2002 Ship's Log

June 9, 2002: We leave Yankee Point at 6:55 am. Winds are light so we motor down the Bay aided by a good outgoing tide. The ocean is reached by late afternoon and by nightfall we are well offshore. Fuel is drained from the first tank and we need to bleed the engine. To help with fuel consumption we put up the main and motorsail.

June 10, 2002: Winds have started to build and we try the spinnaker, but wind is too far aft to use. The sea is actually calming down as the wave driven from the NE gale earlier in the week dissipate. At 2pm winds shift to the NE but still at an angle we cannot sail. That's the problem with delivery trips, you need to maintain boat speed ( 5.5 knots for us ) to make the due date. At 9 pm in the evening its finally possible to sail and stop the motor. Winds are 15 knots from the SW.

June 11, 2002: Tuesday found us sailing under favorable conditions. By 8 AM we are only 78 miles from Block Island. Its hard to believe that other than fishing vessels at night on the Canyon Line we see hardly any big ships going to Philadelphia or NY. In late afternoon we expected to see Long Island, but the haze blocks it. Seas have started to build again in the 3 to 4 foot range. Suddenly at 11 pm the winds shifts 180 degrees from SW to NE. Its a struggle to remove the preventer and get the mainsail down. Now we are motoring slowly against the outgoing tide to Newport.

June 12, 2002 We slowly work our way into Newport Harbor and the Newport Shipyard and at 2:30 am we are there after a trip of 404 NM.

June 12, 2002 The crew gets the boat ship-shape then enjoys shore leave. The evening bring a "Dark and Stormy Party" complete with Bermuda rum and a Bermuda band. The race start is now less than 2 days away.


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