Crab Louie's Ship's Log - 2008 Season
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Tracks may be viewed using Google Earth; The Google Earth (GE) *.kmz track path files were created by transferring (Garmin) GPS tracks to Maptech Offshore Navigator (5.08), exporting the corresponding *.rtf file, and using GPSbabel (1.3.5) to convert the *.rtf to a *.kml. Since the data are read as waypoints, the GPSbabel option of transforming the data to tracks is selected . After loading the resulting *.kml file to GE, the path component alone is saved to a *.kmz file. The *.kmz files live on a Google server since not all web server software allow for the proper file associations by web browsers. This is a particular problem for Microsoft Internet Explorer. Mozilla Firefox and others do not suffer from this problem.
05/01/2008
Cloudy, 65F. Launched!
05/07/2008
Sunny, 75F. Rich Cate helping me move the boat from Hewitt's Cove Marina in Hingham to BHSC mooring field between Boston Harbor Hotel and Harbor Towers. ~10 knots of wind; hanked on 120 and had an absolutely delightful sail. Track
05/17/2008
Sunny, 65F. Sheila and I sailed around Boston Inner Harbor for a few hours; 18-22 knot breeze, gusts to 25. Had hanked on 120, but never hoisted it. Had a nice lunch at the mooring and relaxed afterward. Sheila had not been on a sailboat in two years! Track
05/18/2008
Partly cloudy, 65F. 10-15 knot breeze, gusts to 20. Hanked on 120. Cathy and I had a pleasant sail out to the Long Island Bridge and back. Breeze picked up as we picked up the mooring. Celebrated our return with Tanqueray 10 and tonics! Thanks to Cathy for the liquid provisions. Track
05/26/2008
Sunny, 80F. 20-25 knot breeze, gusts to 30. Sheila and I sailed around the inner harbor under reefed main alone; inspected dredging operation just beyond Mystic River bridge; Ping and Chris' sailing yacht WuLing in her slip at Shipyard Quarters. Track
06/05/2008
Cloudy, misty, fog rolling in, 60F, 15-20 knot breeze, gusts to 25. Hanked on 120. Ed Kaye and I had a romping sail out of the harbor, under the Long Island Bridge and into Quincy Bay just past Rainsford Island. Returned to Inner Harbor, inspected Old Ironsides and tacked over to Pier 11. Nice to play hooky from work for a few hours and get a snoot full of fresh air. Great afternoon! Track
[06/07/2008; aboard Water Music]
Sunny, 95F. Helped Cathy commission a new Zodiac dinghy for her 1991 Sabre 34. Cathy and I motored Water Music out to Gallop's Island and had a very pleasant dinner with Ping, Chris, Ling and Keith aboard Wu Ling. Stayed there on a mooring overnight and motored back to Hewitt's Cove before another day of brutal heat. Note the 35F temperature increase in 2 days!
06/15/2008
Cloudy, 65F. 5 knot breeze. Sheila and I motor-sailed around the inner harbor for a few hours. Made our way up the Mystic River; dredging operation still in progress. Freighter already offloading salt for next winter. WuLing in her berth. Track
06/21/2008
Sunny, 80F. 10 knot breeze, gusts to 20. Solo today. Motored out under Long Island Bridge to Peddocks Island. Picked up a mooring for a relaxing lunch; did a few boat chores. Back home via Georges Island, Nubble Channel and Lower Middle. Inspected Holland America Line cruise ship, Maasdam (720 feet, 50,000 tons), at Falcon Terminal. Track
06/28-29/2008
