Vineyard Haven – Living Aboard an Old Wooden Boat

From Yarmouth, ME to Martha’s Vineyard, MA

Wednesday, September 12 – Saturday, September 29, 2018

After last-minute preparations, I did some laundry at Ginny’s and left our car in her driveway. Lucky for us, Ginny is within an easy walk to the marina! We didn’t depart from the pony dock at Yankee Marina until 3:45, as we were only going as far as Portland Harbor. Karen offered us guest space at Chandler’s Wharf where she and her cat live aboard m/v JUNIATA, the Consolidated Industries cruiser I think I’ve mentioned before. She also offered her mooring #178 across the channel.

We opted for the dock space so we could more easily visit Karen and walk Annie around town. We found ourselves behind M5, the largest sloop (single masted) in the world. At 277′ long and 54′ wide, she was berthed on the facing dock at DiMillo’s Marina. [Not many weeks later a storm came up and M5 was blown off the pier, taking much of the facing dock with her!].

M5 at night at DiMillo’s, across from us at Chandlers Wharf

The head was beginning to get a bit smelly, so Hugh cleaned it thoroughly and put ____ in the holding tank to “break up the solids”. We then planned to add a tablet down the head after each pumpout.

It looked as if we had a “weather window” for our trip south, from today through Sunday or Monday, so despite the drizzle, we departed Portland, and made our way to Biddeford Pool by way of a quick trip up the Saco River to check things out. We had intended to pumpout at Marston’s Marina, but they were already on winter hours. Good to know! This reinforced our happiness that we decided last November not to risk bringing KATIE MACK down to the Vineyard so late in the season with all the potential “what ifs” along an unfamiliar route. Whew! Back to Biddeford Pool, we once again picked up BPYC’s mooring #89 for the night.

So much for our weather window! We woke up to thick fog, decided to stay put for the day, and hoped for better weather the next day. Ha! This is why we don’t make plans or keep to a schedule. More fog the next day meant we stayed a third night in Biddeford Pool. I baked an apple crisp and made pesto with fresh-picked basil from Leslie Oh Hell No’s garden. She and I went on a long walk around Biddeford Pool, and she showed me all the paths to avoid walking along the roads.

We got an early start on Sunday morning. The sky was blue, and there was barely a ripple of breeze over the gentle swell. Just off Ogunquit, we saw a sunfish, and had to find the youtube video of the guy with the wicked Boston accent seeing one for the first time: “Holy shit, Jay, it’s a baby whale . . . .” We also came across another dead baby seal. Apparently Asian flu and distemper are a problem in the seal population.

We continued past Portsmouth, NH and decided to stop at Newburyport, MA. We crossed the bar into the Merrimac River near half tide. This bar is known to be treacherous, and if the wind and tide hadn’t been cooperating, we would have kept going. We proceeded up the river to the City of Newburyport Public Docks for a pumpout, and then picked up a Newburyport Marina mooring (cone-shaped with a blue stripe. $50 and no wifi, but nice showers). There was a swift current in this channel, and lots of “Sunday drivers” whizzing up and down the river.

Monday dawned with gray skies. After topping off the water tank and walking Annie, we were on our way down river by 9:15. We safely and easily crossed the bar, and made our way across Bigelow Bight into Ipswich Bay to the Annisquam River.

It was low tide, which made for a lazy cruise past mud flats full of shore birds, lovely old wooden boats, and lots of funny-looking houseboats. Once we made it through the two bascule bridges into Gloucester’s Western Harbor, we hailed Karen’s friend, Viking, who owns the Gloucester Marine Railway at the mouth of Smith Cove.

Route 1 bascule bridge
RR lift bridge

KATIE MACK at the Gloucester Marine Railway’s float

She directed us to a 40′ float near the travel-lift. We were so happy to be tucked in here, snug and secure for the torrential rains expected the next day — remnants of Hurricane Florence that devastated so much of North and South Carolina a few days earlier.

Due to the high winds outside the harbor, we stayed at the Maine Railway ($25/night) for 4 nights and then moved onto a Harbor mooring for another 2 nights ($40/night). We only had one rolly night with a gale blowing.

