06/15/2007, Chatham MA
I spent this week at the elbow of Cape Cod visiting the Coast Guard Station Chatham.
Chatham is a really unique place in the Coast Guard. It is the only unit that still has the old Coast Guard 44 footer and it also has the only 32 foot Near Shore Lifeboat. Both are re rightable.
Chatham gets pounded so badly that the bar is constantly moving. It is not even considered a federal waterway. The bar shallows up to about 3 feet at low tide and the 44 and 32 are the only platforms that have a prayer of getting over the bar.
I had a chance to get into some surf with Chatham this week with the storm that has been pestering the coast. The 44 footer is what I really learned to drive a boat on. It is slow but a complete tank. The one pictured is the 443001 which was the first 44 built 44 years ago. And now she is the last in service and still in great shape!
Capt Chris
PS: I know the picture is slanted.....very irritating!
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06/12/2007, Eastham MA
I've added a new feature to the blog. It's called the XPlot Map and is located to the right.
When I update the blog I will also post my current Lat/Long which is embedded in the map. You will also be able to click on the position and have the relevant blog post pop up. Should be pretty cool once I start moving the boat south in September.
Capt Chris
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06/11/2007, Cape Cod
Late last week I took a ride on one of the local Coast Guard small boats for drills. They took me about 25 miles up Narragansett Bay into Mount Hope Bay and finally Fall River Mass where the USS Massachusetts lies at a permanent mooring.
Battleship Cove is the place where a few Coast Guard boats will dodge a category 2 or higher cyclone and the place where I will most likely be detailed for work during a hurricane event. I was really impressed with how protected it is. We ducked behind the Battleship and the ship is just huge. It is anchored by gigantic concrete piers and actually sits in the mud. She's not moving. Straddling the Massachusetts is a Destroyer and a Russian Navy ship. They all form a bubble of protection of about 280 degree's. The exposed section is small, from the NNW (a very unlikely direction for a blow) and most importantly has little fetch across the fairly narrow Taunton River. All in all a pretty good spot and far inland.
So I called Captain Casey who is the CEO of Battleship Cove Museum and a retired Navy Captain and told him my situation. Looks like I have my own 1500LBS mooring right next to the Destroyer. And what's really cool is during a hurricane I'd actually stay on the Battleship!
So I need to swing on by and meet the Captain and iron out details and manage expectations. Of course taking a turn to positive town the NE won't be getting any hurricane's so it really is a moot point.
Capt Chris
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takl to you soon
you know my grandpa was on the missouri
good to hear you found a safe spot.
l,me
They both start with M! it's OK
both impressive Battleships none the less
06/10/2007, Newport Rhode Island
Stay tuned.........Thanks Ron Larson!
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06/10/2007, Newport Rhode Island
For those of you who are not familiar...Newport Rhode Island truly is the sailing capital of the east coast. For years the America's Cup resided here with the NY Yacht Club being the sponsor. Dennis Connor lost the cup here in 1983 and the US has been trying ever since to wrestle it back.
Anyway many mega yachts make stops here for the summer on the way out to the Vineyard and Nantucket and points north. The parking (car wise) is such a pain I just take my dingy into town, so on my ride into down town Newport today I stumbled on this machine. I don't know any history of the boat but if I find out I'll pass it along!
Capt Chris
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Dad
