Tabitha’s Tales

We had a great sail today covering more than 40 miles from the =
Sasafrass River in around 6 hours. As a consequence, Tabitha is now =
back in Annapolis where we hope to begin a period of long overdue =
maintenance with stops here, in Solomons Island and Urbanna.

We sailed in company with a large number of long-term cruisers all of =
whom are migrating south like us and who’s travels, like ours have =
been determined by the movement of various low pressure systems =
opening and closing weather windows and causing the migrant boats to =
bunch. Thus we have seen and more often heard on the radio the names =
of many boats we encountered on our trip north.

Following a boisterous and exciting sail today we have at least 2.5 =
meters of stitching to do on the Genoa before we can move on. We also =
have a desperate need for new Genoa sheets and a new or refurbished =
bronze cog for the port sheet winch. A refurbishment of the Genoa is =
on the list of jobs to be completed as we travel down the Inter =
Coastal Waterway towards Florida but clearly it has to move up the list.

Apart from maintenance, I have work to do writing a research report =
for the New Wolsey Theatre.

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Wednesday 27 Sept —

It was difficult to top the Empire State Building (so to speak) and so =
Sunday in New York was made up of visits to the Natural History =
Museum, Central Park and the Barnes & Noble bookshop. I seemed to =
spend a great deal my New York of time in camera shops looking for a =
replacement for our broken camera. In the end I didn’t have to as I =
managed to find a way of getting it to work so we are back in =
business. At least the incident with the camera encouraged us to get =
the movie camera out so Elspeth has been, and continues to film with =
renewed enthusiasm so we should have some moving pictures to remember =
the trip with.

We left New York on Monday afternoon and sailed south along the New =
Jersey shoreline Cape May at the entrance to the Delaware Bay. We had =
one of our best ever night sails in fairly flat seas and an offshore =
wind or around 12 knots. With sustained speeds often in excess of 7 =
knots and the Aries gear steering a perfect course we made 133 nm in =
23 hours which is our best ever distance in 24 hours (I once made it =
from Langard Point, Felixstow to the lock at Vlissingen in 16 hours in =
Aliz Motte but not without considerable help from the tide). This was =
despite quite a number of gear failures en route including the port =
sheet winch (we were on starboard tack for the entire distance so this =
mattered). We managed to use our back up system spending the entire =
trip with the port sheet stretched across the cockpit to the starboard =
sheet winch but now face the difficulty of finding someone to repair =
or make a replacement for the bronze primary cog which is cracked =
right through - (our Australian made ‘Barlow’ winches being no longer =
available). It is definitely time to lay-up in the Chesapeake Bay for =
a few weeks to catch up on maintenance!

We sailed from Cape May at 0500 this morning motoring the 65 miles up =
the Delaware Bay, through the C & D Canal and slightly down the Bay to =
anchor next to Blackberry Ramble in the Sasafrass River in time for =
tea and a swim in the wonderful warm fresh water. How we have missed =
the luxury of swimming from the boat. We have had shorts and T shirt =
weather quite often but today was our first ’shirts-off’ weather. This =
is what we came south for. Unfortunately the weather forecast does not =
suggest it will last for long.

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The passage through Hell’s Gate, down East River and up the Hudson was =
characterised not by fearsome currents or knockout architecture but by =
the high visibility security that the Americans now exercise around =
the port of New York. Coastguard and Police with big guns mounted on =
the foredeck.

In contrast to the UK, the Coastguard in the United States, are as =
much concerned with ‘homeland security’ as they are with the safety of =
life at sea. They are the policemen of the sea and in a position to =
make life very difficult for foreign boaters so we view them with a =
degree of wariness. Our best defence for all officials are two pretty =
fair headed little girls with cute smiles. “Quick girls, men with big =
guns, wave!!” is a duty they have to perform every few weeks along =
this coast.

Our entrance to New York was slightly anxious as I had phoned our =
intended destination to reserve a mooring only to be told that the =
mooring field “looked pretty full”. As they offer mooring balls in =
downtown Manhattan for only $30 a night, they are pretty popular with =
long term cruisers. Sue spent an anxious time on the phone trying to =
find an alternative but the best she could come up with was a marina =
berth on the New Jersey shore of the Hudson for $123 per night. We =
trusted to Neptune and Tabitha’s luck and managed to pick up one of =
the last available when we arrived.

