Sunrise over breakwaters in Plymouth Harbor

Sunrise over breakwaters of Plymouth Harbor Friday, August 17th. We returned to our first overnight mooring yesterday at the Plymouth Yacht Club - this time in the light of day! It was a painfully slow 1 to 2 knot motor through the channel as we were fighting the tide but we made it in. We had dinner in town and strolled the now familiar waterfront.

Today's weather was perfect and after breakfast in town we spent the day reading in a shady spot of beautiful Brewster Gardens. Tomorrow we sail (or motor depending on the weather) for home. It's been a great trip!

Sunrise at Sandwich Marina

Sunrise at Sandwich Marina. The rains came a few hours later but cleared off by early afternoon and we enjoyed a stroll into town and a cocktail at the bar at The Dan'l Webster Inn. Thunderstorms predicted for tonight so we settled in at the Sandwich Lodge across from the marina for the night. Off to Plymouth in the am. Leaving early before the tide changes in the Cape Cod Canal.

Moored in Provincetown

View from our back door Monday morning moored in Provincetown Harbor. 10 hour trip yesterday from Boston Harbor to P-Town. Started in rain, went through patches of fog and arrived under full sail on a close haul in pure sunshine.

First night of voyage at Spectacle Island

View from our front porch tonight on Spectacle Island. Sailing to Provincetown when the sun rises. Life is good.

Moored in Plymouth 11:30pm

We moored at Plymouth Yacht Club at 11:30 last night, breaking a boater's cardinal rule, don't enter an unfamiliar harbor at night. 

We now know that entering the Plymouth Harbor channel is a challenge during the daylight with its snake like shape and sandbars lurking around every corner. To do it at night, with a wide array of red and green lights flashing from all directions on shore is nearly impossible if you are unfamiliar with it.

We had to request the assistance of the harbor master to guide us in as we could not determine where we were in the channel or if we were even in the right channel... The harbor master had us anchor where we were at marker G5, while they headed out to find us. To add to the confusion, the harbor master crew was looking for a power boat since most people are aware of Albin 28 power boats rather than the Albin 28 sail. But they did find us, and led us through the channel to our mooring at the yacht club.

They would have had every right to act annoyed with us since we were foolish enough to enter at night, but they were nothing but polite and extremely helpful. The launch at Plymouth Yacht Club was more than patient as well. They close down at 11:00pm but Connor, from the club launch, stayed on the radio with us and the harbor master throughout and made sure we were safely tied up before checking out for the night. 

Here is our new list of rules when heading out on a full day excursion:

1. Arrive at the launch by 9:00am.
2. If wind conditions are such that we are beating out of Boston Harbor, motor out and determine wind conditions outside the harbor as soon as possible.
3. Determine in advance where it would be safe to anchor overnight en route if need be so we are settled before dusk. 
4. Plan, plan, plan so that we do not enter an unfamiliar harbor at night!

We are off to breakfast in town. The weather forecast is hot and humid with 0.0 wind. Looks like we will be staying ashore for the day.

                                                                                   Ready to Set Sail

 

Eve of Our First Weekend Voyage

Tomorrow morning we leave for our first weekend on the boat! We are going to moor at Plymouth Yacht Club Friday and Saturday night. The berth on the Albin 28 is a little too small for my comfort level so my wonderful husband will be hanging a hammock for us from the forestay to the mast. I think rocking to sleep in a hammock, on a boat beneath the stars will be pretty amazing.

Below is our plot plan for the sail from Boston Harbor to Plymouth Light. We estimate it to be about a 30 mile trip. Hoping for good, steady winds to get us there.

Boston Harbor Channel Marker R "10" to R "4" 141 degrees Nixes Mate R "4" to G "15"  108 degrees East of George's Island G "15" to G "3"  140 degrees Point Allerton G "3" to G "3" 108 degrees Harding Ledge G "3" to G1HL 125 degrees Davis Ledge G1HL to G1DL 137 degrees Brant Rock G1DL to R "6" 168 degrees High Pine Ledge R "6" to RN "10" 197 degrees Plymouth Light RN "10" to RN "2" 188 degrees
Ready to Set Sail

Trouble at the Pump and Paddling to Shore

We arrived at the launch just before 11am and were off to the pumping station around 11:30. Once there, Ramon put the motor in neutral and we idled while we waited for space at the dock. Before the first boat departed, a small powerboat passed us and idled in front of us. We let him know that we were waiting to dock. He circled back, coming quite close to us and appeared to be getting in line. Within a couple of minutes he was back in front of us and another power boat was idled behind us, leaving us very little room to maneuver our 29’  boat. As Ramon hollered to the boat behind us to give us more space, we drifted sideways into a boat parked in a slip. Their anchor slipped beneath our lifelines but we were able to push off pretty easily with no damage done. Unable to compete for space with the small, easily maneuverable powerboats, we decided to skip the pump out and water fill and left the station. We now know to arrive at the pump station earlier in the morning to beat the weekend boat traffic…

Ramon preparing for our row back

We had an easy raise of the main in the lee of the Hyatt and headed out to our destination of Cohasset. The wind was light and we ended up having to motor most of the way to Deer Island Light. Just before the light, we were able to pick up a bit of wind, let the jib out and turn off the motor. The wind continued to be too light to pick up much speed and we decided to change our destination to George’s Island. We lucked out and a public mooring opened up in front of George’s and we avoided having to anchor.  We pumped up the dinghy, tossed it behind the boat and gently stepped into it. Once seated, I had a temporary moment of anxiety and thought about bailing on this new rubber raft adventure.  But instead of bailing, I took a deep breath and decided this was doable. Ramon began to row us… in circles :-). We realized I was better situated in the dinghy to row properly and we eventually made it to the shore of George’s Island.

Perfect view from grassy knoll on George's Island

Once on shore, we spent a couple of hours having lunch, walking the island and resting beneath a shady tree. Suddenly the wind seemed to pick up, and so off we ventured again in the dinghy. The return row was equally entertaining, as I am sure the folks on shore would agree, watching us get close to the boat only to lose our rowing rhythm and drift back two or three times.

The end of the day sail was fantastic. Plenty of wind. We sailed close haul all the way in as the sun set in front of us. If you can only find wind either on the way out or the way in; definitely better to have it carry you home.

                                                                                                  Ready To Set Sail