Log of s/v Bellerophon

Steve and I made the prudent decision to wait out the massive line of thunderstorms at the dock in Edgewood. We started for Potter Cove around 8 and arrived shortly before 10pm under engine power. Anchoring with radar was actually pretty cool. The next day we decided to circumnavigate Prudence and Patience and then hook up with the Commodore at Hog Island. At Hog I finally remembered to deply the anchor shape, shown here in the forward triangle.

Commodore Duckie assumes his alter-ego "Barnacle Boy" and cleans the prop and sonar transducer. Thanks, Commodore! (And who says Edgewood isnt a full service yacht club!)

"Catting" the anchor!












Manning the guns














Checking the sail trim













Anchor watch

We left Newport this morning and headed north in a very light wind and against the ebb. We decided that we'd turn around and head south instead, for Beavertail and ultimately Dutch Harbor. We ended up sailing straight into relatively heavy seas in a fairly light wind, so motor sailing turned out to be the best option. Once we rounded Beavertail, the wind died down and we gave up on the sailing part. Our high tech weather radar showed some serious thunderstorms and rain approaching, so we made for harbor and picked up a moorint at about 5 bells. We were all snug on the mooring when it started to rain. Right now we're enjoying a cigar and wondering when we can start drinking. Our goal is to make it until 8 bells.

Carol and Jim came down from Cranston yesterday to join us for dinner and desert, and to celebrate Scott's birthday. How they managed to get that strawberry shortcake on board without smushing I dont know. We motored from Jamestown to Newport this morning and then cleaned the deck in time for our afternoon visitors, who should be here shortly. A brief shopping trip ashore replentished our supply of coffee and cigars, two staples we cannot be without.

A cute little (and we do mean little) sloop came in shortly after we were on the hook, and we couldnt help but invite them on board for a drink. Unfortunately neither one was a drinker, and as you may suspect we are a bit low on non-alcoholic beverages!

We had a great sail to Jamestown today, with the wind out of the west, shifting to southwest. We only had to tack twice the whole 22 mile trip. There was quite a bit of chop in addition to a fair swell. It definitely was a "blue blanket" kind of day. Next time we'll remember to close all the cabin hatches so the boat doesnt get quite so wet!

We hailed Acadia, the racing boat we saw the last time we were here, with the cat on board. Dave, the skipper and sole human crew, came aboard. Many stories told.

Well, the old man (Scott) needed to get away from work and go sailing, but alas there was no wind today... so we motored to Fogland, where we're now anchored. Scott said it felt just like work, minus the tires! To Brad it definitely didn't feel like work.

Before we left Scott had an interesting adventure aloft replacing the spreader light. It turns out I had the wrong bulb with me, but the right bulb on the kitchen counter -- go figure. Anyway, fortunately there was no wind and we didnt feel like we were missing much sailing, so we went home, grabbed the right bulb, and hoisted Scott aloft again. Thank goodness for that vegetarian diet -- he's pretty light these days.

And in case you didnt know, stuffies go great with martinis!

Worked a bunch of stations on HF last night including England and Estonia, all before bedtime. Rig worked great though I'm sure it did a number on the batteries. We set up the gennie this morning at 8 and let it run for a few hours to make sure we had juice for the next few days.

We set sail at around noon for Fogland and got here around 3. Gorgeous weather, nice sail. Temperature is a little hot down here but there's a very nice breeze. Carol and Jim placed a call to friends of theirs that live nearby (with a dingy) and I gave Ted Merriman a buzz. We'll see who shows up for cocktails!

I'm going to check into the maritime services net this afternoon if I can reach them. The reefer does a number on the bands, and I need to keep it running because I had it open for a while cleaning up a hazmat incident.

We received a phone call from Jack Howart on board Seaquille inviting us on board for cocktails. When it came time to go over, we flew code flag Tango and fired a gun, but no one arrived to transport us. Finally after some discourse over the VHF, George from Pilgrim came over and got us. Unfortunately as Jim was deboating, he must have stepped on one of the plugs holding the air in George's dingy. Thankfully, though at least one of us suffered a damp posterior, George was able to re-inflate the dingy and all was not lost. Dan and Daria from Nixie du Nord joined us also.

The Kickamuit seems quiet tonight but the occasional bottle rocket or firecracker deserves a reply. Fortunately we have plenty of live cannon rounds on board.

And what a sail it was! We blew up the bay on reefed main and mizzen (no jib or staysail needed) with winds gusting to 25kts and above. Took us about 3 hours from Conanicut to the Kicky. Upon arrival we discovered the remnants of the EYC fleet (Nixie du Nord and Seaquille) hunkered down for the night. We saluted as only we can and anchored a short distance from Nixie. A brief time later Dan and Daria came by for a visit!

Apparently our neighbors are not familiar with the collected works of Queene Hooper Foster, and insist upon displaying their laundry for the rest of the harbor to see. For shame.

What a sail yesterday! Main, mizzen and staysail. 20kts right on the nose the whole way. THe only casualty was the new trawler light. It got pulled right out of its anchor in the roof of the cabin and smashed to the floor. The only damage was to the glass chimney, which is easily replaceable. (In fact, I'll order a replacement momentarily!)

A great night at Conanicut. This morning there's a honking wind out of the southwest, probably 20kts steady. We tried to extend our stay here, but they're booked. We're headed to the kicky today, under reefed main and full mizzen. Or perhaps under staysail and mizzen alone. We'll see what works. I've never reefed this main before, so I'm kind of psyched to give it a shot. We heard last night from the crew of Claddagh Lass enroute to Potter Cove. They're headed for Portsmouth to refuel (!) and then may join us out on the bay somewhere.

The weather outlook looks excellent - chance of thunderstorms on Sunday, but when isn't there? We were headed to Dutch Harbor this weekend but for some reason they never answer their phone or return calls, so we're going to Conanicut instead.

Replaced the Den Haan trawler lamp with a new one. The old one has been dripping oil and I've been unable to discover from where. It only does it when the lamp is swinging a bit, so if the new one doesnt do it, we'll take the old one home and use it in an environment that doesnt move quite as much. You'd think that a lamp designed for boats would be able to take a bit of motion without leaking. The weems & plath lights do just fine.

The new alternator belt seems to be working OK. I found an alternator belt tensioner from someplace in the midwest that seemed to do the trick nicely. Let's hope this weekend proves me right!