Getting UnderWay

This is it! July 13, 2023. We were hoping to get underway in the wee hours of the morn but of course last minute details prevented it. We finally got to Tripp's boatyard around 11:30, filled the dingy with our final load and headed out to the mooring which was almost to the mouth of the harbor. We stowed everything in their proper places which is a chore in itself. Almost ready to take off John headed down to the engine room to check the transmission oil levels. As part of our preparation for the trip he had changed the oil and filled to capacity or so he thought. Unfortunately both sides needed more oil; although they had been filled, running the engines causes the oil to seep into all of the nooks and crannies. John had prepared by purchasing additional oil but that wasn't enough. So off he went on the dingy back to Tripp's to buy another gallon. Once the oil was topped off we got UW, saying goodby to Westport. First stop Block Island, RI.

We won't fly our American Great Loop Cruising Association flag until we begin the actual loop route in NY. However here is a picture of us with our flag as we left Westport; it's ready to fly. I've also included a map of the Great Loop route for folks who aren't familiar with it. Of the various routes to take we will be traveling up the Hudson River into the Erie Canal. At Three Rivers Junction we will travel to the Oswego Canal then into Lake Ontario. I think we might stay in U.S. waters to the Thousand Islands area before continuing into Canada to Trenton. The Thousand Islands are a group of more than 1,800 islands in the St. Lawrence River, straddling the border of the U.S. and Canada. Some report that this area is a hidden gem. I'm hoping to ride past "Millionaire's Row" so named because it was a vacation destination for many of the world's most wealthy dating back to the late 1800's into the early 1900's (the Gilded Age).

Our cruise to Block Island was a bit bumpy with winds about 5k to 10k and the tide running against us. I was fine with that since we were not taking the waves broadside. I wasn’t able to record the entire trip on the NEBO app as it froze at 23 nautical miles into the trip. Here is the report from NEBO for what it's worth. You can see it leaves us stranded somewhere off of BI. I’m hoping this doesn’t happen again as the app provides a detailed summary of each trip!

The wind picked up immensely as we ran along the west side of BI. I couldn’t help but think about the term Nantucket sleigh ride as we bounced along before entering New Harbor. We tried to anchor but the darn chain (due to rust) was caught and would simply not release. John tried numerous times (also fighting the wind) until we decided to grab a mooring for the night. Once at the mooring we manually pulled the chain out to get it loose before we attempt anchoring at our next stop! 

Once moored it was time to relax a bit with a nice dinner and enjoy the sunset!