Yesterday we had a very long run from Sag Harbor to well, guess where we are?If you squinted really hard you probably figured it out.  Cuttyhunk…

The run from SAg Harbor took almost exactly 11 hours with perhaps about half to 2/3rds motoring the 70 miles.  A long day but easy sailing.

We anchored in the outer harbor last night as it was getting dark and I saw no  reason to come into the harbor so late and pay $55 for a mooring.    As we rounded the point there was a very nasty line of thunderstorms to the north.  Fortunately, they passed north and east of us.  It looked very forbidding, never the less.   A sort of “roll cloud” that often accompanies a line of thunderstorms. To the west, quite a show.   This sort of display makes one feel insignificant.   A good reminder for so many that think that they are very significant.  However, I expect that most of them would miss the symbolism anyway.   You know the type…Once snuggly anchored, we had a lovely evening and the stars were amazing.  Alas, no shooting stars spotted in spite of the meteor shower that was predicted.  Probably because I didn’t stay up much past “cruisers midnight”,  That’s 9:00 for you landlubbers.

The good thing about going to bed with the birds is that you wake up with them too.  This sunrise greeted me this morning at O-dark-30.   What a view.  This morning we walked up the road to the highest point on the island.  The road is impressive, the best on the island.  It was built by someone years ago to provide easy access to a planned mansion that was never built.   The road remains and was recently repaved.
The view of the harbor where Pandora sits, snug on a mooring. Just to prove that she’s there.  A closeup. A short time later this charming Marshall Catboat showed up.  I mention this as Brenda used to come here on our own boat of the same design.  I can’t believe that we came all this way with two little guys on such a small boat.  It was on one of those trips, and it was a rainy and nasty trip, that I left the three of them once we were anchored, all in various states of distress and suffering from severe cabin fever, and rowed up to a nearby 38′ yawl and said to the owner “would you be interested in selling your boat?”  The answer, a curt “no” but I gave him my number anyway.  The following spring she was ours.   It proves that everything is for sale.

Anyway, fast forward, many, many summers forward and here I am again, four boats later and 47′, up from 22′, and aboard Pandora.  Life marches on.

And, speaking of change, it seems like yesterday that my dad, gone for so long now, came here with my two boys, Rob and Chris on my last Pandora in 2009 when we went out on a week long cruise.  It remains one of my most cherished memories.  This photo, taken at the top of the hill I visited this morning, of the four of us. The same picnic table view today   A bit sad, I’ll admit.It was nice to show Ken around the island.  We walked a long way to the western end of the island.  There are many well groomed, well mostly well groomed trails to choose from.  Interestingly, there are a number of gun emplacements and viewing platforms from WWII when they were used to keep an eye out for U Boats . In the distance is where the Cuttyhunk Oyster Company does their magic.   In the distance you can also see the Bartholomew Gosnold monument, marking the first European settlement on the island, perhaps in all of New England.  On that exposed point, the settlers didn’t stay long.  Check out this link to learn more about Cuttyhunk.  If you looked very closely, you could see the floats for the cages that hold oysters.   This shows it better.  All those floats.  While we were there, one of the locals was harvesting some of their stock.  In the evenings, about in time for “sundowners” they tour the harbor selling their oysters, shucked to order.  Can you say “fresh”?  We are planning to check some out this evening.  I’ll bet they will be good with a G&T.The island is dotted with lovely ponds.
I particularly liked this one.   A well planted garden in itself. Of course, what New England shoreside is complete without beach roses?  Perhaps the last of the summer blooms.One thing that has changed after all these years is the addition of a solar farm.  This is one of 4 rows of panels in undulating rows, tucked in a low spot so as not to spoil the view. I was struck by the voltage that the array is rated for.    Try 480V AC.  “Warning, electrical shock hazard”  No kidding!In spite of this impressive setup, their diesel generators were still humming away near the village.   I guess all those cappuccino makers draw a lot of power.

Along the way, this this beautiful old John Alden designed Malabar schooner built in, I believe, the 1920s.   She is beautiful.
And don’t forget the sort-of new Pandora but with the same timeless view from her bow. So, here I am, Back in Cuttyhunk and a bittersweet cruise down memory lane.

Off to Newport tomorrow for the grand finale of our week, a visit to the NY Yacht Club, Harbor Court.

