SHIP'S LOG:
Well, ABISHAG still floats so winter isn't here yet, but it be commin' for sure! I was wondering and a little bit anxious 'bout where I would be spending the winter. The prospect of "living on the boat" again for the winter, especially considering what happened this past winter, was not something that filled me with joy! Now, if I was back in Florida that would be one thing, but ABISHAG has been in the water for two years now and there are a number of projects that require her to be high and dry, so Florida was not an option. That plus the fact that the thought of making that journey all by myself again was not something that was even close to being appealing. Going with someone else is another story but it is not something that could be arranged. Tom Welsh, who was taking his parent's 42 Pearson ketch south, first step down to Newport News, VA, had a list of 12 people who said that they were up to make the trip. Tom wanted to have a crew of 6 so that there would be an easy and comfortable split of watches. One by one they all begged out and Tom eventually headed off with his wife and two others, one who was "shanghaied" at the very last moment. I possibly would have considered going south with another boat, like the trip up the Connecticut River to Portland, but as far as I could find, no one I knew was headed south. Those who seemed to have the interest evidently lost it, so it would have been a "Lone Ranger" trip again and I simply wasn't up for it. Thus AB is getting hauled and I'll get to see snow one again.
So where to spend the winter. Truth be told, I had no idea until last night. I had dinner with Karen, Howard, Skip and Nancy. Skip and Nancy own a place in Vermont and Skip asked if I might "house sit" for the winter. Evidently, the "damage" done to the place during the winter months when it is shut down would be better handled by having someone in residence. Skip and Nancy also have friends who live right across the street whose place could also be "watched." So if my Italian friends don't come through in the next few weeks, after I decommission ABISHAG, I'll probably be heading to the wilds of Vermont for the winter. Talk about your opposite side of the weather spectrum from last year's ! It is all still up in the air and decommissioning needs to be taken care of first. Only after that is done will I be able to make that choice. It sounds interesting prospect though . . . so long as the temperature doesn't get below say 60!
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Cold! Rain! Winter Is Nigh!
SHIP'S LOG:
After several days of crappy weather, it turned beautiful last weekend and Fred & Bob(the Pukers) took the weekend to move our boats up to Portland for haul-out. The weather for sailing was perfect but the difference between a ketch of 11 tons and a sloop of 6 tons showed up dramatically. The wind was blowing up the Sound and Fred plotted a course to sail inside along the coast. Once out into the Sound at the mouth of the Thames, Fred & Thalia's sloop bounced over the waves while ABISHAG tried to plow through them. It meant that every wave slowed ABISHAG and it took time for her to build up and keep up speed. TAHKEELAHH is a Catalina 30 sloop simply pointed better than ABISHAG. A ketch just doesn't point with a sloop but would be better off the wind when she could use her Mizzen and Mizzen Staysail. Unfortunately it wasn't how we were sailing. It also didn't help that she pounded through the waves rather than ride over them. Then again, that is her design. She is build for heavy weather and rough water and her hull design deals well with it, very stable but it costs her speed. And going with no crew, I was not able to handle her as efficiently as I could have had I crew. So I eventually went to "the Iron Genoa" and motored to the mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook. Fred, Thalia and Bob had a great sail and we began motoring up the River toward Hamburg Cove.
It was an easy motor . . . except for the powerboats. It was amazing that so many of them were total ignorant or were completely disregarding the "rules of the road." Evidently the fact that a boat is LEGALLY responsible for ANY damage caused by their wake was completely foreign to them. While it was more of an annoyance to us, those who filled the river with canoes and kayaks were actually in danger of swamping and capsizing and those causing the wakes and waves paid no attention. I failed to photograph the most egregious. I suppose I should have but the idea only came late in the trip.