We have only two days here so we wasted no time in getting ashore. =
First stop was ‘Ground Zero’. “We walked all this way for to look at a =
building site?” was Peta’s understandable response as we joined the =
crowds at the wire fence. None the less, it was a thought provoking =
visit for all of us.

Later, I took the girls to the top of the Empire State Building. I =
wondered what the girls would think but was well satisfied with their =
excited reaction to the amazing view.

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Friday 22 September - - Traveling into the heart of a ‘world city’ on =
your own boat is an extraordinary thrill so anticipation is great as =
we sit anchored at City Island on the edge of the Bronx ready to =
commence our journey tomorrow morning along the East River through =
Hell’s Gate under Brooklyn Bridge, past Wall Street and the site of =
the World Trade Centre and up the Hudson River.

In fact we are slightly surprised to be here. We rose this morning =
planning to spend a few days in quiet Port Jefferson catching up on =
jobs, school and work. However, Richard from ‘Blackberry Ramble’ =
alerted us to a weather situation which would have held us pinned down =
until Tuesday. As it is we will be able to spend the period of =
unsettled weather in New York and be ready, we hope to make good =
progress south to the Chesapeake Bay from Tuesday.

One of the most exciting days of our five month trips was our entry =
into Paris - the girls particularly remember waving to all the trip =
boats and passing the wonderful architecture. We have some wonderful =
photographs to remind us of that day. Sadly, our excellent digital =
camera failed recently. Tomorrow we will have only the phone on the =
camera and the video camera but we will make the best of them.

In Paris we were able to moor in the ‘Paris Arsenal’, a marina =
directly adjacent to the Place de Bastille. In New York we home to =
pick up a mooring buoy at the West 79th Street basin which sounds a =
little further out but is still within good striking distance of =
downtown New York.

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(This post came before ‘Moving on … sorry for technical difficulties. Normal service back soon I hope!) 

Saturday 16/09/06 Martha’s Vineyard — Before we left home, more than one person joked that, once we were here we would not want to come  back. Tonight, for the first time, the fleeting thought occurred - could we really return leaving all this behind? As you can tell it has been a good few days. We had a good sail from Onset to Hadley Harbour where we were able to pick up a free mooring provided curtesy of ‘The’ Forbes family.

Our friends Mel and Geoff tell a story about the tiny and pretty Hadley Harbour. They visited it once after spending the winter in the Caribbean where sharks are common. Asked why he didn’t go swimming their oldest said ‘Don’t be silly Dad, there might be sharks!’. ‘Of course there aren’t sharks’ said Dad. A week later they read about a 25′ Great White which had got itself trapped in that very harbour.

Hadley Harbour is just across the water from Woods Hole which is home to a cluster of marine and oceanographic research organisations. We traveled in the inflatable a mile or so across the bubbling waters of the the Woods Hole tide race to visit the world famous Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. We were knocked out by the fabulous and fascinating work they do. Elspeth determined to become an oceanographer but can’t reconcile herself to the amount of school work she would have to do. We sailed yesterday in heavy drizzle and strongish headwinds the 15 miles from Woods Hole to Martha’s Vineyard. With the tide under us (and therefore against the wind) the waves were fairly steep but after a bit of motor sailing with one reef in the main we switched off the engine and pulled out a little genoa. Tabitha coped wonderfully and we raced towards our objective sailing a steady 6 knots (through the water) hard on the wind which pleased us greatly. Standing at the bow as it crashed into the seas I could not help but whoop with exhilaration. It was marred only by the discovery that my waterproof leggings are no longer waterproof and that Peta lay on a bunk below being sick into a bucket.

The last few days have been spent in making progress west. From =
Martha’s Vineyard we sailed to Cuttyhunk Island recalling our previous =
visit with Rob & Lisa but we didn’t go ashore. The next morning we =
left early for Block Island where I spent my birthday back in May =
which took us from dawn to until dusk. After school and a quick visit =
to the beach the next day we sailed for Fishers Island arriving after =
dark and left this morning in the dark to arrive here at Port =
Jefferson on the northern coast of Long Island and within striking =
distance of New York.

