Land Beneath: Week 2

The weather is still very volatile. This means we'll get to be on land for a while. It's nice to get some steady ground beneath my feet, it allows me to practice patience and acceptance because we're still pretty far from our final destination.

DAY 8 + DAY 9

Nov. 19th and 20th

We left Sandwich, MA at 8:30 a.m. and transited the Cape Cod Canal. We went with the current and moved the fastest we have since we left. Aquila reached 9 knots, that's a little over 10 mph or 16 kmh. It was an uneventful passing, yet very enjoyable. There were some big ships in the canal and it was pretty wild to pass them so close.

We arrived to Newport, RI once it was dark. There was not much to do, but rest and dream of the sea that never leaves.

The next morning, we left Newport, RI and headed to Saybrook, CT. It was raining the entire way, but that's no complaint. We had proper weather great and were able to stay dry and warm. Plus, we got just a little bit closer to the Florida warmth.

DAY 10

Nov. 21st

Mike woke up at 2:30 a.m. and got Aquila ready for another day at sea. He got up this early because, according to weather reports, the wind would pick up in the afternoon/evening, so we had a limited amount of hours to safely get to Milford, CT or possibly further to Samford, CT.

It so happened that the weather reports were wrong.

About an hour or two into the trip, the wind and waves picked up in the Long Island Sound. We were getting gusts of 35 kn, and waves between 7 and 10 feet. Now, this might not sound too bad to some, but considering the size of our sailboat (almost 30ft) and its capabilities... it was too much.

Amazingly, I slept through a lot of it. I could feel Aquila bouncing around more than usual, but not enough to worry me. At 6:30 a.m. there was a really big wave that picked up up and dropped us so hard, it sounded like we had hit something other than just water. That's when I got up.

Right then, Mike opened up the companion way's hatch and asked me to get up there because he needed help. I rushed to the cockpit and took the helm. It was rough. Mike added diesel to the motor's tank and took the helm once again. I stayed out there with him until we made Branford, CT at 9:30 a.m.

At some point, we just started laughing at out situation. We couldn't do much about it, just trying vigilant and trust that the blue would let us go easily.

Upon our arrival, the decision was made to stay in a marina.

We hadn't showered since Portsmouth (day 6); I was due for one. It felt heavenly when the hot water hit my skin, when I washed my hair and cleaned behind my ears, in-between my toes. I was hyperaware of every sensation, it was divine.

DAY 11

Nov. 22nd

On this day, I showered again!

We decided to go to a community center in town (Branford, CT) where they were offering Thanksgiving meals from noon to 1:30 p.m.. It was very nice to get a hot, tasty meal. Once they started cleaning up, Mike asked if we could take some food back with us. A woman said of course and stater filling up a to-go container. As she finished serving the food, Mike asked her if they needed help cleaning up because we'd be happy to help out. At that moment, a man came out of the kitchen and told Mike that he couldn't take food to-go. It was an all you can eat buffet and if Mike had already eaten there he couldn't take more food with him.

It was all a bit awkward and uncomfortable. In the end, they did give us the food and a couple of the volunteers came by to apologize for the man's actions. We left without helping with clean-up. We weren't mad not upset, we simply didn't feel welcome anymore.

I'm not sure why the man got so protective of the food that, we overheard, was going to be thrown out. I wondered later on, if it would've been better for us to stay and help tidy up the dining room. There were plenty of volunteers, so I know our help wasn't needed, but perhaps it would've been appreciated.

DAY 12 + DAY 13

Nov. 23rd and Nov. 24th

These were slow, land days. We got some groceries in town, watched movies on Netflix, and showered everyday!

DAY 14

Nov. 25th

We stayed in Branford, CT as long as we did because the weather was not good for us to go out there. It was cold (17℉) on Thanksgiving day, and too windy everyday.

As Sunday arrived, so did the warmth (48℉) and brightness of the Sun. We left the dock and set our sails for Samford, CT. I was even more excited than when the trip started on day 1. The wind was on our side and so was the current. We sailed and listened to Bob Marley, I even stayed in the cockpit when it wasn't my watch. There was no need to go into the cabin for warmth. It was perfect for 7 hours.

We arrived to Stamford with plenty of day light left, so we went into town to get some supplies for Aquila.

Later that evening, Mike's mom and her husband met up with us. They were on their way to New York City from Maine. I felt happy for Mike because he got to see his mom one more time. She also visited us when we were in Portland, ME and brought us a ton of food she prepared for our trip.

#sailing #eastcoast #weather #sailboat #Pearson #Branford #Portsmouth #Newport