The trip up the river was very reminiscent of the trip on the ICW. Even "Bubba & Scooter", or at least their northern cousins were present. My visit to Hamburg Cove was a first for me. It is a beautiful spot but it was as crowded as a Walmart Parking Lot on Black Friday! Two raft-ups just behind us carried 8 boats on one and 14 on another. We arrived after dark and were lucky to snag a mooring for the two of us. Bob's wife, Livy, provided us with a gourmet treat of a Chateaubriand which was cooked on the grill. Thalia provided the equal compliments to it and we feasted and were stuffed. It was decided that the partiers that surrounded us, who made a lot of noise, were all younger than us and that the noise was a function of age. Thank goodness they ran out of gas and quieted down. I slept like a rock though I gather that for some reason, the others did not.
Sunday morning, watching the sun come up in the still waters of the Cove, was wonderful. It was something I have been doing for over a year now and, with the fact that I am now facing a winter, I really soaked it up.
We left about 10am and motored slowly up the river. We had the chance to experience tricking the bridge tender. At the East Haddem Swing Bridge, a bridge that opened on the half-hour, we probably wold not have made it as TAHKEELAHH was limited on her motoring speed. I was able to get close enough to the bridge to reqwuest and by waiting until the bridge was fully open and motoring through as slowly as I could, it allowed TAHKEELAHH to get close enough so that the tender left the bridge open and let her through. I participated in a few of those on the ICW.
We stopped for a late lunch of grilled marinated chicken and wine in a small creek and really sucked up the wonderful weather. We probably should have passed it or taken less time because by the time we got to Portland, it was dark. I never did like mooring in the dark but you have to do what you have to do.Thankfully, the dock master stuck around because there were boats other than our, who were behind us, and because we were all going on moorings in the dark. He also provided us with transport to shore after the boats were all secure. It was a great but sad trip for it was the last of the year.
Winter should happen in the next day or so, winter being when ABISHAG is hauled out of the water. Then the real fun begins - decommissioning the boat. That really makes winter a reality!
After several days of crappy weather, it turned beautiful last weekend and Fred & Bob(the Pukers) took the weekend to move our boats up to Portland for haul-out. The weather for sailing was perfect but the difference between a ketch of 11 tons and a sloop of 6 tons showed up dramatically. The wind was blowing up the Sound and Fred plotted a course to sail inside along the coast. Once out into the Sound at the mouth of the Thames, Fred & Thalia's sloop bounced over the waves while ABISHAG tried to plow through them. It meant that every wave slowed ABISHAG and it took time for her to build up and keep up speed. TAHKEELAHH is a Catalina 30 sloop simply pointed better than ABISHAG. A ketch just doesn't point with a sloop but would be better off the wind when she could use her Mizzen and Mizzen Staysail. Unfortunately it wasn't how we were sailing. It also didn't help that she pounded through the waves rather than ride over them. Then again, that is her design. She is build for heavy weather and rough water and her hull design deals well with it, very stable but it costs her speed. And going with no crew, I was not able to handle her as efficiently as I could have had I crew. So I eventually went to "the Iron Genoa" and motored to the mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook. Fred, Thalia and Bob had a great sail and we began motoring up the River toward Hamburg Cove.
It was an easy motor . . . except for the powerboats. It was amazing that so many of them were total ignorant or were completely disregarding the "rules of the road." Evidently the fact that a boat is LEGALLY responsible for ANY damage caused by their wake was completely foreign to them. While it was more of an annoyance to us, those who filled the river with canoes and kayaks were actually in danger of swamping and capsizing and those causing the wakes and waves paid no attention. I failed to photograph the most egregious. I suppose I should have but the idea only came late in the trip.
The trip up the river was very reminiscent of the trip on the ICW. Even "Bubba & Scooter", or at least their northern cousins were present. My visit to Hamburg Cove was a first for me. It is a beautiful spot but it was as crowded as a Walmart Parking Lot on Black Friday! Two raft-ups just behind us carried 8 boats on one and 14 on another. We arrived after dark and were lucky to snag a mooring for the two of us. Bob's wife, Livy, provided us with a gourmet treat of a Chateaubriand which was cooked on the grill. Thalia provided the equal compliments to it and we feasted and were stuffed. It was decided that the partiers that surrounded us, who made a lot of noise, were all younger than us and that the noise was a function of age. Thank goodness they ran out of gas and quieted down. I slept like a rock though I gather that for some reason, the others did not.
