Date: August 20, 2003 Summary: Nantucket to Edgartown.
Crew: Curtis.
Comments: Winds were predicted to be 10 knots overnight, but were 15-20 or more. Winds were predicted to be 15-20 and started that way but died almost completely and returned very light. Headway was sufficiently poor that the current in Nantucket Sound shifted before light winds returned. This relatively short trip ended up taking a very long time.
Intended course (total distance 26.3 nm)
RW "NB" to near G "17"C 346 MD 10.7 nm
near G "17" to CRCC 292 MD 4.2 nm
CRC to RW "NS"C 295 MD 4.8 nm
RW "NS" to EH1C 261 MD 3.9 nm
EH1 to EH2C 212 MD 1.9 nm
EH2 to EH3C 212 MD 0.8 nm
EH3 into harborC 265 M--
Note: CRC is a waypoint in "Cross Rip Channel", about midway between R "20" and G "21". EH1, EH2, and EH3 are waypoints in the Edgartown Harbor approach.
TIME BEARING/FIX/OBSERVATIONS/COMMENT COURSE ELAPSED TIME
0745 left R "2" in Nantucket Harbor C 340M (10 min) 0.17 hours
0755 passed RW "NB", 15 knot wind 3-4 ft steep waves, tiller tamer won't hold, cabin contents shift, lots of spray over bow, pounding, some spray in cockpit C 340M (20 min) 0.33 hours
0815 wind about 12 knots, waves less steep, tiller tamer mostly holding, less spray in cockpit C 330M (15 min) 0.25 hours
0830 wind about 10 knot, lashed tiller, GPS SOG 4-5.5 knots C 330M (20 min) 0.33 hours
0850 close haul in W wind, few white caps left but less waves C 345M (22 min) 0.37 hours
0912 22 ft depth C 350M (3 min) 0.05 hours
0915 20 ft depth, cutting tip of Tuckernuck Shoal C 350M (3 min) 0.05 hours
0918 close haul again, heading for Cross Rip Channel C 330M (10 min) 0.17 hours
0928 G "17" bearing 020M C 340M (8 min) 0.13 hours
0936 G "17" bearing 040M C 340M (8 min) 0.13 hours
0944 G "17" bearing 060M C 340M (4 min) 0.07 hours
0948 G "17" bearing 080M C 340M (4 min) 0.07 hours
0952 G "17" bearing 100M, R "18" bearing 320M C 340M (3 min) 0.05 hours
0955 passed dragger C 340M (3 min) 0.05 hours
0958 R "18" bearing 310M, G "17" out of sight C 340M (2 min) 0.03 hours
Up to 10 AM progress was very good with a close reach from RW "NB" to Tuckernuck Shoal and a close haul toward Cross Rip Channel. Then the wind began to die.
1000 R "18" bearing 300M C 340M (3 min) 0.05 hours
1003 R "18" bearing 270M, tack, pass stern of schooner C 210M (12 min) 0.20 hours
1015 pass motor sailor, slight wind shift C 200M (15 min) 0.25 hours
1030 wind lighter, shift back C 210M (6 min) 0.10 hours
1036 tack, wind shifted then died, boat speed about 1 knot C 000M (6 min) 0.10 hours
1042 very light wind C 330M (8 min) 0.13 hours
1050 wind still light, some change in direction C 340M (3 min) 0.05 hours
1053 wind dying, changing direction a lot C 320M (7 min) 0.12 hours
1100 wind picked up a little, making some headway C 340M (5 min) 0.08 hours
1105 R "20" bearing 320M C 330M (5 min) 0.08 hours
1110 wind weak, R "18" bearing 050M, R "20" bearing 330M C 000M (2 min) 0.03 hours
1112 wind unreliable C 340M (6 min) 0.10 hours
1118 R "18" bearing 070M, R "20" bearing 320M, some wind C 340M (12 min) 0.20 hours
Even though R "18" had been sighted an hour and a half earlier, very little upwind progress was made in weak wind and a weakening following current. It would be more than two hours before passing G "21" and R "20", marking Cross Rip Channel.
1130 tack, not quite between R "18 and R "20", depth 40 ft C 210M (10 min) 0.17 hours
1140 edge of Horseshoe Shoals, pass stern of dragger C 180M (8 min) 0.13 hours
1148 wind dying again, cutter passes astern C 180M (9 min) 0.15 hours
1157 tack C 340M (12 min) 0.20 hours
1209 wind light and shifting C 350M (2 min) 0.03 hours
1211 N "4" bearing 280M, R "20" bearing 310M C 000M (4 min) 0.07 hours
1215 tack between R "18" and R "20" C 240M (3 min) 0.05 hours
1218 tack to avoid inattentive dragger C 000M (3 min) 0.05 hours
1221 tack back, wind weak C 240M (9 min) 0.15 hours
1230 3 ft swells for no apparent reason C 240M (12 min) 0.20 hours
1242 wind dying, almost no boat speed, swells continue C 240M (3 min) 0.05 hours
1245 two large powerboats pass off bow, 4 ft wakes each C 240M (3 min) 0.05 hours
1248 wind dying again C 240M (10 min) 0.17 hours
1258 tack, weak wind, waves on bow, hand steering C 010M (4 min) 0.07 hours
1302 wind improving C 000M (23 min) 0.38 hours
1325 tack, R "20" bearing 290M, G "21" bearing 240M, depth 22 ft C 210M (9 min) 0.15 hours
1334 barely enough wind to complete a tack C 340M (12 min) 0.20 hours
1346 G "21" bearing 230M, R "20" bearing 250M C 310M (4 min) 0.07 hours
With very little waves there was no problem wandering into Horseshoe Shoals. G "21" and R "20" forming a range was a milestone indicating that upwind progress past Cross Rip Channel had been made. At this point wind was slightly better but current had reversed and was opposing. Quite a bit of tacking was needed to get past the Cape Wind Associates data collection wind tower. With the opposing current this would occur three hours later.