We plan to stay here for a few days to catch up on school and laundry. =
I also have work to do for the New Wolsey Theatre.

We have been taking stock of our funds and realised that we have far =
exceeded our repair and renewals budget. There are just so many bits =
and pieces that have reached the end of their natural life. Our budget =
will take a further hit as our insurance was due for renewal today. =
The quote from our American insurance company for sailing to Florida =
and the Bahamas was just astronomical. They blame recent losses on the =
hurricanes but make no allowance for the fact that we will be outside =
the hurricane season. Knowing that the American company our insurance =
company could not cover us in the UK we looked to a British provider =
and have today settled the matter. It is a great comfort to know that =
the matter is settled (at a price) before we head fro the Big Apple.

One of the good things about covering a lot of miles lately is that we =
have had some great sailing. We are still learning how best to sail =
Tabitha. Getting the best out of her to windward is something we =
clearly have to do work on. When wind and tide turned against us for =
the final quarter of a 58 mile passage today we had to give in and =
motor despite a fresh breeze. Very frustrating!

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Tuesday 12 September - Onset

Tabitha is front page news on the tiny island of Onset following our =
encounter with the McBride family who are holidaying here from Nabraska.

We were invited to join the three generations of the extended family =
for their final evening at one of the cottages they have rented on the =
tiny island each year since 1960. The children of the family - all =
impressively home schooled - produce a daily newspaper during their =
vacation which is how we came to make such a splash.

We enjoyed home made cookies and the family’s tradition of reading =
poetry and singing (to an impressive standard - but not us) before =
heading for the playground where I was introduced to the fast moving =
game of ‘knockout’ on the basket ball court.

Apparently this was the first time in the many years they have been =
coming to Onset that they have seen a British flag in the basin and =
the first time they have made such a welcoming gesture.

Craig owns a West Wight Potter (trailerable compact sailboat with =
cabin) though living in Nabrasca more than 1000 miles from the coast =
must be pretty frustrating. Naturally, he takes every opportunity on =
his annual visit to the island to get afloat. I was able to donate a =
few unwanted sailing books which I don’t suppose are easy to come by =
in the bookshops in his home State.

We are constantly amazed by the welcome we receive. One group of =
Americans we met out for the day in their motorboat rushed below to =
put together a bag of goodies for us (including a beer) - they just =
wanted to do something to help! We didn’t even know their names.

Evenings have a decidedly Autumnal feel at present with temperatures =
down as low as 6 or 7 deg C however today has been bright sunshine =
only chilled by a fresh north easterly breeze.

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Sunday 10 September - Provincetown

It is 45 miles from Gloucester to Provincetown on the very tip of Cape =
Cod so we set off before breakfast. Though the winds left us =
floundering from time to time, we made good progress in this direction.

Spying a whale watch boat stopped in the water for some time we back =
tracked to see if we could glimpse any whales. This was a move that =
cost us 3 hours as it put us well down wind of Providence and we =
managed to get caught out in the tide race around the tip of the Cape =
and could make only 2 knots over the ground event when motoring hard =
against the tide. We didn’t see any.

It was worthwhile though as on the way back we were lucky enough to =
spy a school of hump backs (we think) and watch then for around ten =
minutes before they sounded. Later, sailing back we were all in the =
cockpit when we were startled by a whale smashing its tale on the =
water right next to the cockpit. I think both whale and the ship’s =
crew had been caught napping. All we saw was the massive tale slam the =
water as it crash dived and the a mass of bubbles welling up to the =
surface. It was a bit of a shock but a great story too.

We had agreed to rendezvous at Provincetown with friends we made at =
Block Island back in May. They are a British/American family who live =
across the Bay in Plymouth. Sure enough they called us in the radio =
and we were able to tell them the latitude and longitude of the =
position where we had seen the whales. They had a Minki whale stay =
with them for around an hour and even got sprayed by it when it blew. =
We hope to see them at Martha’s Vineyard next weekend.

This afternoon was spent exploring Provincetown which delivered =
everything I had expected of Cape Cod - clapperboard houses, bright =
blue skys, sandy beaches and a very relaxed atmosphere. It is one of =
the major Gay and Lesbian colonies on the east coast so the visit =
contributed something to the girl’s education.

