Hair raisers

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Arrivals and Departures 2/9 -2/12

Good things come to those who wait, and boy we’ve been waiting… 3 weeks here before boats we’d been expecting, found their way to Elizabeth Harbour.  Since most boats prefer to travel in fair winds and relatively calm seas, you can usually predict the days when lots of boats will enter the harbor. Polar Pacer, Celise/Spirit and Seabiscuit all arrived from various parts. We bid farewell to One White Tree who chose a near perfect day to continue their travels south- one year from now they plan to be in Panama.

The predicted cold front arrived over Sat and Sunday bringing the requisite 20kt winds and barely 70 degrees on Sunday. Great days to hang out the wash though. Classic cold front behavior; wind movement east to south to southwest then a quick swing north to northeast.  Suddenly, the Sand Dollar anchorage was filling up, but by late Monday many boats had moved close to the action off Volley Ball Beach.

Boats at VolleyBall BeachELVIS, a Gunboat

Crowded anchorages and windy conditions are perfect ingredients for “accident pie.”  The gusty Sunday wind pulled a trawler off its mooring and with no one on board the mad scramble to get it under control was thrilling to listen to. Fortunately, the keys were in the ignition and the guys who climbed aboard were able to get the boat anchored without any mishap.

While closer to home we had a front row seat as a tender got loose and began a rapid drift through the anchorage. Russ called a warning and a Good Samaritan dashed out in his dinghy, snagged it and tied it back up to its master which it just happened to be floating past. Based on 3 weeks’ worth of neighbor knowledge and the direction from which the terrible tender came, I made the following prediction: the couple on Boat 1 went to visit Boat 2 for the evening and Boat 1s’ tender got loose, the wind blowing it (by pure luck) back past Boat 1 where it was corralled and tied up to Boat 1 (a good reason to have “T/T Your Boat Name” on your tender). The owner did not respond to the warning call and subsequent call between Russ and rescuer because Boat 2 had the radio off so the couple could enjoy the evening. With nearly 300 boats in the harbor VHF 68, the hailing channel in GT, can be busy, busy. So, when Boat 1 gets ready to depart and sees their tender missing, they’d put out a call on VHF 68. Those of us who knew the scoop would re-assure them and their hosts would simply take them back home- a distance of 4 boat lengths.

Turns out I called that one except it got even more interesting when the older couple in Boat 3, anchored behind Boat 1 got worried that Boat 1 people weren’t home yet and where were they? Oh gosh but isn’t it comforting to know that people watch out for each other? Just before Boat 3 had a coronary, the folk from Boat 1 got on the radio, said they were on their way back in Boat 2’s tender. We were enjoying Mexican Train Dominoes with Polar Pacer, further enhanced by the daring dinghy adventures. In the middle of this, another boat calls out that their dinghy went missing and gee, it’s pitch black and the wind blowing 20kts- and oh BTW they are on near the outer edge and with tender gone at least an hour it’s got to be all the way across the harbor and into who knows where. Yes, we are easily amused. Tender was retrieved the next day.

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Weather Gods, & “Rabbit”

Dutch Island Harbor

The beautiful weather for our trip to Rhode Island, owed us by the fickle weather gods and goddesses, materialized only a day late.  Sails up and averaging 5.5kts, engines rumbling only 20% of the trip; not bad.
My pre-departure poem: Wind in my face, Sun at my back, My only hope is, We don’t have to tack!
Silly girl, that is not generally a sailor’s wish come true. Happy to report though that our one tack was a very long one on Saturday. Just past Watch Hill, RI we headed toward and just past the tip of Block then headed NNW through Rhode Island Sound and into West Passage.
Our anchorage stops at Fisher’s Island, NY and Dutch Island harbor in RI (behind Jamestown) could not have been more inviting, calm or picturesque. Dutch Island contained the crumbled remains of granite, cement and brick buildings dating back to 1825 when the federal government acquired 6 acres at the southern end of the island. In 1827, Dutch Island Light was established to mark the west passage of Narragansett Bay and to aid vessels entering Dutch Island Harbor. The first 30-foot tower was built of stones found on the island. A new 42-foot brick tower was constructed in 1857 with a fog bell added in 1878. During the American Civil War the island was used by the 14th Rhode Island Heavy Artillery.  This same time period saw the creation of the first earth work defenses on the Island, and sporadic construction continued on the island after the Civil War ended. Following the Civil War, gun batteries were placed on Dutch Island, and by the late 19th century the defensive works had grown to become Fort Greble. Construction was spurred by the Spanish-American War, which included tunnels and gun emplacements, and the fort was enlarged until 1902. The fort was home to as many as 495 soldiers during World War I, but was later abandoned. During World Wars I and II, Fort Greble was actively used as a German prisoner-of-war camp. The fort was active till the mid-1920s as part of the Narragansett Bay Coastal Defenses, and discontinued from service in 1947. Some island history, for those curious as we were.

Benj skipping stones

Summer Fun

By far though, the best find came when we landed Bunting. (I really dislike always saying “dinghy” and I despise “dink”) The entire beach area around the island is comprised of palm-sized, very thin stones, absolutely perfect for skimming. Better ones we’ve never seen in such abundance.  An entire beach filled with nothing but, except for a few small shells and larger versions of the perfect skimmers. The guys were in their glory and even I had success my first try

Entering the Bullock Cove channel was exciting- more for the onlookers than us. The daggerboards (often referred to as centerboards by monohullers) came in handy when they told us with a thud, that we’d found the edge of the channel, well inside the first red buoy. Oh you mean the one that goes aground at low tide? Yep. To add to the excitement, the sailboat who allowed us no room, moved slowly past us as we tried to back up into deeper water. Could you get out of our way? Are you aground? Well, hell yes thanks to you! A powerboat was bearing down on us and kayakers were off to starboard.  Benj and I were engrossed in attaching lines and fenders on the port side and saw nothing. The thud happened when I had my head between the life lines; luckily it wasn’t a big jolt:  I knew what happened, but Benj wondered if “we hit” meant the kayakers. Phew- no.

Monday August 1 we were hauled out- our first time. We wisely recited various good luck incantations and were calmed by the marina’s obvious competence.