Offshore to Cape May, New Jersey

It appears as of this evening that tomorrow we'll have our weather window for crossing from Block Island, Rhode Island to Cape May, New Jersey. A northerly wind of approximately 10-12 knots is in the forecast. The wind is expected to shift to the west on Thursday which will be a favorable direction to allow Simple Life to fetch Cape May. It's approximately a 200 nautical mile sail from Block Island.

I have been preparing our ditch bag with clothes, food, first aid, water etc. in the event that we need to abandon the boat and use the life raft. Not a pleasant thought. It certainly is a sobering act when contemplating a potential disaster. But, it is a fact of life when sailing offshore and one that requires forethought.
So tonight I am preparing a special dinner a Cajun chicken stew which will also heat nicely in one pot on our offshore passage to Cape May. I think it's a natural instinct for women to "nest." I always seem to prepare for a time when we won't have our usual dinners or a food shortage. Joe is also preparing in his way. He's monitoring weather, charts, more weather, electronic charts...we are both slightly on edge and both anxiously awaiting dawn.
This afternoon we walked to the Block Island Market to buy a few last minute items. I know from experience that when we finally arrive in Cape May we will certainly be exhausted. Most likely we'll anchor, have something to eat and crash. That's normal after a passage. The best thing about making this passage is that we'll be able to spend all of September enjoying ourselves exploring Chesapeake Bay and hopefully we'll be out of harms way in the event of a hurricane that could potentially impact the Eastern Seaboard in the fall. There are a lot of uncertainties right now. But, when you think about it when is anything in life really certain?
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Location:Block Island, Rhode Island

And We're Off!

Simple Life's mooring lines were dropped into the cove on Wednesday, August 22nd which rather unceremoniously ushered in our yearlong adventure of traveling and living aboard. I'm actually surprised that the boat is floating with all of her added gear and new accessories. Eight years ago we headed out on this trip and in comparison traveled light. We've put much more provisional thought into this voyage and within the plan acquired more amenities which will ensure that we'll be more comfortable. After all, we know what to expect to a degree. Although, expectations can always fall short when dealing with the natural elements of ocean, wind, currents and most importantly weather.

Our immediate goals and objectives are as follows: 1) Fill the water and diesel tanks 2) Enjoy wherever we happen to be each day 3) Sail to Block Island to begin staging for a possible overnight sail to Cape May, NewJersey or make the decision to take the Long Island route 4) Watch weather patterns and if there is an approaching cold front in the forecast assess how strong it will be and if it will sustain us for the duration of an overnight sail from Block Island to Cape May 5) If after a week in the anchorage waiting for a proper weather window it appears that no cold fronts are approaching, consider sailing the inside route down Long Island Sound
6) Stop making checklists!
It's a wait and see period right now. Wind has been light and variable. Venturing offshore in these conditions would require motoring rather than sailing. We prefer sailing.

So, for now we'll rest, enjoy the anchorage at Block Island and prepare for the potential overnight passage. After all it's not really about the destination that brings sailors the most enjoyment. We also have to savor the here and now.
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Location:Block Island, Rhode Island

Canning for the Future

The finished product!!

My latest undertaking has been the completion of my "canning for the future" project. As we head south we'll have plenty of opportunities to purchase groceries along the way. However, once in the Exuma Islands, Bahamas things will change dramatically. Stores are tiny in the Out Islands. Food is not plentiful. It arrives on the mail boat once a week and if we're late for the boat's arrival most of the shelves will be bare. In the smaller Family Islands fresh meat is practically nonexistent. My solution to this issue was to can my own meat that I purchased in at my local market.

 During the spring I ordered a 21 quart pressure canner which is designed for either canning or cooking meat, chicken or any other non acid food item including seafood. My plan is to store my canned products in a low dry area of the boat until we reach the Exumas sometime in December or January. I canned a case of ground sirloin, a case of chicken, and five quarts of homemade meatballs and sauce. This will supplement our provisions when food is scarce with hopes that we'll have some luck with fishing and spearing lobsters.

Neither Here nor There

Preparing for an extended voyage such as our upcoming departure to the Bahama Islands takes one important ingredient; planning. The planning factor not only encompasses issues concerning sailing, packing and navigation, but also mundane matters such as scheduling next year's doctor and dentist appointments. Most of the preparations right now favor the mundane. Activities such as purchasing cruising guides for offshore inlets along the Atlantic seaboard and making sure that we have spare parts for working systems on board. Our daily routine consists of making checklists that somehow keep getting longer. It seems that we check off one task or item and add two more to the list. Although, I have to admit that the anticipation of and knowing that in a matter of days we will be leaving everything behind makes the effort especially exciting.
Joe and I made this voyage eight years ago when we were on sabbatical so we know what to expect concerning temperatures which can be chilly and nearly winter like while traveling south. A variety of different types of clothing have to be packed from shorts and t-shirts to woolen hats, jackets and gloves. Our journey will take several months. We plan to travel liesurely until November 1st when our boating insurance will clear us for the departure south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
Several new systems such as refrigeration have been added to Simple Life. During our last trip we had no refrigeration and at times ice was nearly impossible to find.


