Finally, southward bound!

Since leaving the Sandwich Marina on Cape Cod last Sunday we've traveled another 200 miles and touched down in 4 more states. The sun has gotten brighter and the temps are slightly more tolerable. Daytime temps are in the upper 60's/low 70's, but nights are still down in the 40's. We've now been on the go for 8 weeks.

The ride through the Cape Cod Canal was very scenic. There were beautiful homes along the shorelines and paved bike trails on either side. This narrow channel also has a very strong current so our departure had to be carefully timed. We started just after 11a, and right outside the basin we were already in a 3 knot current. As the canal widens into Buzzard Bay the winds and waves grew. The other side seemed to be a very different place than the calm one we had just left behind. It's interesting to see what the natural land formations and other obstructions do to the size and strength of the wind and the waves. This is the way of life for sailors here. We're still so very ignorant to their ways and often wonder if we would even be boaters if this is what we had to deal with every day. We made a short day of it as soon as we cleared the canal area by ducking into the Elizabeth Islands. Woods Hole channel also led into Hadley Harbor where we found a very nice area to anchor for the night. We were surprised to see so many other boats already there when we arrived just after 2p. It was reassuring to find other boats. We knew we were in a safe place.

Our next leg took us back through the Wood Hole channel south into Vineyard Sound. We cruised along the shores of Martha's Vineyard to our port and the Elizabeth Islands to starboard. After a rather long, cold, windy day we reached Block Island and the Great Salt Pond. This island is about 10 miles south of the shores of Rhode Island. We decided to take a day off, and stayed another night in the pond on Wednesday. This gave a chance to reassemble the dinghy and the ability to get ourselves to shore for some sightseeing. Block Island is very small, about 7.5 miles long and 3 miles wide. In spite of it's size, there are about 900 permanent residence and they have a K-12 school with over 100 students enrolled. There are facilities for cruise ships to land as well as all the other tourist type shops along the waterfront. We had a nice quiet lunch at the Poor People's Pub. Appropriate for us don't you think? We're towing the dinghy now, making it an easy option for transportation to shore as needed. Prior to this we had no use for the small craft and had kept it stored below. Now we have more room down below, or do we? Where did that space go already?

Our next port of call was New London CT. We found fuel and a marina to stay in for the night. Our attraction to this place was not the fuel or the marina. We were planning a road trip to our favorite marine supply store – DEFENDER. We knew it was less than 3 miles from this location by cab. Just like your house, the boat may never be done. There's always a repair or modification waiting to be done. Or an idea for an improvement you'd like to make if only you had the time and money and skills to do it yourself. If you don't already know this about us, we love to remodel, redesign, redo things and our yacht is just our latest ongoing project. We had a successful trip to the store, and now have a few new projects to tinker with. New London is also home to the US Coast Guard Academy and as a rather busy naval port. We could see the training vessel EAGLE as we entered and exited the harbor. It's appearance was that of a tall ship.

The next morning, as we left the harbor around 9a, a Coast Guard vessel was headed straight at us at a very high rate, pushing large wakes off either side. Hmm, wonder what's going on....we better change course. Are they headed for us, or just don't see us? I suppose they do have right of way under any and all circumstances, right? As it turns out, they are kinda headed for us. Their course caused us to alter our course which is exactly what they intended to do. That, and the deck mounted machine gun, was very persuasive. This vessel was providing protective escort service to a Navy Submarine! We didn't spot it until the Coast Guard boat forced our turn away from the channel. It was just barely above the water surface, and there were a few crew members standing on top of it. Wonder what they were holding on to. The coast guard boat rode along side us for several minutes before turning back and continuing into the harbor. It was very exciting. We were just standing there with our mouths gaped open. What a couple of goofs, eh? We wanted to take pictures but the gun was rather intimidating.....

We saw some rain in New London on Thursday evening, so Friday was cold and choppy in Long Island Sound. A cold front and north winds moved in with that rain. We continued west reaching Jefferson Harbor on Long Island that night. The harbor did not provide much protection from the wind or the waves in the Sound, so our night was a bit rocky. After a quick stop on shore in the morning we headed for City Island. This puts us at the end of Long Island Sound and just outside the start of the East River. We're headed for NYC and a cruise past all the famous sights on Sunday afternoon. Next stop, Sandy Hook NJ.

For those of you that may be interested, here are a few bits of information on the financial side of this adventure:

The approximate cost per gallon of diesel fuel in Canada was $6.90. With all the motoring we did that put our expenses in August at more than twice what we had anticipating them to be.

After the exchange rate, the bank fees on debit card transactions, and Canada's tax system, we paid somewhere in the neighborhood of 20% on top off everything we purchased.

Cell Phone roaming charges while in Canada cost us about $300. If you plan to stay there for any length of time, use a pay phone to call home.

Dock fees have ranged from a flat rate of $9 to as high as $6/foot. We anchor out as much as possible.

Some marinas/clubs are charging for their water and power on top of the dockage. We haven't needed to charge our systems on shore due to the great success of the solar panels. Good investment for this application.

On the domestic front:

Pressure cooker is great. Slow cook rice done in 15 minutes. Whole (cubed) squash ready in 12 minutes.  Efficient as well as delicious!

Double ziplock bag your fresh bread and it stays fresh for as long as two weeks without drying or molding.

Farmer's markets are a favorite of ours now. We love fresh vegetables with every meal, or as a meal!

Laundry is an issue. Facilities are not readily available and storage of the dirty clothes can become a nuicance.

Creative cooking can be fun. But in the end, “Hunger makes a good sauce.” Virginia Moorhead

Next time - photos and comments about the East River and our cruise past New York City!