Newport, Cannibals, and Miniaturizing Argon

Jamestown Distributors = Thumbs Up
Our last blog entry ended with us happily awaiting a new water pump from Jamestown Distributors.

Jamestown Distributors kindly offered to deliver our new water pump to Dutch Harbor Boatyard (we were anchored in the harbor).  However, when we connected with the boatyard, they were very displeased that squatters would think it was ok for them to accept a delivery.  Instead, we waited at the dock ourselves to receive the package.  The boatyard guy kept saying what a nice guy he was as long as we rent a mooring for $50.

Linda continues to try to make progress learning blue tasks.  The hum of the new water pump sounded beautiful!

Exploring Dutch Island
After a successful water pump installation, we set out to explore the deserted Dutch Island.

Every summer we take sand shadow pictures.  This time we decided to do a stone shadow picture on the rocky shore of Dutch Island.

The only paths on the island were from wildlife.  We encountered lots of thickets and a few clearings and saw a couple of deer.  No sign of poison ivy :-).

Sunset over Dutch Harbor

Spinnaker North, Motor South 

The wind was perfect Saturday morning to open the chute and glide proudly northward under the Jamestown Bridge.  We are getting better at jibing the asymm but Linda still cannot rig it independently (yet).

Then we had to steer eastward and round Conanicut Island and head southward in to the wind towards Newport.  We decided to motor the short 8 mile leg instead of beating in to the wind.  Newport Bridge is pictured above.

Ah, Newport
Newport is a unique mixture of activity and arrogance.  We have gone there many times on land and water and always enjoy it.  Immediately after going under the Newport Bridge, we encountered dozens of impressive wooden sailboats setting up for a race.  The inner harbor is packed with boats with a heavy preponderance of sailing vessels.

This holiday weekend we splurged for dock space a second time during our LASVA.  We opted for Newport Shipyard along the bridge to Goat Island vs. one of the (louder) options in the center of town.  We quickly learned that Newport Shipyard is a haven for enormous and elaborate vessels - both sail and power.

Bob practicing holding his martini glass Newport style 

Below are just a few of the impressive vessels that surrounded us at Newport Shipyard.  Argon looked small and modest among her neighbors.

This is a 120' sailboat up on jack stands and stored under a huge boat lift

Heading out for another race

To fit in a bit better with our upscale neighbors, Bob took to spending a couple hours polishing the stainless steel.  Linda went to a spa.

Bob labors for a couple hours getting Argon shiny....

... while Linda went to a spa

Newport Visitors
We enjoyed connecting with quite a few friends during our two days in Newport:

Matt LeDuc with Latitude Yacht Brokerage came for a visit with his kids Zach and Sophie.  Matt sold us our prior sailboat, Fujin, and was immensely helpful in so many ways.  We had a puzzling conversation about the consistency of a large bucket of bacteria (huh?).   

Newport streets and restaurants were packed this last official Saturday summer night so we gathered on Argon for late night drinks with sailing friends Emily and Greg from Constitution Marina and their brother and sister-in-law who were all in town to see the Amy Shumer performance.  

We were thrilled to meet in person the new owners of our prior sailboat (Fujin), Melinda and Greg.  It was great fun to learn about their sailing history and future plans.  We all shared some uh oh stories also.  :-)   Both Melinda and Linda got to know Bill Shaw of New England Yacht Partners very well this past spring through the sale / purchase of Fujin and commissioning of Argon.  We missed connecting with Bill during this trip.

Jeff and JoAnne from Bob's hometown in upstate New York regularly come out to Boston since their daughter attends college in the city.  During this trip eastward, Jeff and JoAnne were able to make a detour post Boston logistics and good byes and join us in Newport overnight.

Jeff and JoAnne posing on Argon's foredeck

Cannibal Ramblers
We enjoyed dinner and more good conversation and laughter at Perro Salado.  Then we ventured in to the back room bar and were surprised at what we heard.  Cannibal Ramblers sound as unique as their name implies and well worth experiencing.  (I will let Bob insert more sophisticated music commentary here.)  They captured the attention of both Bob and Jeff (two music gurus) which says quite a bit.

Jeff and Bob

Newport weekend ended with breakfast at Belle's located right at Newport Shipyard

Visitors Week, Navigating Bridges,Work Day and Broken Water Pump

Visitor Week
We began what Linda is referring to a Visitor Week in that we are happily connecting with some friends and family in different harbors this week.

