Two and a half weeks have passed since the last blog entry. In that time we've completed the boat projects we'd planned to undertake and a couple we hadn't planned on. We've taken some time to visit our younger daughter and her family in NH and also Sandra's mother and sister in Massachusetts. We've completed the provisioning and set up the boat for a crew of three instead of two, since our daughter Jenn will be joining us for the trip north.
As our departure date approaches, we review the weather predictions for the coastal areas we'll pass through as we head first up to Block Island. We've reviewed the charts and marked out our course. One issue is yet to be resolved. We'll hope to make it to Block Island with three days and two nights of travel in the ocean. However, we'll need some help from Mother Nature for that to work in the form of a favorable current and/or wind in the right direction to help us move quickly. We'll want to arrive in daylight. If that's not possible, we can always slow down a bit to arrive after a third night at sea. Not our choice, but we'll opt for that in lieu of arriving in the dark.
Some cruisers we've met would never undertake this trip, since it involves overnights in the ocean. Others would have it no other way. They like sailing out beyond the sight of land where there's no issue with shallow water, and they are more likely to get plenty of wind. We fall somewhere in between the two extremes. We prefer to anchor at night to allow for a good night's sleep. We travel in the ocean overnight when the other option just takes too many days. Of course, we won't go out there with strong winds or large waves predicted. Under those circumstances, we'll either wait it out or take the longer coastal route with day trips. So far the weather forecasts are within tolerable limits, so we're still planning to leave as scheduled. With this particular trip, we also benefit from our daughter's presence. With three on board, we'll get a bit more sleep between watches.
Some may ask at this point, “Why not skip all this extra work and time and just drive up there?” There are several reasons for this decision. First, life is meant to be an adventure. Where's the adventure in driving up to New England? Perhaps a bit scary on the highway at times, but not the adventure we hope for. Second, we plan to spend the whole summer up there visiting as well as cruising around some absolutely beautiful coastline. We get to see parts of the country unavailable to most. And if we see some whales, seals or dolphins along with large fish jumping, as we have in past trips up there, well that's just a bonus.
Captain Bob
Carpe Diem
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