It looks as though Hurricane Florence is tracking 500 miles south and =
east of Nantucket but even so, it will be sending a sizable SE swell =
(24 feet) up towards these parts and producing some robust NE winds. =
Happily we are the right side of the Cape to be well protected from =
the high seas.

No we haven’t been sailing in extreme weather though winds were =
extremely light this morning incurring mutinous mutterings among =
certain members of the crew as the skipper insisted on sailing long =
after more reasonable captains would have sought the aid of the iron =
topsail.

We are back in Gloucester, setting and location of one of our favorite =
film’s, ‘The Perfect Storm’. The film is based on the true events =
surrounding the loss of the Swordfishing boat the ‘Andrea Gale’ in =
1991. Many of the scenes are set in a fisherman’s bar and rooming =
house called the ‘Crows Nest’. This we sought out this afternoon and =
enjoyed a beer, a game of pool and company of fishermen.

The bar is, if anything, more rough than depicted in the film but we =
were made to feel very welcome and met an Irish fisherman who worked =
out of Lowestoft, Suffolk for a while.

The day was also made memorable because we managed to speak for the =
first time at length on the HF radio to Trudy in Barbados. Our friend =
David of ‘Tabitha’s’ sister ship ‘Tuesday’ based at Orford has long =
recommended that we make contact. She co-ordinates the Transatlantic =
Maritime Net monitoring the progress of boats sailing across the =
Atlantic. Hopefully we shall be speaking often in the coming months.

We had planned to sail on to Provincetown on the northern tip of Cape =
Cod tomorrow but we have been enveloped in a thick fog which makes our =
departure tomorrow rather doubtful.

The word is that Tropical Storm Florence will pass to the south east =
of these waters on Monday and Tuesday and should therefore be less =
disruptive than she might have been.

We moved yesterday to anchor for the third time south of Peak’s Island =
in order to be within striking distance of Portland where I was =
anticipating the arrival of the new autohelm system bought on Ebay. =
Peaks Island has a general store and laundrette so we made use of =
these to prepare for the next leg of our journey. The autohelm arrived =
late in the afternoon so I jetted across the wide harbor in the =
inflatable. When not to heavily loaded it will reach 20 knots or so =
which seems like 40 when you are skimming across the water.

To our surprise and the girls’ joy, ‘Blackberry Ramble’ pulled up to =
anchor alongside us. They have two twins aged 12 and we first met them =
in Annapolis last year and again in Shelburne, Nova Scotia this year. =
Needless to say they were soon over for a play and a chat.

This morning we rose early and sailed away from Maine. Fittingly, in =
fog! The promised NE 10 knots failed to arrive and we motored until =
lunchtime much to the benefit of the batteries which had become very =
low in recent days at anchor. The Rutland wind generator is =
desperately in need of a service and we are thinking of buying another =
solar panel to reinforce our charging capacity.

It is sad to be leaving beautiful Maine behind but we look forward to =
warmer weather. As we sailed towards Portsmouth, New Hampshire today =
we noted the sea temperature steadily rise which is very encouraging.

Today’s trip included two technological triumphs. I hooked up the new =
electronic compass for the autohelm which was immediately resurrected -=
A cause of great celebration aboard as we have had to do a lot of =
hand-steering in recent months. Then I tried the radio transmitter and =
managed a really clear conversation with people in Nebraska and =
Florida which encourages us to believe that the radio is now fully =
functional and the recent problem was due to too low voltage. I shall =
certainly appreciate a fully functional working radio when I cross the =
pond next Spring.

Our boat insurance is due for renewal so we have been talking to our =
American insurance company about our cruising plans. I was shocked to =
find that adding Florida and the Bahamas would increase the premium =
threefold! They blame it on the high level of losses due to hurricane =
and tropical storm activity in recent years. Very unfair as we will be =
sailing outside the hurricane season but apparently they don’t make a =
distinction. Sounds like profiteering to me. Needless to say, we are =
looking around at other insurance companies.

We are keeping our eye on Tropical Storm Florence which could or could =
not head in our direction next week. In any case, we have already =
selected a suitable bolt hole.

I have received survey data for a report I have to write for the New =
Wolsey Theatre so I am looking for an opportunity to stop and get on =
with that. Believe it or not, it is very hard to find the time for =
work of that kind!