Since it wasn’t raining all day every day, we had a chance to do a lot of walking all over East Gloucester and Gloucester . There is quite an artist’s colony here on Rocky Neck with adorable houses and gardens nestled all side by each, and good provisioning “up to the Shaw’s” within walking distance of the town wharf. Don of f/v SCOTIA GIRL, loaned Hugh his truck so he could drive up to the fishermans outfitters for lures to catch stripers. We never did make it to the Market Store, a little place similar to Rosemont — maybe next time! Dinner at Halibut recommended by Amelia, and another dinner at Maria’s recommended by Zach for its great chicken parm, which lived up to its billing. At one point we got a phone call that Martha’s Vineyard Shipyard didn’t have any room for KATIE MACK. More phone calls and recommendations needed.

Finally the storm passed and we were able to depart Gloucester under blue skies with very little breeze. We made it across Massachusetts Bay to the Town Landing in Cohasset Cove, where we met Kate, a college friend of Hugh’s, for lunch. We continued on down to Plymouth Harbor, where some locals encouraged us to follow them to pick up a free mooring near the anchorage but a little less exposed.

The next day, Monday, the winds picked up. We checked in with the harbormaster who suggested we move into the inner harbor anchorage inside the breakwater on a HUGE mooring normally used by a fishing vessel. No charge! We walked around town and found the British Store which has Sherbet Dabs and Turkish Delight. Woohoo!

On Tuesday, my college roommate’s parents, Harvey and Mary, took us for a delicious lunch at the Lobster Pot in Bourne, followed by a tour of the Plymouth area. So much to get caught up on with the doings of their kids and grandkids. What a treat to have the time for a good long visit, which was topped off with an invitation to do a load of laundry before they dropped us at the town wharf. Fun day, followed by more wind and rain the next day. At some point, we lost our ensign — the ONE night we forgot to bring it in at nightfall.

Because of the high winds (when the fishermen stay put, we stay put!), we didn’t leave Plymouth until Thursday morning under grey skies with a moderate breeze out of the north. We had a comfortable run down to the Cape Cod Canal, made it through without incident, and continued our smooth run all the way across Buzzards Bay to Woods Hole. We picked up a Woods Hole Marine mooring while we called around, and finally a cheerful young woman from the Woods Hole Yacht Club offered us one of their transient moorings ($30).

It was great fun to watch all the harbor activity with ferries, fishing boats, and research vessels coming in and out of the harbor. There are also quite a few houseboats in the western side of the harbor. It was quite rolly that evening, so Hugh devised a “flopper-stopper” with the drogue before we retired for the night. Worked like a charm!

The next morning it was rainy, so we decided to wait until things cleared a bit before leaving Woods Hole. We didn’t make it very far out of the channel before the waves kicked up, so we turned around and eventually picked up the WHYC mooring for another night. I took the bus into Falmouth to West Marine to buy a new rainjacket, and then ended up walking the 4 miles back to Woods Hole as the bus never came by — 16,557 steps that day!

Finally, on Saturday the 29th, we woke to clear skies. By 10 AM we were headed out Great Harbor and decided to check out MacDougall’s Boatyard in Falmouth as a possible winter haulout. After speaking with them — nice folks! — and topping up fuel and water and pumping out, we crossed Vineyard Sound to the R “2” gong off West Chop and followed the marks into Vineyard Haven. Just before reaching the harbor, we noticed a “squeaking” sound. Hugh discovered there was water seeping in from the saltwater gasket which Yankee Marina had removed this spring to change the zincs. The other side had leaked a bit, too, before self-plugging with salt. Luckily we were only minutes from the breakwater and were assigned mooring E-5. We picked up the mooring just before 1:00 and (thought) we were home for the winter.

While we only needed four days to travel from Vineyard Haven to Portland in the spring, it took us 16 days to return from Portland to Vineyard Haven, due to the weather kicked up by hurricanes passing far to the south. This is why we allow plenty of time to get to places we “NEED” to be. We clearly understand why the most dangerous item one can carry aboard a vessel is a schedule.

1,390 miles and 40 harbors (30 unique harbors) since June 9th. What an adventure we have had!

