It’s only been less than a month since I escaped Sunset and here I am leaving at sunrise, heading northeast through Buzzard Bay. How about a Sunrise Day Care Center as part of a Sunset Home. Why not?
Weather cooperated once again with steady winds out of the southwest. That Good Night could do well in eighteen to twenty knots without reefing, but as the wind piped up, I took in the jib, set the staysail and furled some main. I’m not into fighting with the wind. Whenever I did that I lost. Like the time I was hit broadside with a gust falling off the Palisades. I was heading north on the Hudson River, just south of the George Washington Bridge when I was slammed. If it wasn’t for the lifeline encircling the cockpit, I’d have been pitched into the water, never to be seen again. As it turned out, my tiny boat and I survived. Lesson learned.
Entering the Cape Cod Canal, I was required to drop sail; motoring only is the rule for the canal. Cruising along at five knots I watched cyclists and folks walking along the path that ran the length of the canal. Here it was unfolding before me, the simple joy of doing simple things. As I see it, that’s the essence of life. I watched people watching me.
Exiting the Canal I tied up at Sandwich Marina, a rather crowded nondescript harbor on the east end of the canal. I arrived at 1500 hours, went below, and took a long nap with Agatha, the name I had chosen for my stuffy. After my nap, I spent time with navigation. My plan was to head north to Boston, stay a few days then beeline it for Bob’s place in Maine. I called Constitution Marina for reservations. The weather forecast was calling for deteriorating conditions with a cold front on the way. I’d like to make Boston before that. Enjoy some city comforts.