1350 G "21" and R "20" form a range C 300M (10 min) 0.17 hours
1400 wind shift C 280M (4 min) 0.07 hours
1404 tack C 180M (2 min) 0.03 hours
1406 tack C 280M (8 min) 0.13 hours
1414 tack to avoid tower C 180M (2 min) 0.03 hours
1416 wind shift and weaken C 170M (2 min) 0.03 hours
1418 wind picking up C 180M (5 min) 0.08 hours
1423 tack, decent wind, almost 4 knots boat speed C 310M (3 min) 0.05 hours
1426 wind weakenning a little, boat speed 3.5 knots C 300M (3 min) 0.05 hours
1429 boat speed over 4 knots again C 300M (6 min) 0.10 hours
1435 wind weakenning a little, shifted C 290M (5 min) 0.08 hours
1440 tack C 160M (5 min) 0.08 hours
1445 tack C 300M (13 min) 0.22 hours
1458 tack C 180M (3 min) 0.05 hours
1501 tack C 280M (9 min) 0.15 hours
1510 tack C 180M (3 min) 0.05 hours
1513 tack C 280M (5 min) 0.08 hours
1518 tack C 180M (3 min) 0.05 hours
1521 tack C 300M (4 min) 0.07 hours
After passing the wind tower, the next obstacle to a NW tack was a very shallow part of Horseshoe Shoal between R "20" and N "2". Current was still opposing. N "2" and RW "NS" were not sighted for another three hours.
1525 passed wind tower C 310M (5 min) 0.08 hours
1530 wind shift a bit C 290M (23 min) 0.38 hours
1553 tack, nearing shoals C 180M (17 min) 0.28 hours
1610 tack, wind nearly dying C 300M (30 min) 0.50 hours
1640 tack, nearing shoals C 180M (10 min) 0.17 hours
1650 tack C 300M (20 min) 0.33 hours
1710 wind dying C 330M (1 min) 0.02 hours
1711 tack C 195M (9 min) 0.15 hours
1720 wind shift C 180M (3 min) 0.05 hours
1723 wind shift C 190M (12 min) 0.20 hours
1735 tack C 340M (10 min) 0.17 hours
1745 wind shift C 320M (15 min) 0.25 hours
1800 wind shift C 330M (15 min) 0.25 hours
1815 tack, wind very light C 200M (7 min) 0.12 hours
Sighting both N "2" and RW "NS" was a encouraging milestone. Current was starting to reverse but wind was also becoming consistently very light. This began a series of long tacks from near N "2" towards RW "NS and then toward R "20WR" and Edgartown.
1822 N "2" bearing 340M, RW "NS" bearing 210M, whistle audible C 195M (29 min) 0.48 hours
1851 tack, RW "NS" bearing 250M C 320M (9 min) 0.15 hours
1900 RW "NS" bearing 230M C 320M (30 min) 0.50 hours
1930 tack C 205M (18 min) 0.30 hours
1948 knotlog better matches GPS after calibration C 205M (7 min) 0.12 hours
1955 tack C 320M (5 min) 0.08 hours
2000 R "20WR" bearing 250M C 320M (5 min) 0.08 hours
2005 tack, R "20WR" ahead C 200M (12 min) 0.20 hours
After tacking around R "20WR", a few more tacks were needed to get positioned in the enterance to Edgartown Harbor, then a long tack nearly into the harbor.
2017 pass R "20WR" on starboard beam C 210M (3 min) 0.05 hours
2020 tack C 330M (2 min) 0.03 hours
2022 pass R "20WR" on starboard beam C 330M (3 min) 0.05 hours
2025 tack C 200M (9 min) 0.15 hours
2034 Poge light ahead, watching depth at 42 ft C 200M (4 min) 0.07 hours
2038 tack C 320M (4 min) 0.07 hours
2042 tack C 200M (12 min) 0.20 hours
2054 tack, Poge light off port quarter C 320M (12 min) 0.20 hours
2106 tack C 210M (54 min) 0.90 hours
The call for a mooring was made just before taking down sail, starting the motor and entering the very narrow (and upwind) harbor. The mooring ball numbers were hard to read in the dark unless right on top of them. In retrospect I should have just gone through the harbor directly to the anchorage area in Katama Bay.
2200 call for mooring -- (60 min) 1.00 hours
2300 give up looking for mooring, can't raise harbormaster -- (30 min) 0.50 hours
2330 anchor in Katama Bay -- -- --

Photos and a brief narrative are available on the Late August 2003 page of the Photo Gallery pages, under Nantucket to Edgartown. A narrative of the complete trip is also available.

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