12 Oct 14

We had a tidal gate to catch at the north end of the Cape Cod Canal at 12:30, hence needed to depart Plymouth at 09:45, so we slept in till about 08:30. After a breakfast of warm porridge, we slipped the mooring line at 09:48 and were on our way. It was a fine, clear, cold morning and the wind was NE 15-20.  After fighting the flood current getting out of Plymouth, we had a nice run down Cape Cod Bay, although it was a bit rock-and-rolly with a quartering sea, and arrived at the Canal entrance on time at 12:40. Sandwich Marina is just off the canal, so we popped in and topped off the tank with diesel. Then, after just a few minutes, we were back on the road again, with 2 knots of current to speed us on our way. At the south end of the canal, we still had 10-15 knots of wind, but the sea was much calmer, so we hoisted the spinnaker and had an excellent couple of hours run down through Buzzards Bay to Woods Hole. The tidal current was foul in Woods Hole, and at one point we were down to 1.2 knots SOG, but we finally worked through it just in time to make the 16:30 bridge opening, which let us into Eel Pond, where we had a mooring ball booked. We were on the ball and settled in, in time for G&Ts in the cockpit. John and Laurie’s nephew, David, and his girlfriend Juls, showed up on the dock and joined us for a lovely evening. As the sun went below the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI), the temperature started to plummet, so by 19:30, it was downright chilly in the cockpit. We dropped David and Juls back on the dock with the dinghy and had leftover chowder for dinner in the salon. A very good day. 41-31.547’N, 070-40.254’W.

13 Oct 14

We all slept in till 08:00, then got up and had a leisurely breakfast in the solarium. Afterward, we took the dinghy into the dock and collected John’s PolarTecs from the marina office. Then, we walked and shopped our way around town, met David and Juls for lunch and a quick tour of the WHOI. After that, we walked around the posh end of town and came back, moved the boat into the dock at Woods Hole Marine, and commenced preparations for (Canadian) Thanksgiving dinner aboard with David and Juls, who joined us about 18:00. After dinner of roast chicken, vegetables, blueberry pie and ice cream, we chatted and played BananaGram. Then, John and I solved the problems of the world with the help of a bottle of Bowmore. In bed after midnight.