Day 83, September 8 -- Mattapoisett to Cuttyhunk -- 16 NM

During the night, the hook of the snubbing line fell off the anchor chain. So we were not snubbed and the anchor was "noisy during the night.
Today's sail was longer than the nominal 16.4 NM. We put up sails in the harbor and these were double reefed main and genoa. The Admiral feared a rough passage and it was a beat but with gentle winds from the SW. So as we beat we were heeled but it was sunny and comfortable and with the short distance and an early morning start, the four knot average speed was all we needed. We began and ended on starboard, on the mostly westerly course, interrupted by half an hour on port, headed north.
Cuttyhunk is frequently quite crowded but not not after Labor Day; those white dots are not lobster pots but mooring balls.

No reason to lower the dink: none of the attractions of the shore remain open.We anchored in the square of dredged inner harbor, toward its NE corner, in 14 feet of water at high tide on 50 feet of snubbed chain.
Cleaning  the boat, cooking and planning where to go next were major afternoon activities. Block Island is the winner for tomorrow, with a possibility of connecting with Leeds The Way there. The two also-rans were: Point Judith Pond and the little bay just inside the western headland of the Sakonnet River. The former had the advantage of permitting me to confront and overcome the memories of a very bad night there in a Noreaster about seven years ago. But calls for local knowledge generated intelligence that the upper portion of the channel we would have to traverse to get there was not recommended except at high tide. Sakonnet had only one advantage: I have never anchored there.
After Block we currently plan to pick two harbors, each about one each third of the way home, which, subject to change, would get us home on the twelfth, two days ahead of the non-schedule.