May 2016

     Since we had decided to postpone dropping a mooring until we return from our trip, we chose a Marina to dock Puffin for the summer. Now to get the masts back up and our boat launched. We are not docking at the same marina where it is stored, so need to put in water to motor to a new home.
     Dean has pulled some new cable but not connected the wind indicator, radio antenna or masthead light, all at the top of the mast. We get a call from the company that steps the masts and launches the boat.  They are ready to launch tomorrow, Thursday, May 12, 12-1:30. We are there. The truck arrives and launches 2 other boats and then sends a truck to step our masts. We are not finished with our mast work yet, but if they can put the boat in the water, we can finish the rest on the water. So- the masts are put up and-- it is now after 3:00, the tide is too low to launch.

We are told we will be put in shortly- within a few days. We wait and call and wait and call. One week goes by. 2 weeks and finally on Thursday, May 26,  the marina owner calls and says "be there at 12:00 noon". The launch truck does not arrive until after 1:30 and by then , the tide is going down. Now we are frustrated, we can't finish the mast work without the equipment to climb the mast ourselves, the professionals are all too busy at this time, yet it seems we can't get the boat in the water, either.  The Marina owner is on the phone with the launch company to see how quickly they have a slot for us. It is now 2 tries. Perhaps third time will bring good luck, if it doesn't take 2 weeks again. He gets a definite date and time for Tuesday at 11:00. We will be there. It is almost June and we have paid for a new Marina for the season. Before I leave this Marina, the owner tells me they called back and can launch the next day, Friday at 12:00.  Seems to me a magic time for launch companies. Apparently high tide is around 1-1:30 so noon is good.
By 1:30 I am in the water and Suzan is at the new Marina, less than 1/4 mile away. Third time is the charm!!
Both Marinas are north of the New Bedford swing bridge so we have to call ahead for the bridge to open for us to go to open sea. It opens every hour at quarter after if you call or radio ahead.
We are now secured at our slip, Puffin's new home for the season.
Much to be checked, replaced, cleaned, and trial run and familiarize ourselves with before our Great Loop trip this time next year-2017.

On the Hard 2015/2016

     Our boat, Puffin, is finally at our new home South Coast of Massachusetts. We scheduled to have Puffin put on the hard (on land) 2 days later not knowing we would have good weather for the month of November. We also had the masts un-stepped and laid on sawhorses next to the boat.  I (Dean), had some work I wanted to do with replacing cables inside the main mast and thought it easier to work on land than  on the boat. I needed to reattach the radio antenna cable, at the top of the mast, and pull new cables for the wind indicator and the masthead light.
     Winter season passed and a cold early spring.  In April we started thinking about doing the cable work so the masts could be put up and our boat launched to a mooring or dock slip. We investigated a mooring in front of our home in New Bedford Harbor area. I went out with the Harbor Master and Mooring person to figure the best place we could drop a mooring.  The estimate from the mooring person was between $2500-$3000 to place the mooring.
     At the same time Suzan was suggesting that: 1) As we are not going to be in the area summer 2017, to wait until returning to drop a mooring and 2) Would like to be on a dock so we can meet other area boaters and it's easier to do some inside and outside work on the boat requiring electric and/or water.

Summer/Fall 2015

     We are safely moored in Salem, Massachusetts Harbor. Unfortunately with our Bed & Breakfast business we were too busy to spend much time with our new boat. I got in only one short day trip with my son in Salem Sound. As our season closed and the Inn was sold, we wanted to venture south coast of Massachusetts so Suzan would feel more comfortable sailing/motoring on coastal waters than direct ocean. We purchased a home on Buzzard's Bay, south coast, in October and proceeded to move our boat, Puffin, to it's new home, a feat in itself. I did not have much experience on Puffin before sailing to our new home and wanted someone onboard. Suzan had other commitments at our new homestead so I recruited Justin, her daughter's husband who is chief engineer on an oil tanker from California to Alaska,

Justin looking out t'ward Boston
 

for part of the trip, stopping in Plymouth, Ma and Dean's daughter's inlaws, Alicia and Paul, who are sailors, for the rest of the trip.
     Justin and I, both lacking much sailing experience, waited to put up sail until just out of Salem Sound at the Channel entrance buoy. Out there, the waters were already rough and Puffin was bouncing so much, neither of us felt comfortable enough with the procedure to unfurl and raise the jib or main sails, so we just motored with the mizzen as a stabilizer to Plymouth completing that part of the trip. Justin is the navigation/technology person and we chatted about the technology onboard Puffin. Total trip time to Plymouth Harbor was about 7 hours for a distance of 41 nautical miles. Justin jumped off and the following morning, Alicia and Paul jumped on for the trip through Cape Cod Canal and on to New Bedford area.

At rest in Plymouth Harbor

Tug and Barge on Cape Cod Canal

             That next morning it was beautiful and
unfortunately for sailors, almost no wind. So we again proceeded under power for Fairhaven/ New Bedford via the Cape Cod Canal. I had planned the trip to give us a good tide through the canal, otherwise the canal authority will force you to take a tow (very expensive) as the currents can be very strong, slowing a sailboat to a crawl. Thus we hit the canal at slack and got a boost into Buzzards Bay on the ebbing tide. Eight hours later we were approaching New Bedford swing bridge at Popes Island. Once through, we tie up at Cozy Cove Marina and are home.

Tied up at Cozy Cove