Drizzle, 65F. 5 knot breeze. Solo today. Motored out under Long Island Bridge to Rainsford Island. Picked up a mooring for an overnight stay. Ping, Chris and Ling arrived aboard WuLing. Chris came over to get me in the sea kayak. After Chris had a brief inspection of Crab Louie, we headed back to WuLing for the evening. It's been 30 years since I have been in a kayak! After dark, we were joined by Margaret, Joy, Jon and Mike aboard Miss Understanding (a 1974 P26!) which rafted up with us. The night was bone chilling cold and very damp. To accompany the usual libations, the BHIP's (Mike's name for this extended group; Boston Harbor Island Picnickers) had a Bermuda soup with sausage, an Indian dinner with Tandoori chicken and apple pie. Thanks to Mike for a ride back to Crab Louie afterward. Good thing I hoisted the anchor light as the fog was pea soup by then! They disappeared into the cold mists for the trek home. I was awake at 6AM, nice and warm under two blankets. Made a hot breakfast and relaxed. Gave up waiting for the fog to lift at 9AM and headed home. Visibility all the way to the airport (back via Long Island Bridge) was ~ 75 feet! Pleased to have the cockpit GPS connected to Offshore Navigator running below. No wind; about 65F. The fog lifted by the time I was past the airport. Track
07/06/2008
Partly cloudy. 80F; patchy fog. 5-10 knot breeze; gusts to 15. Christopher and I hanked on the 120 rigged with an 8" tack pennant.. Nice to be able to see under the headsail. Will use the short pennant from now on. Tacked our way out past Castle Island. On the way back we had a mini-overboard practice; someone had lost a very nice white bumper which we salvaged. We had to circle our treasure several times under sail to grab it. Track
07/08/2008
Sunny, 88F. 10-15 knot breeze; gusts to 25. In Cambridge for a business meeting which ended mid-afternoon. Took the boat for a motorized inner harbor tour down to the Zakim Bridge, briefly up the Mystic River, over to Chelsea Creek and then out to Castle Island. Track
07/15/2008
Sunny, 90F. 5-10 knot breeze in the late afternoon. Jim Love and I hanked on the 150. Fun to use the big headsail in the warm breeze. Got to play with the whisker pole on the run out of the harbor. Coasties boarded several power boats in Dorchester Bay. Waxing gibbous moon rising over Spectacle Island. Nice sail out to Long Island and back. Track
07/18/2008
Sunny, 90F. 5-10 knot breeze; built to 20 on the return. Very hot today. Cathy and I hanked on the 150. Had a great sail to the North Channel in the outer harbor. Got to use the whisker pole again on the run out. Back via the Narrows, past Gallops Island to the Nubble Channel and back in via Lower Middle. Somewhat overpowered on the way back in, but no problem thanks to Cathy's helmsmanship. The Ten and tonics tasted great after we picked up the mooring. Track
07/22/2008
Partly sunny, 75F. 5-10 knot breeze. Late afternoon solo sail. Hoisted just the main and meandered around the inner harbor. Very relaxing. Track
[07/26_27/2008; aboard Water Music]
Partly sunny, 85F. 10-15 knot breeze. Cathy and I left late morning from Hewitt's Cove. Out to the Graves via Black Rock Channel. Several nm east of the light, headed SSW to past Boston Light, then turned around to go back in via the South Channel. Absolutely great sailing conditions; hard not to continue Northeast to Cape Anne. Back through the Narrows and on to Peddocks Island for an overnight in Perry Cove. Had a pre-arranged rendezvous with WuLing for cocktails and dinner with the BHIP's. After liquid and other appetizers, Ping prepared a very nice wine and pasta feast (with homemade Bolognese gravy) rounded out with Italian cookies and Moscato. In the morning, I took Cathy's Zodiac, and collected Chris, Ling, and Bong-Ihn for a trek around Peddocks Island. Chris, our guide, led us on a tour of several of the dwindling number of off-the-grid cottages, the beach on the Hull Bay side, and the decrepit remnants Fort Andrews at the eastern end. Completed the water circuit around Peddock's on the way back into Hewitt's Cove. Track
07/29/2008
