June 2012
Monday 6-4-12
We just got back yesterday from wintering in Florida. As in usual Blake fashion, even though Jon was just at the house in April, we still had some surprises. A roof leak, our fish pond was about empty from a leak somewhere, and although our landscapers assured us our yard and gardens would be weeded and ready to go, they all like a jungle. OK, yippee !! We were suppose to be picking up Moondog tomorrow at Great Bay Marina in Newington NH. Not so yippee, we are having a northeastern with predicted winds of 20 – 25 kts. with gusts to 35 knts. seas, 4 to 6 feet. One thing I know for sure, whatever they are predicting, you have to increase at least by 25 %. Now 4-6 foot seas may not sound like much, but remember to increase that by 25 %, and factor in that Moondog is only a 25 foot boat, and I assure you there is not enough wine on this earth to get me on that boat for the approx. 150 mile trip back to Cape Cod! The excitement is further enhanced because we have driven the boat before. We bought Moondog last Oct. and had it stored for the winter. We do not know what is on it for equipment, how it handles, and are not familiar with the waters off of NH and northern MA. We decided we go to the marina tomorrow anyway to start getting Moondog cleaned and ready, when I thought maybe we should just give the marina a quick buzz to make sure all the work had been completed and Moondog was in the water. You guessed – nope, no boat in the water for us – uugghhhhhh…….
Monday 6-4-12
We just got back yesterday from wintering in Florida. As in usual Blake fashion, even though Jon was just at the house in April, we still had some surprises. A roof leak, our fish pond was about empty from a leak somewhere, and although our landscapers assured us our yard and gardens would be weeded and ready to go, they all like a jungle. OK, yippee !! We were suppose to be picking up Moondog tomorrow at Great Bay Marina in Newington NH. Not so yippee, we are having a northeastern with predicted winds of 20 – 25 kts. with gusts to 35 knts. seas, 4 to 6 feet. One thing I know for sure, whatever they are predicting, you have to increase at least by 25 %. Now 4-6 foot seas may not sound like much, but remember to increase that by 25 %, and factor in that Moondog is only a 25 foot boat, and I assure you there is not enough wine on this earth to get me on that boat for the approx. 150 mile trip back to Cape Cod! The excitement is further enhanced because we have driven the boat before. We bought Moondog last Oct. and had it stored for the winter. We do not know what is on it for equipment, how it handles, and are not familiar with the waters off of NH and northern MA. We decided we go to the marina tomorrow anyway to start getting Moondog cleaned and ready, when I thought maybe we should just give the marina a quick buzz to make sure all the work had been completed and Moondog was in the water. You guessed – nope, no boat in the water for us – uugghhhhhh…….
Wed. 6-6-12 Great Bay Marina, Newington NH
We had a slight delay getting off Cape because the rental car we picked up last night had a slight odor, but not to bad with the spray they obviously used. This morning we went to pack the car, it smelled like something had literally died in the car, and the trunk was ten times worse. Think dead fish left in a closed hot space for about 6 months. So, off Jon went back to Hyannis to get another car, then back to H- Port, and we finally hit the road about 9:30 AM. Crew will not be coming with us on this trip – too many unknowns for our first trip to have be worried about Crew too. I am not sure what I was thinking when I decided that my life would not be complete without a 25 foot pocket trawler, never mind that this is the boat I have been trying to wear Jon down on to take on the Great Loop – well, I guess we will be jumping right in and finding out what ol’Moondog’s made of !!!! When we arrived at the Marina, Moondog had just been launched and the outside was being cleaned. We set up to do a deep inside cleaning. I have to say that the boat was in really good shape and you can not believe everything that was on the boat. We could have set off and brought nothing on board except for our clothes. We were glad we did not leave today because do to all of the rain and flooding, there were literally trees being swept down the river by the current which was about 5 knots and we were warned by several local boaters not to head out due to all of the dangerous debris in the river. . We finished everything up by about 6:00 PM then ate dinner and are at the hotel now. Our plan is to get up and be underway by 7:00 AM to catch the favorable tide.