Sunday morning, watching the sun come up in the still waters of the Cove, was wonderful. It was something I have been doing for over a year now and, with the fact that I am now facing a winter, I really soaked it up.
We left about 10am and motored slowly up the river. We had the chance to experience tricking the bridge tender. At the East Haddem Swing Bridge, a bridge that opened on the half-hour, we probably wold not have made it as TAHKEELAHH was limited on her motoring speed. I was able to get close enough to the bridge to reqwuest and by waiting until the bridge was fully open and motoring through as slowly as I could, it allowed TAHKEELAHH to get close enough so that the tender left the bridge open and let her through. I participated in a few of those on the ICW.
We stopped for a late lunch of grilled marinated chicken and wine in a small creek and really sucked up the wonderful weather. We probably should have passed it or taken less time because by the time we got to Portland, it was dark. I never did like mooring in the dark but you have to do what you have to do.Thankfully, the dock master stuck around because there were boats other than our, who were behind us, and because we were all going on moorings in the dark. He also provided us with transport to shore after the boats were all secure. It was a great but sad trip for it was the last of the year.
Winter should happen in the next day or so, winter being when ABISHAG is hauled out of the water. Then the real fun begins - decommissioning the boat. That really makes winter a reality!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Foggy Thoughts
SHIP'S LOG:
I wish I could tell you something wonderful about the sailing in the last few days, but I can't. There wasn't any. Every morning has begun with fog and I mean "FOG!" Usually it isn't until about 10 in the morning that it lifts enough to see the shoreline and even then it is little more than a hazy outline. Before then, there is little more than a few feet around around the boat that one can see through and other than that it is like sitting in a light bulb. It usually goes away as I said by mid morning, only to begin to return toward the end of the day before then thicken over night. And amazingly, a surprising number of people come down, sit on the porch, drink wine, and watch it. Something like staring at a fire in a fireplace I suppose, a very relaxing. peaceful time.
The main topic for conversation right now among the members is "Where are you hauling for the winter?" It is interesting how people ask the question, in a sort of cautious manner as if they are looking for some sort of affirmation of their own winter hauling plans. Very few people it seems have absolute confidence that they have or are going to make the right choice. That includes people who have been going to the same yard for years. Of course it involves more than just the cost for the hauling, washing, storage and re-launch in the spring. It is important to some that they be able to do the work on their boats themselves. Others want to have the yards do it all and in both cases they want to know that the yards are OK with what they want. There is also the factor of how far the boat is not only from TYC but also how far it might be from where you live. If you are too far from your boat it makes decommissioning - taking off all the stuff and haul it home for the winter when you button her up - and re-commissioning - preparing the boat for relaunching - painting and the like - and hauling all the stuff back to the boat again from home. It seems as though no one feel completely comfortable with their decision and their choice. Sailors are such a pessimistic lot at times.
Well, the fog that faded away 20 minutes ago is back with a vengeance. NOAA is call for showers at noon, with thunderstorms likely, a least an 80% chance. In other words, who knows?
I wish I could tell you something wonderful about the sailing in the last few days, but I can't. There wasn't any. Every morning has begun with fog and I mean "FOG!" Usually it isn't until about 10 in the morning that it lifts enough to see the shoreline and even then it is little more than a hazy outline. Before then, there is little more than a few feet around around the boat that one can see through and other than that it is like sitting in a light bulb. It usually goes away as I said by mid morning, only to begin to return toward the end of the day before then thicken over night. And amazingly, a surprising number of people come down, sit on the porch, drink wine, and watch it. Something like staring at a fire in a fireplace I suppose, a very relaxing. peaceful time.