Partly sunny, 85F. 10 knot breeze. Hanked on storm jib to see how it would handle while single handing. No problems setting jib, but would like a longer tack pennant for it (~24" long). Had a nice sail out to Spectacle Island for a sunset rendezvous with Ping and Chris; this time aboard their Mako powerboat, Nisse II. After rafting up, Ping graciously provided appetizers and a cold fried chicken picnic dinner. I was concerned about what seemed to be a weaker cooling water bypass stream on the Yamaha T9.9. Motored slowly home. Chris and Ping followed me in at my snails pace and then ferried me to the dock! Ping took some great pictures. Track
[07/30_8/2/2008; aboard Water Music]
Day 1 - Partly sunny, 85F. 10 knot breeze. Cathy, Rich and I left Hewitt's Cove at noon bound for the Isles of Shoals. Whale sighting 2 nm NNE of Graves Light. Nice sail up but all were very tired, so we headed into Sandy Bay in Rockport. Grilled tuna for dinner after a pre-prandial hour (or two) with wine, shrimp, cheese and other assorted appetizers. Track
Day 2 - Foggy, 85F. 5- 10 knot breeze. Continued North for the Isles of Shoals in fog. Poor visibility most of the way. Winds from SE, so we flew the asymmetric spinnaker until we approached White Island. Picked up a mooring in Gosport Harbor. Rich and I took the Zodiac over to Star Island for a walk. After a visit to the snack bar (ice cream and chocolate malted frappes), we explored a bit. Looked like the weather was deteriorating quickly so we headed back to the boat. The timing was perfect; just as we were settling done with the evening's libations, an impressive squall came over. Thunder, lightning, heavy rain and high winds (25-35) for about an hour. Worried a bit about being blown towards the rocks as we were quite close in with 16 feet of water at low tide. Settled down with drinks and appetizers including stuffed Portabella mushrooms followed by grilled lamb chops, ratatouille, broccoli and couscous. Nice to be able to take a shower onboard despite the storm which continued out to sea. Early to bed since we had a long day ahead and need to be up early to get Rich home. Track
Day 3 - Party sunny, 80F. 5 knot breeze. Headed for Scituate to drop Rich in time to pick up his Mother at the airport later that night. Really no wind until we were off Cape Anne; had to motor (mostly) or motor sail the 50 nm back. Kathy Malloy followed us into the harbor on Quest, her Bristol 41.1! Rich departed, and Kathy came over later for cocktails and a pot luck dinner. Track
Day 4 - Hazy, 80F. Calm. Went over to Quest for a pancake breakfast. Wow! Kathy's Bristol is in tip-top shape and very very impressive. Afterwards, Kathy took us in her Zodiac to visit the custom made sailing vessel Relentless (steel hull). Bob was happy to give us a tour of the his creation; still a work in progress after 28 years. Amazing craftsmanship and design features. Afterward, we unsuccessfully tried to diagnose the problem with Water Music's radar (with Kathy in a bosun's chair up the mast). With the clouds closing in, Cathy and I motored back up to Nantasket Roads in the haze. Near Boston Light, we noticed numerous Coast Guard and Police boats with lights flashing; hope that turned out OK. Passing the Brewster's, the fog really rolled in and the sky darkened as a thunderstorm crossed our path. Visibility dropped to a few boat lengths The weather cleared up as we cleared Point Allerton on our way back in to Hewitt's Cove. Track
08/03/2008
Partly sunny, 82F. 5-10 knot breeze. Christopher and I hanked on the 120 and sailed around the inner harbor for a few hours. We came in as the sky darkened with lightning strikes over Admiral's Hill. The wind really picked up while we were heading for the car; the squall hit with a vengeance as we exited the parking garage. Timing is everything! We just missed getting a real soaking.
