Position 40:22.65N 70:05.64W
PASSEPARTOUT
Christopher & Nirit Slaney
Wed 18 May 2011 14:49
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If all goes well we should be in Newport late Wednesday
night, this is earlier than we expected and largely due to an excellent ride in
the gulf stream with boat speed nudging nine knots for twenty hours. Since
daybreak we have quite a few signs of the approaching land. Lots of birds
and not just the usual gulls. Some fishing gear marked with red buoys and radar
reflectors. Mist, visibility is down to less than one mile. We can hear Newport
and Boston radio stations on AM and are getting local weather, sports and
traffic reports. Oh, and did I mention the rain? A huge low moving thunder storm
drenched us on Tuesday afternoon, sucked all the wind out of the air and then
just stuck to us like glue. I guess we were moving at around the same speed as
the storm and couldn't shake it off. When we changed course to the opposite
tack, the thunder and rain just followed. Most of the night was spent
below, keeping watch via our wrap-around windows, but each one of us
went on deck just long enough to get completely soaked. Having lightning all
around is pretty nerve wracking, I switched off the satcom, the VHF
and isolated the main engine and generator batteries but I don't know if
this would really do any good in case of a direct strike. We have phoned
ahead and booked a marina berth for our first day or two in the USA. I
picked a place called CASEY'S in Newport; they all seem to charge about the
same - $2 per foot per day - but this one is smaller and actually run by a chap
called Casey who answered the phone himself, always a good sign in my
experience.
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