Author: mghalpin

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Lyn, Caty and I had a short 1.5 hour trip to lovely Wickford Harbor and Wickford Cove Marina on a very hot afternoon. This is a town we have visited many times, but had never seen from the water. Wickford harbor has a long line of pilings used as mooring for sailboats. I had often wondered how the tie up’s worked and now could see it first hand. I still wonder why all the boats using these moorings are of the sail variety???

We were aware of the Wickford Art’s festival in town which the ladies visited while I got cozy on the flybridge for a nap. Upon their return, they described the enormity of the event and the quality of the artwork being offered. It really sunk in when I went for a walk in town on Sunday morning and could see 10’x10′ tents lining both sides on the main street end to end.

We ( Macks, Lyn and Marty) set out from Warwick with a good forecast of winds < 5 mph and seas < 2 ft. That part remained true to forecast, however the fog we encountered was not! As soon as we turned the corner around Bretton Reef near Newport, a shroud dropped over us and limited our visibility to > 1/4 mile for the most of the rest of the voyage. TGF radar! And it was a great opportunity to focus on using it. We had a boat to our starboard for over an hour and as our paths converged, I hailed them to be sure they saw us. Just after that conversation we saw the trawler for literally 2 seconds through the fog. They reduced speed and fell in behind us. Radar appreciation increased significantly.

Cuttyhunk was nearly empty as the season has not started yet. Fortunately the vendors were open and we were able to enjoy excellent Clam Chowder, Oysters and Lobster. All available steps away from our boat, on the same dock where we were tied up.

Our first outing this year was Memorial Day weekend to Dutch Harbor in RI. Macks, Lyn and I departed a day late due to high winds. They were blowing 25+ in Warwick. The launch operator in Dutch Harbor told us they saw 40+ and with the long fetch from the Northeast, lots of wave action as well. Good idea to stick to our weather parameters; 2-3 ft seas and < 15 knots wind.

Dutch Harbor is small and has some exposure to be considered. We had a SSW wind blowing 10-15 most of the afternoon and evening. It was a bit choppy, but not uncomfortable.

While you can take the launch and walk about a mile to all of the restaurants in Jamestown, we opted for The Shack and Tallulah’s Taco’s. Known for being authentic and fresh, we were not disappointed!

While on shore we took the opportunity to take a picture of Aisling on the mooring ball. We don’t often get to see her from this vantage point.

Back on board Aisling, it was burgers on the grill for dinner, a few beers and boaters midnight (9pm) for me

for those who do not know what it is and where it can take you;

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Our plan, subject to change, is to head up the Hudson to Lake Champlain and then on to Montreal, down the St Lawerence to the Trent Severn Waterway, through the North Channel of Lake Huron to Mackinaw Island, Lake Michigan to Chicago, the Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio rivers to the Tenn Tom Waterway to Mobile, AL, around Florida, up the ICW…. with many stops and side trips along the way.

We plan to leave on the Loop in early September 2019 and we know we want to spend several days in NY Harbor, not so much for the skyline, though Liberty Landing will provide a unique view, but mostly because I grew up in northern NJ and have lots of family and friends there.

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Yeah, that view will work!

So to get there, we are looking at 4 travel days with stops in Mystic, CT, Stratford, CT and Port Washington, NY. Amazingly, we were able to get reservations at all three locations and Liberty Landing in place by March 5th. Fortunately, the first 3 locations are Safe Harbor marinas, which we will get for free given our Summer slip at a Safe Harbor marina in Warwick, RI.

Now if we can just get the weather window we need…. It’s a plan, not a schedule!

Fair question!  An Aisling is the Celtic poetic form for a dream or vision.  This voyage is one of our retirement visions.  There are a number of pronunciations, we go with ‘Ash Lyn’ in part because the Admirals name is Lyn.