Gosport Harbor, Isles of Shoals, New Hampshire
Harmonie
Don and Anne Myers
Mon 10 Sep 2007 15:02
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42:58.730N 70:36.733W
On Wednesday (9/5), we sailed to the Isles of
Shoals, which are a group of very small islands just east of Portsmouth,
NH. The day was sunny and we were determined to sail the whole way.
So sail we did, using every possible sail configuration Harmonie has to offer
(the wind kept shifting causing us to juggle sail configurations). We
sailed with the genoa, main and mizzen . We sailed with the genoa, main,
mizzen and mizzen staysail. We sailed with the downwind rig. First
one sail configuration, then another, then back to the first, the third, back to
the second then the first. To demonstrate our effort, and its payoff,
below are two pictures: the first shows sail configuration #2, and the
second shows the payoff - 1.9 knots [non-boater translation: 2.2
mph]. Lucky for us the wind picked up and we did make it to our
destination within a reasonable amount of time [non-boater translation: 8
hrs to go 40 miles].
We arrived at the Isles of Shoals (picture below)
and it wasn't long before a couple from a nearby sailboat dinghied over and
asked if we bought our boat from Ann and Ralph. Yes, in fact we did.
Nancy and George Marvin from the boat Trumpeter knew the previous owners of our
boat very well, and traveled with them quite a bit (they traveled together to
Nova Scotia - I wonder if they know about the Nova Scotian cold tolerance
factor?). Live-aboard boating is such a small, small world. Nancy
and George have been cruising on their boat for years and fairly recently bought
a place in Hobe Sound, Florida. Don's mom lives in Hobe Sound - it is a
tiny, tiny world, isn't it? I'm sure we'll see Trumpeter again as we both
head south.
Speaking of heading south...on this day (9/5),
another first was achieved on Harmonie (aside from the highest number of
sail configurations sailed in one day):
After 2 months and 3 days, we finally reached a
latitude further south than where we started.
Sodus Bay: 43 degrees north latitude
Isles of Shoals: 42 degrees north
latitude
Up until now it feels a bit like we we've
been going around in a circle, which I suppose we have. Now it's time
to get serious about heading south.
Anne
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