Homeward Bound

Sunday, July 1 – Wednesday, July 4, 2018

At 6:30, under hazy skies and with flat seas, we departed Vineyard Haven. Happily, we made it through Woods Hole and across Buzzards Bay with the current.

The railroad bridge over the Cape Cod Canal was down, waiting
for the garbage/commuter train

When we arrived at the Cape Cod Canal, the railroad bridge was down, allowing only seven feet of clearance, so we waited for the train to pass before we proceeded through the Canal.

This being just ahead of the 4th of July, there were no moorings available in Plymouth or Scituate, so we called ahead to Laurie, the Harbormaster of Cohasset. Thankfully, she had one heavy mooring available ($35). This gem of a harbor was hardly recognizable on a blisteringly hot Sunday in July, but the water was perfect for a swim off the platform!

At one point a fellow kayaked over — he’d been reading his WoodenBoat Magazine on his porch, looked up to see KATIE MACK coming into the tiny harbor, looked back down at the article he was reading, and realized he had to come say hi! We need to keep an eye out for the MARY CURTIS, a black-hulled old wooden fishing vessel out of Boston as they, too, were headed to Maine. Laurie the harbormaster was kind enough to offer of the use of her truck if we needed to drive into town for any provisions. No need as we were well stocked, but wow, that’s above and beyond. KATIE MACK is proving to be quite the skid-greaser when it comes to meeting people and hearing stories of old wooden boats.

Monday dawned humid with temps climbing to the 80’s. We left Cohasset at 9 and cruised across Massachusetts Bay, arriving at Marblehead just before noon. We picked up the same EYC mooring, took a nap, and then headed over to town for a few provisions. We met Tad and Liz for a delicious dinner at Maddie’s Sail Loft, and reminisced about where we were exactly 40 years ago: on Nantucket at Tad’s mom’s house. Hugh and I met that fateful July day, and it’s been quite an adventure since!

We awoke to a red sky, so decided to get going early. Dropped the mooring at 6:20, and after topping off water and walking Annie, we headed into 1-2 foot seas. Once we passed Cape Ann and the Thacher Island lights, we enjoyed an easier ride with the swell. We kept an eye on the thunderheads well to the west, over land. At one point, we had radio contact with m/v TANGO, requesting they pass aft of us on their way to Isles of Shoals. We also asked if we showed up on their radar — yes, we did. Good to know!

The 3rd was a loooong day, 8 1/2 hours, and it’s a good thing the thunderstorms never came close as there were no moorings available between Marblehead and Biddeford Pool, due to 4th of July celebrations. We were relieved to pick up one of the Biddeford Yacht Club moorings ($35/night) at Biddeford Pool. I called our friend, Leslie, who has a summer cottage just up the street from the little market. Right after our relaunch in Yarmouth last fall, Leslie came aboard for a tour; she will be forever and fondly known as “Oh, hell no!”

We had a nice walk with Annie down along the beach, and Leslie told us more about the classic wood cruiser that is free to the buyer of a lovely cottage across the inlet from the yacht club. All yours for only 5 million!

We slept in on the 4th, and didn’t get moving until just after 11, since it was only a short hop to Casco Bay. Wow, did it feel good to be back in familiar waters! As we crossed Casco Bay, we watched the Cat coming in from Nova Scotia.

We met our friend, Ginny, and her dog Copper, at Handy’s in Falmouth, where we also topped up fuel and water, and pumped out the head. As we are moving, we try not to allow the tanks to fall much below half, and we watch the head closely as it approaches 3/4. Next, we headed over to the Maine Yacht Center where Skip and Julie keep their JULIP.

We were given the premiere dock space ($120) for watching Portland’s fireworks over the East End beach on the aft deck with the Skip and Julie, and more longtime friends, Steve and AnnMarie. Annie was terrified of all the flashbangs, so we’ll never do that again! We managed to keep her from jumping off the boat, and she quickly settled once the booming stopped.

Narragansett Bay, RI to Vineyard Haven, MA

Monday, June 25 – Saturday, June 30, 2018

Monday morning dawned bright and clear with temps in the high 60’s, so we got off to an early start. We joined the “parade” of boats down the Mystic River, and began the next leg of our passage home to Southwest Harbor, ME.

