If I take the wings of the morning or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand guide me…
We slipped off the mooring and headed out of Allen Harbor at 4:30am, passing by the west side of Jamestown as the tides flooded to the East. The cockpit was soaking wet but it dried up in an hour as the sun came up in all its glory. The sea like glass and the harbor asleep, we slid across the bay. Leaving pilings, docks, boat houses along the private marine yards, and smaller mooring fields; it dawned on me, that this is the first of many serene photogenic sites to come. A quite calm rushed in and I felt quite lucky to be away from the hustle and bustle of the daily grind. Fear has been replaced with joy!
We raise the sail and head on a SW wind at 6 kts. It should build during the day to bring us straight up, without tacking.
We sailed East on a beam reach with a steady SW wind at 6 knots and an apparent wind slightly above 4. Our GPS froze 20 miles out and Peter worried as we appeared off course. He wrestled to gain a focal point because on the GPS it looked like we were not moving at all. While we gulped the sea he’d look back to compare far off-sites against it. This created unsteady feelings as we lost our tracking… I set and reset waypoints then popped out the SD. The reboot took and the coordinates remained after I replotted the course. Even though we could not see land and the ocean was knocking us around we hit these waypoints.
Peter said, he was impressed with my navigation skills and that we made a good team. I trust his expert seamanship but am not familiar with his sense of nervousness. We were on a dead run for a short while but the wind shift created a challenge. So, we let out the boom and adjusted to a broad reach. Finally, we spotted Cuttyhunk and tucked into the harbor at 1:00pm, 8.5 hours later.
The mooring field offered multiple options but looked challenging as the mooring’s were caught by threading an eye. I had to slightly lasso one and managed to slide the bow line into the needle. After that, we rowed into the harbor. Seagulls dipped and cormorants glided low as children jumped off shore to cannonball the canal. The endless row of curvy shorelines on either side were speckled with marshes and wildlife. Outlined by stone washed beaches and gravelly trails winding upward against green and brown hills; I imagined sheep grazing there. We tied to the town dock then cozied up with bowls of piping hot, NE clam chowda, chatted with locals, then walked off our sea legs… Weathered, shingled beach houses dotting the landscapes made me ache for an endless summer and a chance to unwind days on end, with a pile of books…
We confirmed the rumors of a small craft advisory with the locals. Since the wind is moving in at 20-30 kts it looks as though we’re here for at least a night and another day… and most unlikely able to row ashore in the dinghy. Fortunately, it’s a SW. So, we will wait it out at sea. Tomorrow is another day… hopefully we’ll start up the Buzzard Bay, Cape Cod Canal soon. Oceanside, the beaches, coves, docks, and marinas still call us, but these days spent sailing are our extra days! Hopefully, we’ll have a chance to meet family or friends along the way- who’ll come aboard and extend their days with us. First, we’ll have to weather this wind.
NY30-7 
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