Gunkholing Westport River

We started out from Padanaram early but were immediately greeted with 15 knot headwinds from the west on our nose.  The wind steadily built the seas and so we hobby-horsed along motor sailing at only 4-5 knots, not many boats out.  The boat performed well though, not much slamming of the bridge deck at all.  We slogged on for 15 miles or so and then decided to pull into the next port at Westport Harbor at noon to wait and see if the sea conditions would improve.  We anchored in the calm of Westport Harbor and then decided to gunkhole (see definition) a scenic tributary of the river, the West Branch.  Jen counted 21 Osprey nests along the way, and all were inhabited.  We thought about anchoring far up the river for the night, but the tide would then trap us there for a long while.  So we headed back to Westport harbor, picked up a mooring ball, and had a dinner of fish stew and oysters.  Forecast calls for a small craft advisory for tomorrow, so we'll make a plan in the AM based on the weather.

My birthday in Padanaram

Spent the day at the dock, which was great because we took advantage of the day off to welcome family members for a visit for my birthday.  Lunch with my mom and siblings was great.  Our daughter Tierney saved the day by bringing down a jib sail we need for the headwinds ahead.  Heading out early towards Rhode Island tomorrow.  Here's Tierney enjoying the late afternoon sun with us on the boat.

Slow Progress South

We basically just crossed Buzzard's Bay today and ended up in Padanaram Harbor in South Dartmouth MA.  The weather was fair with a favorable but increasing wind.  When the seas were building to 4 feet+ we decided to play it safe and head to a nearby port by 1pm or so.  We are staying put here tomorrow since there is a gale warning for Rhode Island Sound.  We'll just wait it out tomorrow, Thursday weather looks good and we can use the time to do some boat projects.  Here is Jen steering toward our refuge Padanaram Harbor, seas were much calmer in the harbor!

On Cape Cod

Another nice day for a sail, sunny with winds from the northeast at 10 knots -- seas were choppy though getting to the Cape Cod Canal.  We timed the current through the canal perfectly so shot through fast with a 4 knot current to help us along.  We ended in Pocasset, MA on Cape Cod for the night, just off Buzzard's Bay.  Here's Jen at the helm as we pass under the Bourne Bridge.

Jen spotted a shark fin in Cape Cod Bay, and the folks at Green Harbor Marina had mentioned that their harbor used to be full of seals before the Great Whites arrived.  I reminded Jen that we are not at the top of the food chain out at sea!

On Our Way!

We departed Cole's Island pier at about 8am today, racing a low tide that threatened to run us aground.  Threading the sandbars to get out of Essex Bay (photo courtesy of our neighbor Debe!):

 

I headed to Gloucester Harbor and met Jen and good friend Vickie for some final supplies (thanks to Vickie for driving Jen to the harbor on a Sunday morning!).  We had pretty much a perfect day for crossing Massachusetts Bay.  Sunny, in the 70s, and the wind was out of the northeast at about 10 knots, so we could steer a straight line to the "Irish Riviera" (Boston's south shore) with the wind at our quarter.   We ended up in Green Harbor in Marshfield, MA.  On to Cape Cod tomorrow.  Hopefully more days ahead like this one!  Jen in Green Harbor:

Loading up

Just loading up today & tomorrow.  Much thanks to my neighbors Sandy and Chris for the use of their dock/pier!

The boat

When we decided on the voyage south we knew our F24 trimaran was not going to be the best boat for the adventure.  We'd done coastal cruising in it up to southern Maine and down to Cape Cod and knew the experience was akin to tent camping.  So we went in search of a new boat.  It took quite a while, but we finally found a Solaris Sunbeam catamaran.  Even though it is the same length as the F24, it offers interior space comparable to a 36' monohull boat.  It's sloop-rigged with a 10hp Honda outboard for auxiliary power.  Here she is on our mooring:

And here's the layout from a very similar design by the same designer, Derek Kelsall.  There's a large cockpit leading to an enclosed lounge area & table on the bridge deck.  The port hull has a small double berth aft and head forward.  The starboard hull has another double berth aft and galley forward (galley and head areas reversed in similar design below)

Voyage Info

Hello Folks, welcome to the blog we will use to chronicle our voyage down the east coast from our home in Gloucester, Massachusetts.  We'll plan to update regularly to let everyone know our progress/where we are, and hopefully provide some interesting commentary along the way.