Friday June 28th

Thank you Brett, for your contributions as guest blogger.  Unfortunately we’re back to Ron with his far less poetic renditions. 

It poured down all night long and most of the morning.  So we developed a dose of lazyitus, and read in bed until about 10am.  We have a phone app that monitors whether the anchor’s dragging, (My Anchor Watch Pro), which is pretty good.  However GPS is not an exact science and sometimes, for example last night, we get false alarms.  So Ron dived on the anchor just out of curiosity.  Brrr, it seemed a lot colder today than yesterday.  Anyway, the anchor was deeply buried which is just how it should be.  Treated ourselves to Ham ‘n Eggs for brunch, the rain stopped and the sun came out.  We decided to go into the Burlington dock to replenish water, recharge the batteries etc.  The wind was blowing hard though, and Ron made a pretty poor job of docking the boat.  No damage but the dockhands had a workout.  We went for a short bike ride while the sun was still shining, and then returned to North Beach to anchor. 

Our friends Laura and Rick came in to Burlington for the evening, so we dinghied in to the beach and walked back to Burlington to meet up with them.  We went for another short bike ride and then for a delicious and very good value Nepalese meal.  Yum.  We walked back along the bike path having forgotten a flashlight.  No worries, the fireflies showed us the way.  A beautiful walk.  Suddenly, Ron spotted a larger white object moving along the edge of the path about 4 feet away.  Just in time the word “Skunk” popped into his head and he walked to the other side of the path, where Teresa had already taken refuge.  Phew, a close shave.  We got back to the beach, jumped into the dinghy and rowed back to Quinita.  Just as we arrived, it started raining.  Wow, twice lucky in one night. 

Thursday June 27th

I opened my eyes Thursday morning to bright sunshine coming in the porthole of our berth. That was a good sign, as was the gentle breeze. The previous evening Ron and I had put up the snap-on and velcro fastened mosquito net he and Teresa had fashioned to enclose the cockpit, so the cabin doors had been open all night to the cool lake winds. It was a beautiful morning in Converse Bay. After breakfast Ron hauled the anchor and Teresa motored out of the bay to the middle of the lake where Ron unfurled the "screecher" sail, which he thought was our best bet given the wind conditions for our sail up the lake to Burlington. 

We found some nice wind and got the boat speed up to over 6 knots for a while. It was sunny and in the 80s, a classic summer day. I got in a lot of time at the helm, and Ron provided a steady stream of tips and advice, and I feel like I improved a bit over the previous day, though I'm sure the favorable wind conditions helped. At the very least I learned a lot of sailing terms in theory, if not yet in practice! Teresa put out a toothsome lunch in the salon and Ron and I switched off at the helm while the other person ate inside.

As serendipity would have it, the winds did die almost completely for a half hour or so, a couple of miles south of Burlington, just when the day was really heating up and we were really starting to feel the sun. Since we were at a dead stop, we took advantage of the lull for a delightful swim break, way out in the middle of the lake, easily a mile from either shore, in about 150 feet of water. There were no other boats around and it was just magical to be floating on your back out there in the sunshine and cool, clear, water. Soon afterward the wind picked up again and we resumed our journey northward feeling quite refreshed.

Eventually the tallest church steeple in downtown Burlington was visible in the distance, and the rest of the city soon swung into view. After we lowered the sails and motored up close to the harbor entrance I relinquished the helm to the real sailors and sat up on the bow with Robyn to enjoy the view as we came in to the mooring area. Our wonderful jaunt on Quinita with Ron and Teresa was coming to an end. They brought us to the dock on the dinghy about 4 p.m. and we said goodbye. After a few days of sailing on a beautiful lake with our good friends, the prospect of a four hour car ride down the interstate to Massachusetts seemed so anti-climatic and prosaic!

Ron here.  Thanks Brett!  Teresa and I were surprised to see this boat on our way back to our anchorage: 

Ship’s Log: 2607.1nm, Today's log: 11.5nm, Season total: 153.2nm.

Wednesday June 26th

Brett here again. The sailing gods did not hear my prayer - we awoke on Wednesday to a gray and misty morning with sporadic rain spattering down on Quinita. After a hearty breakfast we left the mooring in Burlington harbor, southbound about 13 miles down lake to Converse Bay. We had barely cleared the breakwater when lightning began to arc down again from the west. Ah, now I got it - the sailing gods decided that my first day of learning some of the rudiments of sailing should be a challenging one with lots of variety - rain, lightning, fog, and very light and variable winds. 