Linda's son, Josh, and his girlfriend, Sharon visit from Amsterdam (more below)

With Ree and Sammy in Stonington

Argon anchored in Stonington Harbor at dusk

Onward from Stonington to Mystic Up the River and Under (Through) Two Bridges
A sailboat + a bridge is always interesting.  To get to Mystic, one must navigate a little way north up the scenic Mystic River before encountering both a swing railroad bridge and a bascule bridge.  The RR bridge opens on request unless a train is approaching and the bascule bridge opens at 40 minutes past every hour (if there is waiting boat traffic).  Since we were approaching on a Tuesday late morning, there was very little boat traffic which was good since although we had planned our timing well and followed the instructions from both the harbormaster and cruising guide, we happened to catch the RR bridge just as not one, but two trains were approaching.  Thus we had to wait and circle for the first bridge quite a while unexpectedly, as well as then missing the carefully timed second bridge thus having to temporarily tie up for about a 45 minute wait.  Despite the unintended delays, we really enjoyed the travels up the Mystic River and will return again (but this time we would arrive at the RR bridge earlier than needed in case there is a train closure).

Mystic Railroad Bridge finally swinging open after we circle and hover waiting for two trains to go by

Safely through Mystic Railroad Bridge

Mystic River Bascule Bridge (road bridge through downtown Mystic) opens at 40 minutes past every hour but for only 5 minutes - thus Captains need to be ready and alert

Argon quickly following behind a couple other sailboats as the bascule bridge opens on our way south leaving Mystic

Close up view of the Mystic River Bascule Bridge - It is very well maintained and quite attractive.  One can see the huge cement counterweights in the upper part of the photo.

Josh and Sharon Visit the US!
Linda's son, Josh, moved to Netherlands this past May to be with his love, Sharon.  Both Josh and Sharon are spending a three week holiday in the Boston and New England area.  We were thrilled to host them overnight while docked at Mystic Seaport before they spend a few days camping in Connecticut and visiting with friends and family. We look forward to seeing them again back in Boston at the end of our sailing trip.

Enjoying the delicious cheeses that Sharon and Josh brought from Amsterdam

Sharon, Josh and cousins Sam and Morgan pose on Argon's deck

Josh and Sharon relaxing in the cockpit

Josh examines the jellyfish closely to see if they sting

We are so proud of Linda's nieces Sam and Morgan.  They are both embarking on terrific adventures.  Sam has enlisted in the Navy and leaves for bootcamp in about 10 days; and Morgan starts her university career at SCSU this week.  Congratulations Sam and Morgan!!

Mystic Seaport Museum Docking
Despite living in Connecticut for many years, Linda had never been to Mystic Seaport Museum before.  We were not sure what to expect but thought it would be cool to be docked on the museum grounds, well museum waters.  We loved it!  The dockstaff was A+, we felt almost part of the museum with visitors passing by and some stopping to chat about the boat, and the docked guests have exclusive private access to the museum grounds after the area closes to the public in the evening.  The town center is easily accessible by foot or dinghy.

Linda pretends to clean up "road apples" harking back to her stall mucking days in Higganum with Morici and friends

The impressive and recently renovated Charles W Morgan whaling ship from the mid 1800's

View up one of the masts of the Charles W Morgan

Argon on display at Mystic Seaport Museum

Bob loved that we were given a sign to hang from our rail "Private Yacht - Please do not board" as well as our special museum "yachtsmen" passes for the grounds

WFB
Among all the fun and adventure, we both are still working a bit also (Bob more so than Linda).  Wednesday of this week was one of our official, pre-scheduled working from boat (WFB) days.

Linda's office

Onward from Mystic to We'll Figure It Out Before We Hit the Head of the River
After a leisurely morning, we said farewell to our guests and headed south down the Mystic River not quite sure where our next destination would be.  After examining the winds, currents and distances, we opted for Dutch Harbor on the west side of Jamestown RI.  The wind was variable ranging between 8 - 20 kts but mostly out of the N.  We used a few different sail trims including reefed main, then unreefed, jib, then genny, then back to jib.  There was a high surf advisory for along the RI coast and we sailed in unusual swells in that they were sometimes 6 to 7 feet but with very long periods between thus still made for a comfortable ride.  Given the height of some of these swells, however, we were sure to stay clear of the several shoals extending from the CT and RI coast.

Large waves breaking as the surf passes over Watch Hill Reef quite a way off the coast

Swells were making their way up the West Passage of Narragansett Bay causing waves to crash against Whale Rock

We anchored in Dutch Harbor just as the sun was setting

Initially tried to anchor along Dutch Island but the rocky bottom prevented us from getting a good hold.  We found a comfortable holding on the east side along Conanicut Island

Plumbing Issues
While in Mystic we ran out of propane as we were making our morning coffee.  Not an issue as we have a spare tank and we quickly switched tanks.  However, we soon were having difficulty keeping a full flame on any of the burners.  Bob took advantage of Josh and Sharon having our car in Mystic and did some provisioning including taking our original tank to get refilled.  This solved the problem but we do not yet know what the issue with the other tank is.  We can address later.  The bigger plumbing issue came up as Bob was doing dishes shortly after we anchored in Dutch Harbor - water pump seemingly died.  Of note:  our toilet uses fresh water, not sea water, hence there were implications and urgency all around with not having a functioning water pump.

