July 4?
09 July 2018
July 4 was a Wednesday this year. We had planned to go for a sail, but the weather did not cooperate. All week, it was hot (above 90) and HUMID. Wednesday was no exception, It was so gross out -hot, humid, no breeze - even I didn't want to go sailing. So we decided to set up our new umbrella. This meant filling the base with 150 pounds of sand. Through a 2" hole. Not fun. We exhausted ourselves setting this thing up, and it was too hot to sit out there when we were finished.
After resting and showering, we did go to the boat to see if maybe a late afternoon/early evening sail was in the cards. We filled the gas tank, but it was still just plain uncomfortable in the sun, even at 6 pm. So we had drinks and dinner at Dockside.
The weather broke on Friday, and Saturday was magnificent. Patti and I went to the boat and were off the dock by about 12:30. Winds were about 12-14 knots. To keep Patti comfortable, we sailed with just the genny out. We had to tack several times to get out of the harbor, then we headed east, towards the Thimbles. Conditions were just beautiful; I would have liked to set the main (with a reef), but we kept things easy.
We had lunch while sailing, then, instead of anchoring and taking a swim, we sailed some more, heading back west before heading back to the dock. A perfect day.
Yesterday, the weather was even better: a bit warmer, not a cloud in the sky. So we went to Charlestown for the day. The Blue Shutters lot was full by the time we got there, so off to the town beach where we found a good spot and spent a few hours. Then back to Lenny's for dinner.
A note on the engine: Brian's crew looked at it last week and found the culprit: I had likely let the engine rest on the wrong side, allowing some oil to get into the cylinder. So the smoke was oil burning off. It's all gone now. Yes!