Observer

May 29     Rain!  Arrrghhh!  Hung around the boat, getting things done.  Took Millie for a long walk, got wet, but got some much needed exercise.  All's good! May 30    I woke up about 4 am to the sound of rain pelting on the cabin roof.  No surprise there! Rain streaming down the window screens When we finally got up a few hours later, the rain had subsided, but the skies were overcast and Tim had to put the heat on to warm up the main cabin. After breakfast, we walked about ½ mile to the Enterprise car rental office and got a nice Nissan SUV to take up to West Point Military Academy for a tour.  The drive was only about 25 minutes, but we missed the next tour by literally seconds.  So we hung around for another 45 minutes until the next tour began, and was it worth the wait!  Our tour guide, Molly, was as informative and entertaining as any tour guide we have ever experienced.  Air Assault Cadets West Point is quite impressive, both in size and significance.

Finally...full on sun! This morning, the sun was out for the first time since we left home. Today, we are going to officially begin the Great Loop when we hit the Hudson River at the Battery in New York City. Our plan is to head for the Hudson via the East River.  Having never traversed this area, we had spent a good deal of time plotting our way and reading up on recommendations and warnings.  We elected to shoot for reaching Hell Gate (I know, right?) at slack tide about 1:00 pm. For those that don't know, Hell Gate is a very narrow section of the East River leading into Manhattan that is subject to very strong currents.   After sorting out a little issue with the autopilot and chart plotter (they basically decided to go on hiatus as we were leaving Stamford), we were on our way.  The sun was out and we had following seas / wind / current.  Being Sunday, commercial traffic was pretty light in the East River when we arrived.  The tugs and barges we did encounter w

   Sunrise Blue sky! This is the most blue sky we saw today (and since we left)! Leaving Old Saybrook Sunrise brought more cloudy skies, but as the morning wore on, the skies made an effort to clear. Again, we got an 8:30 start, but our day today was going to be much longer than yesterday as we were heading to Stamford, 55+ miles away.  The cruise proved to be uneventful with NW winds at 10 knots and the current in our favor.  We arrived seven hours later at 3:30 and chose Brewer Yacht Haven as our marina for the night.  Again we were greeted at our slip with very helpful staff who secured the boat, hooked up power and water, patted Millie, and invited us to the annual Memorial Day bbq that evening.  This welcoming demeanor extended to everyone we met on the docks with many people stopping by the boat to say hello and make sure we knew about the bbq. The bbq was fabulous!  We were invited to join Harvey and Alice and enjoyed wonderful camaraderie, a gre

This morning we woke up to, yet again, dismal weather.  A check of the marine forecast called for NW winds 15 knots with seas two to three feet and being hardy New England folk, we decided to make a run for it.  After all, if it proved too rough, we could always turn around and come back. At 8:00, I popped some Dramamine and 8:30 we set out to test its’ effectiveness.  Coming out of Montauk, we were greeted at the entrance to Long Island Sound with some pretty rough conditions.  We bounced and bobbed across the Sound, fortunately going with the current, and reached the other side in an hour and a half.  By the by, Dramamine works! We had originally plotted a final destination of Essex, CT, a bit up river from the Sound.  On our way there, we spotted what looked to be a beautiful marina with much easier access for our departure the next day.  We gave them a call and they welcomed us right in.  I would highly recommend this marina to anyone travelling Long Island Sound.  The Sayb

We woke up today to, you guessed it, rain and cold temperatures, but for the first time, there were howling winds as well. (Whatever happened to "red sky at night, sailor's delight?")   We had been keeping an eye on the forecast, so this did not come as a surprise. We had pretty much determined yesterday that we were going to stay put, unless there was a dramatic change in the weather.   It's a wonderful thing not to be on a schedule! The day was spent getting things done.  I spent the better part of the day trying to access the marina'a internet on the boat so I could catch up on this blog.  I finally succumbed to the frustration and slogged my way to the marina office to ask if there was a quiet place I could hunker down with a stronger signal.  They were wonderful and found a place for me in a back office.  In between, I did 2 loads of laundry as both Tim and I are pretty much out of all our cold weather clothes and everything was wet, anyway. Tim puttered