I do miss Dad…

My friend Ken joined me on Thursday and we headed over to Sag Harbor on Friday morning with the goal of snagging one of the two Essex Yacht Club moorings in the harbor.  Those moorings are perhaps the best deal going as if you must rent one, if there is one available, will set you back several dollars a foot.

We spent Thursday night on the EYC dock so I could get provisions aboard and clean her up before heading out.  The morning was clear and dry, a big change from the humidity and heat of late.  That’s Pandora on the face dock to the left, the one with the double headstay.   It was the first time I have left the River, and only the second time I’ve been off of the mooring since bringing Pandora back from the Caribbean in May.

Aside from a a short run up to nearby Hamburg cove for a raft up with some Salty Dawgs,  this run is my first opportunity to try out the new propeller.  It seems that my speed in calm conditions is a bit slower than before but I do like the the fact that there are two settings, with a lower one for greater thrust if needed.

And, speaking of the Salty Dawg group, I arranged for the Down East Rally to Maine to stop in Essex as their first landfall after leaving Hampton.  The skippers and crew, along with a number of other boats that came to enjoy the visit, stopped at EYC for a few days.

We had a very nice lunch and dinner supplied by Chef at the club and spent the afternoon talking about issues that matter to the cruising set, a good back and forth between those with a lot of experience and those eager to learn more on their first big adventure.

Ted and Barbara of Raven provided after-dinner entertainment, sharing their experience of spending time cruising the Med.  Brenda and I got to know them a few years ago when they too were cruising the Caribbean.   We will see them again this coming winter, which will be fun.  The audience enjoyed the “show” and seemed to like the back and forth questions and shared experiences.  The next day a number of boats headed up to Hamburg Cove for a raftup.  Most cruisers never raft, or tie up together, as most harbors are just not settled enough so this was a novel experience.  When we were young and new to boating, Brenda and I rafted with friends nearly every weekend.  Because of the great width of the two cats, the raft was nearly 100′ from end to end and required two moorings to hold the group.  Smile for the camera!  So, back to Ken and our first stop on our week out.

Not to digress, but after seeing the Barbie movie with Brenda, I will never think of “Ken” the same way.  If you haven’t seen Barbie, the movie, love or hate Barbie, this is a very fun movie.  The promo for the movie said “if you love Barbie, see this movie” and “if you hate Barbie, see this movie”.  So true.  But I will never think of “Ken” the same way again.  Perhaps this has ruined Ken for me as Jaws did for swimming in the ocean. Anyway, back to our adventure.

The wind was out of the west and we had a very nice ride, arriving in Sag mid afternoon.  The harbor master guards the moorings with great gusto and we hadn’t pulled up the mooring lines for more than about 5 minutes before he pulled up along side to shoo us off.  I explained that I had not yet put up my EYC burgee so he left.

The sort of “saved seat” mentality is so typical of the North East and the lack of same is so refreshing in the Caribbean.  Well, at least in the Caribbean south of the BVIs where mooring use is vigorously policed.

Setting that aside, Sag Harbor is a beautiful spot and where else can you spend $40lb on cheese?   Oh yeah, Ken and I had a nice glass of wine yesterday at a bar and it set each of us back about $25/glass.  As the say, “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.”

I am always interested in the local free magazines and Sag is loaded with more than most options than any other place we visit.  And there appear to be just a few categories of advertising that dominate them, beginning with plastic surgery.  Some are generalist and some focus on, well you can imagine what they focus on.  I think Ken and I saw a number of “enhancements” as we strolled along main street.  Actually, kind of like Barbie, now that I think of it.

Not a lot of old clunkers here in the Hamptons and those that are old are well preserved.  Sort of like their owners, I expect.   Love this Porche.  And speaking of well preserved “old stuff”, and I don’t just mean women of a certain age.  The homes are amazing.  I’ll bet that a paintjob on this home cost more than our car, no make that all the cars we have ever owned, combined. In spite of all this, I do enjoy visiting here if for no other reason than people watching, each more put together than the last.

The club mooring is right in the middle of the action.  And, here on Saturday, there is a lot of action.   Sad that this boat only has three outboards. However, he’s not alone with boat that is a “severe” design.   If Darth Vador went boat shopping, this one would surely catch his attention.Well, at least before he looked 100′ back and saw another trailing in it’s wake. Or, perhaps if he wanted to change his image.  Perhaps white…Don’t like edgy design?  Perhaps this classic John Alden schooner. Of this lovely Friendship sloop, the brand of that name made in New Zealand. Goldfinch is aptly named as you’d have to have a few gold coins to purchase such a lovely “gentleman’s daysailor.