Once we got out into open water and raised the main sail and the genoa sail (I was pleased as an Italian to see my people got one of their cities into the sailing lexicon) Ron put me on the wheel and said we would be beating (zig-zagging into the wind). My ego certainly took a beating as I frequently overcorrected at the wheel and slowed our progress even more as the genoa lost the meager wind. With light shifting winds we were only making 1 knot or so boat speed most of the time so progress was already slow.

Rain was falling heavy now and the occasional lightning flash made me feel like a celebrity caught leaving rehab by the paparazzi. Then fog moved in and we lost our only visual reference point, an island off to port, and I got a crash course in reading the electronic nautical chart and keeping my other eye on the compass. It was cold and wet in the cockpit and Robyn sat smiling at the table in the cabin, warm and dry, drinking coffee and reading a magazine like she was on a cruise ship while I soldiered on under Ron's ever-patient but watchful eye.

After about 20 miles of sailing due to the zig-zags and everyone having a turn at the wheel, we neared Converse Bay under brightening skies in the late afternoon. We anchored in the middle of the bay in sunshine, finally, and had a nice swim, followed by drinks and appetizers in the cockpit while we dried off as the sun set over the Adirondacks to the west. Now this was what I had dreamed about when Ron and Teresa extended this invitation to us months ago!

As dusk gathered Ron grilled salmon fillets on a nifty little gas grill that clamped to the stern while Teresa prepared asparagus, carrots, and spiced couscous in the galley and then broke the silence that had settled over our post happy-hour mellow scene with the pop of a wine bottle cork that served as our dinner bell to sit down at the table. We ended the meal with some locally-made fruit and chocolate sweets that Teresa had bought in Burlington and after some more chit-chat called it a night. As we settled satiated into our berths, a light breeze kicked up and Quinita rocked us to sleep and into dreams of clear skies and a steady wind for our sail back to Burlington in the morning.

Ship’s Log: 2595.6nm, Today's log: 23.1nm, Season total: 141.7nm.

Tuesday , June 25

Brett here – this is not a mutiny by the latest guests on Quinita - Ron and Teresa  have graciously offered me the slot as guest blogger. We arrived in Burlington at the appointed time, 2 p.m., much to Ron’s surprise. He brought the dinghy in to meet us at the dock and was pleased to see we had minimal luggage (I’m an ultralight backpacker, and used to packing light) – but had included in our booty some Pinot Grigio and a rack of Otter Creek Hop Session Ale.

It was a stinking hot day but the gathering clouds indicated relief was in sight, though not perhaps in the form we expected. Lightning began to flash beyond the breakwater and I wondered aloud about the conductivity of an aluminum mast as Ron breezily brushed off my concerns and focused on pouring a round of beers. Rain fell heavily and though we tried to wait it out eventually we gave in and donned our rain gear for the dinghy ride to the dock for our planned evening out on the town. I recommended a newish brewpub I had read about and discovered that Ron of course was way ahead of me regarding where Burlington’s best beers could be found, having already conducted numerous multi-pint fact finding missions .

We had an opening round at the Vermont Pub and Brewery, and then happily strolled across the street, which was finally rain-free, to American Flatbread/Zero Gravity Brewery, which offers the killer combination of artisanal pizzas and excellent on-premises brewed beers. Ron and I were in beer heaven after finding that Zero Gravity had a cask-conditioned bitter called London Calling, which brought to mind the best ales of that city, with apologies to and possible copyright infringement on The Clash’s song.

A post-dinner stroll around the downtown area worked off the pints and pizza, though Ron had the good sense to buy a growler of Zero Gravity’s bitter for tomorrow, and for extra weight for him to do bicep curls with as we walked.

After dessert and coffee on Quinita, we finally retired to our berths for a good night’s sleep and a silent prayer for good weather for our sail tomorrow.

Saturday, Sunday, Monday 22nd, 23rd 24th June

Drove down to Salem MA, for Kay and Vin’s wedding.  It was a great wedding and everyone seemed to have fun.  Went down to CT on Sunday to visit Teresa’s mom.  Returned on Monday and spent Monday evening on the mooring in a nice thunderstorm.  Tomorrow, (Tuesday), Robijn and Brett are arriving to spend 2 days with us. 

Friday 21st June

Spent the day preparing to leave the boat for the weekend so that we could attend Kay and Vin’s wedding in Salem, MA.  This included a ton of laundry and cleaning up the boat.  We had planned to anchor for the night, and pick up a mooring on Saturday morning before leaving for MA.  However, we discovered that Burlington had a food and wine festival this weekend and towards the end of the day, several boats were coming in and picking up moorings.  So we decided to spend Friday night on the mooring as well, just to ensure we would have one for the weekend. 

