An Auspicious Day

Yesterday was truly an auspicious day.  Thus, we try to re-start our Blog for our travels South.

We arrived at Block Island around 5:00 PM and after a bit of work and chores took the Launch onto shore for a short walk.  Instead of turning left toward Town as we and most others have done, we turned right.  And around the bend is an old cemetery climbing the hill.  As we approached, a large healthy buck bounded out of the brush and up the hill ahead of us, stopping at the crest before disappearing on the other side.  After a nice hike up the hill and around the cemetery - many Captains lie here, Dodges, Allans, Willises and other true Yankee stock - we headed back down toward the Docks.  No sooner had we reached the bottom than another large healthy buck bounded through a driveway gate not 10 paces ahead of us and turned toward us racing back up the cemetery hill.  Again, stopping to look back at us (very majestic) and over the other side.  Wow!  Amazing!  Not being in a place where a Trader Joe's sells Two Buck Chuck Wine, we decided to tip the launch driver an extra Two Bucks.

We did see the old (very old) Narragansett Inn before taking the Launch back to the boat.  Left some outgoing mail with them and felt we had a great visit to Block.

Our plan to head out at 0600 this morning for the 210 nm trip to Cape May (30 to 35 hours) was thwarted at 0300 when I decided to recalculate our fuel usage since leaving Quahog Bay and decided that worst case (absolutely worst case) was that we had 24 hours worth of fuel.  Since we are Cruisers and not necessarily Sailors, and we don't expect more than 5 or 10 knots of wind for the next two days, we decided we could not shove off without refueling.  At 0830 we were at Payne's Fuel Dock fully topped off.  Fuel and Water.  A fat and happy Island Packet built for comfort on the open ocean.

The Plan now is to leave between 3:00 and 6:00 this afternoon arriving Cape May 35 hours plus or minus later.  Since this should give us a morning arrival, it also leaves open the options of just heading up Delaware Bay without a stop or stopping off to anchor and rest at Lewes, Delaware inside the mouth of Delaware Bay.  We hope these options will provide less stress than trying to hit a night time anchorage at Cape May.

So, with an August 23 start from Harpswell, we have made anchorage at Pepperell Cove, a mooring at Situate (MA) Harbor north of the Cape Cod Canal, two nights on a mooring at West Island, Fairhaven, MA in Buzzards Bay (including dinner with Paul & Debbie Casey at their West Island Cottage), and now Great Salt Pond on Block Island.  We will make Baltimore.  We plan on the Florida Keys.  We hope for Florida's West Coast.  And we continue to negotiate a possible Bahamian return.  Check in often for updates.

Adjusting a Gilguy before entering the Cape Cod Canal.  Note the new Banana Storage System.