Parade of wooden boats heading down the Mystic River

Once in the Sound, we heard a “pop” and the transmission disengaged. Hugh had to do a little troubleshooting, but he’s quite familiar with how it all works, so after tightening this and switching that out, he discovered that the clips had come off the throttle linkage on the engine. Problem solved, and we were soon on our way. We had 1-3 foot seas, but the 25 mph winds were going our way.

We cruised into Narragansett Bay, past Newport, RI, and under the Jamestown Bridge to the Herreshoff Marine Museum in Bristol, RI, where we picked up a mooring ($50/night). We walked around the town that was gearing up for the Fourth of July with plenty of bunting and flags. There are some lovely old houses here!

The next morning we toured the museum, and the $15/pp fee was waived as we had picked up one of their moorings. This was a real treat for Hugh who had grown up learning to sail a Herreshoff 12. We had no idea how influential Herreshoff was in the design not only of early America’s Cup winners but also PT boats, boat planes, and the US Navy’s first torpedo boats known as the “Mosquito Fleet” in 1895. Well worth a visit if you find yourself in the vicinity, by land or sea!

Battleship Cove

Once we left Bristol, we headed to Battleship Cove near the Mt Hope Bridge. The 608′ USS MASSACHUSETTS is # 59 and the destroyer, USS JOSEPH P KENNEDY, JR is also there, along with several others, including a submarine.

We headed over to the Sakonnet River and enjoyed a lovely cruise down to Buzzards Bay. As soon as we hit the chop in the Bay, we realized we needed to find shelter. Our only option was dock space at the Sakonnet Point Marina. At $184 for the night, we were disappointed that there were NO services other than at the Marina for an added $25, and electricity would have been extra! No restaurant nearby, however there was an outhouse. It felt so good to be self-contained! Since we were on the dock, Hugh decided to try out the folding bike, and he was delighted it worked so well.

We thought that Sakonnet Point would be a good jumping off point to make our way over to Martha’s Vineyard, however we didn’t want to push our luck crossing Vineyard Sound, given the weather forecast.

We decided to tuck into Cuttyhunk Pond for another couple of nights ($45/night) to ride out the storm. The Pond is well-protected, so we enjoyed the calm, despite the rain. We walked to the hilltop with Annie, and worked on some projects: the dolphin seat/footrest was installed on the princess seat, the bookshelf is safer with the bungee cord, and the “marriage saver” headsets are working better. Still more Creeping Crack Cure was used to try to stop the drips in the saloon and at the foot of our berth.

Friday morning dawned with clearing skies and calmer seas, so we headed over to Quick’s Hole and into Vineyard Sound for a great run up north of Middle Ground Shoal. The current was so strong that we were cruising at 10 knots! While there were patches of fog, they didn’t last, and soon we were picking up a Gannon and Benjamin mooring outside the breakwater, which is a little more exposed to the weather.

Vineyard Haven, with ALABAMA and SHENANDOAH (L) and ferries (R)

We hailed Shep of the Vineyard Haven Launch Service for rides in and out as I met my Tuesday knitting group friend Carole for iced coffee at Black Dog Bakery while Hugh walked to West Marine and Vineyard Scripts. The water was warm enough, and free of jellyfish, for a refreshing swim off our swim platform. The ladder works perfectly! Dana and CarolAnne of SUMMERWIND, a pristine Concordia yawl, dinghied over — his granddad had a Vineyard Shipyard-built boat similar to KATIE MACK. Our friend, Teri, arrived with fish sandwiches (a favorite!) and fried oysters from the Net Result for dinner on the aft deck. On Saturday, longtime friend, Nicola, invited me to her home in W. Tisbury for laundry, then we picked up another favorite, grilled cheese sandwiches on Portuguese sweet bread from the Scottish Bakehouse, for lunch aboard. Next I met another knitting group friend, Janice, for coffee at The Black Dog Bakery. That evening, Hugh’s MV Hospital assistant, Donna, joined Teri for a sunset “toot” to Oak Bluffs and back. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing our winter home from this summer vantage, and very much appreciate NOT having to spend the whole summer with ALL THE SUMMER CROWDS.