TripSailor.com® Sailing Blogs

21/Oct/09

We left Scituate Harbor at 0940 and set a course of 168M on a beautiful sunny and WARM day. The seas were calm with gentle swells, temps were in the 60’s, needed to motor as the winds were light and variable. Our destination was the entrance to the Cape Cod Canal. As the waters were calm we made good time and arrived at the canal entrance early, about 1500 and in time to meke the passage through.

To make the trip through the canal from the eastern approach one needs to enter on an Ebb tide. The currents run at 4.0 to 6.0 knots. We made the entrance right around maximum current. The waters were rough and to maintain steerage we needed to power up past the current. Well, let me tell you, it was quite the ride! The canal its self is 7.5 NM long and we averaged about 9.5 kts. at one point going 10.4 kts. Even with keeping steerage the swerling water made steering a busy task. We had a power boat pass us on our port side from astern, my guess at about 15 kts. When his wake hit us it caused us to roll and slide sideways. He then slowed down to watch his handy work. Power boaters; need I say more? Upon rounding the bend and approaching the Bourn Bridge the winds were suddenly strong and totally un expected! The day took on a whole new face. We entered Buzzards Bay crashing into 2 to 4 ft. seas, still with a strong ebbing current for the next 2.5nm.

Buzzards Bay was the opposite of what it was like in Cape Cod Bay and we needed to find a place to shelter for the night. Lydia chose Sippican Habor and ploted a course to there. We entered around 1700 and borrowed a mooring inside. The waters were calm and sheltered. A good place to be.