We had a slight delay getting off Cape because the rental car we picked up last night had a slight odor, but not to bad with the spray they obviously used. This morning we went to pack the car, it smelled like something had literally died in the car, and the trunk was ten times worse. Think dead fish left in a closed hot space for about 6 months. So, off Jon went back to Hyannis to get another car, then back to H- Port, and we finally hit the road about 9:30 AM. Crew will not be coming with us on this trip – too many unknowns for our first trip to have be worried about Crew too. I am not sure what I was thinking when I decided that my life would not be complete without a 25 foot pocket trawler, never mind that this is the boat I have been trying to wear Jon down on to take on the Great Loop – well, I guess we will be jumping right in and finding out what ol’Moondog’s made of !!!! When we arrived at the Marina, Moondog had just been launched and the outside was being cleaned. We set up to do a deep inside cleaning. I have to say that the boat was in really good shape and you can not believe everything that was on the boat. We could have set off and brought nothing on board except for our clothes. We were glad we did not leave today because do to all of the rain and flooding, there were literally trees being swept down the river by the current which was about 5 knots and we were warned by several local boaters not to head out due to all of the dangerous debris in the river. . We finished everything up by about 6:00 PM then ate dinner and are at the hotel now. Our plan is to get up and be underway by 7:00 AM to catch the favorable tide.
Just a couple of things for the trip.....
All clean inside
Generator on board and tucked away
Extra fuel cans in case we decide to continue on to the great loop
Our new kicker motor that we hope we never have to use, but then by now - you know us.....
Relaxing before we head back to the hotel for the night
captain
Thurs. 6-7-12 Sandwich Marina, Sandwich MA
It is very seldom that we have perfect day on the water, and today was no exception. It was a great marine weather report, clear, 0-5 knts wind, 0 -1 foot seas, 30 % chance of late afternoon showers. We got off on time with a swift favorable current and some spotty fog. Jon could not read the Garmin because it is a black and white screen and too hard to read with the glare. We quickly found out that the radar did not work but due to the great forecast, we were not too worried about it. Once we reached the ocean and started to head south, the weather followed. The winds and seas picked up, and became enveloped in fog with about ¼ mile visibility. This is a nerve wracking situation with no radar, and we knew it was bad because we kept hearing other large vessels calling out their positions on the radio. We also heard coast guard warning for large whales in the area and obviously a ship had lost cargo because they were also warning of large cargo containers floating in the water. It would clear with full sun, then ten minutes later be completely foggy again. Late afternoon the fog seemed to clear only to be replaced by one of the ominous cloud banks we have ever seen chasing us accompanied by Coast Guard warnings of sudden hazardous weather and to immediately seek shelter – really ? We were about 3 miles off shore and figured if we headed in we would be right in the middle of it so we decided to forge ahead. Despite a gallant effort by Moondog, we were not able to out run the front, and got a good dose of rain and creepy skies for awhile. We finally entered the Cape Cod Canal around 5:30 PM after about a 90 mile run, got fuel then snugged in for the night. Moondog handled like a champ all day and loved the waves ! We are very pleased and encouraged by her performance today. The forecast is good for tomorrow, with bad weather predicted for the weekend so we will run for home tomorrow.