Or, perhaps this lovely Morris, made in Maine. And speaking of coin.  This chart from the Wall Street Journal today. I’m thinkin that a measly $5M wouldn’t even keep someone out of the red for more than a week in these parts.    Here the .1% is more like .001% and that might be understating things a lot.

And, if you have coin to spend, Sag is a hotspot for art.  Ken and I toured a number of galleries yesterday, along with one that had a show dedicated to a boxing theme.   Not sure why I photographed this one in particular.  Actually I do know as I was publisher of a gynecology magazine for many years.

What does it mean? Perhaps, something about “punch me I’m a woman”.  Perhaps more PC, “I’m a woman.  Mess with me and I’ll punch your (neon) lights out.”  And speaking of things spiraling out of control, how about this staircase in the Sag Harbor Whaling museum?Ok, I mentioned Salty Dawg earlier in this post and one of the primary reasons that I decided to head over to Sag this weekend is because there is a benefit going on co-sponsored by the Antigua Tourist Bureau and I thought that it would be good to meet up with some of the folks visiting that I know from my time on the Island.

The Minister of tourism Max Fernandez, will be here along with his wife Jill and others and it would be nice to catch up with them.  There is a race today and after the sailors get back ashore there will be a reception on the town green.    Earlier today we toured some of the booths that were set up. Including one from the Department of Tourism.  Well, I guess that about covers it for now as I have to get ready and put on my Antigua Yacht Club shirt and head to the fun ashore.

So, there you have it, a rendezvous in Essex, cruise with my new propeller, how the .001% live and a touch of gynecology.    Oh yeah, a bit of Barbie too.

All the basic food groups in a single post.

Off to Cuttyhunk tomorrow, bright an early.  But not before we enjoy a lovely scone.

No question, Sag Harbor is the place where the glitterati go to glitter in the summer.

Don’t forget your sunglasses.  If you do, you will be the only one.

 

 

 

I can’t believe that it has been more than a month since my last post.  I’ve  been crazy busy with Pandora along with Salty Dawg stuff.

And, to make matters worse, I have not had Pandora off of her mooring at all since she went back in the water following the installation of the new prop +++, save a single run on the river a day or so after she was re-launched.  The good news, at least a little bit of it, is that I am heading out for a week beginning tomorrow, Thursday, with my friend Ken, who I haven’t sailed with for many years.

I don’t know where we will head but just about anywhere south of The Cape seems doable to me given the fact that I am used to sailing thousands of miles.  And, with most anywhere we might go less than 100 miles, it’s just a day sail anyway  Right?

Actually, that is ironic as it seems like just yesterday when we had a 20′ Cape Cod Catboat and a 15 mile run seemed like a very long way.  Not so much nowadays.

Along with the above mentioned distractions, I’ve spent a lot of time working on the gardens and lawn.  I have also spent a lot of time helping Brenda with some of her weaving projects and doing chores to help her prepare for some teaching in the fall.  If it looks complicated, that’s because it is.  Over 1000 threads and that’s why Brenda was watching me to be certain that I didn’t mess things up.  And, with that in mind, she wasn’t always smiling. And, of course, working hard to be sure that there is a way for her to bring meaningful projects aboard Pandora for the winter.

It’s hard to believe that it’s only a short time until I bring Pandora to VA to prepare for the run to the Caribbean.  I have made a reservation near Hampton for the month leading up to our departure events that will happen the last week of September as well.   As we get close to departure, I will move Pandora over to Hampton proper.

Fortunately, I booked space in Hampton, VA back in March for the fall rally departure, as that most of the marinas are nearly booked solid for the week leading up to departure.

There are a number of projects that still need attention like a new waterheater and re-bedding some hatches as I think that some of the leaks in the forward bunk are probably coming from under the hatch frames themselves.  I still remember when I was negotiating the purchase of Pandora the owner pointed out a spot on the end of a window and proudly said “that is the only leak on the boat”.  HA!!!  That’s like someone saying “I never get seasick”.

I have also been working on a project to upgrade my large 290w solar panel over the davits.  Last summer I replaced the four 80w panels over the bimini that were on the boat when I took delivery, increasing the capacity of that part of the bank from 320 watts to 600 watts, nearly doubling the output on that portion of the array.

