Three week summer cruise

     Our 2010 vacation cruise just ended. Okay. It was Carol and Heather's vacation. I don't think it can be a vacation for me if I don't work.

     The cruise didn't start out so great since Piggy Sue died aboard Infinite Improbability while underway heading for Point Judith, RI. She almost made it to 19 years old, way beyond normal life expectancy, and didn't really suffer at all. Just an uncomfortable last night and morning. She was buried on an uninhabited island she had visited many times during her boating life.

  

        The cruise improved after that. A relaxing week going around Narragansett Bay with good friends from the Waterbury Power Squadron. It included taking Mike and Ann Marino's kids sailing. Excellent crew! And also included side trips on a powerboat (Thanks, Jon) to Bristol and Fall River. I was made to take the helm of said powerboat for a while. I hope there are no photos!

     Carol and Heather joined me in Newport to take their vacations. Had an adventure before they were aboard as a large powerboat anchored too near me. When a storm and wind shift occurred no one was aboard it and I had to move to save our boat from damage under very adverse solo conditions. When confronted the next day they were extremely indifferent to the danger they caused me. #@#!!*&@ powerboaters!

Newport after a cold front.

     We then headed to Onset, MA. A long leg but a nice sail. Then we went through the Cape Cod Canal to Provincetown. Spent three nights there and went on a whale watch.

     Then it was back through the canal to Onset. Heather had to rent a car there to get back to Brooklyn. 

     After Heather left, Carol and I just had a lazy cruise around Buzzard's Bay. Had a very interesting sail from Hadley Harbor to Padanaram but Cleo (the cat) didn't like it much. She got seasick. Yuck! First person who can pronounce Padanaram who is not named 'Guay' wins a prize.

     A long leg from Cuttyhunk to Mystic ended this cruise. We had severe weather around us at times during the three weeks but never a direct hit.  Never more than a few hours of rain a couple of times and only one very foggy leg trying to outrun a thunderstorm to Cuttyhunk.

      All in all, a nice cruise except for our loss at the very beginning. Piggy Sue was with us a long time and passing away while aboard and underway was a very fitting end.

     Next up? A couple of short weekend Power Squadron events and then preparing for a major life change... Living aboard and cruising south for the winter.