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.