fetchinketch

Time: 21:30 local
Lat: 37 32.4N
Log: 76 20.2 W

I wish I had something exciting to report, but not so much.  Since my last posting we alternated between motoring and sailing as the wind allowed, and cleared our way under the bridge part of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.  We are now officially in the Chesapeake Bay.  Anchored on the western shore, in Virginia in a quiet, little back water of the Piankatank River called Fishing Bay.

If the weather forecasts are to be believed, we are in for a day of steady rain for most of the day tomorrow, so our plan is likely to just hunker down here and wait for that to pass before we start to work our way further north in the bay toward Annapolis.

Time: 14:35 local
Lat: 38 16.0N
Log: 74 34.5 W
Distance from Newport: 244NM
Distance to Chesapeake Bay Entrance: 98NM

Another beautiful day on the ocean, except about mid morning we lost our wind. Since we were trolling fishing lines through fishy looking water, we fired up the engine and kept the boat moving.

Now, there are many strategies to getting fish to bite. I elected to employ one of the classic ones. I put my head down for a nap. Moments later, one of the fishing reels was screaming as a fish pulled line off in his best effort to get away. Five minutes later we had a nice bonito in the boat.

Back underway, and Karen spotted a small shark swimming alongside the boat. Between sharks, tuna, and dolphin we’ve had a steady stream of entertainment this trip.

Time: 14:20 local
Lat: 39 42.7N
Log: 73 03.9W
Distance from Newport: 132NM
Distance to Chesapeake Bay Entrance: 211NM

A quiet and gentle sail so far. Not real fast, not real slow. The weather continues to be cooperative. The biggest challenge was weaving through the crowded commercial fishing fleet over the Hudson Canyon.

The only possible complaint: it’s a bit chilly.

We should be pulling into the Chesapeake Bay midday on Sunday, if everything continues as forecast.

We had earlier hoped that we would get further north than here, but it looks like it is not to be this season.  I have been watching for a weather window for the first leg of our southerly migration for the winter.

Unfortunately, the prevailing winds on the east coast are from the south, making a trip in that direction a bit of a challenge for a sailboat.  I have been watching the weather for the past couple days looking for a window where it will be more conducive to a sail A front is moving through right now, and behind it the winds clock around to the northeast and then the east for a few days.

We’ll be out of Newport Harbor first thing tomorrow morning after putting the dinghy away, and filling the water tank.

Our destination is the central Chesapeake Bay, but we have two ways of getting there.  We could turn right at the southern end of New Jersey, head up the Delaware River, and cut through the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.  That would start our cruise in the northern reaches of the bay.

Alternatively, we could further continue south, and enter the main entrance of the bay and work our way north. There is no over-riding reason to chose one route over the other, so it will depend on the state of the wind and tide as we approach.  Right now, based on the forecasts, I am expecting the southern route.

Yesterday, we had a delightful social day.  We meet with Nate Hathaway for lunch, a former associate of mine from when I was teaching sailing on the west coast.  He is now working on a W-class raceboat (http://www.w-class.com) that is having work done here before she heads down to the Caribbean for the winter. Another chance for us to wander around Newport Shipyard and see the most amazing superyachts on the planet.

While we were waiting for Nate, we watched while a crane pulled the mast out of Topaz, the newest of the huge and beautiful J-Class boats. http://www.hoekdesign.com/yacht/j8-topaz

This is a picture of me standing nest to the mast step of an aluminum stick that is every bit of 200 feet tall. No, you can’t see the other end of it in this picture, it goes on forever!

Karen also go a picture of Nate and I in the cockpit of Wild Horses, the truly beautiful traditional racing boat that Nate works on these days.  That laminated wood steering wheel is just a work of art unto itself.

In the later afternoon we took our dinghy over to Harbor House and met Miles and Carol for drinks.  They also own an Amel Super Maramu just like Harmonie, but a little newer.  Delightful people, and drinks with the most awesome view of Narragansett Bay possible.

We stopped in downtown Newport for dinner where we shared a huge bucket of steamer clams and a lobster pizza.  It was really tasty and quite an attractive meal.

Just one problem…  sometime in the middle of the night Karen got out of bed and spent the next few hours with all the ugliest symptoms of food poisoning.  Which is totally strange, because I was fine, and all day we had eaten exactly the same things!  I think it was that third clam from the left.  He looked a  little dicey…. Fortunately, by the morning she was better.

While she recovered from her sleep deprived night, I walked to  he hardware store and got a tool I needed to fix the watermaker.  Since that repair was successful, today counts as a slow, but productive day.

After a leisurely afternoon sail down Narragansett Bay, and we are now set up on a mooring in Newport Harbor.  Sitting on Mooring Number 1, with a front row seat for the superyachts.  It’s a fun place to be.

Suddenly our social calendar is filling up! We have drinks at the New York Yacht Club tomorrow afternoon with a fellow Amel owner, having someone over to visit who is in the process of buying a new-to-them Amel, and hoping to connect with a west coast sailing friend who is here locally working on a yacht.

All that and get a shopping trip and laundry run fit in too!

Right not it looks like we have run out of time for traveling further north, so we will be heading south to the Chesapeake Bay once we finish up here.

Windy, but not too bad.  Not too much rain–yet–either.

Winds this afternoon have been 25 gusting to the low 30’s.  If we were back in San Francisco Bay, it would be just a good windy afternoon for sailing.  We’ll likely be settled in here for a few days waiting for this to, errrr, “blow over.”  Wednesday afternoon, or Thursday morning will have us underway again.

One of the few things to have frustrated me about Harmonie’s set up has been the dodger.  The canvas hood that screens the cockpit from wind and spray.  That it does very well, and we are thankful for it.  The problem is that is also completely screens the sails from view of the person sitting at the helm.  I am enough of an old-fashioned sailor that I really feel I need to be able to see my sails to do a good job of sailing the boat.

So one of the projects on our project board for a while has been “adding a window to the dodger”.  Today we got it started–and finished. I keep a sewing machine on the boat for just such projects, and this one went off without a hitch.  In nicer weather, we might have spread out on deck for this project, but that wasn’t an option today so the main saloon was our workspace.  There is one seam I wish was straighter, but except for that, it is a job I’d have been happy paying for.

It came out awesomely, if I say so myself!  Now I can trim sails from the comfort of the helm seat without stretching my neck, or needing help.

A breezy day, but one that we would categorize as a great sailing day rather than anything scary.  Monday morning is supposed to be when our roughest weather starts.  Local forecasts are for steady winds of 20 to 28 knots, with gusts possibly as high as 45.  Actually, not all that bad–assuming the forecast is close to accurate.

Tuesday looks rainy and windy again, but for now the forecast is for things to clear out on Wednesday.  When hopefully we can get back underway!