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. |