The Windeler Net

We met around noon at Nelson's Marina, slip #5 where "Sea Wind" is berthed. We stowed our gear and went food shopping. Shopping was a little special since Dick, Walt and Chris all had different tastes and liked different brands. Each item was negotiated and the shopping progressed. Chris had previously purchased some staples and ice. The icebox was cold and filled with homemade soda bottle ice and two ice blocks. We each had brought some items on our own which were donated to the larder. Dick had brought bottles of wine and Heineken and Walt umpteen bottles of ginger beer. After everything was stowed aboard, we checked to see if "Sea Wind" still floated on her water lines.

At 1630 we cast off from the slip and headed for the Rt. 37 Toms River Bridge which opened on the hour and half hour. We arrived at 1705 and the bridge tender said we were too late for the five o'clock opening. Then he changed his mind and kindly opened the bridge for us. We motored up to Bay Head and dropped the hook right behind Cotton Blossom, which is slipped at Dale's Marina and in sight of Bert Gay's boat. We anchored next to a Coast Guard Auxiliary boat after we asked if they were staying the night and they said no. We were still too close to be polite and felt bad but did not want to move the anchor. The CGA boat left after dinner as planned. We then had the peaceful bay and sunset to ourselves. We all called home each day to our respective families by cell phone to give cruise status, experiences, and location.

We enjoyed oven roasted chicken, stovetop stuffing, peas, and peaches for dinner. The weather was clear sailing to Bay Head with only a few rain showers after anchoring.

Distance: 10 miles

We weighed anchor at 0640 and went through the Pt. Pleasant Canal an hour before slack. The two canal bridges (Rt. 13 & Rt. 88) opened smartly for us, as the current was still strong in the canal. The Rt. 35 Manasquan Bridge opened on demand but the railroad bridge then closed on us and we had to wait 10 minutes for the train to pass. We were out in the ocean by 0800. We had on our PFD with the tethers hooked onto the jack lines. The course was set for Block Island.

Watches were set as follows:

0800-1200Walt
1200-1600Dick
1600-1800Chris
1800-2000Walt
2000-2400Dick
2400-0400Chris
0400-0800Walt

We began by motoring at about 6 knots in calm seas that later built to 4-6 feet over the morning. The crew saw our first significant commercial traffic, namely a tug with a barge being towed a quarter mile behind with the tow cable under water. We were heading between the tug and the barge on autopilot. Adjustments were quickly made to pass astern of the barge and we resumed course. Chris had put out a fishing line and a rather large fish had grabbed a bite. It got off the hook, but quickly bit into it again. As we tried to get the fish close to the boat to lift it out of the water, it had gotten off the hook again and slipped away.

The weather held until late afternoon when the SW wind picked up to 15-20 knots. The quartering seas built to 5-7, 6-8 and then 7-9 feet at 7 to 10 second intervals with some white caps developing later. The quartering sea made the vessel go through a pitch, roll, and yaw cycle, and although not severe, made Dick and Walt's stomach a bit queasy over the duration. Dick found the motion a bit punishing. Chris was unaffected. Walt went down below for something and lost his balance. He found himself slowly rolling over the salon table, tipping it in the process. The screws ripped out of the cabin sole and made the table useless until repaired. This was also Dick's bunk but his sleeping space was not affected.

Walt made chicken salad sandwiches for lunch from last nights dinner leftovers. All the crew did not eat as they were on the edge. But eventually by evening everybody had some food.

The moon was full that evening, watching over us and lighting up our way. It never seemed to rise or set or change direction by very much, staying at our port stern quarter. (Normally the moon would rise opposite the setting sun, and be high in the sky at midnight and set opposite the rising sun). We also saw the normally faint Mars shine very brightly on the eastern horizon. It was brighter than the red star, Antares, that people sometimes mistake it for. Later in August it was announced that Mars was at its closest point to earth in 50,000 years. The vision at night on a vessel on the water can play tricks on the eyes. The vessel appeared to sit lower in the water than during the daytime.

