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Thursday, June 7,
2012 Weather for the past
week was more like March than June, with relentless rain and raw
temperatures that didn't exceed the mid-50's. Today was the first break
in what appears to be a return to more seasonal weather, so it was time
to launch Chip Ahoy. The forecast called for partly sunny, low-70s, but
with a threat of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon, so we had a
window of opportunity. I picked
up my dependable buddy Wally Riddle in Nahant at about 9 am. Back at my
house we got Chip Ahoy and trailer hooked up to the Blazer and were on
our way to Riverhead Beach. With Barbara away on vacation, friend and
neighbor Roger Holmes agreed to take on the duties of official
photographer this year. Columbia
Pictures has moved in and occupied our town and neighboring Swampscott
while it films Adam Sandler's
"Grown Ups 2", a sequel to "Grown Ups" which was shot here in 2009.
Can't say I ever heard of, never mind saw it, but don't recall this much
disruption. They've turned half of Riverhead Beach and Devereaux Beach
across the road on the ocean side into a village of trailers and movie
equipment, have
blocked off some of the main access roads. I had to show
identification to some movie hack just to pull into the lot, occupied by
their VIP encampment. What a pain, sheesh.
This year, instead of dragooning another friend to help
raise the mast (and with Vaughn McGrath of "French Curves" having
recently passed away aboard his C22), I hired Hooper Goodwin's crew to
assist with the heavy lifting. It was well worth the $20 he charged, and
the $20 'tip' I gave to his guys, Jim and Chris. With Wally on the
forestay we had the mast up quickly without breaking a sweat
– definitely the way to go in the future!
Wally and I moved on to hanging the boom, attaching the
sails, and rigging the boat. We got done just in time for the
thunderstorm, and headed home. I returned after it passed and continued
with tuning the shrouds, connecting the mast's wiring harness and VHF
antenna cables, mounting the rudder and tiller, etc., finishing up at
about 7:30 pm making the boat ready to launch on tomorrow's high tide. |
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Friday, June 8,
2012 This morning began
overcast but with the promise of sun
— and again the threat of severe
thunderstorms in the late afternoon. High tide, a necessary requirement
for launching at Riverhead Beach, wasn't until 3:30. Wally arrived a
1:30, we grabbed the outboard from the shed and were on our way. We had
Chip Ahoy ready to launch before 2:30 and there was enough water to go.
Official launching party photographer
Roger and his wife Josie arrived on schedule as we were hooking up the
trailer. The movie company was hurrying us along as they planned to take
over this end of the parking lot too as soon as we were out of their
way. Sheesh, but we were on the move anyway.
Wally backed Chip Ahoy and me into
Marblehead Harbor smoothly and I was quickly through it and on my way
out to Salem Sound, around the peninsula to my mooring on the other
side, in Salem Harbor. The sky to the west was dark and growing menacing —
no time to waste, so I motored at 6 mph all the way.
It was great to be back out there on
the waves. There was a good breeze, SSE at about 12 mph, beckoning me to
hoist sails, but I didn't want to risk the time. That sky was looking
more intimidating, but I still hoped to reach my mooring ahead of the
squall.
As I threaded my way through the maze
of moored boats inside Salem Harbor I spotted my mooring with no
problems — just as the rain began to
come down.
I grabbed the mooring with the boat
hook on the first approach and had Chip Ahoy tied up quickly. The brief
shower passed as I lashed my pick-up pennant to the mooring line,
scrubbed and bucketed the muck from the mooring lines off the deck,
stowed the tiller pilot and other equipment below in the cabin, covered
the main sail and boom, closed up the cabin and was ready to head
ashore. The passing launch stopped without needing to call for it, got
me in to the dock, and I made it hiking up the hill before the sky
opened in a downpour and the lightning got serious.
Sailing Season 2012 has officially
begun for Chip Ahoy and me.
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