29 September, 2010

We have now anchored off Plymouth but unlike the pilgrims we did not make it ashore. We awoke this morning early and the winds that had been so strong yesterday afternoon and last night had abated. We knew the weather was supposed to deteriorate as the day wore on and we didn't like the idea of being stuck on the mooring for several days of heavy winds and rain so we immediately dropped the mooring and headed back to Provincetown.

We motored across the bay and arrived back in Provincetown at 1100. As we were crossing Cape Cod Bay we saw several fishing boats and fishing nets along the way. We also saw two of the ferries that service P-town come flying across the bay. The rooster tails put up by the fast ferry catamaran were something to see. The fast ferry makes the trip between P-town and Boston in 90 minutes and runs several times a day. I imagine that in the summer it is almost packed with people.

After getting Eos all nestled in securely against the building winds and seas we wandered up into town. P-town is an east coast Bayfield, WI. There are narrow streets, quaint shops and eateries and even now quite a few tourists enjoying it.

It has some lovely buildings including the Unitarian Meeting House (way over 100 years old), the lovely town hall as well as many pretty little cottages many of which have been turned into shops of all kinds. This is a fine place to be held up for awhile as the latest tropical depression sends up strong winds and rain.

30 September, 2010

The sky has turned gray and the winds and seas continue to build. The forecast is for winds in the 20s and gusting to 40s and 50s the next couple of days and with correspondingly high seas.

I found a lovely little coffee shop in town and wandered over there for a latte sweet roll this morning. I struck up a conversation with a woman a little younger than I who was born and raised in P-Town but who now lives in the next little town because she can't afford to live here any more. She is an artist and was getting ready for a show in a couple of weeks. It was interesting to get her perspective on the town and how it has changed over the years and yet still stayed its charming self. She told me we were here at a great time - things are still open but the massive summer crowds are gone. P-town like any northern town with a strong tourist based industry becomes a whole different place when it is only the locals left around in the winter. We are getting a little taste of both the tourist feel and the small town settled in for the winter.

We have talked to Joan and John in Changing Lanes and they as well as the other 3 boats are in Booth Bay, ME and will be until the weather changes and they can make a run for here. They were all together when we called and they sounded like they had simply settled in and had decided to get together and just enjoy themselves. I think we probably were missing out on a good time.

Because it was supposed to really start raining tomorrow we decided to get things done so we could just hunker down inside Eos when the rain came. So it was off to the Laundromat and grocery store. They were in the same shopping center a taxi ride away but it gave us a chance to see parts of the town further in shore.

A lovely Alden 60' sailboat came in and is tied up next to us. The boat is new to the fellows on board. Richard said they had only had it 3 weeks so they are having the fun of getting to know their new toy. They are from the Martha's Vineyard area so we have been getting lots of local information from them.

1 October, 2010

The winds are still building but the skies were clear when I went for my latte this morning. This time I remembered to take the camera so I wandered and took pics until I decided I really wanted that cup of coffee.

Bill is trying to catch a cold so he is sleeping in trying to keep from really coming down with it. Traveling when you don't feel good is no fun so we are lucky that the weather is keeping us here and he can just sleep as much as he needs.

The winds were a steady 20 kts over night and have remained that way all day. At times it has gusted over 40. Until afternoon it was nice and sunny so I pampered myself and sat in the cockpit and read a mystery for several hours. How wonderful to just lull around like that. By early afternoon though the sky clouded up and the rain started. It poured the whole rest of the day and into the evening. Eos danced around some but we were snug and comfy inside while it howled and poured and built up white caps in the harbor.