Mark Smith and iLean Windward - a 2003 Bavaria 38 Cruiser
Part III: A Light at the End of a Very Long Dark Tunnel.
Finally, Dawn...
Even though my watch was done at 3:00 am, I remained on deck. Our shortened crew caused me to remain for what I had anticipated would be the most difficult time: the few hours before dawn. Everyone was tired, and any slip in attention or diligence could be disastrous. Plus, my normal work week starts at 5:00 am or earlier anyway, so it wasn’t much of a stretch for me to remain topsides for another two or three hours.
Patrick and I switched between helm and watch to keep from becoming dazed and lulled into inattention from the rhythm of the boat and pulling wind. About 4 am or so, I was gazing out towards the north and I was convinced I saw an entire city outline, even though I knew quite plainly that there was none there. I old Patrick about my “vision”, just to make sure we hadn’t accidentally sailed onto the Hamptons!
The first early signs of the end of a very long night. The
moon is visible at the top of the picture, just under some
remnants of what had been hurricane Frances. She ended up
giving us almost perfect winds.
The
wind had remained constant, perhaps strengthening a bit,
but the seas had calmed. I was relishing the beauty and
comfort of the increasing star canopy above us when I
detected the faintest hint of dawn over the starboard bow
in the eastern sky: I was momentarily transfixed. I found
myself feeling very emotional (I knew I was exhausted) and
almost anxious as the light in the east slowly increased.
The beginnings of the sunrise were spectacular: faint gray
and light-blue light shifting to faint and then brilliant
yellows, golds, and oranges. Wow !
The sunrise was spectacular! Its not an exaggeration to say
I felt an incredible sense of relief- no doubt, much
exaggerated from too little sleep and an unwelcome
encounter in the middle of the night.
My emotions switched with the light, from anxious to
hopeful, to redemption: We had made it through the night,
crossing some of the most heavily trafficked shipping lanes
in the US, at night, in the dark, with the remnants of a
hurricane off to the west! OK, maybe a bit overly dramatic,
but those emotions and thoughts at sunrise were fueled by
an incredible sailing experience mixed with a whole bunch
of
tired.
The
next day - on to Block Island! The winds kept up, the seas
had calmed, we were out of the shipping lanes: hey, life
was good!
Block
Island...
The morning was spectacular! Puffy white clouds, plenty of
sunshine; The wind grew a bit, but our reefed sails
continued to be perfectly in-synch with the sea and winds.
The boat seemed to actually glisten (OK, maybe that’s
an exaggeration). The entire crew was awake and on-deck by
now- even Steve seemed to be in slightly better spirits. We
could see the eastern end of Block Island, and off in the
distance- a faint bump in the sea: our island destination.
Our course would take us to the Montauk bell, and then a
turn to the north towards Block Island.
We rounded the bell and estimated our arrival time into New
Harbor at about 1:00 PM. It was as if we had ordered the
wind conditions the prior day – the wind had shifted
to a more ENE heading, which was perfect for us when we
changed our course at the Montauk bell! The wind seemed to
have increased to about 17 + kts or so. We had plotted a
course well off the island to leave us plenty of room
around a very rocky shore.
Just outside the entrance to the harbor, we started the
engine, headed to wind, furled our sails, and started in.
The entrance to New Harbor was actually rather narrow just
before it opened up into Salt Pond. We slowed our speed a
bit and called into the Marina where we had reserved a
transient slip. Once we had are instructions from the dock
master, we headed in, gently eased iLean Windward into a
spot along a fixed dock, secured her, and stopped the
engine.
iLean Windward is secured on Block Island. Ken (left) and
Steve made sure the boat would be safe and remained
unscathed at the fixed dock- there was about a 3-4 ft tide.
The weather was incredible- could not have possibly been
better.
High-fives
all around! We had tied up at about 12:45 PM. 18 hrs. 45
mins! We had made excellent time, under sail the entire
way, and had out-run (we told ourselves) a major hurricane!
(OK, “tropical depression”- the center of which
had never been closer than probably 100 miles to us). The
weather on the island was absolutely perfect. Warm, breezy,
very clear sky. Several minutes after we had tied up,
another sail boat came in and tied up close to us. They had
come over from Connecticut and had torn a headsail just
outside the entrance to the harbor- apparently, the wind
had really come up just a few minutes after we had
arrived.... more very good fortune for us!
We walked around the island, got some lunch, and walked
some more. The crazy summer crowds, legendary on Block
Island, were gone and we really did feel like we had the
very best block island experience possible!
Looking NE over Great Salt Pond. The coast of Connecticut
(far left) and RI (far right) can be seen in the very
distant background. The narrow entrance to the Great Salt
Pond (not visible) is on the left side of the
harbor.
I
think we all still felt tired and somewhat numb from lack
of sleep and so many hours under sail; still, we took in
the sense of accomplishment that every sailor knows. Sail
for an hour, a day, a week- each experience is unique and
special. I personally felt such a great sense of pride- not
in me, but in the boat! My wife (her name is Eileen- she
named the boat) calls our boat my “mistress”-
one of the ‘loves of my life’. Well, in any
case, I felt confidence in such a fantastic boat- well
engineered and well built. I knew this boat and was ready
for more adventures! On the day of our arrival on Block
Island my thoughts quickly turned to: “stock up boys,
a few days rest and it’s off to the next port!”
Early dinner on the boat, then a tired but very happy crew
made it an early night. The next day would be a relaxing
day to explore the island before heading back. We all had
more confidence, I think, as we contemplated the return
home: after all, we knew the way.