While we all had assigned watches, the person on watch started early and stayed late so most of the time we had two people in the cockpit. Dick, Walt and Chris slept easily when they had the opportunity. Walt did not like being below deck when underway because of the motion of the boat so he relaxed on deck. Walt took the helm half way through Chris's watch (approx. 0200) and kept it until 0600. We ran into diminished visibility (fog) in the area between Montauk, LI and Block Island during the post midnight hours. It never closed in more than 3 boat lengths. Walt sounded the manual air horn every 1-2 minutes. The fog lifted the closer we got to our destination. With the wind and waves behind us, we were making Block Island in record time.

We arrived at Block Island 0545 with Chris' quickest passage yet of only 23 hours for 135 miles. Entering the harbor, an exiting sloop announced to us they had just left mooring #44. We thanked them for the information. After entering the Great Salt Pond, we looked around for a fuel dock that was open and could not find one. Boats that spent the night blocked them all. (The fuel gauge was working now and we wanted to see how much we had used. Historically, Sea Wind used 0.4 to 0.5 gallons per hour. Walt was keeping a good log.) We went and took town mooring ball #44 at 0640 in front of Champlain's as it was the only open one we could find.

We had a lazy morning at the Great Salt Pond. Chris took a nap, Walt went to town to take a shower and Dick read his book. Afterwards we started to repair the salon table by putting wood filler pieces and epoxy in the holes in the deck and re-secured the table in place. In the afternoon we all went to town and walked over to Old Harbor, visited Ballard's and returned to the boat.

We heated up Sherrie's pot roast. Walt made some noodles and salad and we had a good meal complimented with Dick's fine wine.

Distance: 136 miles

Walt made scrambled eggs, cheese omelets and coffee for breakfast. We only had an old percolator coffee pot. We experimented over the next several days for the best brewing method and decided that 8 minutes of percolating was a good standard.

We left early, 0700, for Cuttyhunk. It was an overcast sky with no wind. The sea was smooth at first. At 1230 we had a few drops of rain and the seas increased to 1-3 foot swells. At 1300 the fog rolled in to cause the visibility to be about 1 ½ to 2 boat lengths. We sounded the fog horn as required and turned on the running lights. As we approached Cuttyhunk the fog lifted and gave us a 1 mile visibility.

Chris plotted the course in the Great Salt Pond on the computer the night before and down loaded it to the GPS, which in turn directed the autopilot to the various waypoints. Manual steering was only required when avoiding lobster pots. Dick wanted to see the paper charts, which we of course had. As we approached Cuttyhunk, Dick noticed that "Sea Wind" was heading for Whale Rock. It was exposed at the current tide level and had its own buoy marking it. Chris had inadvertently plotted a course directly over it. Dick caught the error and the crew manually steered us back out into the marked channel. We then went into Cuttyhunk Harbor where we tied up to the end of the pier at dock 41. Because the only piles to tie to were only about five feet apart and directly amidships, it took us about an hour of adjusting the lines to secure the boat so it would not pivot. We did it so we could go ashore without having to inflate the dinghy.

We had a late 1530 lunch, worked on the table repair, and that afternoon we walked around exploring the island.

Walt made dinner of chili con carne with ground beef, canned beans, packaged spices, and his own sauce of garlic, onions and tomatoes.

Distance: 37 miles

At some point during the trip over, the Nexus boat speed indicator stopped working. This meant that we would not know the true wind speed and direction. We can measure the apparent wind speed and direction but cannot calculate the true wind because we have to subtract the boat velocity vector (which we no longer had). With a diving mask and snorkel, Walt dove under to check the boat's knot/speed impeller. It was all right. Additional attempts to resolve the problem by checking contacts and connections were unsuccessful. There seemed to be an intermittent contact on the circuit board, but we did not risk fixing it lest we loose the whole system. Our boat thermometer said the water was 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Walt said it was much cooler.

We left Cuttyhunk to proceed to Sandwich Marina in the Harbor of Refuge on the north end of the Cape Cod Canal. Slack water in the canal was at 1640 so we left Cuttyhunk at 1100 to make an easy canal passage. The weather was clear and the wind was light. At about 1400 the wind picked up to 10 knots. We sailed on a broad reach and then shifted to wing and wing for a short time before dropping sails at the Cape Cod Canal entrance. We traversed the canal without incident and reached the Sandwich Marina at 1840. We took on fuel (19.79 gals.) and tied up at our slip, H28. Fuel usage was 0.51 gal/ hr.

