Chip Ford's 1974 Catalina 22 Restoration Project
Sail #3282  l  Marblehead, Massachusetts

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

An Extended "Long Weekend" to Provincetown
July 21 30, 2012

Page 2

Click thumbnails for a larger picture

Sunrise over Provincetown
Mon., July 23

Monday, July 23, 2012; 6:45 am
Provincetown Harbor mooring

Rain showers.

It looks like I called it right, planning to stay here for a couple days. There was a beautiful sunrise this morning, but the clouds have moved in quickly and showers have begun. In this instance, this is good: Chip Ahoy needs a serious hosing down to get rid of all the accumulated salt.

I didn’t bother setting up the pup tent over the cockpit last night; just too exhausted and things up on the deck need fixing. That’s far easier to accomplish without the tarp over the boom. After running the 5MileWifi up the mast (found a great connection though Provincetown Marina), I called it a night. One of the tie-off points on the radar reflector apparently let loose yesterday, the one that holds it off to a shroud. Its banging around up there by the spreaders is annoying; my first job this morning once I finish my coffee and I get motivated. The easiest fix. Then, while up there, I want to address that boom height situation noted yesterday morning.

Next, I need to contact Raymarine and see if I can get the tiller-pilot working. I’m thinking its failure might be just a blown fuse, but can’t recall if there’s a fuse link somewhere in the power cabling – or if it’s perhaps in the unit itself, or a broken connection. That’s my main priority today. I sorely need my “first mate.”

I’ll need to refuel before I depart. I checked the primary 6-gallon tank last night and was surprised that it was near-empty. I used almost six gallons of gas to reach Scituate then Provincetown! As I came into the harbor, still outside the breakwater, I opened the lazerette hatch and lifted the tank. I needed to know the outboard wasn’t going to run out in the last crucial moments, or whether to switch tank hoses. There was heft so – without the tiller-pilot assistance – that was enough information. There was sufficient gas to get me to a mooring and then some. I didn’t realize just how low the tank was until on the mooring.

I need a shower. My clothes and me are salt-imbedded and crusty. (Handy Wipes work only so much!) This priority falls just behind getting equipment aboard fixed and getting ice before things start going bad in the ice chest.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012; 6:30 am
Provincetown Harbor mooring #205

I was awoken aboard a rocking Chip Ahoy just before dawn by thundering rain – then actual thunder and lightening. Pretty nasty out there; glad I got the pup tent stretched over the boom yesterday. Even more glad I’m not going anywhere today, or I wouldn’t be. We’re bouncing quite a bit at the moment, but the weather radar on AccuWeather shows the storm overhead moving east. It should pass out to sea soon and it appears clear weather will follow.

I’m starting to get that “resident” feeling; being in one place long enough for voter registration.

Early yesterday I got the work on the boat completed. First I fixed the radar reflector; put a new cotter ring on the tether to the shroud. Simple enough. Next, I attached the main sail halyard to the main sheet bail, hauled up the boom enough to relieve pressure on the boom kicker so that I could adjust the gooseneck, lower the boom the inch needed then another half-inch to be sure. The main sail should now reach the top of the mast without needing to use the genoa’s winch – or so theory goes. Two problems resolved; one to go – the tiller-pilot.

After getting the pup tent up, I called Raymarine – actually reached and spoke with my old buddy up there in Nashua (NH), Lee Tang. I told him I suspected the tiller-pilot quit due to a blown fuse, asked him if there was one inline or inside the unit itself. No, he told me, there wouldn’t be a fuse. I should check the wire connections at both ends:  the socket in the cockpit and the connections at the power source.

I found a fuse link – one I added when wiring in the tiller-pilot – and sure enough the 15 Amp fuse inside was blown, just as I’d suspected. Well this will be an easy fix, I thought as I replaced the fuse. Sure enough, the tiller-pilot’s digital readout lit up. I thought I was out of the woods, success. But when I pushed one of the control buttons it died. Another blown fuse, uh oh.

So I replaced it, with the same result. Uh oh, again.

I replaced it with a 30 Amp fuse this time. When I pushed the control button I was at least able to retract the rod – while pushing on it hard. I smelled a slight scent of electrical burning so stopped there. The tiller-pilot was not going to work.

I called Lee again and he agreed. The unit would need to go to Raymarine for its motor to be repaired. So much for that; back to sailing without my “first mate” for a while. This won't be easy, singlehanding.