Thursday 20th June

Teresa went for walk up a hill she hadn’t climbed yet and discovered Vergennes Northlands Job Corps Academy consisting of many old brick buildings and after getting back to the boat she googled to find that it’s a no cost school providing job counseling and training for 16 to 24 years olds -Northlands.jobcorps.gov.

We then had a leisurely motor down the 7 miles of Otter Creek back to the lake.  A gentle breeze was blowing so we hoisted sails and sailed (to windward naturally) most of the way back to Burlington.  The winds were light – between 4 and 8 knots which made for a pleasant, albeit slow, beat.  One of the nice things abut sailing, particularly when winds are light and the boat is quiet, is that you get to see nature close up.  This island is called Stone Boat, 44 14.19N 73 20.06W.  At 5pm we admitted defeat in 3 knot winds and motored the rest of the way.  Anchored at North beach again for the night.  

Ship’s Log: 2572.5nm, Today's log: 28.3nm, Season total: 118.6nm.

Wednesday 19th June

We rode our bikes to the Otter Creek Brewery in Middlebury.  An absolutely gorgeous ride with plenty of hills.  Well this is Vermont after all.  The brewery pub was excellent – small and not very busy on a Wednesday lunchtime, so we got to talk to the brewmaster about beer.  We had beer samplers and a plate of Vermont cheese and sausage samples – just right to go with the beer.  And of course we got our beer passports stamped.  Only 2 to go for the T shirt!

The ride back was just a hilly with the additional benefit of a headwind. 

The town dock is very nice but has no facilities such as showers so Teresa rigged up some shower curtains in the cockpit and we both had sun showers. 

In the evening, Dee came to stay over and shorten her commute.  We had a very nice evening and dinner at the 3 Squares Café on Main Street. 

Ship’s Log: 2544.2nm, Today's log: 0.0nm, Season total: 90.3nm.

Tuesday 18th June

We headed south to Vergennes, 44 10.05N 73 15.37W.  Vergennes is the smallest “City” in the US, with a population of 2,500.  It’s 7 miles up Otter Creek and we had planned to visit last season, but the lake’s water level was too low.  With all the recent rain, no problem this year!  The minimum depth we encountered was 9 feet.  It’s a very nice town, with a free town dock which has views of a beautiful waterfall.  There’s also a brewery nearby – the Otter Creek Brewery in Middlebury, about 12 miles away.  I wonder what we’ll do tomorrow. 

Ship’s Log: 2544.2nm, Today's log: 23.7nm, Season total: 90.3nm.

Monday 17th June

Showers all day, however we managed to dodge them and had a very nice ride to the bike ferry along the Colchester Point Causeway, 44 35.45N 73 18.75W.  The bike ferry, when open, takes you across a 50ft passage through the causeway to South Hero where you can continue a nice bike tour.  We plan to do the full tour later when the ferry’s open. 

Sunday 16th June

Overcast, but a nice sailing breeze.  Headed out to nowhere in particular, and had some really nice sailing at 7 knots.  Unfortunately, after 2-3 hours, the winds died and the rain appeared.  We sailed in very light winds back towards Burlington and then resorted to the engine.  Ali and Yesim returned home and we returned to North Beach to anchor.

Saturday 15th June

Picked up Ali and Yesim in the morning.  A beautiful day, but very little wind.  We had planned to sail south and anchor for the night, but the winds were too light.  So we returned to Burlington and picked up a mooring.  Went ashore for ice cream and a walk to North Beach.  Returned to the boat for another one of Yesim’s delicious meals.  (Thanks Yesim). 

 

Friday 14th June

A beautiful sunny and breezy day.  Went into Burlington, cleaned the boat and provisioned for our weekend guests – Ali and Yesim.  Spent the night on the mooring.

Thursday, 13th June

Another rainy/showery day.  So far this season, we’ve had more rain than the past 2 seasons combined!  Let’s hope things improve as the season progresses.  Nothing much to report.  We went into Burlington and picked up a mooring for the day.  Returned to North Beach to anchor for the night.  

Wednesday 12th June

Overcast and threat of rain.  Spent the morning doing logistics planning – moving the car and boat, accommodating guests, attending a wedding in MA and winding up with a boat in Burlington and the car at Jay. 

