Pretty Gee at Tarpaulin Cove

[AdriftAtSea]

Saturday, some friends and I went out sailing.  The sky was blue and the wind was blowing, with gusts up to 35 mph. reported.  The seas were 5–7 feet according to several of my marina neighbors.  They were not planning on going out.  I can understand why.  The seas and strong winds would make their powerboats uncomfortable and cost them a lot more fuel.

We motored out to the swing bridge, and deployed the amas on our way to it.  Dave, one of the crew had forgotten the propane for the grill, and while we were waiting for the bridge, we hailed Rick, on the Heather Dawn, and asked him if he had any extra propane one-pound tanks.  We were in luck—he did.  So he came along side us and had his crew toss us a propane canister.  He was the exception to the rest of the power boats at my marina, and he and his crew were waiting for the bridge and headed to Onset for the Blues festival there.

Once we got out past the New Bedford Hurricane Barrier, we unfurled the genoa and headed out.  With the wind out of the northwest, it was going to be a good downwind run to Quicks Hole.  Originally, we were looking to sail into Menemsha, and meeting up with some friends who were at Chilmark.

However, given the conditions, with the wind out of the Northwest and gusts up to 35 mph., I decided that trying to enter Menemsha harbor might prove a little more interesting than I'd like.  Menemsha harbor's entrance isn't all that wide and opens to the northwest.  Any attempt to enter it under those conditions would have left the Vineyard a lee shore, and the strong winds would have made the harbor entrance a bit more dangerous than I wanted to risk without a better reason.

We gybed and headed northeast to Nashuon Island.  Tarpaulin Cove faces southeast, and would be a very sheltered anchorage under these conditions.  It is also a very beautiful anchorage, with a nice sand beach.  One long reach brought us east of the cove and we tacked to head into the cove.

When we arrived, there were almost two dozen boats already anchored out in the cove.  We furled the genoa, motored over to a good spot, and lowered the anchor in 16' of water.  I let out the 30' of chain and 30' of rope and snubbed off the line.  Then I had Dave put us into reverse to set the anchor.   After the anchor set, which was pretty obvious as the anchor stripped another yard of line through the windlass gypsy, I had Dave kill the engine and I let out another dozen feet after putting a chafe-protector sleeve over the anchor line.  Brandon was surprised how hard the Rocna anchor sets.... I wasn't.  The Rocna's quick setting ability and strong holding power were the reasons I got it.

I had Johnny and Brandon get the dinghy out and inflate it.  We put it in the water and put the small outboard on it.  Dave ferried Johnny and Brandon to the beach and came back to pick me up after I locked up the boat.  The beach at Tarpaulin Cove is a nice sandy beach.  Although the island is privately owned, the Forbes family trust allows anchored boats to use the beach.  Here's a photo of the beach.



After swimming and exploring the beach for a while, we headed back to the boat.  We were one of the boats furthest from the beach.  Here's the Pretty Gee as seen from the dinghy on our way back. 





There was one large sailboat anchored out just past the Pretty Gee, pictured in the next photo.



We fired up the barbeque grill and made dinner.   It is amazing how different food tastes when you're anchored out.  Then we sat out and watched the sunset.  I noticed that only about half of the boats in our anchorage had anchor lights lit for the night.  I have an LED anchor light, and noticed that it seemed brighter than most of the lights on the other boats in the cove.

The next morning, we got up with the dawn and watched the sunrise while making breakfast.  Breakfast was a pretty simple affair of just oatmeal.  Usually, I like a more filling breakfast, but this trip was a spontaneous idea, decided during a daysail the day before. Here is a photo of the cove shoreline at sunrise, and one of the sunrise over the Atlantic ocean.





Hauling up the anchor was a chore. The Rocna always seems to come up with about 25–30 pounds of mud and sand on it. I left the anchor dangling on seven feet of chain and let the boat's movement wash most of the mud and sand off of it.  Here is a photo of the sunrise and the other is of the large boat that was our closest neighbor.

We needed an early start, since Dave had obligations at home.  I was hoping the wind would shift to the south over the night, but it didn't.  The wind was still out of the north, so it was going be a long trip motoring back.  I hate motoring, but sometimes you don't have a choice.  Sunday was beautiful in spite of having to motor back and having very little wind—blue skies with just the occasional cloud, as you can see here.

[Zen]

Ahhh yeah, good times! :D

[BobW]

Thanks for sharing your outing! 

Man, I have got to get out on the water!

[AdriftAtSea]

BobW-

That's how I felt when I was working on the boat for April, May, June, and July... ;)

It is good to be back on the water... and the Pretty Gee seems to be happy with all the work I did this spring and summer.

[BobW]

Dan,

I understand that my return to the water will be that much nicer once the (current) projects are done...  But I am getting impatient!

Thanks again for sharing.

[AdriftAtSea]

BobW-

Roger that... anchoring out is much easier on the back now that the windlass and bow roller are on the boat. :D

[Oldrig]

Fine writing and great photos, Dan.

Tarpaulin Cove is one of my favorite anchorages, although I haven't been there in years. My first mate loves Lake Tashmoo, so that's usually where we go when we get onto Vineyard Sound.

I keep thinking I'll see Pretty Gee someday out on Buzzards Bay, but you probably sail the lower bay, and Creme Brulee rarely goes that far west.

Anyway, thanks for the pictures.

--Joe

[AdriftAtSea]

We've been as far east as Bassett's Island... where do you and Creme Brulee hail out of??

[Oldrig]

Hi Dan,

Her mooring is in Squeteague Harbor, a little salt pond off Megansett Harbor, just south of Bassett Island.

I don't usually go into Pocasset Inner Harbor or Red Brook Harbor during the summer, just because it's so crowded. At the end of the season, of course, I go to Red Brook because I winter the boat at Parker's Boat Yard.

Most weekends find me daysailing, usually directly across the bay to Marion or Mattapoisett, then back to Quisset or maybe West Falmouth, and then back again into Megansett Harbor. My monohull doesn't attain the kind of speeds that these new-fangled multihulls can, but we do what we can with what we've got. ;-)

--Joe

[AdriftAtSea]

We'll have to keep an eye out for you... :)

[Oldrig]

Likewise.