Occasionally, laundromats weren't accessible. I purchased a hand cranked manual washer and found it to be quite useful. I learned to compromise. We relied heavily upon canned meats and Joe's "catch of the day." So this time even though we have several new improvements I still "plan for the winter like a squirrel." In March I bought a twenty one quart pressure canner.I have been canning meat, chicken as well as meatballs and sauce. Pressure canning is the only safe method for canning non acidic foods such as meat because temperatures in the canner when processing exceed 240 degrees. I'm very particular about what we eat, where the animals were raised, fed and processed. I usually buy meat at Whole Foods Markets because other than buying meat directly from a farm I do believe that it is the only way to insure buying the best product.
As of now I am anxiously anticipating our departure. I suppose that one can never feel truly prepared and if we hold off to wait for that point we may miss the opportunity.
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Location:Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island

Battleship Cove, Massachusetts

One of our favorite ways to reconnect with friends is by sailing Simple Life to their location. There's something about the sailing mode of transportation that makes the visit extra special. My longtime friends Christine and Donald who live in Somerset, MA sent an email about getting together before our upcoming departure to the Bahamas in the next couple of weeks. Joe and I hadn't been to Battleship Cove in a number of years and since Chris and Donald live nearby we thought it would be a great time to get together.
During the winter they had introduced us to a wonderful Portuguese restaurant called Caldeiras in the heart of the old mill district of the city of Fall River. We agreed that this would be an ideal place for a celebration. Lately it seems that life has been one celebration after another and it's nice to "ride the wave" while it lasts.

We'd spent most of the week in Potter's Cove, on Prudence Island in Narragansett Bay. We weighed anchor on Thursday morning for the downwind sail to Fall River. The wind was a steady 10-12 kts. and the trip was pleasant and relatively fast. Simple Life was anchored in the cove among the moorings by noon.

Shortly after dropping the hook a sailing instructor from the Community Boating Center approached in his skiff. We were respectfully told that the harbor master would most likely tell us to move. Contrary to the information in the cruising guide which was published in 2007 anchoring is either not allowed or certainly not encouraged.

View of the "Big Mamie" from the anchorage

Joe's solution to this...hurry up, take a shower, call Chris and Donald and get off the boat before the Harbor master tells us to move! We accomplished this in a matter of a half hour, tied the dinghy to a dock inshore and took a short walking tour of the park and Battleship museum area. Unfortunately, the practice of discouraging anchoring is becoming more prevalent in numerous areas where it was previously allowed.

Detail of the Battleship Massachusetts

Joe was particularly on edge due to our clandestine activities and when he spotted a man waving at us from the community boating dock he immediately thought we'd been busted! I said, "That's Donald!" Relieved by my revelation we waved and caught up with Donald on the dock. We were driven back to their inviting home in Somerset where we had "sundowners" before heading to the restaurant where we caught up on everything since our last visit in the winter.

Friends Christine and Donald at Caldeiras Restaurant

The dinner at Caldeiras was wonderful traditional Portuguese cuisine complimented by a couple of bottles of wine. We topped the evening off with an excellent creme broule for dessert and a promise to make this an annual event when we sail home to Narragansett Bay from the Bahamas next summer.
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Location:Fall River, Massachusetts

Escape to Potter's Cove, Prudence Island

Midweek at Prudence Island is the quintessential place for a getaway. Usually there are few if any other boats in the anchorage known as Potter's Cove. On weekends the cove is filled with boats with the occasional raft up of six to eight boats on one mooring. This is a popular weekend destination because the cove is smack in the center of the bay and a stones throw away from several area marinas.


Potter's Cove takes on the appearance of an entirely different anchorage during the week. A few day trippers show up for lunch and a swim but very few spend the night.
We arrived on a sunny Monday afternoon after sailing down the bay from our home port. Our goal this week was to work on getting our affairs in order for our upcoming voyage to the Bahamas. It rained all afternoon on Tuesday which was a fine time to make necessary phone calls, work on the iPad and tie up loose ends. By late afternoon we were the only remaining boat in the anchorage. It rained hard and the sky looked ominous but Simple Life's cabin was cozy.
Wednesday dawned brightly with a good weather forecast expected. We had a few choices on the agenda for the day's "goals and objectives." Maybe we should take a walk ashore, or how about quohogging? Within a few minutes Joe our "activities coordinator" was rummaging around in the aft locker. He was looking for his clamming shovel which was my gardening shovel that mysteriously went missing a couple of years ago. When it was located it was settled. We were going ashore to go clamming for soft shelled clams which are also called "steamers."