Returned to Burlington moorings, went ashore and cycled to the 2 remaining breweries in the area – Fiddlehead and Magic Hat and collected 2 more stamps in our Vermont Brewery Passports (and a few beers).  The Fiddlehead brewery was excellent – it had a BYOB pizza place next door, so we visited the brewery, picked up some beer, and then drank it with excellent pizza. 

Back to North beach to anchor for the night. 

Tuesday 11th June

It rained heavily most of last night and ALL day.  We spent the day on the boat at anchor.  Teresa did our monthly admin on the PC and Ron spent the afternoon organising the Bosuns Locker. 

Monday 10th June

Went back to the Burlington Boathouse moorings where we had easy access to Burlington’s facilities.  Teresa did laundry, grocery shopping, and Ron picked up the Chartplotter which had been sent away for repairs, and installed it.  We both did a few more jobs- the joys of boating – and returned to North Beach for the night.  Got to try out our new Spade Anchor.  It dug in immediately it went over the side and felt really secure.  We tried Anchor Watch Pro again.  This time we read the documentation and set the anchor position correctly.  The App worked much better and didn’t’ wake us up once with false alarms.  

Sunday 9th June

Bright and sunny.  We hung out on the boat most of the day after a full English Breakfast.  Marc & Dee left about 3pm and we did a few more jobs on the boat. 

We moved the boat to North Beach 44 29.46N 73 14.62W and anchored for the night.  We tried out our new phone App – Anchor Watch Pro.  It waited until we were soundly asleep, then woke us up to tell up the anchor was dragging.  It lied!

Saturday 8th June

Rain was forecast which kept the crowds away from the Jazzfest. A shame since it didn’t actually rain although it was overcast and threatened all day.  We actually spent most of the day touring 4 Vermont breweries by foot and got 4 stamps in our Vermont Brewery Passports.  So we’re well on the way to getting the T Shirt awarded for 10 brewery visits!   We also visited the Saratoga Oil Company and sampled their extensive collection of Olive Oils and Vinegars. 5 start for Saratoga.  Oh yes and we heard a little Jazz. 

Returned to the boat for Shepherd Pie, (thanks Marc), and played BezzerWizzle.  Marc & Dee got all the easy questions and also cheated, so they won!  

Friday 7th June

A rainy night, but nice and dry inside Quinita.  We putzed around in the morning, and as soon as the rain eased up, set off on our bikes for groceries for our first guests of the season – Marc and Dee.  They arrived about 6:30 and we picked them up, dinghied them to the boat and spent the evening eating, drinking and planning our next days activities.  

Thursday 6th June

A gloomy, overcast and drizzly day with almost no wind.  We set off for Burlington at 9:15, tried to sail for an hour or 2, but at an average speed of 2.5 knots, the trip was going to take 14 hours.  So the engine went on, and we had a pretty boring first cruise.  We arrived in Burlington,  44 28.42N 73 13.45W at 5:15pm and Teresa expertly motored us onto a mooring.  It had rained on and off during the day, but we’re pretty dry on the boat under our hard top.  However, picking up the mooring is necessarily damp.  It’s a little ironic that we can stay dry all day long and then get wet for the last 10 minutes of the trip. 

We went ashore searching for Jazz.  There were a few venues, but, due to the poor weather, Burlington was not buzzing anything like we expected. 

Wednesday 5th June

A windy day, but we managed to send Ron up the mast to re-fit the wind vane and halyard lines that we take down for the winter.  We also managed to get the mainsail, genoa and screecher fitted, so we’re now ready for a sail!  The dinghy engine would not start, so Ron dismantled and cleaned the carb which somehow had lots of oil in it – unusual for a 4 stroke engine!  Having hardly worked on engines since the late 70’s Ron was pretty happy to get the engine working again.  Since Teresa doesn’t know anything about engines, she had to go for a bike ride

The weather was great, with perfect winds for our first trip to Burlington, and its 10 day long Jazz Festival.  Unfortunately we didn’t have time for the trip today.  

Tuesday 4th June

Rouses Point, NY 44 59.80N 73 21.52W. 

Well May was not very kind to us weather wise, so we had to fit in boat fitting out jobs in between rain days.  We just managed it just a couple of days later than planned and launched today.  It was fun – the usual travellift was out of action, so Tim at Lighthouse Marina slid us down the launching ramp like a big dinghy. Thanks to lots of prep work by Tim, the launch went well and by 9:15am we were at our berth. 

Spent the rest of the day doing jobs best done afloat and ate onboard for the first time this season.  The boat feels so much better when she’s afloat.  Ashore, on blocks, she just doesn’t feel right.