A long day
03 August 2006 | Provincetown to Rhode Island
Jeanne/very windy and hot
I was so paranoid that we would be too late to go through the Cape Cod Canal with a favorable current that I got us going at 6 am.
We had a very nice crossing from Provincetown to Sandwich, though there was more wind, smack dab on the nose, than we expected. I cheerfully reassured myself and Peter that once the sun was high enough the wind would die down and we could really move. We filled up with water and fuel in Sandwich, the best bargain in New England, I think. We paid $2.80 a gallon for diesel at Sandwich on our way to Boston, and today it had gone up to $2.85. Dorchester charged $3.26 a gallon; I guess they did us a favor when they ran out after only 18 gallons. Anyway, the fellow at the fuel dock in Sandwich is a delightful guy. He says that he is semi-retired, he only works Monday through Thursday, 7:30 to 4.
We swooshed through the canal, and the wind was getting stronger, not dying down as I had expected (hoped). With a SE wind against a NE current, the Buzzards Bay side of the Canal was lumpy and most uncomfortable. Even after we got away from the canal current, the seas were so lumpy we had to slow down considerably to keep from getting bounced out of our chairs.
We kept going expecting (hoping?) that the wind would ease, but it did not ease until we turned into the Sakonnet River, when we had to speed up to keep in front of the waves. Although it was nice to be out of the wind and chop, as soon as we got inside the mouth of the river the cool sea breeze was gone and the air turned .. not warm�but hot. From there all the way up to Bullock's Cove we made decent speed, and the heat seemed to increase all the way. By the time we dropped anchor it was 5:30, which made for a very long day. Bullock's cove is chock full of moorings, in just about every spot with a depth of 5 feet or more. We are lucky we only draw 2-1/2 feet, because in order to get away from all the moorings we dropped anchor in 4 feet of water. Peter immediately turned on the generator and air conditioners. We will have to dispose of all the fuel in the generator if we don't burn it, so we may as well try to use it. It is clear that we need to install the equipment to transfer the fuel from the generator tank so we avoid wasting so much fuel in the future. I cannot see us using the generator often enough to burn 75 gallons of diesel in less than two years.
We bounced around so badly that one of the dinghy davits is badly bent. Peter lashed it secure, but we will have to face the repair tomorrow. Drat.