10/30/2009, Newport, RI
Today dawned, dare I say it?, sunny!?? It has been a great day for getting stuff done in readiness for putting to sea.
We got the immigration certificates for the dog and cat - the only thing about it is that it expires on the 6th so if we don't leave on Sunday we will have to get it renewed; we straightened the mizzen with Ron's help, and also with both Ron, Barb and the folks from the next door, we got the dink up on the roof of the cabin and ready for sea. Now, let's see, what else do I need to do? Well, I must change the oil and fuel filter changed, and I need to mess around with the NMEA bus to see if I can get everything to talk to each other. I suppose I could have done it today, but I got lazy and made the excuse that I needed something to do tomorrow.
The town is much more active today as the Queen Mary is in port and has dicgourged about 2000 consumers into the community. We were walking down the street wondering where all the Germans and Dutch and Japanese had come from, only to look ot at Goat Island and see the Queen dwarf the condos and hotels over there.
Hank Schmidt, the organize of this event arrived and went about handing out packages which included a very good ring bound pamphlet on offshore cruising, customs forms for Bermuda, a rally flag, and numerous other bits of reading material that we'll plough through during the passage. Most of the boats are here now and we are up to 30 with a last minute entry. They range from 37 to 67 feet and run the gamut from cutters to catamarans, from wooden gaff rigged schooner to sleek 65' Swan cutters. Pretty heady company! We are starting to get quite excited. Tonight there will be an unofficial meet and greet at the RHINO Bar and Grill with we will attend for form's sake and force ourselves to consume a beer or two. Tomorrow in the skipper's meeting and the following day will be the weather brief and, hopefully, the send off.
Last night the Canadian contingent went out to a place called Billie Goode's for dinner and had prime rib with the fixin's for $6.95! Everyone was saying "Too much meat", while scarfing it all down. The place was clearly a neighbourhood bar, and Billie was a fellow who had made his initial fortune during prohibition by being an open speakeasy. Tonight we are treating ourselves to a lobster dinner after the social at the Rhino. Ymmmmmm.
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Comments [3]
10/29/2009, Newport, RI
We had another wild night last night - winds to 30 kts, the boat rockin' and swayin' at the dock, and the rigging howling. Oh, and did I mention the rain? I sure hope the flights for our crew person Ron will not be delayed too much. He flies into that black hole of flight schedules, Newark, and makes a connection to Providence. My experience with the US airlines is that they overbook and schedule too tightly and a bad weather pattern in Seattle will affect the timings in New York. All we can do is keep our fingers crossed. He arrived at about noon having completed a pretty much full day which started at 04h00 and included two flights and a bus ride. We met him at the bus terminal, that's the photo on the blog.
I have got to stop looking at the weather router. It now appears that there will be northerly winds out to Tuesday which will mean a bumpy ride across the Gulf Stream. Maybe the answer will be to ride the northerlies south and when the system passes and the winds come 'round to southerly, nip across. Besides the obvious advantage there is also the one that the stream will be narrower the farther south we go, plus we will be cutting it more obliquely so the time to cross is decreased. Of course if the wind never comes to the south then we're screwed. But, of course, that would still be the case if we waited it out here. There is one possibility, though. It looks like there is an abrupt shear forecast for almost right at the Stream where the wind goes around through 180 degrees and comes from the south. If that is the case and this continues to hold until our departure, we could have a downhill run for the first couple of days and then a cooperating current and wind for the crossing. Regardless, it is starting to look like we will definitely need some expert advice. I remember going to a presentation at the Annapolis Boat Show last year, given by Donald Street, who, by the way, is a very short gent, and he was saying that if you don't leave for Bermuda by the end of September, you will have to wait for November. Well here it is and here we are. I guess this Global Warming business is messing up all the sage wisdom of the old salts.
I have never crossed the Gulf Stream but I have crossed bodies of water where there is a tidal current in opposition to the prevailing winds. We just did so across the Gulf of Maine. Is it really all that much different? I understand that the Gulf of Main the tidal currents change every six hours so you will get a respite 50% of the time, but the current speeds aren't any greater. So, if we can handle one, why couldn't we handle the other? Barb wouldn't enjoy it and neither would the animals, nor me, for that matter, but we would be making progress. I will ask the pro skippers when they come in.
