We woke this morning at about 5:30 and slowly got ourselves organized. The forecast calls for a clear day with a NW breeze shifting more westerly. We left the dock at 7:00 and wound our way around Bassett's Island to get back into Buzzard's Bay. The wind is 10-15 kts from the NW still so we are able to get our sails up immediately and kill the engine. As of 8:30 we are well on our way in the channel averaging just over 6 kts on a close haul. We will continue like this as far as we can before we may need to start tacking to get farther north for the entrance to Newport. It is sunny and beautiful with great visibility. All good at the moment.
Well, the good conditions and easy sailing lasted till about noon when the wind began shifting westward and the seas picked up. This is consistent with my Buzzards Bay experience over the years. We were able to maintain >5 kts most of the time but tacking slowed our efficiency and the seas were challenging. Furthermore, unlike the forecast for dying winds we had the wind pick up to 30 kts before we got to Newport and were able to head into the harbor. Although my original ETA was about 3 pm we didn’t arrive till just after 5. Because of the significant heeling and challenging conditions we never ate lunch and never even had FBOD until we were tied up in port! Eventually we were able to shower, give Merry Mac a bath, grab a margarita at the Black Pearl and then meet up with the Diserens for a nice Italian meal at Pasta Beach. A very relaxing end to the evening after a stressful afternoon. Tomorrow it is on the New London after we get our new toilet pump installed.