These beautiful old wooden boats were anchored in Martha's Vineyard.
This is the longest continuous passage we have done since we arrived n Canada last June, approx 48 hours. It has had a little bit of everything to keep our interest. We started out from Martha's Vineyard with the current slightly against us and the wind on our nose. Rather than motor the first 10nm after we got passed some shallows we tacked down the Sound. It was a bumpy ride the boat was being thrown around by the waves. The current turned in our favour and we were making 8 knots, yippee! The wind continued to increase as it swung more to the north and onto our beam. In the middle of the night we had the main triple reefed and only a very small part of the genoa out. The wind continued to back and decrease, the wind was on the quarter and I continued to let more genoa out and take the reefs out of the main. When Barry started his shift we put up the pole and were running wing on wing down the outside of Long Island. Soon the seas were a flat glassy calm with not a whisper of wind and we were motoring in a south westerly direction. As dusk fell we were crossing the entrance to New York Harbor and there were fish boats everywhere. It is disconcerting, their lights are blinding and they move in unpredictable patterns, I counted 8 within my viewing area. As I went down to sleep the wind had once again picked up and predictably, it was on our nose. If we chose to sail and tack the remaining 90 miles it would have meant a third night at sea; so we motored on. Barry dodged three tankers in bound to New York and I watched a cruise ship pass within a mile behind us, lit up like a Christmas tree. The wind has picked up again and now we are once again being bounced around as we power through the waves. I am sitting tucked up under the dodger with my feet on the steps leading down into the cabin. Here, I am out of the wind, I can monitor the instruments and see almost 360 degrees. It is 0345 and I am fighting to keep my eyes open, I don't want to imbibe any caffeine because my shift ends at 0500 and I need to sleep. We should be in Atlantic City by noon and then we will have contact a marina there to figure out accommodations.
