We departed on our 2nd New England Islands Cruise on Thursday. Our first challenge was to depart our berth in Warren, RI in time to beat the falling tide. Apparently, there is a shallow spot behind our slip that requires us to depart & return with at least 2 hours before and after low tide. Our scheduled departure coincided with a lunar low tide of negative 0.8. This means that there was almost a foot LOWER than usual of depth. This necessitated our moving up departure to as soon as passengers boarded. The frantic scrambling required of the crew to make this happen was invisible to the passengers (as it should be). All were aboard except one passenger by 12:15 so we left the berth early and made arrangements to pick up our last passenger via skiff at the neighboring port of Bristol, RI. That passenger started his trip with a good story to tell!
First night at Cuttyhunk Island and listening to the weather, it became clear that it would not be a pleasant passage to Nantucket scheduled for 2am. Winds were gusting to 40knots and seas of 4 to 6 feet would have made for an uncomfortable crossing not to mention difficult anchoring out and transport to shore via launch in Nantucket. So, after consulting with our Port Captain and office, we agreed to delay our departure from Cuttyhunk until mid-morning and re-arrange the schedule to visit Nantucket a day later. The passengers were very pleased to hear of this new plan as they were not looking forward to a "bumpy" passage.
The revised schedule allowed us to keep our berthing arrangements in Martha's Vineyard and still get in the day on Nantucket, the weather there turned out to be great a day later and everyone passengers & crew were happy with the results.
Today we are back on the published schedule and headed for Block Island with an arrival at 8pm departing the next day at Noon for Newport, RI.
Our passengers are a great group of people with varying backgrounds originating from all over the country and Canada. We have some experienced Mariners including a retired Schooner Captain and WWII era Merchant Ship Captain of Liberty Ships. Some of them are experienced cruisers who formerly sailed their own boats in these waters and are now not able to. They seem to relish the opportunity to come back to these ports by water again and relive cherished old memories of great family vacations afloat. I too have enjoyed such precious times with my family and feel honored to be able to share these types of experiences with others who appreciate such times as well.