Boy – after the ordeal of attempting to get assistance from 5MileWifi support – working with so far everyone else in the support business while away has been a joy. Up in Gloucester it was Logitech support, which did a great job and walked me through a solution. Now, Raymarine was there and helpful – at least enough to guide me then tell me when to quit. Only 5MileWifi has been useless, utter frustration.

I had to relocate everything aboard to get to the wiring, fuses, and tools, so the entire cabin had to be organized once again. That done, I went to work on a news release for our organization.

Barbara had called during the tiller-pilot project. She wanted to send out a memo to the Legislature and news release but wasn’t sure what she could do with her limited capability. I told her that, once I got reorganized, I can do it from here – it’d be a good test.

From the laptop I connected to my home/office computer using LogMeIn, worked on the memo/news release, then sent it out from there to all legislators and the media statewide. Cool when everything works as expected – a Wifi connection, 5MileWifi making that possible, LogMeIn connecting me to home, and bang – done. It was slow going through the connections but with a little patience (and I am “on vacation”) doable.

Later in the afternoon I headed ashore for the first time, called and took the launch in to the pier. After dropping off my insulated bag at the marina office I stopped at The Kite Store that an old friend, Jude, owned – but doesn’t any longer. It’s now owned by Lucy Butler who bought it from Jude. Carolina was most friendly and helpful, got me a “Swimming Fish” to add to Barbara’s ‘spinnie things’ collection in her yard – a perfect gift I think. I arranged to pick it up on my way back to the boat, and got another recommendation for a restaurant where I could get my traditional landfall steak dinner.

Just up the street I found “Front Street, A Restaurant,” a small, cozy place. Looking over their menu, I couldn’t resist ordering their Pasta Bolognese instead – not a mistake: delicious and great service.

Heading back to the boat I picked up the “Swimming Fish” then stopped in at the marina office, spent some time in conversation with Frank, grabbed two bags of ice cubes (they don't have blocks), and headed back to the boat.

Aboard I read for a while then called it a day, went to bed (wait, my seat is also my bunk – so fell asleep I guess).

While on the pier taking a few photos of Chip Ahoy on its mooring, I discovered that the add-on glass filter protecting the screen on the Olympus Stylus Tough camera has cracked. [Giottos, Schott Glass, SP 8270] It must have happened sometime, somehow, during the sail here in those rough seas, though I can’t imagine how. I just ordered a replacement through Amazon – gotta love it.

Things to do today. I still need to catch a shower – found the shower room ashore yesterday. I need to fill one of the gas tanks, whether from here or by motoring around the pier to the gas dock before departing. Battery 2 seems to be getting low (the inverter that’s powering the computer is beeping at me intermittently, indicating low voltage), so I’ll need to run the outboard (alternator) to try recharging it. Back to the gas situation!

The igniter ‘wand’ I use to spark the Origo stove died this morning. I refilled it with butane, but it’s just not sparking – time for a new one I guess. I used a piece of paper torn from my notebook and matches to fire up the stove for this morning’s coffee, not the best method but I’m sipping hot coffee.

6:00 pm

Now that was a pretty nasty thunderstorm. It rolled in at 4:00, not as bad as the one Chip Ahoy and I experienced a few weeks ago in Scituate Harbor, but dramatic nonetheless. It was certainly better that I was moored here than out there somewhere trying to reach home. Chip Ahoy needed a good washing anyway, so most of that crusty salt from Sunday's ordeal has probably been removed. More thunderstorms remain in the forecast for tonight.

Earlier today I took the launch ashore on some errands. The launch driver agreed to take my empty gas tank aboard and get it filled by the time I returned to the dock – very neighborly I thought, so tipped him well.

After a shower up at the marina, Floyd in the office pointed me to Land’s End Marine Supply, a couple of blocks up on Commercial Street. It’s a True Value hardware store as well with just about everything a boater might need in a pinch. I picked up the new butane lighter wand I need to fire up the Origo stove and, while there, a roll of thin braided line to use to construct lines for the tiller. On the way back to the dock I stopped at one of the hundreds of little shops and grabbed a roast beef "grinder" to bring back aboard. With two new bags of ice cubes, and a full tank of gas waiting on the dock for me, I was done.

