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Saturday, July 23, 2011; 9:30 am
On a mooring, Scituate outer harbor
Here comes the thunderstorm. It had to happen, despite
the earlier weather reports. The strange thing is, after it passes the
temperature will continue to rise – again into the high-90s. I’m glad
I’m here settled in and not out there. The NWS radio has been warning
boats to immediately seek shelter for the past hour or so.
I’ve disconnected the VHF and Wifi antennas in
preparation; this laptop is now running on its own battery power for the
moment, disconnected from everything. With its battery fully charged,
and the back-up battery too, I’m good for a while anyway. The forward hatch is
closed, dogged down. – 10:20
am – Lightning and thunder,
a downpour, and the wind’s picking up again, the moored boats are
swinging. – 11:45 am –
That made for an interesting morning. Nothing to do but
wait it out, and it’s passed us heading southeast out to sea, or at
least toward Cape Cod. This is not the thunderstorm I’ve expected when
the cold front moves in – because the cold front hasn’t yet. It’s
warming up already, supposed to reach close to if not exceed 100° this
afternoon. While waiting it out
I began to think of the mysteries encountered on this trip. First, of course, are the man-eating
flies – what are they and what do they do out in the middle of the ocean
until I arrive as a target, a meal?
Next, how does the cockpit keep getting dirty? I am
aboard, mostly barefoot, yet I keep leaving dirty footprints. How is
this? Everything I step on, I assume, is clean – the boat was
immaculately clean when launched – so why the dirty
footprints all over the place out there?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Then there’s the useless 5-Mile-Wifi system. It refuses
to work. Without it, I’ve
learned, I can connect to the Mill Wharf network, and through it to the
Internet. Granted, the signal is “Weak-Low,” but I can connect, it works
if a bit slow. Using the 5-Mile-Wifi system, it won’t connect whatsoever. What’s
with this? I finally reached a
more-or-less knowledgeable tech support guy there – of course
somewhere in India, “Raj” – who offered to send me a replacement system,
apparently mine is still under warranty – “Where would you like to have it
shipped.” I again explained the circumstance. The best – no, the only –
resolution was to ship it to my home. “Maybe on next year’s cruise it
will work better for me,” I replied in defeat.
A strange event occurred yesterday. A small outboard boat – a beat
up working skiff – pulled up alongside me, a big guy and a couple of
teenagers aboard. They had a box full of lobsters, wanted to sell them
for money or beer. They tied up, we spoke for a while (I was curious
about their enterprise). I
explained that we had three problems: First, I don’t particularly like
lobster; second, even if I did like lobster, I have no way to cook them,
and third, I had no beer aboard.
Richard, the older guy, was an interesting character –
said he was trying to teach the two teenagers about “the entrepreneurial
spirit,” one of them was from Thailand. I gave each of them cans of
lemonade, a small reward I thought for their efforts on such a hot
afternoon. It got a bit dicey
after a bit. I felt that Richard was ‘scoping-out’ my boat, too
inquisitive of where I was from, where I’ve been, where I was going, and
what was aboard. (Later, Norm asked me where he’d gotten the lobsters
they were attempting to sell – a good question, in hindsight – but I’ve
seen this before in other places.) They departed a short time later. I
thought that was the end of it and them.
Late in the afternoon my nap was interrupted when the
launch pulled up alongside; groggy I awoke and found a big guy climbing
aboard, reached for the Sig .45. It was Richard, with a bottle of Rum
and a few cans of Coke, ready to party! What’s with this?
Oh boy, I had a handful in the cockpit. He was definitely
buzzed-out – the launch had just dropped him off on my doorstep and
left. My post-nap plan was to go ashore and take a shower at the
harbormaster’s office. I moved it up to right now.
I asked him why he was here. He told me because I was a
great guy, a new friend. Then he
started nodding off. Oh boy. I
got my things together quickly, locked up the boat, called the launch
back out, got him and his gifts aboard and we left for shore. On the way
in, I asked the launch driver why she’d dropped him at my boat. She said
he’d told her that he knew me, that we were friends, that he was
bringing out refreshments for us. They had a bit of a discussion about
his launch charge, that he “still owed them $72” for past excursions. He
told her to put it on his bill. At the dock I left Richard, quickly
headed for the harbormaster’s office and showers. When done I picked up
more ice and returned to the boat.
See:
Aarrgh, matey! Ipswich man arrested in 'pirate' attack, The Salem
News, Aug. 6, 2011
But for the fireworks display over the harbor –
apparently part of the carnival up in the town parking lot alongside the
harbormaster’s office – the rest of the night was uneventful. Though I
did put in the lower two cribboards before going to sleep and the .45
within easy reach. Sunday,
July 24, 2011; 7:30 am
On a mooring, Scituate outer harbor
Another morning with rain. I awoke and quickly shut the
forward hatch, none too soon. No thunder or lightning, just rain. It’s
not supposed to last long. The coffee pot is boiling for coffee out on
the Origo stove in the cockpit beneath the pup tent. All’s well.
– 9:50 am –
The showers have passed; the sky is overcast, mostly
cloudy but clearing.
ANZ200-242300-
715 AM EDT SUN JUL 24 2011
SYNOPSIS FOR MASSACHUSETTS AND RHODE ISLAND COASTAL WATERS...
A COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE WATERS TODAY. HIGH PRES WILL BRIEFLY BUILD
OVER THE WATERS TONIGHT SHIFTING OFFSHORE MON. A FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL
APPROACH FROM THE WEST LATE MON AND LIFT OVERHEAD MON NIGHT INTO EARLY
TUE. HIGH PRES WILL BUILD INTO THE REGION LATE TUE AND WED...BEFORE
MOVING EAST OF THE WATERS ON THU.
ANZ251-242300-
MASSACHUSETTS BAY AND IPSWICH BAY-
715 AM EDT SUN JUL 24 2011 TODAY
NW WINDS 5 TO 10 KT...BECOMING NE THIS AFTERNOON. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT. A
CHANCE OF SHOWERS WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF TSTMS THIS MORNING...THEN A
SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT
NE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT.
MON
NE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT...BECOMING E IN THE AFTERNOON. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT.
MON NIGHT
S WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT. SHOWERS AND TSTMS LIKELY.
Late yesterday I began to have some problem with the
laptop and new DieHard power inverter. I think the boat’s batteries are
wearing down. Last night I started up the outboard and let it run just
above idle speed for half an hour. Since I’m now using both batteries,
with cigarette lighter plugs and their battery clamps, I’ve got the
battery switch set for both. The electric starter kicked the outboard
right over. Yesterday was a
quiet day aboard, puttering with things, taking a nap, going ashore to
pick up another sub sandwich at Maria’s, more ice (a block and a bag).
Last night there was another fireworks display up on the town parking
lot. Tomorrow morning I’ll be
heading home. I decided to stay an additional day after checking the
weather forecasts yesterday. The forecast for today was for early
showers (accurate) and the wind out of the northwest becoming north in
the afternoon, from the direction in which I’ll be heading nose-on.
Tomorrow, the wind will be from the NE early, turning E
later in the morning and afternoon. The temperature has come down today,
should be in the low-80s later; tomorrow in the high-70s. The heat wave
has finally broken. – 10:15
am – I missed they’re
departure, the man and woman aboard Whisper out of Marshfield, MA
who’d been moored overnight a few boats away. But they seem not to have
gotten very far; I just looked out and saw Whisper, apparently aground
directly across the channel from me. It’s about a 40-foot double-ended
sloop with apparently a very heavy deep keel. The shore on the other
side of the channel runs out a very long distance gradually, is
deceptively shallow at high tide. They’re in trouble as this is mid-tide
and it’s running out for at least another three hours according to my
watch’s tide feature. – 11:30
am – Whisper and crew are
definitely in trouble, leaning over more, the mast down to about a 60
degree angle with the water, the shallows reaching out further by the
minute, the shore coming out to meet Whisper. The EZ Rider launch has
been out a few times talking with them, the harbormaster a couple times
too. Lots of passing boats are slowing to ask if they need assistance.
I can catch a few of the comments across the way.
Whisper’s skipper replied to one passing boat “We decided this would be
a great place to stop for breakfast,” as the two passed food to each
other. “I’ve never been so embarrassed,” he told another passing boat.
– 12:20 pm –
I’ve been waiting to catch the launch and go ashore; grab
a shower at the harbormaster’s office, get something for my own
breakfast and bring back ice for the cooler. But I don’t want to miss
this drama. Low tide is about an hour away and Whisper is leaning
precariously, its mast now at about a 45 degree angle with the water,
its gunwale touching the water. Its poor crew now have their feet
against the opposite seat, laying back across the cockpit – almost standing
up. What an ordeal for them.
Time for me to head ashore. This is reminding me too much of the
death
of the Even Song in ’76. –
1:30 pm – Back aboard, the
tide’s dead low and Whisper is as far over as it’s going to get – a
good 45 degrees. The skipper is standing on the gunwale with a hand pump
bailing out water that’s coming over the bulwark – can’t tell how he’s
doing or why he’s doing it. It looks like someone helped carry out and
reset his anchor further into the channel. I can only imagine what it
looks like inside their cabin – what a mess to clean up and reorganize
if they get the boat back afloat, but that’s the least of their troubles
for now. – 2:15 pm –
It’s looking good for Whisper and her crew, the boat is
gradually lifting and righting itself with the tide, actually quicker
than I’d expect. I wonder if there’s any damage below to the hull or
keel? At least it’s fiberglass and not wood – the Even Song’s wood
planks and separated caulked seams were the cause of its demise.
– 3:15 pm –
Whisper’s afloat and on its way! At the bow, the skipper
pulled the boat out over the anchor by its rode, with the woman at the
tiller and controls, no engine until they were over the anchor and he
had it free. Easy for me to say – I wasn’t stretched and straining for
those what must have been very long hours – but I’d have given it a
little more time for more tide to come in; make sure there was enough
water this time. But there they go, on their way.
– 10:05 pm –
Back aboard after going ashore earlier. I took a walk up
Front St. to the end of the harbor, to the road that goes out across the
harbor to the new marina on the other side. I saw it up close from the
launch the other day, quite a setup, Travel-Lift and all. That’s where
I'd have taken Whisper, to check for damage, before heading straight out
to sea. That was far enough of a walk, but I met some new friends along
the way, John and Heidi. These fellow sailors from Duxbury were impressed
that I’d sailed down from Marblehead in such a little boat singlehanded.
They had a car and offered me a ride back to the dock, which I
gratefully accepted. Tomorrow’s
plan is the usual early rise, a cup of coffee, and then get the boat
prepared for departure by 8:00 am. Though it should be just about high
tide, I will surely be careful to stay in the middle of the channel. |