We went to get showers but the door lock on the men's shower was broken and the door could not be opened; so we used the women's shower. We went to dinner at Sam's Seafood restaurant about a half mile from the boat and had an excellent but inexpensive seafood meal.

Distance: 30 miles

After Walt made blueberry pancakes, we left Sandwich at 0830 for Scituate. The lobster pots were like a minefield for the rest of the trip. We motored with the skies darkening. We raised the main and poled out the jib on a broad reach to a run. The wind continued to increase to 19 knots apparent when we decided to reduce sail. On taking down the whisker pole the jib sheet snagged the MOP (man overboard pole) and it snapped. After getting everything under control we continued by motor sailing with a reefed jib only. As we approached Scituate we got a light rain sprinkle. We had reservations with one marina when we left but when we arrived another marina intercepted our VHF transmission and argued with the first marina until they gave in and they led us to their mooring. We rigged our tarp over the companion way just in time as the skies opened up and the rain sheeted down.

Walt made ham steak, baked beans, romaine salad and pudding for dinner. We stayed on the boat at the mooring.

Distance: 28 miles

The next morning the weather was beautiful. We took the free launch into town for showers and food re-supply. The facilities are town owned and nice. Returning to the boat, we had cereal for breakfast and left at 1030 for Gloucester. We had no special problems except the minefield of lobster traps. The winds were very light and we motored. We tried to sail at 1400 with little success because of light winds. We arrived at Brown's Boat Yard in the afternoon, 1640, and tied up at the gas dock because they did not have our slip ready. Brown's is a real working yard with a fuel dock and was very busy. The people were nice and very helpful. Walt and Dick went off to do their laundry; I would stop there again. We went down the road about one mile to Seafood Charlie's and had a great dinner. On the way Chris found seven dollars in the street and put it toward the dinner bill, which made the cost even lower.

Distance: 27 miles

Walt made French toast for breakfast and we decided to walk the town. When Chris asked the marina clerk, Val, where to go, she was surprised I did not want to know where the "Crow's Nest" was. "What's that?" I asked. "It's the bar in the ÔPerfect Storm'". I had forgotten. We left a note for Martin and Bob who were being driven to the boat by Martin's daughter Martina. We walked the town and returned by 1300. All were there, having only waited fifteen minutes. Martina took the crew to the local store for some more supplies and Bob and Martin got lunch. "Sea Wind" took on 10.33 gallons of fuel. Later we walked to Seafood Charlie's again for another good dinner that can't be beat.

The Crow's Nest is in the middle of town and not on the waterfront as shown in the movie. Also it is a trucker's bar and not a fisherman's bar. After lunch the crew visited the town again and went in the Crow's Nest. The bar had pictures of the Andrea Gail, the captain and his crew of that fateful voyage. There also were many other pictures depicting life and times of the fishing port of Gloucester. The sister ship of the "Andrea Gail" used during the filming of the Perfect Storm could be seen in Gloucester Harbor. The patrons of the Crow's Nest did not seem friendly and our crew finally left. Another point of interest was the Church with the Lady of Safe Voyages. It was influenced in style and architecture by the Portuguese fishermen that inhabit the town.

We accommodated the two new crewmembers by Bob sharing the quarter berth with his father and Martin sleeping on the settee berth. It was a little tight but it was for only two days and it caused the least disruption.

We planned to go through the Blyman Canal from Gloucester to Portsmouth. Chris asked several times and several different people about the Canal. He was told emphatically that we should go through only at high tide (9 foot tide) and not even on a rising tide. The canal had shoaled so much that we might go aground even a high tide. When Chris seemed reluctant to do what they instructed he got the following comment: "You asked for local knowledge and we gave it to you. I would not go through the canal except at high tide." We plotted a new course around Cape Ann for Portsmouth and off we went at 0940. It was a sunny day to start and no wind. Later we were able to motor sail.

We arrived at the Portsmouth Yacht Club and took a mooring at Pepperill Cove in Kittery, ME at 1640. Walt prepared Martin's home made corn beef hash with a fried egg on top, roll mops and polish dill pickles on the side. This was accompanied with salad topped with feta cheese. We had cookies for dessert. We all slept well.