Commercial Street in tourist season is an experience. While open for traffic one-way, the traffic doesn’t move much. There are too many tourists filling the narrow sidewalks and street with nobody – traffic or pedestrians – moving anywhere soon. Leisurely craziness and chaos. I was told this was more like weekend tourist traffic than a Tuesday, but to just move I had to be patient. The large commuter ships I've seen coming across the bay deliver some 1,200 tourists a day to this small vacation town. I was glad to get out of the mob and back aboard.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012; 6:30 am
Provincetown Harbor mooring #205

National Weather Service [4:20 am]
Hazardous marine condition(s):
Small Craft Advisory

ANZ250-252015-

COASTAL WATERS EAST OF IPSWICH BAY AND THE STELLWAGEN BANK NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY - 420 AM EDT WED JUL 25 2012

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON

TODAY

NW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING N 5 TO 10 KT THIS AFTERNOON. GUSTS UP TO 25 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT.

So much for my plan to leave early this morning. I’ve been rocking and rolling in my bunk all night, hearing the wind whistling outside, the pup tent tarp flapping, wondering if it would subside by dawn. I hadn’t expected strong wind like this overnight. I got up a few times and stuck my head out into the cockpit; no, I wasn’t dreaming it.

I switched on the VHF radio first thing this morning to the NOAA/NWS channel and caught the small craft advisory. I can’t say it surprised me, only confirmed my observations. Aw geez, now what? The weather for the next few days looks to be completely unsettled – more showers and thunderstorms possible every day right through the weekend. Today is perfect weather – except for the wind and seas!

“Small Craft Advisories” always catch my attention: there probably isn’t a smaller craft than Chip Ahoy out there. And almost inevitably, the worst conditions are right in the way of where I need to go. When the NWS predicts seas 3-5 feet they’ll be at least that and then some. That’s too much for this boat, and me – especially knowing in advance.

I’m thinking that perhaps crossing all the way across directly to Marblehead isn’t the smartest plan I’ve ever had – especially after my experience getting here. I’m thinking I should probably cross back to Scituate, then on back to Marblehead. Perhaps Marblehead-to-Provincetown is too risky an undertaking in a 22-foot sailboat.

TODAY

NW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT...BECOMING N 5 TO 10 KT THIS  AFTERNOON. GUSTS UP TO 25 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT.

TONIGHT

SW WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT.

THU

SW WINDS AROUND 5 KT...BECOMING S 15 TO 20 KT IN THE  AFTERNOON. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND TSTMS. VSBY 1 TO 3 NM.

THU NIGHT

SW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT...DIMINISHING TO 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. GUSTS UP TO 25 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. PATCHY FOG. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND TSTMS. VSBY 1 TO 3 NM.

FRI

NW WINDS 5 TO 10 KT...BECOMING NE IN THE AFTERNOON. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND TSTMS. VSBY 1 TO 3 NM.

FRI NIGHT

NE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND TSTMS. VSBY 1 TO 3 NM.

SAT

NE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND TSTMS. VSBY 1 TO 3 NM.

At the moment I just want to get back to Marblehead, home. This “long weekend” is getting very frustrating. This has happened before (Saco, Maine and Rockport come to mind), the sense of being trapped by conditions beyond my control. I don’t like that. But it beats what I came through reaching here, and I want to avoid that at all costs.

So I’ll sit this out here for another day and hope tomorrow’s a better window. Straight across open ocean for 51 miles from here to Marblehead is looking more like a mistake to attempt without a perfect weather forecast. Back to Scituate is 17 miles closer (34 miles), then another 23 miles on to Marblehead. This morning, this approach is feeling much more prudent.

6:30 pm

The north wind and its strong gusts finally calmed down around 3:30 this afternoon. Right now it couldn’t be nicer, as the day slowly comes to its end. The AM radio reports are calling this one of the nicest days we’ve seen all summer – but they’re not aboard a small boat trying to cross Massachusetts Bay. Today brought very low humidity, moderate temperature in the mid-70s, sunny sky, and lots of wind and seas.

I took the launch ashore at around noon, paid the marina for another night on its mooring, walked down to Land’s End Marine Supplies and picked up another package of toilet paper and a can of stove alcohol. While ashore I stopped into one of the multitude of Commercial Street restaurants, Vorelli’s, had one of their BBQ pulled pork sandwiches then hit an ATM machine before heading back to the marina office.

