Home again.

WishBone is on her home mooring.  Geoff and Bill brought her home on Friday morning.  They drove to Fairhaven Thursday, returned the rental car and started out.  The tides were just right to get them to and through the Cape Cod Canal at a break neck speed.  They continued on through the night to arrive home the next morning! 

 

GPS record of the trip - top speed was through the canal

 

Sunday, July 6th

We survived Arthur in good shape.  The boat is VERY clean from all the rain.  We still have only one little leak.  It is in the hatch in the head over the sink.  Good place if you have to have water leaking.  However, the winds are endless.  A cold front has followed the hurricane.  NOAA reports we can expect high winds into Wednesday!  So, our plan is to rent a car tomorrow and drive home.  April and me and my sun blisters which are out of control - thanks to the antibiotic - will stay home and Geoff and Bill will drive back to Fairhaven and bring the boat home once the weather calms down.  It has been very hard to be stuck here when we are so close to home.  It is so good of Geoff to help out.  I hope he enjoys the sail.  I know Bill will enjoy the time with Geoff. 

 

 

 

Hurricane barrier - a mile long with inlet gate that closes in adverse conditions

 

July 4th, Friday

 

Well finally Arthur is here.  We arrived here Tuesday and decided we should sit right here until Arthur had made its pass.  We are huddled behind the hurricane barrier in a marina tied up to a floating dock.  The heavy rains and thunderstorms began about 11:30 a.m. and now the winds are really starting to blow.  But so far, we are okay.  Tomorrow morning will reveal the results.

Wednesday, July 2nd

After hearing the forecast for Arthur this morning and looking ahead into our next few days, we have decided to sit tight right here in Fairhaven.  There is a hurricane barrier here protecting the harbor where we are tied up, and there is no safe haven in our future travels.  Even if we hurried to our mooring in Pepperrell Cove, we know from the past that is not such a great place to be in a tropical storm.  So we will have to eat the $3.25 per foot dockage per day and be bored for a few days until we see what Arthur decides to do - better than risking life and limb and boat.  We got in a couple of good dog walks today and explored the "downtown."  We have also done the usual boat prep for high winds.  Hopefully, Arthur will just blow and stir up the seas a little bit and then be gone by Sunday or Monday so we can head home.

Tuesday, July 1st

After our wonderful visit with Sandy and Jerry Bishop when we were all very spoiled, we left early this morning to outrace the tropical depression developing in Florida.  Through wind (10 - 15 with 25 kn gales) and sea and fog banks (4), we managed a good distance travel day - 66.7 miles (10 hrs 25 min) and are now tied up to a dock in Fairhaven, Mass.  We had planned to do a stop to visit friends in Rhode Island, but the weather has dictated we get home.  Tomorrow we will travel the rest of Buzzards Bay and the Cape Cod Canal.  The winds are predicted to be heavy again so we will see how it goes after the canal.  I sit here soaking my sun blistered toes - yet another result of the antibiotic for the tick borne illness I had.  April is fine today but we spent an extra day in Connecticut because of my toes (clinic visit) and her intestinal illness Sunday night.  Bill has been sucking up the extra time at the helm when I have been unable.  Good he is healthy!  We are looking to be in home port by Friday night and are getting excited to get home.