The main topic for conversation right now among the members is "Where are you hauling for the winter?" It is interesting how people ask the question, in a sort of cautious manner as if they are looking for some sort of affirmation of their own winter hauling plans. Very few people it seems have absolute confidence that they have or are going to make the right choice. That includes people who have been going to the same yard for years. Of course it involves more than just the cost for the hauling, washing, storage and re-launch in the spring. It is important to some that they be able to do the work on their boats themselves. Others want to have the yards do it all and in both cases they want to know that the yards are OK with what they want. There is also the factor of how far the boat is not only from TYC but also how far it might be from where you live. If you are too far from your boat it makes decommissioning - taking off all the stuff and haul it home for the winter when you button her up - and re-commissioning - preparing the boat for relaunching - painting and the like - and hauling all the stuff back to the boat again from home. It seems as though no one feel completely comfortable with their decision and their choice. Sailors are such a pessimistic lot at times.
Well, the fog that faded away 20 minutes ago is back with a vengeance. NOAA is call for showers at noon, with thunderstorms likely, a least an 80% chance. In other words, who knows?
Saturday, September 24, 2011
BLAH!
SHIP'S LOG:
The days have been crappy and it was a good time to get away . . . .and do some laundry. So I did. Other than that, ti has been a crappy couple of days. Crappy! Crappy! Crappy!As the season wind to a close, this time of years is usually among the best for sailing. The humidity is light, or it is supposed to be and most of the boaters are not boating so the area is clear of extraneous traffic. Even the number of fishermen is down as compared with the summer season. But so far, the weather has been less than ideal. It seems as though IRENE, while not the hurricane we were led to expect, some how blew through and took the good weather with her.I am hoping that it will turn around before I haul ABISHAG for the winter.
It looks as though Columbus Day Weekend will be the target for hauling out. Fred and a couple of others from TYC are making noises in that direction. The plan in general is to leave TYC in convoy on Saturday of that weekend and try to make it to Hamburg Cove on the Connecticut River. Preliminary info suggests that we would be battling the tide from TYC to Old Saybrook where we would enter the Connecticut River. Going as a group would probably go along way to insuring that the railroad bridge would go up for us when we approach. Usually it is hesitant to rise for just one craft, or at least that is my understanding. It doesn't run on schedule and so it is something like an ICW "open-on-request" bridge, except for the fact that it would rather open for more than one boat id feasible. Not having to hang around waiting for an opening would be helpful in reaching Hamburg Cove at a decent hour. There is a pretty good flow normally in the Connecticut River and it is currently still running high because of the rains from Irene and the following storms and this would make the trip up a slow slog as we can only move as fast as the slowest boat. I am hopeful that we will also be blessed with decent weather that weekend as well. Moving in crappy weather is always a drag. Though Fred and I can pretty much go anytime, the rest of fleet will be free-time dependent. working for a living does have its drawbacks!
I wish there was more to write but it is a grey day and I need the sun. Blah!
The days have been crappy and it was a good time to get away . . . .and do some laundry. So I did. Other than that, ti has been a crappy couple of days. Crappy! Crappy! Crappy!As the season wind to a close, this time of years is usually among the best for sailing. The humidity is light, or it is supposed to be and most of the boaters are not boating so the area is clear of extraneous traffic. Even the number of fishermen is down as compared with the summer season. But so far, the weather has been less than ideal. It seems as though IRENE, while not the hurricane we were led to expect, some how blew through and took the good weather with her.I am hoping that it will turn around before I haul ABISHAG for the winter.
