Wilfredo

Perfect weather. We left the anchorage on the Sassafras River at 0630 and motored south to our final mooring. Uneventful.

Conditions were great. Calm seas and perfect weather. The wind wasn’t always great so we motored a lot, but we also didn’t want to spend a ton of time waiting for wind. The goal was to maintain about 5 knots of boat speed, which we were mostly able to achieve with the motor. Atlantic City is pretty. At night. From about 20 miles (32 km) away 🤣. I’ve been during the day and have not so fond childhood memories of it. Pass. This leg also brought us through the C&D Canal, which is always a fun experience. It never feels like the mast will clear the bridges, but they always do. We also had a tanker overtake us in the canal which was a first for everyone on board, and I geeked out about bulbous bows and how they reduce drag, blah blah blah. It was very cool to see in action only 15 meters away. We anchored in the Sassafras River on the northeastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Very calm, very quiet. The planes to depart the anchorage at 0600 and make our way to our final destination in Galesville. This trip has been fun, but I’m ready for it to end. I’m grateful for the chance to have had this experience, but it has taught me I am not built for this kind of travel. An overnight hop here and there, sure. Multiple days with light winds and increasing heat, not so much. Give me autumn weather any day of the year instead.

Much better sail. First half was a solid braid reach with about 14 knots out of the East. We made it to the Sakonet River area before gybing South, and the wind dropped to under 10. That, a 1 knot current against us, plus a sea state that included broadside waves made for a less than stellar time. Our boat dropped from over 6 to about 3 knots, increasing our time to destination by three hours. Nope. Engines were started, jib was furled and we motored with a full main to the 1BI buoy in Block Island Sound. Made a left, wind was now on our beam, and we were able to sail engineless and with the gennaker to the entrance of the harbor. Moored on the ball at 1602. Boat was put to bed by 1652. Not at all a bad day on the water.

Calm, no wind. Motored the whole way. Meh. Highlight was going through the Cape Cod Canal, and having their Railroad Bridge be in the down position; fun to watch the boat traffic jam ensue in a 4 knot current. Most of the day I just played with the nav system a bunch to get more familiar with it. Rainy in Cuttyhunk on Day 2, so we’re doing boat work and resting.

Shoved off earlier than expected but wanted to get in front of the fog. Motorsailed through the lobster pots and for several hours out to sea as the winds were light. Winds were also out of the South, forcing us to decide whether take them on the nose and tack all night, or just go further east than we wanted. The latter won out. We were rewarded with a wind shift from the north, which made for a gorgeous night out. Almost full moon shining brightly on the sea. Engine went off at 2300, as the wind was blowing at about 20 knots and we were gliding along at about 6-7 knots. Perfect night of sailing. Winds were in the high teens to low 20’s; waves were maybe 1-3 meters high throughout. Nice, undulating swells from the back of the boat. Wind has been behind us most of the night, making our autopilot work overtime to maintain our preferred TWA of about 150 degrees. Not as hands on as I’d like, but I ain’t mad at it. Sometimes I like being spoiled. Daylight brought lighter winds but lots of sunshine. Visibility was fantastic - we could easily see Provincetown to port and Boston to stbd from miles away. We switched from the jib to our gennaker and immediately felt the difference in the boat. As an added bonus, we sighted a small whale on our approach into Provincetown. It surfaced maybe 5 - 10 meters away from us before going back under. (I did not get a photo.)

Hot with little to no wind. Solo motored the whole way. The banjo bolt on the 2ndary fuel filter sprung a leak; replacement parts were ordered. Otherwise she made it with no issues in just over four hours. Nice to have her much more easily accessible than before.

Solo motor/sail. Very hot with maybe 5 knots winds. Storm rolled through with lots of rain and a sudden forecast of 34 knots gusts. I ducked into Whitehall Bay in the hopes of finding a transient slip overnight- no luck. No dinghy meant I was forced to go all the way back to Annapolis for the night. Try again tomorrow.