Day 1, Year 9: Arrival in Fiddler’s Cove Marina
Date: Monday, October 21, 2013
Weather: Absolutely Glorious Day
Latitude: 41 38.82 N
Longitude: 070 38.165 W
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, Massachusetts
Welcome to the 9th year in the Voyage of Windbird. Now that we are no longer cruising around the world, each new year begins when we leave Eel Pond for our winter home. And that day was today. Windbird had a relaxed sail up Buzzard’s Bay this morning and arrived in Fiddler’s Cove right at the 10 am high tide. We had plenty of time, so we turned a few circles trying to orient the heading sensor for the auto pilot. I’m not sure we finished the job, but we got a start. And we didn’t go aground in the entrance as we did in early November of 2011. BUT we did have another little glitch. Heather came with Jonah and Oliver to catch our dock lines and ended up taking an unexpected dip in the water. Heather called when she arrived to let us know that we could come on in. But she said there was no empty slip waiting for us. We tried to call the marina on the radio, but we got no answer. By this time we had come through the narrow entrance and a young man on the dock recognized us and told us to turn circles for a few minutes as he had to go move a boat so we would have our old slip back. While we were doing this, Heather decided to go get Ollie’s stroller out of the van so she could buckle him in. It’s hard enough to keep up with a four year-old on a dock while catching lines, but an 18 month-old is impossible. She got the stroller, got Ollie in it, and took a step back . . . right into the water. Jonah told us that mommy just totally disappeared! Of course, she had on her brand new watch Jed got her for her birthday and her best leather clogs, neither of which really like salt water. But she was fine. She said the water was really warm, but she was in a bit shock at being in it rather than looking at it. Jonah didn’t panic but he was really glad when momma surfaced and got back up on the dock. It all happened so fast that Ollie really never knew what happened. If the shoes dry out and watch still works tomorrow, we’ll all be very happy. And I think all of our warnings to Jonah about wearing his life-jacket and being careful not fall off the dock will make a lot more sense to him in the future. He now knows what happens if you make just one wrong move on a dock.
Windbird and her crew are happy to be back in Fiddler’s Cove. On the website for the marina it states that the Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina is “tucked away in a well-protected cove – surrounded by sea grass, sandy shores, bayberry, and scented rosa rugosa.” It sounds idyllic and it is a really lovely spot. But the website doesn’t mention that the sea grass is bamboo grass and that it will grow right into your hypalon dinghy if you are stupid enough to leave it on the shore for the winter—a lesson we learned the hard way. And those sandy shores . . . well, they are only visible at low tide. There is bayberry and lots of beach roses as well as other roses that are still in bloom. But the greatest thing about being here is the people. Everyone that works here is just so friendly and helpful. It’s not Culebra in Puerto Rico, and it’s not going to be warm all winter, but today the sky was without a cloud and the sun warmed our souls. So we will just have to settle in and enjoy our time here. We had a great start today with Heather, Jonah, and Ollie here to greet us and then friends Jane and Bruce Woodin came for lunch. We had a wonderful visit with them and had lunch in a very warm and sunny cockpit. It felt like the middle of summer. Then after school Heather returned with all three boys. Sam was devastated that he had to go to school and couldn’t be here for the arrival of Windbird, so Heather promised to bring him out after school. Sam did a little exploring on the docks and then he and Jonah went fishing off the dock with Granddad. We had dinner aboard Windbird and then at dusk the boys went back out on the boardwalk that follows the shoreline to do a little more exploring. Jed was in Boston all day today and then had to return to a meeting in Falmouth tonight. He had the Taurus that we normally drive, so we drove Heather and the three boys home in the van and will then head back to her house early in the morning. I will spend the day with Ollie while Mark and Heather drive to Boston. Mark will have the PET scan tomorrow and Heather will work at WGBH.
So life continues to be busy here, but not so busy that we couldn’t take time out today to enjoy this glorious fall weather today. Some nights near the end of this week are forecast to be in the upper 30’s F. Ouch. But as long as the days are sunny, we are happy.
Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco called us tonight via Skype video. So we got to see them in their new island home as well as talk to them. They are all so tanned and happy. They all love the new location. The only downsides are the mosquitos and the inability to have easy access to good food. The mosquito season is ending, so that problem should go away soon. But the search for the best way to keep a constant supply of fresh, organically grown food is a challenge. I’m sure they’ll figure that out as well. In the meantime, they are all enjoying daily trips to the beach. Yesterday Ziggy and Justin went snorkeling with turtles which was quite special. Justin says four year-old Ziggy still can’t swim without his snorkel on, but with it, he is like a fish in the water. It was so wonderful to talk to them and see how happy they are in their new home.
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| 131021 Day 1 Cape Cod, USA–Move from Woods Hole to Fiddler's Cove |
