The never-ending project to fill my hole in the ocean while bailing it out

The maiden cruise of Wally Riddle’s “Rocinante”
an Alerion 28

Friday, April 28, 2006

Description

Wally Riddle uncovers his "new" Alerion 28 for it's move the Hawthorne Cove Marina to from Pirate's Cove around Marblehead, down past Swampscott and Nahant, to the Seaport Landing Marina in Lynn.

“Rocinante,” named after Don Quixote's faithful steed, is ready to head out on it's maiden trip under Wally's new ownership. April 28th is sort of a record around here for being launched and ready to sail, as you can see from the empty slips all about, the we've got a great window of opportunity -- which allowed me to put aside my forward hatch installation project for a day and get out on the water early for this season while giving my good buddy a hand.  (Apr. 28, 2006)

Yours truly at the tiller.  It was a bit chillier than we'd expected, even coming around Marblehead Neck and turning down wind.  The MOB drill we had to quickly execute to recover my one-of-a-kind "Chip Ahoy" ballcap made for a moment of excitement!

The hat blew off just as we were about to hoist sails; I no sooner reached for it to take it off in the 18-knot breeze from the north, fingers almost pinched on its bill, than it blew off, damn.  But we came right back on it, a perfect recovery.

With Wally at the helm, once we rounded Marblehead Neck and cleared the protection of Marblehead Rock, the breeze and seas picked up and “Rocinante” handled them sweetly.  Note that Wally still has his hat on -- he's got a clip on it that attaches to his collar, which he was generous enough to give me at our trip's end.  This has now become a “must have” that will always be fastened when my hat is donned.

We expected (after our experience bringing his C22, “Carpe Diem” up to Marblehead in November 2004 from his mooring in Nahant) that it would warm up as the day wore on.  We were wrong -- it was rather chilly for the entire trip, a bit too chilly but at least we were out there.  I regretted forgetting to put on my long-underwear shirt as intended, and wore my sailing gloves just to keep my hands warm(er).

As we cruised along the seas built, gentle following rollers from the north that grew from about three feet to 4-5 feet as we got further offshore. Lot's of surfing action.

“Rocinante” handled them well, punching along at 6 knots or so.

There sits my “Chip Ahoy” hat, in the corner of the cockpit drying -- but worse was that my Olympus digital point-and-shoot camera stowed just behind the hat beneath the deck coaming -- became “dampened” shall we say? -- from the spray coming over the port bow.  This is it's last photo, I fear:  it no longer works.  I'm just glad it's not my new Nikon D50 SLR digital!