Fog and Winds point the wayJul 21, 2011
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More fog.....
Garbage run
Leaving Kingman
In yet another evidence of our willingness to make it up as we go along, todays journey was a classic. We sat at the outer anchorage off Cuttyhunk until almost noon waiting for the fog to lift and the strong SW winds to lie down. It was not to be and as the rest of the nation dealt with record heat, we were in that tiny corner of the ice box that refused to thaw, Some sailboats departed the anchorage and the encouragement was just enough to get us underway. Jean assumed the fog watch and we set off up Buzzards Bay to the cut at Woods Hole into Vineyard Sound and Martha's Vineyard, in particular. As we approached this new thoroughfare in complete fog and building winds, it became clear that the elements were not with us. The current would be at full flood, pushing us into new territory with the strong SW winds at the exit. Our other option was the familiar Kingman Yacht Center up the bay and well protected from the building state of the weather. The trip up was with the seas and wind and moved along quickly. We entered along the south channel and followed a slow train of sailboats negotiating for moorings for their various club rendezvous.
After a night on a mooring at Kingman, we pushed off south in the fog. This time we arrived at the passage at Woods Hole just as the fog cleared and thankfully at slack water. Beautiful homes and an impressive research facility made it hard to keep our eyes in the boat and watching the tricky channel. We arrived of Vineyard Haven just before noon with the dinghy in tow. With a good anchorage spot near the cut in the breakwater, we set off for town. The place is full of shops, but we settled for a late lunch at the Black Dog Tavern. The heat wave finally arrived in the islands and for the first time on the trip, we turned on the air conditioner back on the boat. This was such a delightful place that we have decided to stay over to Sunday, so Jean can get back into town for some shopping. On Saturday we set a schedule for dinghy drop and pick up while she took a more deliberate tour of the shops. About pickup time a terrific thunderstorm came across the island and Bill stayed with the boat while Jean huddled with new friends in the dock office shelter.