It looks as though Columbus Day Weekend will be the target for hauling out. Fred and a couple of others from TYC are making noises in that direction. The plan in general is to leave TYC in convoy on Saturday of that weekend and try to make it to Hamburg Cove on the Connecticut River. Preliminary info suggests that we would be battling the tide from TYC to Old Saybrook where we would enter the Connecticut River. Going as a group would probably go along way to insuring that the railroad bridge would go up for us when we approach. Usually it is hesitant to rise for just one craft, or at least that is my understanding. It doesn't run on schedule and so it is something like an ICW "open-on-request" bridge, except for the fact that it would rather open for more than one boat id feasible. Not having to hang around waiting for an opening would be helpful in reaching Hamburg Cove at a decent hour. There is a pretty good flow normally in the Connecticut River and it is currently still running high because of the rains from Irene and the following storms and this would make the trip up a slow slog as we can only move as fast as the slowest boat. I am hopeful that we will also be blessed with decent weather that weekend as well. Moving in crappy weather is always a drag. Though Fred and I can pretty much go anytime, the rest of fleet will be free-time dependent. working for a living does have its drawbacks!
I wish there was more to write but it is a grey day and I need the sun. Blah!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Fun With Fog
SHIP'S LOG:
We have been promised, by the boys and girls at NOAA, 24 hours of rain free weather. It is a question of whether or not to believe 'em. I got hit with a short downpour last night. That,. along with a temperature shift, produced a real pea-souper this morning. I woke up the the honking of for horns both from buoys as well as boats. The fog does strange things to sound. It make sit difficult to gauge exactly where the sound is coming from. At times it muffles it and at others it funnels it, making even a stationary fog signal seem to grow louder and then softer even though it is not moving at all. This phenomenon can really raise havoc when the source of the fog signal IS moving such as when it is on a boat. There is a set time dictating how often you must sound your fog signal and for how long a duration. I must admit that it slips my mind just now. What can make it a bit confusing is that a sailboat under sail and a powerboat underway have different fog signals. In addition, boats at anchor also have fog signals that they must sound if they are anchored outside of a designated anchorage. Submarines have a fog signal which is silence! In the official Book of Signals,the sound signals used by submarines lists "_______" as the appropriate signal that is to be used by submarines transiting in the fog! If you are in a fog and don't hear anything, a submarine could be headed your way!
You can use just about anything to make "sounds" for a fog signal. Horns are the most obvious and the most frequently used, but you can also use bells, whistles, and goodness knows what else, including screaming, to warn off whatever and whoever may be bearing down on you through the fog. Of course most large vessels also depend on radar when navigating in the fog. This allows them "to see" whatever is in their way. Three things are necessary for it to be effective: 1.) it has to be switched on and be operating; 2.) someone has to be looking at the screen; 3.) the person looking at the screen has to understand what is being displayed on the screen. One only has to remember that the Andrea Doria sinking involved two ships in a fog with working radar. The local ferries around here don't want a similar incident on their records so even with the radars working, they blast away with their fog signals, not just at the scheduled times, but constantly. Being far out in the mooring field near to the riv er channel they traverse, the sound is enough to wake the dead and when two ferries are passing in opposite directions, the blasting increases and I wouldn't be surprised if it did wake the dead.
Well, it hasn't rained a drop so far, then again, there is no wind either. Hopefully this will change later in the day, the wind I mean not the rain.
We have been promised, by the boys and girls at NOAA, 24 hours of rain free weather. It is a question of whether or not to believe 'em. I got hit with a short downpour last night. That,. along with a temperature shift, produced a real pea-souper this morning. I woke up the the honking of for horns both from buoys as well as boats. The fog does strange things to sound. It make sit difficult to gauge exactly where the sound is coming from. At times it muffles it and at others it funnels it, making even a stationary fog signal seem to grow louder and then softer even though it is not moving at all. This phenomenon can really raise havoc when the source of the fog signal IS moving such as when it is on a boat. There is a set time dictating how often you must sound your fog signal and for how long a duration. I must admit that it slips my mind just now. What can make it a bit confusing is that a sailboat under sail and a powerboat underway have different fog signals. In addition, boats at anchor also have fog signals that they must sound if they are anchored outside of a designated anchorage. Submarines have a fog signal which is silence! In the official Book of Signals,the sound signals used by submarines lists "_______" as the appropriate signal that is to be used by submarines transiting in the fog! If you are in a fog and don't hear anything, a submarine could be headed your way!
