So there are three ways to secure our boat each night in whatever harbor we are in. One is to tie up to a dock. Another is to tie up to a mooring, which is a large float attached to a heavy chain, which is attached to a heavy piece of metal/permanent anchor on the bottom. The third option is to use our boat anchor.

Docking is expensive, so it is not realistic for us to get dockage for 365 days.  A dock slip in Newport would have been $4.50 per foot per night.  Our 47 foot boat would fetch $211.50 for one night, plus surplus charges for electric and other marina amenities.

Moorings are a great alternative.  When we chartered a boat last summer for two weeks, we only used moorings. They are safe and well-positioned so that you are not too close to other boats.  They are heavy and strong, so you are almost certain not to drift.  Moorings are installed and maintained by local marinas and yacht clubs, who usually charge a fee for their use.  The average fee we paid last year was $35-40 per night.  Often, the mooring came with the use of a launch service.  A launch is a small, open boat that ferries boaters from their boat to the marina.  Using a launch is nice because you can give the dinghy a rest and don’t need to worry about the it being stolen or damaged at the “dinghy dock” while you are in town.

So far, we have used moorings at the Manhasset Bay Yacht Club, Port Jefferson Harbor, and the New York Yacht Club in Newport, although we now know that moorings aren’t without their own drama! (see post titled Now You See It, Now You Don’t!)

Cleaning the lifelines

We arrived in Marion, Massachusetts yesterday after a lovely sail, during which I watched for lobster pots while cleaning the vinyl lifelines.  We pulled into the harbor at 1730 and decided to try anchoring for the first time.  Anchoring is an art, a science, and a test of faith.  It causes much anxiety and comes with a unique set of social rules and obligations.  Surprised?  We pulled into the harbor here and we were intimidated by the enormous mooring field.  We found a tiny area, marked by bouys, that designated the “Anchorage Area”.  There were already two boats anchored, but we circled around and figured out where we could safely place our Patronus.Anchoring is not like parking a car, where you simply drive to where you want to be and stop the car.  In boating, you steer to the place you want the anchor to be, and then drop the anchor on its rode (rope or chain) at a chain length to depth ratio of 5:1.  So a ten foot deep harbor would call for 50 feet of chain.  The anchor drops, the boat continues to drift around, and then when all the chain is down, you back the boat up hard to “set” the anchor in the ground.

If a real old salt read my simplistic description here, he would probably lose his mind.  There are many types of ground (muddy, sandy, etc) that call for different types of anchors and different ways to set it.  Current, tide, wind direction/speed, weather, and the location of other boats are all important factors that must be taken into account.  And etiquette plays a role as well.  Too close, just upwind, boats that run noisy generators all night…  For our friends who actually ARE old salts and would be totally interested, we are carrying a 55 lb. Delta on 250 feet of BBB chain and a 21 lb. Fortress as a backup.  For the rest of you, I know you just heard the sound of Charlie Brown’s teacher: “wah-wah-wah”.

So we pulled up to our chosen spot, I let out the chain and tried to eyeball what 40 feet might be, while Chris backed her down.  Then we stood on the bow together, wondering if there was any chance that it actually worked.  We had to wait for the boat to swing to the wind.  Boats will naturally face right into the wind.  We did not seem to be drifting, but we each must have checked our position compared to the other boats and the land 100 times over the course of the night.  I even got up at 2am and 5:30am to check on it.  For those of you who know how much I love my sleep, the only reason I was actually UP at those times was because my arms and neck were in so much pain from rubbing those lifelines!  By the way, it’s really scary to stand on the bow in pitch blackness trying to figure out where you are and if you are moving.

First Boat Dinner on our Voyage

All in all, our first anchor job seems to be a success, but we still need to pull it up tomorrow morning, when we leave for Wellfleet in Cape Cod.  Hopefully, that will go just as smoothly.  By the way, a well-worn boat motored up today while we were eating dinner and just dropped the anchor.  Literally within 3 minutes, the captain and mate were in their dinghy headed to town.  That’s experience for you!  They didn’t even look back to check on how the boat was settling!

First Boat Dinner on our Voyage

The day in Marion had other firsts, which is good because the town is not much to visit.  Last night, we had our first dinner cooked on the boat, thanks to Chef Mema, who made, vacuum-sealed, and froze about 15 dinners of meatballs, breaded chicken, and pork for us before we left.  We couldn’t believe that we hadn’t eaten on the boat until Day 10, but we were visiting with friends in the first three ports.  Before we left Newport, we bought some ice cream to see if our freezer could handle the delicate needs of my precious Haagen Dazs ice cream.  Our freezer could NOT handle it.  The ice cream was soft after only a day in the freezer.  Oh well.  I guess I will be forced to make some healthy dessert changes!Today, we took the dinghy into the town of Marion and visited the gift shop, the Historical Society, and the general store.  Then we had to walk 3/4 of a mile to the only restaurant.  On the way back, we stopped at Tabor Academy, a boarding school, to watch an orchestra play.  We happened to arrive during the Buzzard’s Bay Music Festival, so we had a little after-lunch entertainment.  Back to the boat for swimming laps, trying out our new hammock, and cleaning the floors.  We had another “Mema special” dinner tonight and the kids played one of their new games.

cooking in our little galley

New hammock hanging from the boom

Tomorrow, we are excited about negotiating the Cape Cod Canal and crossing the bay to Wellfleet, where we got engaged 15 years ago.  Keep tracking us on our Spot (click the link on the left that says Patronus’ Location).  Thanks to all our friends, neighbors, and new acquaintances who are checking out our website and leaving such nice comments for us!  We love to hear from you, so keep them coming.  You can also email us at conwaysailors@gmail.com.  Come back soon to see our Floatplan (Itinerary) and a new page on our website with pictures of boats with great, funny, or unique names.