We chose to go to Fairhaven for a few of reasons- there is cheap fuel there which we need, and it is a good staging stop before we head through the Cape Cod Canal. A third reason for the stop was the approaching storms and the forecast high wind. Todays trip was going to be a longer one at forty three miles, and we had to go through Woods Hole. “Woods Hole is one of four straits allowing maritime passage and is a naturally occurring, rocky, and treacherous passage, with shallow rocky areas scattered along both sides of the channel. The current is often strong running between Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound, mostly flowing at around 4 knots and occasionally as fast as 7 knots.” I had checked the pilot book and knew we should be leaving somewhat early. I woke up to thick fog. Oh boy. I could barely make out the giant yachts that we anchored near. I waited a bit then decided I would take Frank to shore while I waited for the fog to lift. We loaded in the dinghy and set out. I passed the yachts and was motoring for what seemed a while but we were a bit far from shore. I could soon make out land and we headed for it. As we got close I saw two fishermen- I hadn’t seen any in the last couple of days on the island. Then I saw the small lighthouse and it dawned on me we had veered off course and I had crossed the channel and ended up on the mainland. Holy crap! No wonder why I thought I heard boats. Yikes! Well we were here so I took Frank for a walk. The fog wasn’t lifting and I was worried Lauren would wonder where we were but I wasn’t ready to head back into the unknown. Yet. I waited a while and kept walking Frank but the fog just wasn’t lifting. I looked at the charts on my phone and knew where we kind of were. At this point we had been gone an hour and I was losing patience. I loaded into the dinghy and set out through the fog, following the path I plotted out in my head. Sit seemed rather quick when Klondike came in to view. I had made it back. Lauren was up and coffee was being made. I didn’t tell her about our exciting ride this morning as I didn’t want to upset her first thing- I like to let her wake up before I start my shenanigans. We decided we weren’t going to leave in this fog and the clock was ticking as to our latest departure to time the currents. I called the one of the marinas we were anchored by and inquired and made a reservation for a mooring ball as I wanted to be secure for the windy weather we were expecting. I also emailed the marina we had made reservations at in Fairhaven to cancel as we couldn’t show up due to weather. They confirmed my cancellation which was nice because marinas usually have a forty eight hour policy or forfeit the money, however most are good with weather delays. We were waiting for the fog to lift so we could go to the mooring ball. It finally lifted around 9am. Lauren and I had a discussion and we decided we should probably still try to go to Fairhaven, as we could still catch the end of the current and the next couple of days will be bad travel days so if we can get to Fairhaven we can at least ride it out at a dock instead of a mooring ball. I called the marina I had just made the reservation at and asked if I could cancel and explained our situation. They were nice and let me cancel. I then emailed the Fairhaven marina and asked if I could still come and they said yes too. We still had some fog but it was manageable. We pulled anchor and headed out of the harbor by 9:30am. We made it to Woods Hole around 3:30pm. We still had a little current pushing us but it was going slack. On the other side we were pushing a little again it. Buzzards Bay was a bit rough but we finally pulled in to the harbor around 4:30pm. We were pretty low on fuel and were hoping to make it to the fuel dock before 5 pm. We called ahead to see if we could arrive a little after 5pm? The gentleman on the phone told us he was the only one there and maybe he would be there late or maybe not. We decided not to chance it and headed for the marina. The harbor has a hurricane wall with gates that can be closed to protect from flooding and winds. Once we got through the gates it was calm and pleasant. I called the marina- Acushnet River Safe Boating– and told them we were here. She directed me to the marina and dock and we safely tied up just after 5pm. Lauren took Frank for a walk and I went to work hooking up the power and adjusting the bumpers and lines, then washing down the boat. We hadn’t been plugged in for a while so I’m sure the batteries were happy and the boat was in need of a thorough scrub down. I also chatted with our neighbors Brian and Penny who were great and told me about local stops and where everything was. He was actually the Towboat Captain we saw when we left Cuttyhunk last week! Once we were done with boat stuff, we ordered a pizza and retired after eating. We were beat from the long, somewhat stressful day.
Day 2- Our morning plan was to take the boat over to the other side of the harbor to a fuel dock where we could fill up. They had diesel at $1.89 per gallon and supply all of the fishing fleets, so I knew they should have good fuel. We filled up our tanks at three hundred and fifty gallons. That’s a lot of fuel! We came back to the dock and prepared to go shopping. We knew there was a Walmart near by and we needed some larger supplies such as engine oil and dog food,. We took our wagon and I pulled it behind the bike so we could load up. Load up we did. We brought our bounty back and got everything stowed. We then headed across the river to the town of New Bedford. New Bedford “is nicknamed “The Whaling City” because it was one of the world’s most important whaling ports in the nineteenth century. At the height of the whaling industry in 1857, the harbor hosted 329 vessels worth over $12 million, and New Bedford became the richest city per capita in the world. Along with and extensive Whaling Museum, the town also has a Seamen’ Chapel. “The Seamen’s Bethel was specifically constructed for the many sailors who called New Bedford their home port (mostly whalers), who considered it a matter of tradition that one visited the chapel before setting sail. The bethel was immortalized in Herman Melville’s novel Moby-Dick as the “Whaleman’s Chapel”, in a scene where a nautically themed sermon is given from a bow-shaped pulpit. The names of New Bedford whalers killed, and later all area fishermen, are noted on the walls of the bethel. Also noted is the pew that Melville sat in when he visited in 1840.” The town had an amazing display of street art that was fun to discover as we rode around.We stopped at Whale’s Tail Clam Bar and had a bite to eat on the pier. We eventually returned to the boat and made plans for tomorrow- we are heading to Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Day 3- We were prepared to leave in the late morning so we could again time the currents. The wind was still blowing but we were lulled by the safety of the protected harbor. We cast off our lines and said goodbye to our neighbors. We headed out of the harbor to head to Provincetown. Once we were clear of the hurricane wall and making our way in to Buzzards Bay the waves kept increasing. We pressed on, thinking maybe it would calm down and we would be able to ride it out. We were about three miles out of the harbor and I started having second thoughts. I called down to Lauren and we had a quick discussion. I told her I wasn’t feeling too good about pressing on and maybe we should turn around. She was quick to agree and told me if I thought we should go back, then we should go back. I turned the boat around and we headed back to the dock. We pulled in and tied up right where we had left. I don’t think the neighbors were surprised to see us return as it was blowing pretty good. I would much rather be safe than sorry, and we’ve had our fair share of rough passages to last us. Now we were back and safe. We ended up just chilling out for the day and staying on the boat. I ordered some sushi delivery for dinner, which wasn’t the best. We all know what its like when you don’t have good sushi! Bummer. We researched tomorrow’s departure and plan on leaving around 9:30am…