This activity is done onshore in the mud whereas quohogging for hard shelled clams is done in waist deep water also in mud. Both are similar romantic activities that woman dream about.
The sport of clamming has a slight learning curve until your groove is found but, once that has been established it's quite habit forming. It seems that just when the decision has been made to quit and return to the boat another clam is found. Then once that one is found, another squirt up from the mud. Well there must be more where that one came from. We dug for a couple of hours and found all sizes and certainly enough for a meal. We finally came to an agreement. It was time to stop return to the boat and give the remaining hidden clams a pardon.


Within a short time our day's catch was steamed to perfection. It's hard to beat an appetizer of freshly dug steamers, a great sunset and the anchorage in Potter's Cove!



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Location:Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island

Block Island, Rhode Island

Somehow summer seems incomplete without a visit to the Block. Yet in all reality very few native born Rhode Islanders have ever been there. A perfect example is Joe. His first trip to Block Island was when we along with a few other intrepid multihull ( Hobie Cat) sailors pushed off the beach at Point Judith and sailed our 16 foot " flying carpets" to the North Light at Block Island.

It was the 80's and we were much younger and certainly more naive ( my nice word for stupid.) Of course now we are much more mature (my nice word for old) and have experienced the dangers that didn't happen but could have, like fog. In those days we didn't own a compass. When I think back to what could have happened I realize that pure unadulterated luck was on our side.
These days a sail aboard Simple Life to Block is the norm. Although somehow even when it seems that we have been everywhere and done everything there is to do on the island something will surprise us. The sun had just set when we arrived and settled into our anchoring spot. Joe prefered to anchor close to the shoreline in the shallow section of the basin. Shortly thereafter I began hearing what appeared to be the sound of a woodpecker! Within minutes the sound came from the west. A short time later the sound came from the east. We thought about what it could have been. Perhaps it was one of the cormorants or some type of egret settling down in the marsh grass. After about an hour the sounds began in earnest. Whatever it was it became a chorus almost a competition of sounds. One seemed to be answering the other from different locations in the basin and it was at times reverberating from under our boat. The chatter went on all night and subsided at dawn. At sunrise we remarked about the odd chattering sounds that persisted all night. I figured there must be something about these birds, fish, sea monsters on Google. But, there was no information. Google had failed me. Joe recalled reading an article somewhere about something called a chatter fish. Google that! Again no luck. Joe was persistent and came up with an article that had been published in Points East magazine. Our mystery monster had a name along with one of those scientific looking illustrations. It's called a Cusk eel. Apparently, the male Cusk eel feeling a bit randy emerges from its burrow at dusk in search of a mate. The chattering sounds coax the female out of her burrow and that's when sparks begin to fly. With the IPad and Google to the rescue our mystery was solved. How did we ever travel without these new-fangled electronic devices?

The following day my friend Anna and her sister Desire'e came to Block for a visit. They arrived on the 10:30 ferry out of Point Judith. I had been wracking my brain all week concerning how they could best experience the Block. Joe tried to reassure me that we should ask what they wanted to do. I thought mopeds, bikes, maybe kayak rentals, a ride to the Southeast Light, maybe lunch at the Oar...I wanted them to experience the island. Joe said, "Why don't you wait to see what they want to do." Brilliant!" I called Anna and asked. She said, "Are you kidding Block Island is on my bucket list! Anything we do is fine. We can sit on your boat. It will be new and wonderful!"
We met them at the ferry. On the way back to the anchorage we stopped at the market to buy some mozzarella and prosciutto. Then we took the scenic walk along Crescent Beach. Twenty minutes later we arrived at New Harbor. Anna and Desire'e experienced their first dinghy ride out to the boat. We chatted about their ferry ride and some of the characters that were onboard.They also had their first look at New Harbor, the anchorage and the Simple Life. As the afternoon progressed we shared quite a few laughs, some tapas of olives, tomatoes, mozzarella, wine and best of all the feeling of good friendship.

While they marveled at the surroundings my perception of our life style was renewed. I saw everything through their eyes and enjoyed. Once again Block Island had provided a refreshing experience along with a tinge of mystery that keeps us all coming back for more.
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Location:Block Island, Rhode Island