Gianni and I sailed for 3 weeks on our J/80. We went up to Pocasset, MA to pick up Ben. The sail up was good and bad. We had a very rough night on the boat, getting hammered off Point Judith in 4 foot seas and adverse tides. It was one of the toughest nights I have ever had on a boat. We rested and enjoyed a nice afternoon in Pocasset, picking up Ben in the Zodiac. The next morning we had a perfect passage through the canal, but the crossing of Cape Cod Bay was slow as usual, so we had to motor to Provincetown for about half the crossing. We enjoyed the week with the McWassers before sailing to Cuttyhunk. We crossed to Block, beating a nor'easter. This crossing was one of the wilder ones of my life. We were surfing 9 to 11 knots. A J/44 did the crossing with us and we held our own for the entire 35 miles. The storm stranded us on Block for 3 days. Even the ferry was shut down for two days. We were lucky to pick up a mooring. The wind was intense, with one night of 30-40 knot winds. Each day we went to shore one time to get food, ice and walk a bit. Unfortunately, we would get soaked to the bone, just a few feet from the boat. The final day we took the launch, which was wonderful. We went to town for a big hot breakfast. Finally, the small craft advisory diminished and the tide looked good for the Watch Hill passage, so we set sail at 1pm. We enjoyed a speedy trip home, hitting Watch Hill on a perfect tide. We pulled into Noank at dusk and enjoyed a much needed restful night. Overall, it was definitely the most challenging trip we have done together, however, it was also the most rewarding. We really worked hard and well together. We can't wait for next year! Check out all of our pictures from the adventure.
