Day 2, June 19 -- Clinton CT to Block Island -- 45 NM

What exactly is a “small craft”? The government warned them not to put out today, and wisely so with predicted (and actual) winds of 20 to 30 knots and seas of five to eight feet. But those winds were from the SW and Block Island lies east, so the wind would be at our side and ILENE is 43 feet long and weighs ten tons. We were the only boat out there, departing Clinton at 8:15 and grabbing a mooring in Block at 1:30. Elapsed time of 5.25 hours made for an average speed of 8 ¾ knots and plenty over ten knots. The elapsed time included slow going while exiting Clinton and in the destination harbor. Well the tide was helping us but still! I put in the reef before we left the dock and used the small jib and we were flying. It was a rough passage; my friend Bob calls them "sporty passages".

One of our kitties lost his or her breakfast.

When approaching the race the radio announced  from an unnamed U.S. submarine: “We will be passing through the Race in ten minutes. Keep at least 500 yards away!” First I looked to port, thinking he maybe was coming home to New London, but the only upright object proved to be the Valiant Rock buoy. But then looking to starboard we saw his conning tower. he was headed southerly and we, easterly. I called back on Channel 16, identified us as the sailboat ILENE, asked if he saw us and told him that we were headed for Block Island, making 11.5 knots but that our speed changed with the wind and the tide. I said I had difficulty measuring the 500 yards in all that glorious wind. He replied not to worry and passed astern of us. Sorry, too busy to mess with the camera.

The only other excitement, and it was a slow moving excitement with all of our speed, was the advent of fog. It was overcast and hazy all day but then visibility was reduced to less than a mile, and in patches, to 200 yards. We knew that there were no rocks, buoys or any other fixed objects between us and Block Island, but other boats?  We took some comfort in our supposing that there would be very few if any boats out there this Monday, and kept a sharp lookout. We heard fog signals being made by a boat. The moans started off our starboard quarter and ended  off our starboard bow, but we never saw the boat that made them while it was overtaking us. And it was cold. fleece pants, the heavy foulie top and gloves were used to avoid hypothermia.

In Block Island the coveted chartreuse town moorings were readily available. After lunch we went to shore. Lene did not want to take the dink because while the ocean waves were not there, much of the wind was. Old Port Launch Company charges $4 per person each way, so it was an expensive trip. We walked to the old town, were given a ride back and dined at The Oar, probably the most popular dining establishment on the island and a favorite of cruising Harlemites. The décor is simple and totally donated. It is still “pre-season” here except that it is “Race Week” bringing avid racers and their boats from far and wide. Paul Beaudin of the Harlem and Doyle Sails is racing his J/105 sloop “LouLou” here, but we did not run into him. Good luck, Paul! Today’s race was wisely scratched for safety reasons – not due to excessive wind, but due to fog.

Similar weather is predicted for tomorrow, and our plans are not yet set, but we will not be going all the way to Nantucket in one shot as originally planned.