I was getting a bit nervous about running out of cash. I took along more than enough to get me through my “long weekend” and, while I still had a couple hundred bucks remaining – and I’ve been using a credit card for things I’d normally pay cash for – I hit the machine up for more cash.  (I know the Scituate Harbormaster doesn’t take credit cards for a slip at the town dock, so if I end up there I’ll need cash.) I haven’t used an ATM machine for over a decade, but it was good that they’re still available in a pinch like this.

While considering finances this morning I also realized my mortgage payment was coming up real quick on the first of the month. I’d considered paying it before departing last week, but figured I’d be back home in plenty of time to make it then. Fortunately I’ve got my bank account set up online for bill payments, so with the decent Wifi access I was able to make the payment.

I also needed to run the outboard for an hour this morning just to recharge Battery 2 so I can continue using the laptop and keep the cell phone charged. I was glad I got that tank filled yesterday.

It’s a beautiful evening, but the AM radio weather forecast keeps reminding us to enjoy it while we can, it’s about to change dramatically. Tomorrow and Friday are looking to be nasty with rain and thunderstorms throughout as a new warm front moves in tonight. Sheesh, this trip is starting to feel like a sentence, a penalty for something I must have done:

National Weather Service,  Taunton, MA

Zone Forecast: Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay (ANZ251)

Last Update: 422 PM EDT WED JUL 25 2012

Synopsis...A WEAK RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD ACROSS THE WATERS INTO TONIGHT. A WARM FRONT WILL THEN APPROACH THE WATERS FROM THE SW ON THU. THIS BOUNDARY WILL STALL OUT IN THE VICINITY OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND THROUGH THE WEEKEND...BRINGING SEVERAL PERIODS OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.

Tonight: SW winds around 5 kt. Seas around 2 ft.

Thu: SW winds 5 to 10 kt...becoming S 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 30 kt in the afternoon. Seas 2 to 3 ft. A chance of showers and tstms. Some tstms may produce heavy rainfall. Vsby 1 to 3 nm.

Thu Night: SW winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 25 kt... Becoming W 5 to 10 kt after midnight. Seas 2 to 3 ft. A chance of showers and tstms. Some tstms may be severe with damaging winds... Large hail and heavy rainfall. Vsby 1 nm or less.

SW winds becoming S at 10-15 knots (about 12-18 mph) with gusts up to 30 knots (34.5 mph). And then the thunderstorms arrive. Nope, doesn’t sound like I’ll be leaving here in the morning – again.

It’s beginning to look like my best shot at reaching Scituate will be Saturday, spend the night and head for Marblehead on Sunday morning. That’s right now. I wonder how it’ll look in the morning?

Thursday, July 26, 2012; 5:45 am
Provincetown Harbor mooring #205

It’s still more of the same this morning, with the addition of a Small Craft Advisory for this afternoon:

ANZ250-262015 - COASTAL WATERS EAST OF IPSWICH BAY AND THE STELLWAGEN BANK NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY - 421 AM EDT THU JUL 26 2012

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE TONIGHT

Showers and possible thunderstorms are forecast for this morning, and seas are predicted to grow from 2-4 foot to 3-5 by tonight, with the likelihood of severe thunderstorms increasing this afternoon and overnight. Tomorrow looks to bring little improvement. Saturday and Sunday still look like the best forecast to get across to Scituate then on to Marblehead.

This is really getting old. I remember being stuck like this at Marston’s Marina on the Saco River in Maine a few years ago (2008), weathered in.  I was tiring of it, decided to take a shot at getting home – one of those “this might be the best that’s coming” decisions made out of desperation rather than prudence. I made it as far as the mouth of Saco Bay and decided conditions were entirely too bad to commit to the turn south. I did an abrupt about face and retreated back to the river and the mooring I’d just left. I realized that I’d probably never make it all the way to Portsmouth (NH) in those conditions, and still believe that in that last moment I made the correct decision.

That’s my concern here. Once I commit to cross those 34 miles of ocean, some 7-8 hours at sea, there’s no safe harbor until I reach Scituate or run back here – just as while coming from Scituate last Sunday there was none until I reached Provincetown. I’ve learned that lesson, the hard way. The idea of crossing 51 miles to Marblehead has been abandoned with no regrets.

A few sprinkles have begun falling.

Patience. Just another day or two – likely two it looks.