It is very seldom that we have perfect day on the water, and today was no exception. It was a great marine weather report, clear, 0-5 knts wind, 0 -1 foot seas, 30 % chance of late afternoon showers. We got off on time with a swift favorable current and some spotty fog. Jon could not read the Garmin because it is a black and white screen and too hard to read with the glare. We quickly found out that the radar did not work but due to the great forecast, we were not too worried about it. Once we reached the ocean and started to head south, the weather followed. The winds and seas picked up, and became enveloped in fog with about ¼ mile visibility. This is a nerve wracking situation with no radar, and we knew it was bad because we kept hearing other large vessels calling out their positions on the radio. We also heard coast guard warning for large whales in the area and obviously a ship had lost cargo because they were also warning of large cargo containers floating in the water. It would clear with full sun, then ten minutes later be completely foggy again. Late afternoon the fog seemed to clear only to be replaced by one of the ominous cloud banks we have ever seen chasing us accompanied by Coast Guard warnings of sudden hazardous weather and to immediately seek shelter – really ? We were about 3 miles off shore and figured if we headed in we would be right in the middle of it so we decided to forge ahead. Despite a gallant effort by Moondog, we were not able to out run the front, and got a good dose of rain and creepy skies for awhile. We finally entered the Cape Cod Canal around 5:30 PM after about a 90 mile run, got fuel then snugged in for the night. Moondog handled like a champ all day and loved the waves ! We are very pleased and encouraged by her performance today. The forecast is good for tomorrow, with bad weather predicted for the weekend so we will run for home tomorrow.
Strong current to set off in but beautiful morning
We flew through this bridge with the current
Heading towards Portsmouth
Looks likes a cloud bank north of us
Captain not worried about a thing - we are buzzing right along
Downtown Portsmouth
Quaint New Engalnd
Leaving Portsmouth in our wake and out to the ocean
Clouds still behind us to the north as we head south to Cape Cod
A bit foggy as we approach these lighthouses
Right off of the lighthouses
About ten minutes later
Looks like rain behind us
That cloud and rain bank seem to be catching up to us
Try we did, but the rain finally caught us
Then the sun started to streak through
A rainbow painted the sky for us
And as we arrived at the Cape Cod Canal the skies cleared and we got a green light to enter the canal
Safely snugged in at the Sandwich Marina
Friday 6-8-12 Allen Harbor Marina – Harwich Port MA – home !
How any two people can actually sleep in the V-berth of this boat is a mystery to me. Only one person at a time can extend their legs, even then, you feet are hitting the end of the bed – this situation is going to need to be addressed with some creative solutions if we are to ever overnight on this boat for any amount of time ! The trip through the canal was almost completely foggy with short periods of clearing. Once we entered Buzzard’s Bay we were completely socked in with fog – a bit unnerving because it s a high traffic area and we could not see a thing. Once we rounded through the cut into Nantucket sound, both the seas and wind picked up. This was a worrisome area because of all of the ferry traffic to Woods Hole, Falmouth then Hyannis, and we still could not see. I must say the Captain did a great job and Moondog arrived at her new home at about 1:00 PM. Mondog is going to be a fun boat for us this summer, and I am totally looking forward to lots of time on the water this summer sans fog though !!! Till next time- we remain convivial !!
How any two people can actually sleep in the V-berth of this boat is a mystery to me. Only one person at a time can extend their legs, even then, you feet are hitting the end of the bed – this situation is going to need to be addressed with some creative solutions if we are to ever overnight on this boat for any amount of time ! The trip through the canal was almost completely foggy with short periods of clearing. Once we entered Buzzard’s Bay we were completely socked in with fog – a bit unnerving because it s a high traffic area and we could not see a thing. Once we rounded through the cut into Nantucket sound, both the seas and wind picked up. This was a worrisome area because of all of the ferry traffic to Woods Hole, Falmouth then Hyannis, and we still could not see. I must say the Captain did a great job and Moondog arrived at her new home at about 1:00 PM. Mondog is going to be a fun boat for us this summer, and I am totally looking forward to lots of time on the water this summer sans fog though !!! Till next time- we remain convivial !!
Uggghhh..... starting out in the fog again
Approaching the Bourne Bridge, still foggy but starting to clear
Lots of fishermen out on the canal banks
Going under the Bourne bridge
The Buzzard Bay railroad bridge
the Oceanographic Institute at Woods Hole
Cruising through Buzzards Bay, no problems at Hell's gate
Ferries at Falmouth
Finally our Jetty
Entering the canal to our marina
And there is the marina - Moondog and Crew are home !