My maiden voyage from NH to NY

N 43° 03' W 70° 43'

In port, Rockport, MA

May 10, 2009

Sunday morning, Mother’s Day, dawned with the wind howling out of the southeast.  Considering that discretion is the better part of valor, I decided to hunker down for the day and wait for the winds to settle down to more novice-appropriate levels.  

Sometime in the night, another sailboat had entered the harbor and was tied up at the end of the dock.  I asked the crew where they were from (City Island, New York) and where they were headed (Portsmouth, NH.)  Being braver, or more hardy, or more experienced that we were, they motored out of the harbor into the 35 knot winds and following seas headed for Portsmouth.  In a few hours they were back.  I think they said something about ripped sails, but they weren’t really too talkative or friendly.

Grant and I went to the hardware store and spent the day working on a few odds and ends on the boat—replacing the fuel filter, replacing the alternator and water pump belts, fixing some interior fittings, taking off all the netting on the lifelines, and so on.

We also explored Rockport, which is a charming, albeit touristy, New England fishing village.  I couldn’t eat anything all day.