You can use just about anything to make "sounds" for a fog signal. Horns are the most obvious and the most frequently used, but you can also use bells, whistles, and goodness knows what else, including screaming, to warn off whatever and whoever may be bearing down on you through the fog. Of course most large vessels also depend on radar when navigating in the fog. This allows them "to see" whatever is in their way. Three things are necessary for it to be effective: 1.) it has to be switched on and be operating; 2.) someone has to be looking at the screen; 3.) the person looking at the screen has to understand what is being displayed on the screen. One only has to remember that the Andrea Doria sinking involved two ships in a fog with working radar. The local ferries around here don't want a similar incident on their records so even with the radars working, they blast away with their fog signals, not just at the scheduled times, but constantly. Being far out in the mooring field near to the riv er channel they traverse, the sound is enough to wake the dead and when two ferries are passing in opposite directions, the blasting increases and I wouldn't be surprised if it did wake the dead.
Well, it hasn't rained a drop so far, then again, there is no wind either. Hopefully this will change later in the day, the wind I mean not the rain.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Ho Hum
SHIP'S LOG:
Though yesterday was a great sailing say, the rest of this week looks to be "not good." Rain and more rain, and clouds and coolness if not down right cold is the predicted forecast, though with NOAA you never really know for sure.
I wonder if something is up? There was a 688 that went out yesterday afternoon and another has just departed as I write this. I always feel more comfortable and at ease when they are coming in rather than when they are departing. True they have to leave eventually, can't stay tied up forever, but they are always frightening when they leave.
A couple of guys from the Millstone Power Plant in Niantic showed up today carrying a large bag of oysters. I had never seen them before and so I chatted them up. They said that they have monitoring sights all around the area to check for any radiation contamination from Millstone. Now that's a cheery thought! Evidently, they put the oysters in a cage and lower them into the water and every few months replace them with new one and analyze the old ones. And no, they don't eat them when they are done. I asked. I am happy they are doing it but it is something that also can cause one to become a bit ill-at-ease, especially since they don't release their finding to the public. Oysters Rockefeller anyone?
Though yesterday was a great sailing say, the rest of this week looks to be "not good." Rain and more rain, and clouds and coolness if not down right cold is the predicted forecast, though with NOAA you never really know for sure.
I wonder if something is up? There was a 688 that went out yesterday afternoon and another has just departed as I write this. I always feel more comfortable and at ease when they are coming in rather than when they are departing. True they have to leave eventually, can't stay tied up forever, but they are always frightening when they leave.
A couple of guys from the Millstone Power Plant in Niantic showed up today carrying a large bag of oysters. I had never seen them before and so I chatted them up. They said that they have monitoring sights all around the area to check for any radiation contamination from Millstone. Now that's a cheery thought! Evidently, they put the oysters in a cage and lower them into the water and every few months replace them with new one and analyze the old ones. And no, they don't eat them when they are done. I asked. I am happy they are doing it but it is something that also can cause one to become a bit ill-at-ease, especially since they don't release their finding to the public. Oysters Rockefeller anyone?
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Not Much Better Today Either!
SHIP'S LOG:
One thing you really notice when you are sailing in "a chill" is that when you are sailing upwind, close-hauled, that is into the prevailing wind, it can really get cold. That is probably why very old and very rich "yachtsmen" used to say that "Gentlemen never sail to weather!" This is very true when the weather in question gets below 70 degrees in temperature and and the wind gets over 20mph in speed.
