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

Season ‘07 is officially launched!

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Description

A sign of the season change to come, already:  I had the landscaper-guys cut down and clear the seven-foot high jungle of bamboo so I could find my wood racks.  They're still there!  It's time to order firewood for the coming winter before the price climbs any more.  (Aug. 16, 2007)

The three cords of split wood arrived yesterday.  This will hopefully get me through the coming winter.  Now all I've got to do is stack it.  Funny how this ritual affects one's attitude about the sailing season and its remaining lifespan.  (Aug. 18, 2007)

It's blowing hard today -- 20-plus knots out of the West gusting into the mid-thirties.  The temperature is supposed to reach only the low-70s; unseasonably cool by some ten degrees.  A small craft advisory remains in effect until 5:00 pm.  Another day ashore.

Though unseasonably cool today (it struggled to reach 70° this afternoon -- I was wearing a t-shirt and heavy sweater, long pants, and socks), it was a perfect day for sailing:  Wind from the west at 10 knots gusting to 13, seas one foot or less.  Close-hauled and heeled well over, Chip Ahoy cooked out to Misery Island and back averaging 5-plus knots all afternoon.  On the way in, I spotted a tall ship out beyond Marblehead Harbor.  On first sighting the ship off in the distance, I thought it was the U.S.S. Constitution ("Old Ironsides") making another visit to Marblehead Harbor and planned to sail out to it -- but the tall ship kept approaching Salem, toward me.    (Aug. 19, 2007)

I then realized it must be Friendship, the reconstruction of a 171-foot three-masted Salem East Indiaman, on its way home from another goodwill cruise.  So I tacked a couple of times and reduced the roller-furled genoa to wait up for her to come by for some photos (two on the left -- click to enlarge).   It was an impressive sight so nearby out on Salem Sound, watching it round Naugus Head and head across the harbor toward its Customs House pier on Derby Wharf in Salem.  Somebody on the Marblehead shore (in the background) fired off a small cannon as we passed by, and Friendship answered in kind.  I almost felt as if I should duck, or prepare to return fire -- if I knew which side I was on!

Ted Tripp came out aboard Chip Ahoy, his annual sail a tradition we began years ago.  We had a perfect summer day in the 90s, sunny with a warm 10 knot breeze out of the SW.  A small craft advisory was posted for the afternoon, but turned out to be a false alarm.  We sailed out between Bakers and Misery Islands (Great Haste Island in the photo on left), but on the backside of Misery, running wing-and-wing the breeze disappeared.  I thought the island was blanketing us, that we'd pick it up once we cleared Misery, but after bobbing around going nowhere for over half an hour, I started the motor; eventually furled the genoa.  (Aug. 25, 2007)

Back out on Salem Sound, a slight breeze returned and finally picked up a bit. building the rest of the way back to about 12 knots from offshore.  I unfurled the head sail again, shut off the motor and pulled it out of the water.  We were able to sail back to the harbor and mooring area.  What happened to that small craft warning, we wondered?  But hey, I wasn't complaining -- some real summer sailing at last, even if in late August!

On our way out, along came "Malacass" with John Graichen and two friends aboard.  They passed alongside heading in the opposite direction, shouting a hello.  I took the photo on the left as they headed on back toward Salem.  Later, John took the launch over to Chip Ahoy for a visit on our return to my mooring.  It got quite hazy (photo left) as the afternoon progressed, but the further threat of possible late-afternoon showers and thunderstorms never materialized either.
Tomorrow night I'll sleep aboard Chip Ahoy on its mooring:  Early Monday morning it's off to Scituate singlehanded for a few days -- I expect this will be the closest I'll come to a cruise this season.  (Aug. 25, 2007)

On August 27-29, I took a cruise down to Scituate and back, my first mini-cruise of the 2007 season.

See cruise details here

I returned to a nice surprise, the new three cords of firewood (see above) had been racked by the landscaper-guys while I was away sailing.  Once I cover it, this should hopefully get me through the coming winter.  (Sep. 1, 2007)

On September 6-8, I cruised up to Rockport Harbor and back, my second mini-cruise of the 2007 season, too quickly running out.

See cruise details here

On the left is the 1976 Volvo Penta Sail 9 hp motor that came with "Take Five" when I first bought my C22 in 2002, before naming it Chip Ahoy.  It never worked and I quickly learned that parts were no longer available.  It's sat alongside my house since spring of 2003, until George Temple ("Pearl"), one of the discussion group subscribers, mentioned he had one and was looking for advice.  I told him he could have mine if we could arrange to get it down to him in North Carolina.  He had friends from Bremen (Damiscotta), Maine who were driving down in September and could pick it up.  (Sep. 17, 2007)  Continued --