Distance: 36 miles

We had a long way to go, 54 miles to Portland. We left at 0600 and were going down the channel when an alarm went off. An alarm that I didn't even know I had indicated we were drawing the batteries down at a very high rate. We had running lights on (fog), the refrigerator, the instruments, the inverter (computer) and the autopilot. I did not want to go out into the ocean with something wrong so we returned to the mooring. Chris proceeded to get out tools, spare parts, etc. He asked for help from the crew on his complicated wiring system. When he was about to start taking things apart, he looked out at the engine control panel and noticed the alternator kill switch had been accidentally thrown. Chris correctly set the switch, started the engine and all was well. We were off again only losing one hour. A significant potential problem was averted. The trip was in fog with one half mile visibility and at times only a couple of boat lengths visibility. Martin stood on the bow as lookout for hours while we motored along dodging lobster pots.

We arrived at DiMillo's and they told us to tie up behind "My Marilyn" next to the gas dock. The only problem was "My Marilyn" had its transom door open and we could not see the name. "My Marilyn" is a large yacht about 135 feet. When we pulled in, the wind had increased to 20 knots behind us pushing "Sea Wind" into the stern of "My Marilyn". Chris, who was at the helm, came in as slowly as possible and the dock boy was handed the forward spring line to fasten down. Chris could then put the wheel to port with the engine in forward at idle and slide the starboard side nicely to the dock. Unfortunately, the dock boy was not knowledgeable. He stood there holding the spring line. Chris asked several times to make it fast and he just stood there. Finally Chris yelled some obscenities at him to cleat the line down NOW before he got the message. If the engine were in gear we would have pulled the line out of his hands, hit "My Marilyn" and maybe wrapped the line in the prop. Once the dummy cleated the line down everything went well. We took on 7.99 gal of fuel.

We called Chris' daughter, Susan, who lives in Scarborough, Maine and she came to the marina. Dick's wife Eleanor and granddaughter Noëlle also were in Portland and came to the boat. Susan took Dick's family and gear to their hotel. We then all went to Susan's for burgers, hot dogs, salads and dessert; a wonderful cookout. We agreed to meet Dick and family in LL Bean's at 0900 Monday. Chris did some laundry and Bob stayed at Susan's to ease sleeping arrangements on the boat. Later that evening, we were entertained by Susan's delightful and beautiful two year old daughter, Britney. She sang some songs and recited verses. She was quite the ham as she bowed to our applause. The next evening she gave a repeat performance, with different songs.

Distance: 48 miles

We went to Susan's for breakfast having delicious waffles made by her husband Breton. Later everyone drove to LL Bean's. Everybody had a good time at LL Bean's and bought something except for Chris. Noëlle had the best time climbing the moving rock wall in the Kids Department. Dick's family left and the rest of us went to Chowder (best in Maine) for some lunch. Susan headed home and Walt, Martin, Bob and Chris went back to Portland to walk the town. We went to Susan's for dinner. Walt made stuffed pork chops and salad for everyone.

We laid over and just bummed around. Martin did laundry at Susan's. Chris asked the Marina for the weather report. The idiot went to the newspaper rack and took three papers and proceeded to read the weather. Chris said thanks and went away screaming and cursing to himself. Chris saw one of "My Marilyn's" crew and asked him if he had the weather forecast and he went on board and brought Chris the current weather fax. The weather was small craft warnings, 6 to 9 foot seas and winds out of the SW at 20 to 30 knots with fog. We got the weather from him each day. "My Marilyn" was an enormous white yacht. Through a port window, you could see three huge engines, all painted white and so pristine you could eat breakfast off them. The crews washed down the outside daily with softened fresh water so no spots were visible when it dried. The captain was not forthcoming about who the owners were, but the port of registry was Washington, DC. Later on our trip we heard on the VHF radio communications regarding "My Marilyn" at the port of Hyannis.

We laid over and went to Bath to see the Maine Maritime Museum. It's an hour and a half north of Portland. Bob took a train back to NJ because his time ran out. Susan sent us to a local sports bar for dinner with a business trade coupon. Martin, Walt and Chris all got a beer and 20 chicken wings. Walt got and additional barbecued pork sandwich. When the food came, it was monstrous proportions, and Walt could not eat his sandwich. We took a doggie bag home and had leftovers for dinner the next evening., While at Susan's house, we daily supplemented the weather reports obtained from "My Marilyn" with the Weather Channel on TV. We also obtained NOAA Buoy reports on the web that gave us the winds and sea heights over the last 24 hours. Each day we had debated when we should resume our trip. The Buoys were reporting less wind and seas than the forecasts would predict. We decided to leave in the morning if it was not terrible. The weather was showing some signs of letting up.