I have also decided to replace the 290w aft panel with three 150w panels.  Amazingly, combined they only are a few inches larger than the current panel and yet will increase output to 450, an increase of over 50%.   Over the last few years manufacturers have figured out a way to shove greater output into the same footprint.  I had no idea and this suggests that anyone with solar panels that are more than a few years old should replace them.   And the cost of panels today is so much less than even a few years ago.

Overall, the combined capacity of the array went from 610 watts to over 1,000 watts and all that in only a slightly larger footprint.   And, to make this even more appealing, these new panels are only about $1/watt, a huge decrease in cost verses just a few years ago.

All of the upgrades to lithium, panels and wind generator along with the labor to put it all together was hugely expensive and as I was preparing to do my taxes this year, I explored the option of declaring the upgrades and see if I could get a rebate on my taxes.

As Pandora is classified as a second home, I discovered that I could indeed declare all of these expenses under the Inflation Reduction Act and get 30% back as a cash credit.   As I wrote in earlier posts, the cost of the entire project really spiraled out of control so we are talking a substantial amount of money.

My accountant is a straight arrow and even he, after protesting at first, checked into the details of the program and agreed that I was right and was able to factor in the deduction.

So, this realization has saved me more than a few boat dollars.  And, that’s good as the whole installation probably cost about double what it should have.  Well, if that’s correct, with a 30% rebate, perhaps I only paid an extra 20%.  Not buying the logic?  Me neither but I’m goin with that anyway.

Here’s the current array and the one big panel to the back will soon be made up of three, mostly same, 150 watt panels like the four shown here.   The one in the back is actually almost the same size as three of the 150s in the foreground, combined. The new panels just came today and when installed will be oriented fore and aft. The total width of the three panels will be about 4″ wider and the length, just under 6″ longer.   With the new panels the array is huge relative to the space available when compared to what was possible just a few years ago.  And with the overall increase in capacity, plus the output of the wind generator, it’s an amazing upgrade.

And, to make it even sweeter, Uncle Sam paid for 30% of the entire job.  Yahoo!

Thanks Unk!  Hope to do business again with you soon.

There must be a spot for more panels?  Hmmm…

It’s interesting that one of the first questions that people ask, generally not by those in boating set, when they hear that I have a boat is “how big is it?”.

Funny, as this question is just about as common as “do you anchor in the ocean at night to sleep?” or “do you sleep on your boat EVERY night when you are in the Caribbean?”.   It’s not just me as this is a running joke among cruisers who admit that these questions seem to be very common their non-boating friends,  who just don’t understand WHY anyone would willingly choose to spend so time with anyone in such a confined space as a boat.

My answer, when asked about how big?” is to say, “well, it depends on how close to the dock you are”.   Near a dock or something “hard”, the boat is enormous.  At sea, particularly when it’s rough, pretty tiny…

I had to do some work on my dink the other day and as I loaded it into my truck to take it home, I was reminded that while the dink feels really little when we are crammed into it with all our groceries, it can be “big” when compared to my truck that generally elicits a reaction that is more like “my truck would eat your truck as a snack”.  Which is not a very nice thing to say…And pretty small compared to my dink, which is also small… Yup, my truck is clearly “horizontally challenged”.  As an additional insult, Brenda refers to it, delivered with a sneer, as “your LITTLE truck”.

Double not nice… Little trucks have feelings too.

You may be wondering why I would have brought my dink home at all.  It’s not a matter of it being lonely when with Pandora.  Actually, I had to do some work on a cover for the fuel tank so home it came. There’s a comfortably wide Aluminum Gangplank at the dock, so I decided to bring it home instead of working on it there since it wasn’t too much trouble to do so.

The problem is that the old fuel tank, after years in the sun, had decayed and I was concerned that it might begin leaking.  So I purchased a new one.  And, along with needing to protect the new tank from the sun, Brenda often prefers to enter the dink from the bow and with the tank in the bow that is tough.  “Brenda, don’t step on the fuel tank!”Here’s an idea!  I’ll cover the tank…

So, I built a custom cover.  It was a pretty fiddly project but fun.  I discovered that the dink is not actually symmetrical.  Looks simple?  Well, it wasn’t and took nearly an entire day in the shop with hundreds of measurements and trips up and down the stairs from the garage to the shop and back again to get it right.