08/09_10/2008
Partly sunny, 75F. 5-10 knot breeze. Heading solo to Peddocks Island for a BHIP overnight. Hanked on the 120 and motor sailed out Lower Middle. Sailed around the anchorage area and near Deer Island. Wind direction not very favorable but managed to sail through the Nubble Channel. Things had gotten interesting as the outboard water bypass hole got partially plugged and steam started to come out! Had to try three times to get on the mooring at Peddocks; next time I really need to drop that main first. WuLing was right behind me towing the Nisse II! Ling kayaked over while I fussed with the motor. After Miss Understanding showed up, Chris came over in Nisse to taxi us over to WuLing. Definitely a party with Ping, Chris, Ling, Chris' nieces Anne and Tess, Mike, his son Ernie, Ernie's friend Dan and me aboard. For starters. we enjoyed veggies and dips including Sheila's cumin yogurt dip accompanied by a viognier and other cold drinks. The main course was Ping's hot pasta ground turkey mushroom casserole in a Fontina cheese sauce accompanied by her Franconia Gardens salad. For dessert, one of Mike's apple pies and Chinese bakery almond cookies from Ling. Afterward, a Moscato. Alas, we forgot to design a BHIP burgee! Chris ferried us back to our boats for a night's rest. Nice and warm in a sleeping bag as the temperature had dropped. Up early puttering around; my breakfast - Canadian bacon, eggs over easy, an English muffin, yesterday's newspaper. Hard living indeed. Miss Understanding departed first. I soon followed. At Spectacle Island, Crab Louie was overtaken by Ping, Chris, Anne, and Tess in Nisse heading for Logan so Anne could catch a plane home. By the time I got to Castle Island, they had made the drop and were already on the way back to WuLing for another day of fun. Track
[08/22_23/2008; aboard Water Music]
Sunny, 85F. Heading to Peddocks Island with Cathy for what is likely to be the last BHIP overnight of the season. No wind, so motor it was. Just after Mike, Joy and David arrived on Miss Understanding, the WuLing arrived with Ping, Chris, Ling, Sue and Phil. Yet again, a smorgasbord of appetizers followed by Ping's pasta salad and Chris' grilled sausages. Of course, there were a wide variety of liquid refreshments, some of which (perhaps memory fails) may even have been alcoholic. Afterward, we enjoyed Joy's berry tart and cheesecake. No wind the next morning, so Cathy and I headed back in. We were able to catch up on a bit of maintenance on Water Music, including repair of the light fixtures in the forward cabin thanks to Perko parts from Monahan's Marine. Track
08/24/2008
Sunny, 80F. 5-10 knot breeze. Seemed like a nice day to visit Crab Louie, do a few boat chores and tour the Inner Harbor. By the time Sheila and I cleared the mooring field, steam was coming out of the Yamaha T9.9 upper exhaust and cooling bypass pee hole! Not good. Needless to say we turned around. No sailing today. After some mucking about, cooling water flow returned (miraculously) so we had a slow cruise up the Mystic River to Island End River . The Irving Oil tanker New England was being maneuvered to the dock at the Chelsea oil storage area by tugs. Saw the Admiral's Hill Marina further up the Island End River where Crab Louie will be spending next winter on the hard. Safely back on our mooring at the BHSC, we had a marinated chicken dinner cooked on the new Magma A10-207 propane grill. The nice dinner (and wine accompaniment) took the edge off the escapade with the outboard earlier. Track
08/31/2008
Sunny, 80F. 15-20 knot breeze; gusts to 25. Sheila, Sharon and Don aboard for a planned sail. After a problem with the "repaired" motor overheating, we limped back to the mooring and had a barbequed chicken lunch. We were all ready for a break by now. Upon closer inspection, the motor pee hole was again obstructed with several large pieces of grit. Once cleared, the motor ran warm to the touch with an impressive stream of water coming from the pee hole. After a cautious start, we motored the inner harbor, up the Mystic River, out to Castle Island and then home. Salvaged our second large bumper of the season. This one needs a little scrubbing and a new line. We had a nice afternoon despite the engine troubles at the start and celebrated with dinner at the Irish Times pub. Track
09/01/2008
Sunny, 80F. 15-20 knot breeze; gusts to 30. Solo today. Hanked on the storm jib and put the reef in the main. Fast downwind sail to Spectacle Island. As I had not been at the new Spectacle Island Marina, Cathy of Harbor Island Moorings found me a suitable dock space. Relaxed for several hours, had a ham salad picnic lunch and wandered around a bit. The wind was really hard on the nose as I slowly motor-sailed back with a reefed main only; a lot of spray over the bow and one rogue wave even washed the foredeck! Track
