Nothing like the smell of ozone in the morning         15^th August 2012

To be completely correct, I awoke to the smell of coffee.  It was raining and Mike advised me that we had just missed a thunderstorm that moved off to the north.  As I was finishing my first cup of coffee, I noticed that the skies were darkening.  Shortly thereafter it began to rain and the wind picked up.  Mike jumped out of the cabin and looked around.  He announced those words that strike fear into the heart of boaters “ We are dragging!”  He raced back into the cabin threw on his raincoat (yes, not foul weather gear) and ran to the foredeck.  More chain rattled out as the visibility reduced to a couple hundred feet.  Mike returned to the cabin standing at the top of the companionway peering out into the storm.  I was trying to count the time between the lightning and the thunder but there were so many flashes that it wasn’t possible.  Finally the storm began to abate and Mike announced that he was pretty sure the anchor was holding. 

Now in my view, that was more excitement than anyone should have before breakfast.  Some (mostly me) would decide to sit tight and see what the weather might do but… After breakfast off we set to Cuttyhunk.  As we raised the anchor the wind was from the north.  As soon as we turned toward the East to make for Cuttyhunk, the wind magically went east as well.  The seas were fairly bumpy and finally we remembered that putting up the main could help reduce that nasty rolling.  Two hours of motoring put us most of the way to our destination.  Finally the wind went more southeast and we had a nice hour and a half of sailing.  We anchored outside of the ‘pond’ and took a little dinghy ride to shore.  We managed to acquire some fruit in the last 5 minutes that the shop was open.  After a little walk, we returned to the dinghy dock, chatted to a really nice guy from west Texas who keeps a boat in New England.  This was “Sparky” a beautiful, blue Hinckley—is there any other kind?  

As I’ve been writing I’ve heard some rumblings of thunder and now… I hear the patter of the rain….  

Gloria

At the height of the storm 3rd beach Newport