Yesterday we sailed from Block Island to Newport. This blog is about a sailing day, the part of our trip that takes place between the destinations.
First thing in the morning we always check the weather. The course to the day's destination has already been studied and plotted. When we are ready to go the anchor must come up. The anchor and chain weigh about 300 pounds so an electric windlass does the hard work.
Using the engine we leave the harbor going through a channel marked by buoys. Block Island is in the background behind this red # 8 buoy.
The GPS is set for Newport but we also use paper charts, harbor guides and tide/current guides. We make hourly entries of latitude, longitude, boat speed, wind speed etc in a log book and do routine checks of the bilge and engine.
After getting out into open water it's time to raise the sails. The main sail, stay sail and jib are raised one at a time. We adjust the sails and see how fast we are going. Well, we are only going 4 or 5 knots/hour (about the same as MPH). Newport is 25 miles away so it will take us 5 hours to get there. Not a problem because we have all day. It will be a nice easy sail, no high winds or waves.
While sailing we make sure we stay on course, watch for other boats, and watch for lobster pots which can get caught on the underside of our boat. Al is great at trimming the sails to keep us moving, actually Al is great at a lot of things!
It must have been good luck to write about this day because yesterday we caught our first fish! A bluefish, using a plug on a trolling line. Frances felt sorry for the fish, but managed to eat it for dinner anyway.
While sailing we make sure we stay on course, watch for other boats, and watch for lobster pots which can get caught on the underside of our boat. Al is great at trimming the sails to keep us moving, actually Al is great at a lot of things!
It must have been good luck to write about this day because yesterday we caught our first fish! A bluefish, using a plug on a trolling line. Frances felt sorry for the fish, but managed to eat it for dinner anyway.
Newport is an amazing place for sailing. We saw every type, make, size and age of sailboa
t in the bay on our way in. There are no tankers, tug boats or large ferries to dodge. There is a long history of sailing in Newport and it is a summer destination for some of the largest and most beautiful sailing yachts in the world. This race boat sailed right behind us, apparently practicing.
After ogling all these boats for a while we dropped our sails and got ready to anchor. We found a good spot among the literally hundreds of boats moored in the harbor. Then we neatened things up and spent the evening relaxing in the cockpit, cooking dinner, chatting with other cruisers and watching the sunset.
The trip yesterday from Block Island to Newport was a short sail in good weather to a fantastic destination. So much for giving an example of all the hard work and challenging situations we endure between stops!
t in the bay on our way in. There are no tankers, tug boats or large ferries to dodge. There is a long history of sailing in Newport and it is a summer destination for some of the largest and most beautiful sailing yachts in the world. This race boat sailed right behind us, apparently practicing.After ogling all these boats for a while we dropped our sails and got ready to anchor. We found a good spot among the literally hundreds of boats moored in the harbor. Then we neatened things up and spent the evening relaxing in the cockpit, cooking dinner, chatting with other cruisers and watching the sunset.
The trip yesterday from Block Island to Newport was a short sail in good weather to a fantastic destination. So much for giving an example of all the hard work and challenging situations we endure between stops!
You have to select the boat accessories that you need according to the type of boat that you have, and the purpose that you are going to use it for.
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