8/7/20

 Here's a collage of photos going northeast from Block Island......

Cuttyhunk

We walked with Ryan and Jax to the top of Cuttyhunk.  This is looking down at the anchorage.

Delos (on the left) at sunset at Cuttyhunk.

Persephone and Zinzi sail off from Cuttyhunk towards Woods Hole.

From the Ragged Islands, Bahamas to Hadley Harbor, Woods Hole, MA - (left to right - Avalon, Persephone, Delos, Zinzi and Keelin' It.

Charli and I go for a kayak at Hadley Harbor.  These small bridges connecting the islands have lots of current!  We never made it through though it was fun trying.

A perfect New England scene with the traditional sailboat in Hadley Harbor.  There is a gray-bearded gentleman sitting in the cockpit of the boat reading his newspaper.

The next morning we watch as Avalon (55' catamaran) zips by Zinzi.  He must be sailing at 10 knots!

Next stop Vineyard Haven Harbor on Martha's Vineyard....

Lots of fancy old boats here at Vineyard Haven Harbor.  Check out the varnish!

There's a famous wooden boat restoration place right here in Vineyard Haven Harbor - Gannon & Benjamin.  The harbor has many examples of their fine work at anchor.

From Vineyard Haven Harbor it's a short sail over to Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard.  We sailed past Edgartown and hundreds of boats on moorings to Katama Bay.

 We found a spot to anchor nestled in a small boat mooring area.  No other sailboats here.

 

We took the dinghy south to a strip of land that connects Martha's Vineyard to Chappaquiddick Island.  A beautiful place to walk the beach and look out at the ocean.

From Katama Bay we sailed to Nantucket.  Jerry had the fishing line out on the way and he caught a bluefish.  We shared the bluefish with Ryan from Zinzi and Charli and Andy from Avalon when we arrived.  Bluefish for hors d'oeuvres and homemade pizza for dinner!

The streets are brick and cobblestone in downtown Nantucket.  Here's a picture of the waterfront not far from the grocery store.  We wander around town, past the shops and tourists, and find historic and New England architecture.

And a beautiful sunset of the Brant Point Lighthouse, Nantucket taken from the anchorage.

As always, we have our eyes and ears tuned to the weather.  After watching Isaias turn into a Cat 1 hurricane with a path towards Nantucket we had to actually make a decision as to where we were going.  That choice was made when we arranged to buy new anchor chain from a sailor on Long Island and we got a call from Vince at Hideaway Marina saying that we could haul the boat there.  One overnight under a beautiful moon we made our way from Nantucket to Mt. Sinai Harbor to pick up our new anchor chain.  It's hard to capture the feeling in a photo of sailing along with the moon reflecting on the water the stars overhead no traffic no people.  Heavenly...

 After picking up the anchor chain we positioned ourselves in Manhasset Bay to head for the East River with a favorable current.

Here we approach Throgs Head Bridge at the north end of the East River.

A classic boat heads north under the Hell Gate bridge.  Some sailors may think it was named Hell Gate due to swift current that makes navigation difficult if not timed right.  But it is from a Dutch word, Hellegat, meaning either bright strait or clear opening.

Interesting architecture along the way.

South Street Seaport I believe.  We watched the news the next day and they were putting up barriers for the possible effects of Isaias.

We turned north at the end of the East River to head up the Hudson River.

Another interesting project we've been watching construction of over the years on the Hudson River.  It's going to be a park.  Here's a link for more info. https://newyorkyimby.com/2020/06/landscaping-work-continues-on-thomas-heatherwicks-little-island-at-pier-55-in-chelsea.html And another project by the same designer just north of the pods....

https://www.hudsonyardsnewyork.com/discover/vessel

When we were in Nantucket on Friday Isaias was forecast to come through Nantucket.  As we headed up the Hudson River the forecast changed - Isaias would be heading further west impacting the Hudson River.  It's following us!  We decided not to stop and anchor for the night but to push on to Kingston, NY where we'd be further north away from Isaias.

Another beautiful moon-lit night to travel.  With the radar, chartplotter, good binoculars and moon it was easy to make our way north up the Hudson.  The surface of the water was lit up!  We only passed one tug and barge the entire night with our passage ending at 2 am when we arrived in Kingston.

Isaias was a non-event for us here in Kingston with gusts up to 20 maybe 25 at the most.  Lots of rain but no flooding.  Now, let the projects begin!

Jerry is drilling out the rivets that hold the boom bracket onto the mast.  It was loose so we've ordered new parts.  Just one of the tasks on the list.  So, that's it for now!  If you have any recommendations for long-lasting, growth inhibiting hard bottom paint let us know!