This morning’s ritual followed the one yesterday.  Up early, greeted by cold and rain, Tim took Millie ashore and I made coffee.  Then it was time to leave the mooring at 7:30 and head out with a destination of Montauk, New York.   Again, the seas were relatively calm and we made good time, arriving in Montauk at 2:30.  The weather also cooperated (somewhat) and, while still rather chilly, it has stopped raining.  We researched various marinas in the area and chose one that was reviewed as being dog friendly.  We are currently tied up to the main dock at Montauk Marine Basin and will be here at least through tonight and quite possibly tomorrow night as well as the weather is purported to be quite snotty tomorrow with heavy rain and winds gusting to 40 mph.   After we arrived and secured Observer, I walked Millie and Tim got some much needed exercise by riding his bike out to the Montauk Point Lighthouse, the oldest light house in New York. We had dinner at a restauran

This morning dawned gray and cold, but the forecast was favorable so, after the morning ritual of walking Millie and making coffee, we left our mooring at 8:30 and headed back out to sea.  We originally planned to make the push to Newport, but after 7 hours on the water, we decided to duck into Cuttyhunk and enjoy what was turning out to be a pretty decent afternoon.  We have been to Cuttyhunk a few times before during the summer months, but today found us the only one on a town mooring and there wasn’t a boat in any of the slips.  The only other boats in the harbor were two on private moorings and a trawler who came in late afternoon who was anchored on the far side of the harbor.  We basically had the whole place to ourselves. As the sun was out and it felt warmer than the 55 degree temperature,  we took the dinghy over to the beach to let Millie go swimming before heading over to the dock to go for a walk around “town.”  Cuttyhunk is tiny and, like the harbor, the island was

                                                      Happy birthday to me! On our way down the river about to pass our house Despite the cold and rain, nothing could dampen our spirits today!  We managed to get ourselves (fairly) organized and left our dock in Danversport at 10:30 determined to make it to Scituate.   It's hard to tell, but this is the Black Dog (notice the flag) Schooner Alabama out of Vineyard Haven, MA  Lots of rain, but relatively calm seas While the rain gave our windshield wipers a workout, the wind and seas were relatively calm and we made good time, arriving in Scituate at 2:30, cold and wet, but triumphant that we are on our way!  After trying to hail the marina for a slip and getting no answer on the radio, I tried calling them on the phone.  Still no answer.  We resorted to radioing “Easy Rider” for a mooring and he (Tyler) came right out on the launch and escorted us to a mooring close to the town dock.  Turns out, Tyler grew u

Millie recuperating from surgery with her "comfy cone" on. We are two weeks away from departure and Millie is still recuperating from surgery three weeks ago. Regardless of the name of her cone, I don't think she thinks it’s very comfy. She had a mast cell tumor removed from her left haunch (I purposely took the photo without the wound visible).  There were 22 staples closing the wound and she popped seven out within the first few days.  After two weeks of trying to keep the wound covered, the vets determined that it would be best to leave the incision exposed to air to expedite healing. That was a week ago. Slooooow going!  The good news is the pathology report came back clean thanks to the large margins taken during surgery and she should be all healed up by the time we leave.   Tim and I have spent the last week hauling things down to the boat and sto wing them away. At this point, the only things left are clothes, food and bar, along with our bikes, paddleboard, d

America's Great Loop Map T oday marks three weeks until we cast off on May 22nd (weather permitting).  Tim and I spent last week in New Bern, North Carolina with 250 other Great Loop enthusiasts at the AGLCA Spring Rendezvous. We had a fabulous time, learned a lot and met so many incredible likeminded Looper fanatics.  While we were there, Observer left her winter storage facility on Thursday and today, Tim and I moved her from Dion's Yacht Yard in Salem to her temporary berth just up the street from us at the Danversport Yacht Club. Being back on the boat, even on what was a cold drizzly dreary day, has gotten us both really excited!  Now, the rubber hits the road (or the rudder hits the water) and we are psyched!