We left Marion Thursday morning with a fully functioning engine. (Thank you to all who helped) It was definitely a team effort that peaked on Wednesday night when it ran for a full 3 hrs and 15 minutes...a new record. We didn't get out of Marion until the bright and early crack of 11am. I know...we are truly hard core sailors. Motoring was going to happen all day and we didn't want to overdo it so around 2:30 with the sun shining brightly we started looking for a place to put in for the night. That's when things got a little worrisome because the fog rolled in. In reading about our chosen port we found that visibility was an important thing when coming in (is it ever not?) but we figured we would be okay. As we got closer we passed a few rocks named "The Hen and Chickens" and noticed a very thin rock sticking straight up which turned out to be a mast. That's when things got scary.
We found the buoy we needed and began to turn into the channel. The fog kept coming in. Greg had mastered our handheld GPS and had setup "waypoints" to head for. Sean was looking at charts and coming above to find visible markers and I was at the tiller clueless to where we were going or what was around. I knew we were close to shore and that I couldn't see a thing.
Buoys continued to come out of nowhere and I was assured "We knew it would be there...we're doing ok." As we were nearing a green buoy (keep to left when entering channels) I finally saw the beach on my right. We also saw a red buoy to our right which would be our next point to head for and THE buoy that was going to get us through this narrow channel. Then the buoy disappeared. That's when things got downright terrifying. We were hanging on by a thread when a horn came at us from behind. Looking back we saw a little fishing boat storming past us. Sean immediatly hailed him on the radio and asked (suprisingly calmly I thought) if we could follow him in. "No problem" he said. "It can be a little tricky." Understatement of the year we thought.
Following him in made a treacherous channel seem like a Sunday afternoon walk in the park. There were mooring balls aplenty and we were feeling good. Upon choosing a mooring ball I promptly ran us aground...again. It was just after high tide so we had to wait 10 hours till 3:40am for the next high tide and a chance to remove ourselves from the bottom. When the time came we were able to pull ourselves off without a hitch. This morning we headed into choppy seas and arrived around 2 this afternoon in Newport,RI. Yachting capital of the Northeast. It's lovely. Tomorrow we head for Mystic or New London, CT and from there we'll head to Greenwich. The adventure continues...and as you've read it is definitely a continual adventure.
-david
11 comments:
I've been biting my nails and scrolling down the blog...hard to do at the same time! Glad to read that you're making headway (is that nautical??)
Each time I check in I start hearing in my brain:
"Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night/Sailed off in a wooden shoe/Sailed on a river of crystal light/Into a sea of dew./'Where are you going and what do you wish?' the old moon asked the 3/We've come to fish for the herring fish/That live in this beautiful sea/Nets of silver and gold have we/Said Wynken, Blynken, and Nod."
Anyhow, it has a happy ending and clear sailing, and that is my wish for all of you.
Keep up the edge-of-the-seat (and seat-of-the-pants) journalism!
Loie
hang in there team.
Good work guys, I am so glad you are so nautically inclined with keeping the red lights on the right, but I don't think you are suppose to park on the ground so much. Look forward to the next tale.
What a great story....And I recognize the bacon!!! Looks like a yummy and fun meal!!! Glad to hear that things are going smoothly and the blips are minor...As you continue the journey enjoy the memories and have fun...Love, Mother Meikle
How are three young men on a grounded boat like a kid with the flu? As parents, while we feel bad for our kids' discomfort, we don't have to watch them so closely knowing they won't be getting into any serious trouble for awhile! So thanks for all you do to help us sleep better. You guys are great!
Forget about the 50 degree December weather you are enjoying, here's two songs to get you guys in the holiday spirit:
On the twelfth day of Sailing South, the Moxie crew sent to me twelve gleaming mooring balls, eleven cheers for the diesel motor, ten paragraphs from Greg, nine thank yous to Pete, Raph, and Jim, eight hot bowls of chowder plus Meikle and Jay, a (forty) seven foot Coast Guard boat, six minutes of Dave a-laying off the stern while Greg hung tightly to his pants, a tale of a 5 knot Merrimack current, 4 x 10 hours of nightmare, a picture of three salty seamen, news of two crazy days of preparation, and an itinerary to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
and...
I saw Sean kissing the diesel motor
underneath the stars last night.
He didn’t see me creep
down the hatch to have a peep;
He thought that I was tucked
in tight with Greg and Dave asleep.
Then, I saw Sean tickle the diesel motor
underneath its intake manifold
Oh, what a laugh it would have been
If Debi had only seen
Sean kissing the diesel motor last night.
Hey David and guys. Thanks for the fascinating updates on your adventure. It's the talk of the church!
Hi David - the boat should be floating we think. Right? They don't do very well on the ground. You need to get get where the water is deeper! And get where you're going. Where are you going? Love, Grace (and Ruth)
My aunt Sally is right; you really do have a calling to be a writer.
Thank you for the saga.
That meal looks better than what I had for breakfast this morning!! Glad to see the huge smiles and scruffy beards. Love, Debi (great songs, Oliver)
Way to go boys! Great updates!
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