10:00 am

As I was drifting off to sleep last night I thought it’s too bad I didn’t know I would be stuck here so long, or I could have ordered another tiller-pilot and had it shipped here in plenty of time – then got thinking. Maybe I still can if I’m stuck here through Friday, using overnight delivery.

Early this morning I researched online, got all the model numbers, phone numbers, and closest places which might have one available. The closest places weren’t very close. Overnight delivery will only work if it means what it says. Do I want to risk it arriving by tomorrow? What if it doesn’t – if it doesn’t, what do I do next – spend the weekend here waiting for Monday? Should I instead have it delivered to Scituate – but how’s that help me getting there?

Amazingly everything clicked later this morning. First I radioed the launch, told them I wanted to stay through Friday. Glen, the launch driver, told me to be sure, that if I changed my mind and wanted to leave tomorrow the mooring charge for two days is non-refundable. He recommended I pay by the day.

I explained my plan for a new tiller-pilot, but he suggested that I pay for today and see what happens tomorrow, came out to Chip Ahoy and took my credit card information, gave me the delivery address for Provincetown Marina (on Fisherman’s Wharf), and wished me luck.

I called West Marine in Plymouth (the closest listed on its website) but they didn’t have an ST2000-Plus in stock, recommended that I call the WM store in Hyannis – as it’s closer anyway. Sure enough, the Hyannis store had one. I made credit card arrangements with Misha there to buy a new tiller-pilot ($529.99) and have it shipped here overnight by Fedex. He assured me that it will be in the marina office tomorrow. Finally, success of a sort.

I called Lee Tang at Raymarine, to make sure the new unit will just drop into the reinforced brass fitting on top of the cockpit coaming – that the pin is the same diameter now that it was when I bought and mounted my unit a few years back; that the power plug on my unit hadn’t changed from the electrical receptacle I installed back then. Lee said nothing has been changed: they’re the same unit, the new one will just drop and plug in.

I’ve still got that 30 Amp fuse in the fuse holder, which will need to be replaced with the proper 15 Amp fuse – my little project for later today. “Project” because so much has to be moved out of the way to reach the spare fuses (in one compartment) then the wiring (in another) – sort of like musical chairs.

I should run the outboard for a while later too, just to keep Battery 2 charged from using the laptop and charging the cell phone.

2:45 pm

I took launch ashore just before noon, cleaned up in the marina’s men’s room and made sure they expected my Fedex package. (They’ll either send it out on the launch when it arrives or call me on the cell phone.) As I walked down to Vorelli’s for lunch again West Marine called to tell me Fedex had picked up my new tiller-pilot and it was on its way. After lunch I picked up more bottled water, then returned to Chip Ahoy.

Back aboard I shuffled everything around in the cabin to get at the spare fuses and replace the 30 amp with a 15 in the tiller-pilot’s fuse holder. As I was shuffling things around I discovered that my chart book’s pages were almost glued together with salt water, so I spent another hour cleaning their many pages with fresh water and lots of towels.

Getting on the laptop I discovered the Wifi signal – though very strong – won’t let me connect to the Internet. While I wrestled with this latest headache I ran the outboard for some 45 minutes to charge Battery 2 at least a little. I’ve discovered that I can connect to the Internet so long as I’m not using the 5MileWifi system; instead using just the onboard network card – go figure.

I called The Digital Docs back in Marblehead, who got it running a couple weeks ago, but was told there’s nothing Stephen can do over the phone and nobody they’d recommend who could/would work with me over the phone. Thanks buddy – this empathy reminds me of 5MileWifi’s own infuriating customer support.

Friday, July 27, 2012; 9:45 am
Provincetown Harbor mooring #205

Unlike usual, I woke after dawn this morning, partly because there was no sunrise – just gray sky. At 5:45 I decided to roll off the bunk and see what was happening out there: mostly overcast but with some streaks of blue.

Last night before calling it a night and pulling the sleeping bag over me, I went out to the cockpit and readied for the storm that was heading our way. According to NWS marine radio and AM radio reports severe weather was approaching, even warnings of local tornadoes accompanying the thunderstorms and wind. When I listened in this morning, it’d passed south of here and missed us completely. Just showers.

I shut down the laptop last night when the inverter began crying out and the laptop wanted to kick over to its own battery – indicating Battery 2 must be drained. I figured I’d worry about it this morning. When I tried electric starting the outboard this morning it was too dead to kick over. I switched the battery switch over to Battery 1 and the outboard kicked right over – I let it run for an hour.