After close examination and some experimentation, Bob determines that the pressure switch is faulty and is able to get the water pump to work again - but only for a few minutes.  (Btw.... Bob worked with a similar type mechanical switch extensively many many years ago and indicated that these things normally are very reliable.)

Although it is just the pressure switch we need, the following morning we were luckily able to secure an entire new water pump from Jamestown Distributors, a local extensive marine supply warehouse, and they will deliver the new pump this afternoon to the boatyard near where we are anchored.  We will also send back this practically new water pump to the factory for a replacement (spare) or refund.

Not sure where we will be tonight yet.  But have dock space in Newport and plans for more visitors Saturday through Monday to celebrate the holiday weekend!  :-)

Motor-Yachting to Connecticut - Stonington and Our First Land Visitors

Block Island RI to Stonington CT
It had to happen sooner or later this trip... a day with no wind. Such was the case getting from Block Island across the sound to Stonington, CT.  We have been in such a stretch of fantastic weather that we did not grumble.  And it was still sunny, dry with modest temperatures.

We stayed two days in Block Island anchored in Great Salt Pond. The second day was spent exploring the island by bicycle and by foot.  But first a visit from the coffee boat!

Fresh croissants and bran muffins at anchor

We rented bikes from a place near the salt pond. These were not great bikes as rentals go, but they mostly worked ok. We had four hours and no hospitals to visit this time, so we got lots of riding in. Once again, we visited Mohegan Bluffs and the Southeast Lighthouse (as we did a couple of years ago when here on Fujin - worth seeing again). Bob thinks he just volunteered to produce the website for the lighthouse historical foundation (they don't have a site).

Kodak Moment on the bike ride.  We passed by only about 15 or so of the 300 ponds on the island.

Looking way down stairs at Mohegan Bluff

Mohegan Bluff - erosion is very noticeable.  The southern coastline of Block Island loses and average of 3 feet per year.

Southeast Lighthouse was built in 1856 due to so many shipwrecks off Block Island shores the prior 30 years

Fresnel lens at the top of the Lighthouse.   Learn more here Wiki Fresnel Lens

The Southeast Lighthouse used to be located on this rock we are posing on.  In 1993 the entire 2000 ton structure was moved 300 feet back to where it is today due to the eroding cliffs. 

And another perfect Lobster Roll enjoyed on the front porch of the National Inn and Restaurant.

No mayo. No lettuce. No huge roll.  Just warm lobster, butter and a toasted hot dog roll.  Impossible to find in Massachusetts.

Off to Connecticut
We pulled the anchor pretty early the next day and took off for Stonington, CT. We noticed as we left that the speed transducer was not functioning. This time, it would be Linda's turn to dive under the boat and un-stick it.  There was very little wind in the sound and what little there was was on our nose so we made some electricity and hot water for a few hours.

Another sunrise - they never get old

Chief Navigator - always studying the charts

Temporary tie-up and fueling at Dodson's Boatyard Stonington.  We really liked this boatyard and the entire Stonington Harbor.  Also were able to give Argon a good deck and hull cleaning finally.

Stonington harbor is lovely and one we will definitely visit again. We took the opportunity to visit the fuel dock and top off diesel but more importantly water. We only took 7.6gal of diesel but both fresh water tanks were getting a bit thirsty. Water is turning out to be the one resource which gets tight on a long cruise like this. Our head flushes with fresh water which increases the usage even more. We're learning to take very quick showers and use as little as possible for washing dishes.  We are also evaluating whether to get solar panels or a wind generator.

Linda dives in to get ready for venturing under the hull to fix the speed transducer

Activities in Stonington
Mostly we just walked around. We had zillow running on the iPhone and were checking out home prices as we walked around the town. One could actually do OK selling a house in Arlington, and buying one down here. Along the way, we discovered New England Science and Sailing. An educational program that combines science and sailing for kids. How cool. So Linda rented a paddle board from them for a couple hours while Bob went back to the ship to do some work.

Bob is being very disciplined about his working from boat time.  Linda has yet to even log on (but will do so this afternoon, maybe.)

We enjoyed dinner and catching up with Ree and Sammy who joined us by land at Dogwatch cafe back at Dodson Boatyard.

Linda, Bob, Sammy and Marie

And onward now to Mystic!......