Cuttyhunk

  

Cuttyhunk

Friday August 7^th, 2020

We are out of practice trying to assimilate weather forecasts, tide and current tables and the key features of harbors. We wanted to go to Cuttyhunk but the outer harbor has no protection from the east / north-east and that’s exactly where the wind is forecast to blow from in the next day or two. It took us a while to figure out our options … sail to Cuttyhunk and if we can get a mooring in the inner harbor stay there; if there are no moorings available, sail on to Clark’s cove on the north of Buzzards Bay or to Hadley Harbor near Woods Hole, both of which should be well sheltered.

 

We were up early and left Fogland at ~ 7am, motor-sailing south to the entrance of the Sakonnet River. We had coffee before leaving, but planned to have breakfast on route, but this was mistake because with an empty stomach Gloria was already feeling a bit seasick by the time we got to the open ocean, even though the seas were pretty calm. The sky was grey and with light winds from the east and we actually put on our foul weather jackets because of showers. We continued to motor-sail eastwards towards Cuttyhunk and it took us 4 hours to reach our destination. The moorings in the inner harbor are first-come first-served and we were delighted to find that there were some available – so that’s where we are this evening (and tomorrow). It’s a pretty cool place; the inner harbor is entered via a narrow channel and the pool inside is completely protected from swell. The moorings are incredibly tight, you feel like you could jump to the boat behind and you can definitely hear the people talking on the boats around. Gloria and I had different reactions to this – to me it felt good to be amongst people whilst still being safely distanced, but Gloria would prefer the other boats to be a few hundred yards away! Gloria felt much better after a fine brunch and we had a lovely walk around the island this afternoon and will explore some more tomorrow.

 

Mike

 

N 41 25.525, W 70 55.468

Sakonnet Lighthouse

Hibiscus flower and pollen

Bumble bee covered in pollen

Hibiscus petal on lichen covered plank