It’s done.  Magic!  Aft view.Forward view.If the shots suggest that the front and back are not symmetrical, that’s because they aren’t.

Anyway, back to Pandora with the dink after two days in the garage.

So, if you are wondering, “how big is my boat?”

A LOT bigger than my dink, and sad but true, my truck…Pandora is on the hard for new running gear, prop, shaft, cutlass bearing, etc.  She should be back in the water later this week, just in time for my Salty Dawg rally at the Essex Yacht Club next weekend. 

Again, and with feeling, “Bob, how big is your boat?”

Answer:  Well, Pandora is bigger than my dink which is bigger than my truck.

And, remember, “Big” is a relative term and let me tell you that when I was aboard Pandora, thrashing around in the middle of the Gulf Stream, hundreds of miles from home, in 40kts of wind, she seemed really little.

Perhaps even smaller than my “little truck”.

So, when you next ask someone about how “big theirs is”, remember, it’s all relative.

So, by for now… with my dink in my little truck.

 

 

 

 

I have to say that I am not particularly a fan of passage making.   Perhaps if Brenda was with me, I’d be happier to be offshore for days at a time and after more than a decade of long north and south runs, I can’t say that I look forward to yet another 1,500 run south to Antigua in November.

However, I do like the “being there” part of things and so look forward to reconnecting with friends, both in the Salty Dawg Rally and in Antigua, our destination.

When on passage, we keep watch 24/7, with someone always on deck.  With three of us and the autopilot humming away, I have found that to be a good number of crew.  However, if we were to have a failure of the electric autopilot, that would surely put a strain on everyone.

With that in mind, I also have a mechanical wind vane, which I will admit that I have not used much as the Raymarine steering unit is just so easy to set and manage.

I always let the crew decide how they want to handle the watch schedule and the plan generally means that during the day it’s loose but there is always someone on deck.  Beginning at 20:00 hrs, the first formal watch begins and runs for 3-4 hours depending on crew preferences.  Once we settle on the length of the watches, that is the plan for the duration of the run.

Personally, I prefer a 4 hour watch and always choose the 04:00 to 08:00.  I think that this watch is sometimes referred to as the “dog watch”.  Most hate it but as I am generally up off and on earlier in the night and yet can sleep pretty well for a few hours after midnight, getting up at 03:00 or 04:00 to begin watch works well for me.

I particularly enjoy watching the stars and then the eastern sky as it begins to brighten for sunrise.   It is quite common for me to race below to get my camera to record the changing sky as the sun begins to peak over the horizon.

Getting that perfect shot is the goal but even more important is that I am a member of a very unique group, the Cloud Appreciation Society, out of the UK, a group that celebrates clouds.  The society sends out a “cloud-a-day” every day to all it’s members, and there are tens of thousands of members.

Any member can submit a cloud image and hope that theirs will be chosen to be shared.  I have been “all about that” and have submitted many photos over the several years that I have been a member.  I don’t keep an exact count of those chosen by them from my submissions but it’s something like 5 or 6 with the most recent published last week.

While being chosen is exciting enough, it’s even better to see what they have to say about my photo.

So, on passage, I sometimes get a particularly memorable shot like this one when I was on passage in May as we made our way from St Thomas to Essex CT and home and submitted it for consideration.

I was thrilled when I heard that they had chosen it to be one of their “cloud a day”.    The message that came into my mailbox simply stated “Your Cloud-a-Day has been scheduled!” YAHOO!

Here it is…And, here is what the Cloud Appreciation Society had to say about “my cloud”.

“While sailing in his sloop, Pandora, from Saint Thomas in the US Virgin Islands to his home in Connecticut, Bob Osborn (Member 54,749) admired an Altocumulus at sunrise near the island of Bermuda. This was the stratiformis species of Altocumulus, which is when the cloud layer extends across the majority of the sky. Bob said it was a beautiful day at sea, homeward bound after a winter aboard in the Caribbean.”

So, there you have it, seeing a perfect sunrise at sea is where it’s at.  And, getting one of my photos published by those who share my love of clouds makes those long passages worth it.

Now all I have to do is to find another great shot.  I can do that, but it’s up to the editors of the Cloud Appreciation Society to decide.

As Brenda likes to say, “Bob and the dog, ever hopeful!”

Yup, that’s me.  I’m on it…