We left Portland 0620 in 4 to 6 foot seas, half-mile visibility and 15 to 20 knots of wind on the nose. It was not pleasant but it was not terrible and we decided to go to Portsmouth instead of Kennebunkport. We made Portsmouth at 1438 and picked up the same mooring we had on the way up. By skipping Kennebunkport we picked up a day. We did not want to enter an unknown harbor with six-foot seas running when the channel was only dredged to 5 feet. Walt whipped something up with leftovers for dinner.

Distance: 47 miles

We took off at 0640 for Plymouth and planned to skip Gloucester to pick up another day. The weather was improving. It was overcast but no fog and the seas were only 1-2 feet. We even sailed some and went outside around Cape Ann as we had done on the way north.

We made it to Brewer's yard at 1805 and they closed at 1800. The office lady stayed over and came down to the boat to pick up our registration at 1900. Again we were told to turn behind a boat and go into a slip. But the boat was docked in such a way that we could not see its name on the stern until we passed it. We found our slip in spite of the directions.

The trip into Plymouth is about 5 miles long. The narrow channel has a stiff current and a minefield of lobster pots. Chris did not want to go there if there was going to be any fog. The weather was clear so we went in. Unfortunately, we arrived too late for Walt to visit the Mayflower, but we could see the ship from our slip only 200 yards away.

Walt made Hamburger Helper and salad for dinner.

Distance: 70 miles

We left the next morning at 0600 in order to make the Cape Cod Canal slack water at 1000. We arrived at the canal at 1230 and took on fuel (21.24 gals) at Sandwich Marina where we had stayed on the way up. After fueling we went south through the canal. Since the tidal current and the wind were in opposite directions, we kept to the edge as much as possible to avoid the hull pounding on the wind driven cresting waves. As a result, the canal was fairly rough and bouncy. When we exited the wind had risen to 25 knots to be directly on the nose and the current was opposed to the wind. Buzzards Bay was anything but nice. There were a lot of other sailboats out for a sail but they were all sailing on beam reaches. We were the only boat heading down the bay into the wind. We went off course awhile, tacking along our general course line, rather than pounding directly into the waves and wind. This made the sailing smoother and more pleasant, but we were loosing time. After a while we went back on GPS guided hydraulic steering, into the pounding surf.

The channel leading into New Bedford and Fairhaven is about 5 miles long and you have to pass through a hurricane gate to get in. This is like two huge metal doors that close the gap in the breakwater to keep the storm surge out. We called several marinas on the cell phone and finally I got a slip at Fairhaven Shipyard on the north side of the river. It was a pleasant working marina and yard with good facilities. After asking several different people for suggestions, we decided to go to Margaret's for dinner. We went early, as recommended, because waiting lines develop. We had an excellent meal for about $15 and when we left there was a significant line waiting.

In MA, NH, and ME you have to pay a deposit of 5 cents on each bottle or can. As the crew finished the drinks and threw them out Walt collected them and planned to reclaim the deposit. Being as this was the last night in MA, Walt dragged his bag of cans to dinner at Margaret's with the expectation of finding a place to return them. After dinner we separated, Martin and Chris returned to the boat. Walt went hunting. He located a return facility only to find that the automated system would not function on crushed cans as it could not read the bar code anymore. For cans not crushed, it would not accept cans sold outside of MA. It could tell this just by the bar code. All Walt's efforts were for naught as he walked through town like a hobo with a bag of cans. He now considers the five cents per can a state's revenue building luxury tax and not as an incentive not to litter.

Distance: 50 miles

We started early, 0600, because the conditions were good and we had 40 plus miles to go to reach Point Judith of Chart 1210 fame. Thunderstorms were predicted later in the day. We got to about Westport before the winds picked up-against us naturally. We were heading west and the winds shifted direction as we changed course. It was a sloppy run. The computer took one too many poundings and tripped off line. Chris did not notice this until we anchored at Pt. Judith so we have no "crumb trail" of this leg of the cruise in the computer. We were anchored securely at 1330. Walt whipped up something for dinner. The wind had really picked up the last couple of hours of sailing and now at anchor it was quite strong. It was good to be behind the breakwater. The seas were breaking over a low spot in the breakwater as it reached high tide. Pt. Judith Harbor of Refuge is filled with lobster pots. It took concentration to anchor in 20 feet of water with a 9 foot tide and make sure that your swing did not float you over a lobster pot. The weather abated by the next morning.

