July 29 - Hyannis to Vineyard Haven

Need I say that it is another gray morning? It is warmer and calmer. The TV weather (we finally can receive a single channel) seems to think a little sun will peek through today. Since this weather seems to be covering most of New England, down to New Jersey, at least, we imagine most of you already know about the weather. Still, it's the big cruise news.

Marion is topping off the water tanks, and we'll soon poke out towards Martha's Vineyard. We might have skipped over the Vineyard on the way back, but Marion's sister, niece and a friend will be on the island today, so we thought it would be a good chance for a short visit.

As we leave the harbor, it strikes me that I might not have described Hyannis in the best light. Focusing on the shoreline, rather than the town, Hyannis has a fine harbor with miles of good beach, and several anchorages with quiet, lovely views. As you look over the yacht club fleet, watch the racers muster for a day of competition, or view the several large and very large boats moored behind the breakwater, you can see the nautical focus and beauty of this town. Although a fine, full service resource for the cruiser, Hyannis' view from the water may be the nicest.

One of the books on my summer reading list is The Dancing Wu Li Masters by Gary Zukav. This is a review of modern physics, supposedly written for non-physicists. It covers the material through that which I studied in college, through newer material which I've had some trouble grasping. It has helped me understand several laws of sailing, which it turns out can be explained by quantum physics; I'll talk about a few of these from time to time.

The first of these laws is that ferries, and other large vessels can spontaneously materialize in narrow channels when other boats (typicality, your boat) are present. Certain locations (such as Hyannis) exhibit this property with a very high probability density, but the law pretty much works everywhere. Low visibility, strong current and especially any onboard problems such as engine problems or sail handling trouble will increase the probability. But more about these later.

The sun is peeking through the sky above which continues to be gray, meeting the water on the horizon with almost the exact same shade. It's clear why battleships are gray. The day, however, in not really all that bad. The temperature is pleasant, the seas are smooth and the visibility is good. In some ways, its better than a sunny day where we are baking our brains out. Marion has not even gone for the sun block yet! Still, we'd like a few more bright sunny days before the trip is over.

Twelve thirty, and we arrive in Vineyard Haven once again, and once again we are lucky enough to get a mooring inside the breakwater. In case we didn't mention it before, the benefit of being inside the breakwater is not only a shorter dingy ride into town, but in case the weather kicks up from the north (as it has this past week), it is the best way to maintain shelter from the seas. In fact, when the weather does come up, the harbormaster usually herds all of the boats outside into Lagoon Pond for shelter. The Pond is a lovely anchorage, but a haul to town, and a pain to get in and out of because of the small drawbridge at its mouth

In any case, we now have some blue sky, and the weather warmed at least 15 degrees as we entered the harbor. We'll hook up with Marion's family in about 45 minutes, and see where the day takes us.

We meet Kirsten (Marion's niece), Kristen (one of Kirsten's friends) and Alice (Marion's sister) (left to right) at the dingy dock next to the ferry landing. They have done the rounds in Vineyard Haven, but have waited for us to eat lunch. Alice, I think, wants to make an appearance on the site. She wanted to hold a card that said, "Hi Ralph", but you'll have to imagine that. We take the bus (a yellow school bus) to Edgartown for a shopping spree and a little look at the island. The bus takes a wonderful route along the beaches between Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs, and Oak Bluffs and Edgartown.This would be a great bike ride sometime when we're here and the weather is good.

We didn't stop in Oak Bluffs this year. It is a nice little town, with a much more crowded harbor than either Vineyard Haven or Edgartown, with many wonderful gingerbread cottages, and with some good restaurants, of much different character than either of the two harbor towns. As I may have mentioned on an earlier page, we were hoping to stay longer here on the way out, but the impending weather hurried us towards Nantucket. We may come out sometime after cruising season just to visit the island in another season.

We've waved goodbye to our three visitors who have gone on the 6:45 ferry to New Bedford (another very interesting town). Back on the boat, the weather is now clear, calm, and there are wide patches of blue in the sky, although it continues to be filled with thick dark clouds. The debate begins over what to do for dinner.

We sit on board, in the cockpit, until the sun is down. This is one of the first evenings in a week when the weather made this kind of sitting around worthwhile. The water becomes glassy, and it's as though the boats at their moorings are settling in for the night. Ferries come and go, changing the guard of summer renters, and sending the last of the day trippers on their way. We ride the dingy to shore, and keep the engine speed slow just to feel the boat slip through the calm water.

On shore, dinner continues to be problematic. First, we've eaten far too much today already. Second, we left the wine on board. Third, it's Saturday night, and a nice night at that. Most places are busy. The Black Dog (where we said we wouldn't eat tonight) has a 90 minute wait or more. We certainly won't eat there tonight!

We decide on take-out Chinese food, and head back to the boat to open a bottle of wine, eat dumplings, and retire early. The weather picture may not be perfect, but it is looking up, and we're certainly hoping to be sailing tomorrow.