chores and rest a bit. For instance, Bob updated his long neglected Journal on the Jule III web site. Ann, did some cleaning, cooking, and bill paying. The boating life!

On Saturday, we will head for Gloucester MA. Tomorrow, we will head to town for last minute provisioning, shopping, and maybe a slice of pizza (or two). We will say goodbye to our friends here and see if they will be here when we come back in early September. This is another favorite spot of ours. We have lots of favorite spots, don't we?

    Page 1       Page 2       Page 3       Page 4       Page 5       Page 6