Leaving Block Island

Monday September 21, 2015

About 8am Bob remembered we had yet to get the dinghy aboard.  I had forgotten it totally.  Even with whitecaps in the bay the two of us managed getting it aboard quite nicely.  Still would be nice to have an electric winch!  Thank goodness for all the practicing we did with John and Ron and the Baggetts on the Maine trip.  We dropped our mooring at 8:45 even though the NOAA weather report was for 20 knot NE winds.  A little bumpy but this boat takes it well.  Of course the stabilizers are on which may account for something! 

We had  a lazy day motoring with no other boats around. While Bob steered I napped in the pilot house until a swell knocked over the Helm Chair and woke me up.   At 11:30 we are off the southern tip of Fishers Island with more boats coming south along the coast of the island heading for The Race.  We have timed it to enter at the beginning of flood tide to go in with the current.  A submarine is outgoing off to port and Race Rock is dead ahead, a very imposing and impressive cement building with a light on top.  Not much of a yard but I imagine the view from there must be spectacular.  

 

Race Rock..nice view, no yard

 Several day fishing charter boats are parked off the rock.  As soon as we passed the island the seas leveled off for a smoother ride.  Traveling at 8 knots with the current and K2F on autopilot we arrived at Dauntless Marina at 3:30 even after waiting for an Amtrack train to cross and the railroad bridge to open.  The bridge tender has been at this job for over 30 years! 

Opening just for K2F!

We met the Dauntless Manager Cy, who was doing everything.  It was after tourist season and help was down to Cy and a new part time person, 2^nd day on the job.  Cy led us to our mooring and then waited to gave us a ride in.  We walked around Essex, had late lunch/early dinner at the Black Seal, and walked around town before catching the launch back to K2F at 5:30.  We were on board for only a few minutes before company came by, Paul, who takes pictures for boating magazines and wanted to know more about the boat. 

The Final Send Off

Sunday September 20

John and Carolyn came over for a last good bye.  Rushed out of the house at 7:45am.  Leave time is 8am so we are already late!  Genoa, Ryan and Eowyn came down with us to say goodbye and return our van to the house.  Carolyn also dropped by muffins, cinnamon rolls, coffee for Bob and juice for me.  Very nice touch, especially as we had no time for breakfast.  

:Lilly, Walt, Lee and Peggy accompany us to Block Island

We cast off from Kingman Yacht Center at 8:45am and our friends sailboat, Efficacy,dropped their mooring and pulled out right ahead of us.  We had a good run to Block Island with Efficacy sailing a good bit of the way on a nice reach.  We arrived at the Great Salt Pond on Block Island at 6:30pm.  Our radio is working intermittently and we could not get the harbormaster to hear us.  He told us to pick up any green town mooring unless we were 47+ feet so we did.  We did find a comment in the Waterway Guide that 40+ boats should take an orange mooring but we figured we would confirm that once we were settled.  Once on a mooring we could not raise the harbormaster so stayed put even though the wind was up.  During the night we kept a vigilant watch and sure enough, we drug the mooring about 20 feet.  Should have taken an orange mooring!   Another lesson learned “Always err on the safest side”.  For dinner, Efficacy could not get their dinghy motor started so Lee and Walt rowed in and we picked up Lilly and Peg.  We had a great dinner with all six of us.  What a nice send off day! The winds were choppy from the NE so it was a wet ride back to the boat.  Peg and I got drenched but I had the better deal as back on board K2F I got a nice hot shower.  (I hope Peg doesn’t read this!)

The travels of Knot 2 Fast--a bucket list adventure

This is a blog to chronicle our adventures on Knot 2 Fast, a Kadey Krogen 42 foot trawler, as we head south for warmer weather, as hopefully, points beyond.  It is also our first attempt at a Blog, so bare with us as we pursue both avenues of expression.