The winds stir around the circumference of the earth and recirculate in all directions. It’s out of the south then the west. It tosses from the east before descending north. It may or may not make up its mind and steady from the south. It’s a light wind from 3-5 knots & climbing. Temps today will be in the low 80s. High tide at the Bourne is 10:30am.
Morning Light
We’ll head into the Cape Cod Bay through the 17 mile Canal before the slack tide and flow with the current, to not get dragged from side-to-side. The 6 knot current will be behind us and will push us through. Wind gusts up to 20 once we hit the bay!
We’ve enjoyed watching the working harbor tugs, sleek luxury yachts, cargo ships, and cruise lines along the banks. Another day begins. The ocean is a community of bays and a ready parade!
Our next pilgrimage is Plymouth…
The current was in our favor and the winds were light. So, our early morning passage through the Cape Cod Canal was maintained with a speed of 6-7 knots-that brought us straight through. A tug attending a large barge sounded two short blasts. We tucked close to the shore then got a thumbs up from the tug captain.
Once we reached the bay we hoisted our sails to a shifting light northerly breeze. The quiet was a relief from the humming of the engine. We sailed above our waypoints on a close haul and tacked a few times across the bay. Peter played the shifting winds incredibly well. They blew hard, changed direction, then died down. At one point, we went from healing over, with the rail in the drink, to a dead calm. A faint S wind teased us. These winds don’t always play fair…
I’m extremely grateful that we called ahead to reserve a mooring at the Plymouth Town Dock Marina. We set and reset the waypoints because at times, it had us shooting across land. Our navigation tool, paper charts, and nautical know-how got us up to Plymouth Harbor; but we still had trouble navigating into the channel and the Town Wharf and Moorings. The current flowed about 4 knots through a very narrow channel. We motored through at 1.5 knots in low tide and with 1-2 foot depths too close by for comfort…
We arrived at the harbor entrance buoy as the sky quickly darkened. Deeper blues and cumulus clouds hung low as the anvil readied to drop. First it sprinkled, then the sun shone through. Then it hailed lighting. I hailed the Harbor Master. I couldn’t see the breakwater, but the Harbor Masker said that he could see us! My heart cried with relief!
He asked me if I saw what was behind me. I did. The lighting was frightening. So, I took out the rubber fenders and asked Peter to keep his feet on them. I grabbed the mooring pickup stick. So, if the lightening created an e-field around us I was prepared to pull us out…
The Harbor Master came to our rescue quite rapidly. A red TowboatU.S. came out of nowhere as well! We declined a tow offer, even though it probably looked like we needed one. The sky spilled buckets. Drenched, the lightning following us in. Mike and Dave came along side us, around us, then went ahead to guide us into the harbor. They were extremely kind and reassuring and delivered us right to our mooring. Dave helped me pick up the mooring because we had a slight overshot. Then with the flick of a switch the sun turned on. Mike said, “I ordered a rainbow for you!” I turned around to see a beautiful bow stretched across the sky. I promise. Yes, he really can do miracles! Thank you Mike and Dave @portsmouth_harbor for spotting us and for your rapid response! I’ll enjoy the colors for a long while.
I could hardly believe our good fortune as we sat to enjoy a warm dinner in a quaint Greek restaurant along the bay. We rowed back exhausted. Strenuous situations strengthened our grip. Mostly, they teach us to go easy on each other. Life is so unpredictable. Hands reach out to help us in our times of need. We’ll play it forward. First we rest and there is no plan just yet, for tomorrow…
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