UP! UP! AND AWAY ! ! ! !!

SHIP'S LOG:

Yes! it is true! It is true! I have at once again begun my journey. I even got past New Haven! ! ! ! ! True not far past but past nonetheless. While I haven't quite figured it out just yet, I figure between 15 to 20 miles as Flipper swims.

Friend Ken and Willie Evola got me down to ABISHAG a little before 9AM and after setting things in order, I left at 10:30AM and cleared Branford Harbor by 10:41AM. Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell whoever is charge of the weather that winds out of the Northwest, 10 -15 knots, with 1 -2foot waves means just that, not 15 - 20 knots, out of the West (and right on the nose) with nice 3 footers. The would be no chance for sailing but lots of chances for excitement.

Thew wind was blowing into Branford Harbor which meant that my first attempt to spin the boat out of the slip went a bit a rye. Nothing that a second attempt at turning the boat down river didn't correct. Thank goodness Ken and Will were long gone and didn't get to watch that wondrous nautical maneuver.

Punch through the wind and the seas, both on the nose, and against the tide in Long Island Sound( bad luck and/or poor planning there) meant it would be motoring all the way. It was as bad as the Delaware Bay slog of last summer. Lots of water over the deck and not much in the way of COG ( Course over ground) or in other word, I wasn't going to far and doing so slowly.

The GPS didn't work. It went on but somehow there was a short that developed in the antenna so as a result, lots of pretty picture but no useful information. I am going to have to try and tract down the short but electricity and I are not good friends. Witness the fact that when I decided to use the navigation program on the laptop and I plugged it into the outlet at the nav station, no joy and no juice. In fact none of the three outlets were alive. I ended up calling Jerry Schmitt down in Fort, Florida, my instructor at the Chapman school and he diagnosed the problem and I fixed it. Now I have power for the computer, the phone, the microwave and all that sort of stuff.

About 1:30, I changed course and were toward a little spot called the "Gulp" just outside of Millford. It was recommended by Skipper Bob and I could get there before it got dark. It was well protected and I wanted to be sure that I got the hook down in daylight, and got it down well. It bit the first time and I've checked it every 15 minutes and the boat hasn't moved at all. HUZZAH! Maybe I'll get a good nights sleep.

MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:

It is great to be underway! It was a chilly and wet, and it is a little anxiety producing to find a place you have never been to to drop a hook, but it still was great. And exhausting!Early dinner and early to bed!