It is an entirely different matter when you sail downwind though as you are moving with the wind. It can actually get bleeding warm. The only problem with going down wind is that the odds are very much in your favor that you will have to turn up wind at some point and with the "terrible onslaught of cold weather" it is not a lot of fun. It has caused me to begin a careful and exacting search for that cold weather gear that I stored on ABISHAG somewhere. Let's face it, I haven't needed it since January 3rd and I am not completely sure where I stored it. Obviously, it got put off in the corner of some locker or storage space when the need for it had faded away. Just where exactly is a matter to question. Equally obvious is the fact that piled on top of it wherever it happens to be is all sorts of warm weather items, along with tools, spares and whatever else was need in the warmth of summer, along with displaced items that got shunted around in preparation for the hurricane that never really showed up. At least the solid fuel heater is still attached to the bulkhead in the saloon, though where the charcoal ended up is a mystery.
The only real improvement over yesterday-&-night was the fact that the wind eventually died down to little more than a breezed. The "moose calls" and the singing wires disappeared, but the wind generator still whined though at a lower tone. It is a very good thing that it is mounted at the top of the Mizzen mast as the distance keeps the whined tolerable. Another boat here ahas a similar until though it is attached to a pole that is affixed to the deck. It creates a considerable racket, both from the whine and from the vibrations it transfers to the pole and thus to the deck. The boat owner's wife refuses to sail with it operating because she can't stand the sound.
Friday morning was the start of the Fall "Off Soundings Race." This fall, they will race from New London Ledge Light to Greenport Harbor on Long Island. On Saturday, they will do a round-the-buoys race in Gardiners Bay, and on Sunday will race back to New London. AS they jockied around at the start on Friday out by Ledge Light, in the midst of the blow, a sub chose that time to enter the Thames River. And with the Coasties in the zodiacs providing "protection to the sub, and the 500 yard safe zone around it, it made for a rather interesting start I am sure!
One thing you really notice when you are sailing in "a chill" is that when you are sailing upwind, close-hauled, that is into the prevailing wind, it can really get cold. That is probably why very old and very rich "yachtsmen" used to say that "Gentlemen never sail to weather!" This is very true when the weather in question gets below 70 degrees in temperature and and the wind gets over 20mph in speed.
It is an entirely different matter when you sail downwind though as you are moving with the wind. It can actually get bleeding warm. The only problem with going down wind is that the odds are very much in your favor that you will have to turn up wind at some point and with the "terrible onslaught of cold weather" it is not a lot of fun. It has caused me to begin a careful and exacting search for that cold weather gear that I stored on ABISHAG somewhere. Let's face it, I haven't needed it since January 3rd and I am not completely sure where I stored it. Obviously, it got put off in the corner of some locker or storage space when the need for it had faded away. Just where exactly is a matter to question. Equally obvious is the fact that piled on top of it wherever it happens to be is all sorts of warm weather items, along with tools, spares and whatever else was need in the warmth of summer, along with displaced items that got shunted around in preparation for the hurricane that never really showed up. At least the solid fuel heater is still attached to the bulkhead in the saloon, though where the charcoal ended up is a mystery.
The only real improvement over yesterday-&-night was the fact that the wind eventually died down to little more than a breezed. The "moose calls" and the singing wires disappeared, but the wind generator still whined though at a lower tone. It is a very good thing that it is mounted at the top of the Mizzen mast as the distance keeps the whined tolerable. Another boat here ahas a similar until though it is attached to a pole that is affixed to the deck. It creates a considerable racket, both from the whine and from the vibrations it transfers to the pole and thus to the deck. The boat owner's wife refuses to sail with it operating because she can't stand the sound.
Friday morning was the start of the Fall "Off Soundings Race." This fall, they will race from New London Ledge Light to Greenport Harbor on Long Island. On Saturday, they will do a round-the-buoys race in Gardiners Bay, and on Sunday will race back to New London. AS they jockied around at the start on Friday out by Ledge Light, in the midst of the blow, a sub chose that time to enter the Thames River. And with the Coasties in the zodiacs providing "protection to the sub, and the 500 yard safe zone around it, it made for a rather interesting start I am sure!
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