09/04_05/2008
Sunny, 85F. 0-5 knot breeze. Sheila and I motored to Spectacle Island Marina mid-afternoon for an overnight mini-BHIP. Ping and Chris came out in the Mako just before sunset. Except for Allen, the caretaker, we had the entire island to ourselves. Set up appetizers and dinner on the pier overlooking Dorchester Bay and Boston. Crab cakes (thanks Ping), cheese and crackers, mango marinated chicken kabobs, couscous, sliced tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella. Pinot Grigio and Heinekens. Pesky mosquitoes arriving midway through our dinner encouraged us to enjoy our dessert on the Mako. Ping's mascarpone pie with Franconia blueberries and Lovell's Island blackberries! Just delightful. Hot and no wind again in the AM; leisurely breakfast, some boat chores and motored home. Track
09/14/2008
Partly sunny and humid, 75F. ~ 5 knot breeze. Solo today. Hanked on the 120 and had a pleasant sail out to the Spectacle Island Marina. The smelts were running and there was a small fleet off the pier trying for the larger fish the smelts were running from. After lunch, continued on through the Sculpin Channel across to Lower Middle and back in. Despite the tide having turned several hours ago, the Harbor was quite busy with barge traffic (still dredging off Castle Island), a car carrier and a cruise ship all heading out. Track
09/20_21/2008
Sunny, 80F. ~ 5 knot breeze. Seth visiting from Los Angeles. Hanked on the 120; sailed out to the Long Island Bridge then into Spectacle Island Marina. After hiking to the top of the North drumlin (great view), Seth caught a ferry and water taxi back to Logan. I had previously arranged to stay overnight. Cathy and the crew from Harbor Island Moorings hosted a really fine cookout on the dock at sunset. The marina was absolutely jam packed with some very large yachts; some rafted up. A few sailboats as well. Crab Louie was the smallest boat there! A great time was had by all with the usual libations and yummy cookout fare. Made some new acquaintances including the godmother of one of my cousin's! Around 9 PM things seemed to quiet down, so I called it a day. Turns out I slept through a party up on the pier with movies and music! Cathy even had coffee ready first thing in the morning for those so inclined. Relaxed after breakfast, roamed around and made a late start home. There was absolutely no wind, but the day was perfect, so I motored home via The Narrows. There was so much traffic going through Lower Middle, the chop was upwards of 3 feet. To add to the excitement, the huge LNG tanker Catalunya Spirit was inbound through the Inner Harbor with an armada of security. Thankfully, this was just after I got onto the mooring. Timing is everything. Track
[10/11_12/2008; aboard Water Music]
Sunny, and a crisp 65F. 5-10 knot breeze. With an Easterly and a favorable weather forecast, Cathy and I headed to Salem for a close of season outing. After a nice sail up, we picked up a mooring at Hawthorne Cove Marina at sunset. Dinner ashore; not fancy but tired and hungry sailors are easy to please. Lots of revelers roaming the Salem waterfront, many in Halloween costume. The air temperature dropped to 45F during the night; glad I brought my heavy sleeping bag. Given the chill, no one was up early. After Cathy's cheese omelets and Canadian bacon breakfast, we headed back. The wind had shifted to the SE which made for a relaxing but slow ride home at ~ 4 knots. At the entrance to the North Channel we passed the Military Sealift Command carrier, Sgt. Matek Kosac (~52,000 tons) which was headed out. As we were motoring through Hull Gut, Cathy anxiously noticed that the fuel gauge was on empty! Something seemed amiss as we both remembered a half full reading the day before. We were close the the mooring and pressed on. After a visit to the fuel dock, it became clear that the gauge had stopped working and the tank was indeed half full. Boats! It's always something. Track
10/13/2008
Overcast, 60F. End of the season. Sheila dropped me off at Rowe's Wharf. Motored Crab Louie towards Admiral's Hill Marina. For whatever reason, a State Police RIB seemed to be following me. Next, the Boston Police Harbor Patrol intercepted me just beyond the Tobin Bridge. I then noticed the LNG tanker Catalunya Spirit with tugs setting up to depart. Here we go again! Fortunately, the Harbor Patrol allowed me to quickly get out of the way, hug the channel and scoot up the Island End River to the Marina. Another few minutes, and I would have had to wait for that huge tanker to depart. Tied up to the Marina service dock. Sheila and I filled the station wagon to the headliner with the majority of gear coming home. Will bring the cabin cushions home after haul out. "Th-th-th-that's all folks!" Track
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