Should we just gybe and SEND IT?
July 5th, 2017
Well I finally got this blog on the interwebs. I should be doing my “real work” that actually helps fund all the gallivanting on the water.
Wait… Let’s do both:
Do you need a website? Graphic Design? Email Marketing? Tech Coaching? Check out my company risingT.com and contact me for help!
There, I did some work…
Wait let me plug Brandon, too:
Do you need some boat work done? Refit? Mechanic? Systems? Visit Jamestown Boat Yard!
Ok now back to the cruising blog.
After a delicious dinner of freshly caught Scallops cooked in White Wine with Garlic and Butter, we headed back ashore to get some ice cream. I saw a place earlier on our walk, BuddhaBerry, so we decided to check it out. It was good but WOW was it busy. It was one of those places you add your own toppings but it was so crowded that your cup was melted before you could even pay. So we ate our soupy cold treats before headed back to the boat.
Apparently, we missed the Fireworks that were the night before, we could just see the Fireworks in Greenport as we puttered back to the boat. This was probably a good thing as our little guy is not a fan of fireworks.
The next day, we woke up and headed to the Market for bagels and lox. Brandon came here in the Fall to check out a boat in need of repairs and remembered they were good. Sag Harbor reminded me a lot of the quaint towns of Nantucket, Newport, and the alike with a more New York City vibe. There were a lot of people!
The winds were light out of the West when we headed North and East for Fisher’s Island. We looked at the Currents in our Eldridge and were confident if we left by 10 am, we should be in fair currents the entire way. We did a little motor sailing and then around 11 am, we were able to turn the engine off and sail.
The current through Plum Gut can rip a couple of knots, so we motor sailed through there to keep up momentum. By the time we were through, we turned down (for what?) and put up the Spinnaker. We fly an OOOOooollllllddddd kite. It has a stamp that it was used in 1978 and it represents the best of the 70s in all its glorious colors. It’s a Rainbow!
We also have a symmetrical spinnaker which means ALOT of lines. Once we decide to fly a kite, it means there are at least 15 minutes of getting the pole, lines, and kite set before we can haul it up.
Lines needed to get the kite up:
- Port Sheet
- Starboard Sheet
- Port Aft Guy
- Starboard Aft Guy
- Fore Guy
- Line to attach the Fore Guy to the Deck
- Topping Lift from the mast
- Topping Lift Connection on the Pole
- Spin Halyard
- Pole height line
- Cone Up line
- Cone Down Line
Gear to get the kite up:
- Pole
- Spinnaker with Sock
- Port Spin Block
- Starboard Spin Block
- Port Guy Block
- Starboard Guy Block
- Reaching Strut and a sail tie to hold it back
Not complicated at all.
However, once we got it going, we cruised at 7 knots through the water and nearly 9 with the current. We were at the Race, the cut that starts Long Island Sound between Orient Point and Fishers Island, in less than an hour.
It was such great conditions that we decided to check the forecast for Tuesday the 4th one more time. It was forecasted to be light and we have already been to Fisher’s last year so we decided to “send it” home to Jamestown and stay in Dutch Harbor.
Back Blog/ Side Note: We sailed there on a long weekend in August last year staying on Block Island Thursday night then sailing there on Friday morning. Neither of us had been there before so we went to West Harbor and then dinghied into the “yacht club.” The Fisher’s Island Yacht Club is a little adorable building on a small grassy lawn with a beautiful porch and rocking chairs. When we walked around the island (this is pre-folding bikes and this trip is the reason we asked Santa for them.) we were shocked how we didn’t see anyone. It was almost creepy because there were all these houses yet no cars or people.
With the autopilot and the kite full, the highlight of our trip was taking the bean bags to the bow and lounging in the shade. I think Scruffy was most happy with this as well.
Instead of heading to the East side of Jamestown, we went to Dutch Harbor. A place we travel just a mile by car but 9 miles by sail away and its another world. It is always low key and peaceful.
Our friend Cassie’s family lives on Watson farm so we took the dinghy in for a fire and a cookout with friends and family. Scruffy immediately saw a skunk on the beach and even was able to catch up to grab some fur. By some grace, we were all spared an very unpleasant evening escaping with our noses in tack!
We made it back to the boat after some merriment and fireworks (poor Scruffy). We had a nice sleep in on the 4th coupled with breakfast and a swim before heading to the other side of the island to put her away.
It was an amazing mini trip and I was finally inspired to start this blog. Thanks for reading. I plan to update with recipes from the boat, notes from our refits, and tales of our Persistence Adventures!