I just tried starting on Battery 2 alone again and it kicked the motor over nicely and started it. I’ll let it run for a while longer (it’s not using much gas to run at just above idle speed) and further charge Battery 2. I’ve been rewarded for installing two batteries and the switch; I’d expected that someday it’d come to this.

Since apparently the motor’s alternator works good enough to charge the battery, I’m not going to worry about paying to get Battery 2 recharged here. It’ll recharge more on the way across to Scituate tomorrow, and if I get a slip there I’ll hook up to shore power and my own battery charger.

I’m waiting for the call from the marina that my package (the new tiller-pilot) has been delivered by Fedex. Shortly I intend to take the launch ashore to grab a shower and check on the delivery.  I feel like at kid on Christmas morning!

Saturday, July 28, 2012; 6:15 am
Provincetown Harbor mooring #205

I’ll be on my way to Scituate this morning. I plan to drop this mooring by 8:00, as soon as the fog lifts (and a morning shower forecasted by AccuWeather for very soon passes).

The new tiller-pilot delivered by Fedex arrived at the marina office late yesterday afternoon (it apparently arrived at 2:30 but I wasn’t aware until 4:00). I took the launch in, brought it back to the boat, unboxed it then hooked it up. Fantastic, it worked “out-of-the-box” so I swapped the two extension push rods from the old unit. I should calibrate it this morning before heading for Scituate, but I don’t think that’s very critical, the way I use it to just steer.

Today’s NWS forecast looks pretty good:

ANZ251-282015 - MASSACHUSETTS BAY AND IPSWICH BAY - 432 AM EDT SAT JUL 28 2012

SYNOPSIS FOR MASSACHUSETTS AND RHODE ISLAND COASTAL WATERS...

A FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL REMAIN ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THE WEEKEND. A RIDGE OF HIGH PRES WILL THEN BUILD IN FROM THE WEST ON MON. THE HIGH WILL MOVE OFF THE COAST ON TUE.

TODAY

NE WINDS AROUND 5 KT...BECOMING E THIS AFTERNOON. SEAS  AROUND 2 FT. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. VSBY 1 NM OR LESS THIS MORNING.

TONIGHT

NE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS AROUND 2 FT. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. VSBY 1 TO 3 NM.

I did a lot of hanging and drying towels and things that were anywhere from damp to wet – brought them down to dry-to-damp. I regret I didn’t check my foul-weather jacket stuffed away up in the v-berth. Somehow in the jumble it got wet inside; it and my hooded sweatshirt. I put them out in the cockpit, but it was after dark and they didn’t dry very much. I brought them back inside when I turned in, in case it rained overnight. Oh well, maybe a damp-wet jacket will be worth more than none at all if I get caught in showers.

I went ashore later for dinner, hopefully at Front Street Restaurant and more Pasta Bolognese again. To be seated I needed a reservation! So much for that idea. Instead I picked up a BLT sandwich at Mojo’s on the way back to the dock. Oh well, the story of my “long weekend.”

I’ve already reserved a mooring in Scituate Harbor for tonight. I wanted to grab a slip from the harbormaster (especially to plug into shore power and recharge the batteries) but all that’s available is on the other side of the harbor: No Wifi and $4 each way to use the launch. I’m still considering it anyway, just to have electrical power to charge the batteries.

The radar reflector needs to be refastened
to a shroud
Mon., July 23

Working on the dead tiller-pilot
required emptying the cabin
Mon., July 23

Chip Ahoy on its mooring
Provincetown Harbor
Mon., July 23

Dawn over Provincetown Harbor
Tues., July 24

A thunderstorm rolls in
over Provincetown
Tues., July 24

A thunderstorm rolls in
over Provincetown
Tues., July 24

Apres le thunderstorm
Tues., July 24

Tne Nyckel - The Tall Ship of Delaware
enters Provincetown Harbor

Dawn over Provincetown Harbor
Thurs., July 26

Departing Provincetown
Sat., July 28

The new tiller-pilot is working great!

Off Race Point on Cape Cod
heading back across to Scituate

Crossing the bay on a calmer day

Crossing the bay

Crossing the bay

The Boston-Provincetown
commuter ferry
heading to the mainland

CLICK IMAGE
WARNING: Large file
May take time to download

FOR VIDEO

Back to Page 1  |  NEXT
Sailing Season 2012 is on!

BACK TO CHIP AHOY