We left Old Saybrook at 6 am sharp as we knew we were going to experience a significant change in weather and sea conditions by the time we made our final leg of our journey from Cape Cod to Boston. It was a beautiful sunny morning in Old Saybrook and the seas were pretty calm and stayed that way, but the sun gave way to a thick fog bank which made us really appreciate our radar. We could barely see just feet off of our bow. Thankfully the longest stretch of fog lasted only about a half hour (we have traveled much longer distances in fog in the past, so this was bearable although still a bit unnerving). We passed through a few other banks of fog that were more fleeting…(I am typing with a weather report playing in the back ground and they just mentioned fog today!)
We enjoyed our ride up the Connecticut Coast and onto the coast of Rhode Island. We were able to see Block Island at a distance and just make out its iconic bluffs. As we continued on towards the Cape Cod Canal we passed Cuttyhunk, the western most of the Elizabeth Islands on the east side of Buzzards Bay. It holds a special place in my heart, as our first year ocean boating we spent a night on a mooring there and were able to order some seafood from one of the shanties on land, which was delivered by boat to our boat! That seemed just so cool to me! Further along we passed Woods Hole, the passageway between Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound. We have navigated through it in the past as we have made our Way to Martha’s Vineyard.
The entrance to the Cape Cod Canal is easily seen from a distance as there is a vertical lift railroad bridge just after you enter. Ironically it was elevated as we approached and then fully down when we arrived, so it was fun to see it lift after the train passed. While there is a fair amount of current in the canal which either fills or dumps from Buzzards Bay to Cape Cod Bay, it is still always a tranquil ride, and often where I will get down in the galley when we are heading off to a destination. Today we were not hungry at that point in our trip, so no cooking in the canal!
We continued on and passed under the identical Canal bridges, first the Bourne Bridge and then further up the canal the Sagamore Bridge. Anyone familiar with the Cape and these bridges knows the traffic they foster can make or brake a weekend commute to and from Cape Cod!
Along either side of the canal is the Cape Cod Canal Bikeway. You will see bikers and walkers enjoying canal views as the make their way along these approximately 7 mile long paths.
Towards the end of the canal we stopped at Sandwich Marine to fuel up for our last leg onto Boston! It was still sunny and quite nice as we got our fuel. Then as we exited the canal into Cape Cod Bay, as predicted, the weather started to turn for the worse. There were predicted 3 foot waves, but by the time we hit Scituate, they had escalated to 4 and at times 5 feet. Here again, we were safe in GYPSEA, but I still HATE being in anything over 3 feet especially when getting hit on the side of the boat. The Seakeeper gyroscope was working overtime as was Carl trying to plot our course to eventually have those waves behind us so we could “surf” them rather than get slammed by them! It was not how I envisioned my final cruise into Boston, but since we were so close to our northern home port( Stuart, FL is our southern port), it definitely made it more bearable. When I am in conditions like that I always think about the Pilgrims and other early travelers who were in much more primitive vessels and crossed the Atlantic Ocean, they truly were heroes!
Outer Boston Harbor still offered rough seas, but then as we approached the Water Treatment Facility on Deer Island in Winthrop it started to settle down and we finally had much calmer waters as we moved to the inner harbor making our way to Charlestown Marina. While I usually pride myself in setting the lines on the dock, we decided to take advantage of help from the dock hands at the marina who gave us a warm welcome back to our slip and the marina in general. We were home!
We ended our trip with an impromptu dinner at Prima in Charlestown with my Son Carl and is new wife Delia. They will be away over the weekend so we had an early Mother’s Day meal together. It was a wonderful way to celebrate and complete our journey!
It is with mixed emotions that I have written what is now the last post of our journey. I hope you have enjoyed reading as much as I have enjoyed writing. I am also thankful that I don’t have to leave up to memory all the special moments of this adventure. I will print and make an album with my posts.
If we take any trips over the summer that I feel would be enjoyable to chronicle in this blog, I will let you know. Until then, thank you for your interest and warm comments. GYPSEA signing off!
So long Saybrook Point Marina!
It really was a best last night stay on our trip!
Lynde Point (Saybrook Inner) Lighthouse. A still functioning wooden lighthouse that was constructed in 1802.
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Fog!!!!
Block Island off in the distance.
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Aquamap view of Block Island to the right of GYPSEA
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The iconic bluffs of Block Island!
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Cuttyhunk Island to the right of GYPSEA
Cuttyhunk Island with only 20-30 year round residents is the only one of the Elizabeth Islands that is open to the public. Most are privately owned. The population in Cuttyhunk swells in the summer and boaters enjoy fresh local seafood from the several shanties in their harbor.
American Cruse lines…not far from this I will wish I was on a ship that big!
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Woods hole on Aquamap. The area in the center of the screenshot with the rows of red and green bouy symbols. Takes you from Buzzards Bay to Vineyard Sound.
A beautiful rose…but also made me wonder about the expression of the skies used by mariners: Red at night sailors delight, red in morning sailors warning…It turned out to be prophetic!
The bouys make the perfect resting spot for sea birds. For me, can’t shake the opening scene of Jaws!
Cleveland Ledge Ligthhouse, which marks the entrance to the channel approaching the Cape Cod Canal from the south side was named after President Cleveland. It is the only one of its kind and was the last commissioned lighthouse in New England.
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The Cape Cod Canal is in our sight!
Bridge up…
Bridge down!
Watched people enjoying the Cape Cod Canal Bikeway.
The Bourne Bridge…
The Sagamore Bridge
Fueling up at Sandwich Marina. Was funny to see this sign, as many boaters will share that if unable to get a slip in a marina they will tie up to the fuel dock to rest for a few hours until daylight and then move on…clearly not and option in Sandwich!
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Aquamaps demonstrating wave conditions on our last leg of the journey. Green are 3 foot, orange 4 foot waves!
Carl plotting our final path back to Boston just before the weather turned.
After a bumpy ride, so relieved to see signs we are approaching Boston. This is Nixes Mate which serves to warn mariners of the convergence of 3 major shipping channels. It is just over 6 miles before Long Wharf.
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Boston Light off in the distance was the first commissioned light house in the United States!
[https:] In one short leg of this trip we got to see the first and last commissioned lighthouses in the USA.
Hooray, calmer waters and the familiar site of the Deer Island Treatment plant reminding us we are getting close to our marina! Also serving as a metaphor for how I feel right now after this bumpy ride…POOPED!
Approaching Boston in much calmer waters!
Now you know how they load all those container ships we passed!
Passing Logan Airport. Getting closer!…with the overcast conditions it literally looked like planes were falling out of the sky when they landed as they would just suddenly appear.
Yup, it was a bumpy ride!
A lovely early Mother’s Day dinner with Carl Jr. and Delia! at Prima in Charlestown.
A toast to successfully bringing GYPSEA to Boston!
As we left Prima in Charlestown I looked to my left and there she was, the beautiful Zakim Bridge. Named after the famed civil rights activist Lenny Zakim who died much too young. It is apparently the largest asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge in the world!
I am sure many of you are aware of our rich history on land, but I am amazed at how rich it is in New England on the sea as well, and I have only scratched the surface.
Until our next adventure!
