Eight Days in July

We had an incredible cruise, going new places and getting lucky with the weather throughout.  There were six of us in two boats, including a couple of biologists coming all the way from San Francisco.

After spending the first day and night on the Westport River’s beautiful west branch, we sailed through fairly dense fog to Cuttyhunk…

…where, after a sunny late lunch on the outside of the harbor, we anchored in an empty corner of the inner harbor and stretched our legs to have a look around the island.

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On Monday we sailed through Canapitsit Channel and up Vineyard Sound in light easterlies to Vineyard Haven, where we rafted up to the classic sloop Venture and had a night of relative luxury.

Tuesday, after enjoying some shore amenities, we proceeded slowly to Cape Pogue Bay, where we strolled, swam, and had some prime smooth water sailing in the afternoon.

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Some low clouds fly by between a sunny day and starry night.

Wednesday morning took us…

…first to a water and ice cream pit stop in Oak Bluffs.  From there…

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LS’s first reef tucked in before things pick up, second reef line’s slack soon to be taken up. Discussion via VHF of destination.

…we had an exciting sail to Waquoit Bay, whose empty backwaters gave us our first real taste of gunkholing since the Westport River.

Thursday we opted to pass Woods Hole by and tack down Vineyard Sound with the remainder of the ebb to Robinson’s Hole and from there we had an equipment testing broad reach north across Buzzards Bay to the completely undeveloped east side of West Island.  Here’s Jeanne, who had no dinghy sailing experience at the beginning of our voyage, manning the tiller like the badass she is:

We made the most of light northerlies Friday morning to get down Buzzards Bay to a seemingly unbroken stretch of shore just as the seebreeze began to fill in, with the surf not far behind.  Through an almost invisible cut in the beach, guarded by a couple small sandbars, we found the meandering and shoaling little maze of marsh waterways that eventually took us to secluded and shellfish rich Allen’s Pond, where we were joined by some shore family.  Possibly the gunkholing highlight of the summer!

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The final Saturday gave us one last beautiful sail around Gooseberry Point and back home to Westport, where an ice cream truck appeared apparently in response to our thoughts as we finished lunch at a picnic table by the boat ramp, in the blessed shade.

Thanks to everyone for a wonderful week!