Distance: 36 miles

Chris decided not to go to Montauk as originally planned and instead to go down Long Island Sound and the East River. We raised the anchor at 0530 and took off for Milford Boat Works arriving at 1720. We caught the flood tide that we rode past Fisher's Island for quite awhile making 7+ knots. The weather was clear and we even got to do some sailing.

Milford is a nice town. A group of five white egrets could be seen fishing for their dinner in the green reed marshlands as we transited the waterway leading to the marina. After taking on fuel, (24.62 gal), getting showers and rinsing the salt off the boat, we headed into town for dinner. After surveying the area, we had a delicious dinner of fish and chips at a carefully selected restaurant. We met folks on the dock that volunteered to take us wherever we needed to go if we had a problem. Fortunately we were in good shape. This was one of the best marinas we visited this trip.

Distance: 66 miles

We left at 0630 for Manhasset Bay not thinking we could make the tide at Hell Gate. We again had a favorable current and moved along at 6+ knots. When we got to Manhasset Bay it became obvious that we could make it to Hell Gate and down the East River. The flood current we had in the Sound was now ebbing current in the East River. We went through Hell Gate at 11.4 knots. Going through the East River was like shooting the rapids in a large canoe. Chris was at the helm to make sure we did not broach. The sights of the UN and other buildings in Manhattan were impressive. Unfortunately, the wind had shifted again to be out of the South and the East River and NY Bay became very rough with the current against the wind.

We spent more than one hour sailing behind Governor's Island, down the Hudson River toward the Verrazano Bridge. There was very little traffic coming or going. As we passed under the Verrazano Bridge trying to cross the shipping channel, a fully loaded container ship traveling down river at about 20 knots sneaked up behind us while Walt was at the helm. We suddenly heard the first of five long blasts, the danger signal. Chris was below deck but was up by the third blast and after quickly assessing the situation, instructed Walt to steer hard to port to get out of the way even though we had the right of way. You might say this was the closest we have seen a container ship! We returned to our course for Horseshoe Cove on Sandy Hook arriving 1730. Chris, having gone aground in the past on the sand bar that has been removed from the charts but is still there, crept in very slowly and anchored in 8 feet of water. Walt went for a swim after dinner trying out the offshore PFD. The strong wind began to let up and we watched the sun slowly setting in crimson splendor. Walt took a sextentless sight as the sun's upper limb sank into the horizon.

Distance: 73 miles

At 0600 we left for home. We had to fight the current all the way around Sandy Hook and down the coast for a while. Chris had interesting stories and historical details to tell about all those towns we passed. We specially could see and learn about the differences between Asbury Park and Ocean Grove and how they developed.

The weather was clear and very light. We noticed the sea birds were diving into the ocean to feed. Chris put out a fishing line and we quickly caught a large sea bass. After landing it on board, Chris implemented the catch and release program. He did not want a smelly fish on his boat. We motored to Manasquan Inlet and entered uneventfully.

We had 6 bridges to go to be home. As we approached the first railroad bridge it closed on us just as it had on our way out. The rest of the bridges opened for us on demand. Chris could tell if we hurried we could make the last bridge for its 1300 scheduled opening. We went as fast as we could. While still some distance away he called the Rt 37 bridge and asked if we could make the scheduled 1300 opening. The bridge tender said he thought we were too far away. Chris did not see any other vessels waiting for an opening so he called back and asked if we could make his 1305 opening. The operator said sure and opened the bridge for us so we did not even have to slow down.

We reached Nelson's Marina in Island Heights at 1330. We loaded up Chris's car with gear and food. Walt and Martin took showers and then we all drove to Chadwick Beach, Chris and Sherrie's summer house. We had a delicious dinner. Chris took Walt and Martin back to the boat where they spent the night. In the morning, using up the leftover food, the "last" breakfast was an omelet with gorgonzola cheese, quite tasty. They cleaned up the boat and later were picked up by Donna for the ride home.

Distance: 42 miles