September 2 & 3 -- Quissett to Falmouth and Lay Day There

Our plan for September 2 - 4 was to visit three ports that we have been to before. First, 9/2, Hadleys Harbor, created by the proximity of several of the Elizabeth Islands, a pure anchorage (well there are now many free moorings) with no commercial activities, though undoubtedly a busy place this holiday weekend. Next day, through Woods Hole to Falmouth on the north (or Cape) side of Vineyard Sound. The sound is the body of water separating Cape Cod from Martha's Vineyard. And finally, on Wednesday, to cross that Sound to Vineyard Haven on Martha's Vineyard. There the local synagogue has given us guest privileges for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year holiday beginning that evening.

Woods Hole is a passage between Buzzards Bay to the north and Vineyard Sound to the south.  But the passage is a graceful shallow "S" from NE to SW rather than a straight line. Here is a look through the Hole from the south.

 To the east is the Cape and on the west is the Elizabeth Island chain. Off to the Cape side of the passage, is the town of Woods Hole with several oceanographic research institutions. The tide rushes through the Hole at about four knots at the peak, and the channel between the many rocks does not align the same way that the water does; the water crosses the channel and can push you aside -- out of the channel onto the rocks -- if you are not careful. In fact, during our transit of the Hole in 2008 we glanced off a rock while blitzing through at almost ten knots, fortunately with no damage. So this time I was a lot more cautious. The safe time to go through is at slack, the brief interval when the tide is at high or low and the current is slow and hasn't yet started to rush the other way with force. This is less thrilling, but safer.
Rain was predicted for the afternoon. Lene called Falmouth's friendly and efficient Municipal Marina, where we had stayed, on their dock, in 2008 (at $2.35 per foot according to my note in the cruising guide), to inquire about availability for tomorrow ."Sure, and because it is September, our rate is $1.00 per foot."  "Why that's less than the cost of a mooring at Catumet!" Lene said to me, "Let's go today!" And the tide was right for the Hole. So we motored the 1.9  miles from Quissett to the Hole and the 2.0  miles through the Hole. Here is Nobska Point Light on  the Cape after we had passed through the Hole.

Then we shut off the engine and flew the genoa on a broad starboard reach in light air, making about three knots for a pleasant, stately, non-heeling passage of the 3.4 miles to Falmouth. Lene's favorite type of sail. Adding the final half mile in Falmouth Harbor the entire trip was only 7.8 miles and we arrived at 11:30. The harbor is about .8 miles long and was dredged to about 100 yards wide. In 2008 we were at one of the many slips that lined the western side, bow in, perpendicular to the shore. In the interim they built docks out about 100 feet long into the harbor with room for about six boats on each side of each dock, so we now docked parallel to the shore.
We had enjoyed lunch at Betsy's Diner in 2008. Its neon motto in the window: "Eat Heavy."

But they closed too early for us for Labor Day and totally closed on our lay day. So we had Chinese food at the Peiking Palace, across the street. Not bad.
After lunch, a postcard, a percolator top and a grocery stop, we returned to wash the boat with the unlimited supply of fresh water available from the dock.
Dinner aboard.
The lay day was quiet, with a few rain storms. This time the percolator top was too big to fit into the hole in the pot's top, so we walked in to town to return it. This statute honors, Katherine Lee Bates, the native daughter who wrote the lyrics for America the Beautiful.

It is located in the village green.

"Antares", a beautiful 40 foot, center cockpit, teak decked Hallberg-Rassey pulled in next to us flying the German flag.

 Olaf and Andrea, are from Hamburg and sail in the Baltic and Scandinavia, except they have been here in the Caribbean and Maine this last year.



An interesting "davit" arrangement for the dink, using the toping lift to winch it up.

All Hallberg Rasseys have the hard windscreen.

But Antares' windscreen is topped with an additional dodger and a large bimini is on top of that.

In the late afternoon we walked over a mile to see Blue Jasmine (Ilene's second viewing!) followed by a very cheap dinner and we got what we paid for -- mediocre pedestrian flavorless food. It rained torrentially during the movie and several other fronts passed during the night.
In the morning a very unpleasant and sad/scary happening. Witty was missing! Last seen around midnight, he did not show up for breakfast, which is unheard of. If he fell in he would have yowled. We searched the area thoroughly, calling his name and shaking the plastic box of his treats, a sure fire way to attract his attention. The road nearby did not have his body. At eight we called the police animal control unit and the harbor master. I prepared a "Lost Cat -- Reward" poster with his picture and by ten the first three of them had been posted in the neighborhood. Hopefully he had been picked up by a friendly feline loving person nearby.  Lene started crying. I said that there is still hope and it is too early to mourn; lots of good that advice did. While I was off posting the posters a person on a nearby boat said he had seen a cat the day before on a boat on the next dock. Third powerboat from the right in photo. This dock was full of local boats, their people living at home, not aboard. No one to hear his mewling and rescue him!

I had walked that dock calling his name and shaking his treats but no response. The harbor master's helpful friendly assistant, Kelsey, accompanied Lene. They searched the boat and heard a faint meow. Here is the ladder up her stern that Witty had climbed to board her. And here is the inverted dinghy on her foredeck under which Witty had taken shelter from the rain and become trapped.

What a relief! All's well that ends well.