Scituate, Massachusetts

This morning we woke up to a beautiful day in Pocasset and set about hoisting anchor to head through the Cape Cod Canal. Somehow we managed to run over a nearby mooring ball and wrap its pick-up line around our prop shaft. Fortunately the tangle didn’t involve mooring chain…we just caught the thin line connecting the mooring line to the float on the end. Even more fortunately, Christophe from Talisa saw our predicament and came over in his dinghy to help. With his assistance we pulled the line and mooring ball out from under a humiliated Cupcake and went on our way without further mishap or the need for me to jump in the water to sort things out.

Once out of Pocasset, we realized we were about an hour early to catch the tide through the Canal, so we anchored in a sheltered spot to enjoy the warm morning, watch the boats on the water, and wait on the tide. At 11:30am we headed into the canal and eventually zipped along at 7 to 8 knots riding the current into Cape Cod Bay.

The wind on the Canal was howling and we were worried the Bay would be unpleasant. However, as we exited the east end of the Canal, winds in Cape Cod Bay were nonexistent. We don’t know where the stiff east breeze had been coming from earlier. But with no wind, we were reduced to motoring the remainder of the way to Scituate. About 20 miles out we hit a fog bank so the afternoon ended with radar getting us safely to harbor where we are now hanging from a mooring.

Matthew, after a very pleasant few days aboard, was collected by his wife and son. The three regular crew members took hot showers - our first showers of any sort since Atlantic City. We all agreed that the showers at the Harbormaster’s Office (which were included in the pricy $50 mooring fee) were among the best of the entire trip.

After a hot meal in town we are all ready for bed. Tomorrow we hope to scoot north to Gloucester before some nasty rainy weather makes its way through the area.