The other boats that are participating in the rally have begun to trickle in. As of late yesterday evening there were 11 or 12 or a little less than half of the total number. The marina is starting to look at space and plan where everyone is going to be squeezed in. Apparently they are booked full. Moonlight Maid and Nelleke just barely fit into a spot that they normally only try to put one boat. There is enough room for fenders between each other and the dock, just! They have taken up some of their docks for the winter and there are a couple of larger boats that they weren't expecting that have tied up also waiting for a window, so it is going to be really interesting to watch them shoehorn everyone in. I had a conversation with one of the dock staff and learned that there are also a second group here that are going to be loaded on a yacht transporter for transit to somewhere. It will all be done across near Goat Island so we won't get to see. Too bad, I would have loved to get some photos. We are starting to meet more and more of the other yachties that will be participating in the trip and I must say that there is a rather eclectic group ranging from professional skippers to experienced Gulf Stream crossing amateurs to relative neophytes. Nelleke's skipper and crew fit into that spectrum somewhere.
I have some significant jobs that must get done over the next couple of days: I need to repair the headsail bolt line, ship the dingy on the cabin top, I need to correct a small misalignment of the mizzen which has a 1 degree list to port since we rebuilt the pulpit in Halifax, plus I would like to try again to hook up the NMEA data bus between the radio, AIS and auto helm, and I need to install some boards on the stanchions to hold fuel and water on the deck. Neither are huge jobs, but they are ones that shouldn't be left to the last minute. I'll get Ron to give me a hand with them to give Barb a break.
Today has been a rather full day, what with Ron's arrival and the various jobs getting done.
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10/28/2009, Newport, RI
Yet another rainy day. You know, I am really getting tired of the miserable weather and it's no use telling myself things like, at least it's not snow, and stuff like that. It just doesn't cut it anymore. The poor animals got taken to their vet's appointment in the pouring rain. You have to picture it. Peri on his leash followed by Barb and I pushing a 25 pound cat in his cat crate in a dock cart that we borrowed from the marina. In his crate at least Al was spared the worst of the rain, but he isn't impressed with being in one at the best of times and kept up a steady "Merawr...merawr....merawr...." all the way up the street. You can imagine the looks we got from other people! Folks were coming out of stores to see who was torturing the poor cat. I'm surprised that no one called the SPCA. Once they clapped eyes on him, though, more than one of them weren't sure what species he was and I know that some of them doubted that he was actually feline, so they stepped back quickly and went back about their business.
The slide show last night was well worth attending. Mr Tom Freeman, a mild mannered electrical engineer by day and a diver, photographer, world traveler in his alter ego, gave the one hour presentation to a full house. The bright colours, warm water temperatures, and fascinating animals and fishes drew us away from the chilly night air and rain. Apparently the Institute has regular speakers come to make presentations and yet another program of music. If we were staying longer we'd have to take advantage of that, too.
We are starting to watch Clearpoint very closely. The tentative departure date is still a wile off yet, but we are starting to get long range forecasts for Sunday the 1st, which is the planned date to leave. On the surface it looks relatively benign, but by 20h00 on that day we would be facing 25 kt headwinds. Of course all this could, and likely will, change before departure. We probably shouldn't be torturing ourselves with weather forecasts just yet anyway.
We did our walkabout besides getting the animals looked after and got the electronic charts for Bermuda and continued the search for the elusive 28" zipper. I would say that it is an indication of the nature of the population of this part of the state that most people would not repair their own stuff anyway. That's what the servants are for, isn't it? We also visited a rather interesting antique store where Barb was able to find some cornbread molds so that she can further enhance her already shining reputation as cornbread baker extraordinaire.
Oh, and my temporary debit card did arrive at last to replace the one that I left in the machine. Praise be!
Tomorrow Ron arrives.
From Barb
Poor Al has had more abuse heaped upon him today - pushed into his hated crate and dumped into a dock cart and bumped over 5 blocks to the vet clinic only to be pronounced obese - duh! no wonder he howled the whole way. And to correct the captain - he weighs 21 pounds, not 25! When we were walking to the clinic Peri was right on Mike's heels - trotting along he zigged from one heel and zagged to the other heel - back and forth the whole way - maybe he thought we were going to do something terrible to HIS cat buddy. We are another $450.00 lighter after paying the vet bill however we would not dream of going on our travels without them.
Mike mentioned that I found two corn bread molds that make corn cob shaped sticks of bread - I guess that they may date from the thirties and are in great shape. All I have to do is scrub them up a bit, wipe them down with cooking oil and then cure them in the oven. I must experiment with them before we leave Newport.
I have some computer work to do now that the blasted restore is finished. I have to reorganize the photos and video clips from the last 12 months, dump them off to CD and delete them off the laptop. I have to transfer over the food inventory to a spreadsheet (betcha think I am anal and miss having a job, eh?) and print it out for use when the computer is stowed away.
It is so cold and miserable out this afternoon that I think I'll make a pot of lentil soup for supper with perhaps enough left to offer Ron for lunch when he arrives tomorrow. I expect he will be tired when he gets here as his start is early enough to have him arriving at 1000.
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