July 6 -- Lay Day in North Cove, Zero Miles

Predicted heavy rain from 8 am until 4 pm dictated the lay day. And I took advantage of the predicted heavy rains by scrubbing the guano off the blue canvas with soap and then going out in the downpour to rinse off the soap. Also, though I tried to direct the salt water from the hose to hit the anchor chain and wash of the black Cold Spring Harbor mud clinging to it before the links came up on deck, I was not totally successful and we ended up with a lot of black mud by the toe rails so I used the rain to wash that off too.  But the rain ended in the late morning. you have prevoisly seen pictures of the door to the aft head, the cats head, and of the hook that was intended to keep the door from swinging and binging itself off its hnges, while permitting a cat to enter. here is the final product, after I filed down the point of the hook to ease operation.

Ah, a chance to kick back and read! Well no, actually.

Instead I plotted out the remaining legs of our journey to Casco Bay in Maine where the keel extention project is set to begin July 16. I figured the distances from North Cove to Sandwich, at the far end of the Cape Cod Canal as a two leg trip, July 7 and 8. On the eighth, the tide will be favorable in the canal in the afternoon, letting us get to its entrance any time between one and four, This fact militated against a stay in eastern Buzzards Bay, near the Canal's entrance.
We considered two alternative stopping places between North Cove and Sandwich. Point Judith Pond was one candidate, only 44 miles from North Cove, but in meant 59 miles the next day from there to Sandwich. The winner, however, was with a spot in the bight at the west bank of the Sakonnet River, just north of its mouth, called Sachuet. This meant the two passages were 57 and 43 miles. I liked Sakonnet because I have never been there.
The remaining sceduled stops after Sandwich are: Provincetown (23 miles), Gloucester (48 miles), Isles of Shoals (29 miles) and Portland (49 miles). But as they say: "Man plans; God laughs." So all such plans are inherently indefinite and subject to change.
We dinked to the dock and walked in to town, first to the supermarket. Half way there we asked for directions and Rosemary gave us a lift. And Bill gave us a ride back to the dinghy dock to drop off the shopping and then back to Main Street for our first restaurant meal of this cruise. Bill said that the dredging had been done by the Army Corps of Engineers, all last winter, and paid for by the State of Connecticut. Nice of the State to take care of its yachtsmen in such a benevolent manner. North Cove is a nice pretty spot and ILENE is closest to the dock.

Before bed I checked tomorrow's weather and NOAA predicted 10 to 15 knots, up to 20 knots in gusts -- from the NE. So my sleep was troubled by alternative destinations, the first change of the newly laid plans.. Fifty seven miles of beating into strong winds would not appeal to Lene -- or to me either.