Well, I've hinted about our sailboat purchase and now it's official. Andante II is a Catalina 320 that we purchased in June and now is back at her new home in Barnegat. We were attracted to this boat because we decided early on that we preferred this model over similar boats. We looked at several and found this one in tip-top condition with multiple attractive features already on board at a very reasonable price. Our contact was through a broker whom we found to be very reliable, helpful and he made the entire transaction a pleasure during a very busy and stressful time period (for other reasons) for Sue and I. The broker encouraged us to contact the previous owner, as well, because he knew that the PO would be helpful and gracious, which he certainly was. It was obvious that he loved this boat for 20 years. But they moved up to a larger Catalina for more ambitious cruising options and they had to let Andante go.
Fortunately for us, the PO had already paid for a mooring at Red Brook Harbor in Pocasset, MA, where he also is on a mooring with his new boat. He graciously did this so that we could have time to make the boat ours on the water before bringing her home. Sue and I came up for a weekend to get familiarized and make the boat homey for us. During a sail on windy Buzzard's Bay, which went very well, Sue felt a little nervous about accompanying me on the first leg of the trip home. My plans were to spend a little time in the Massachusetts waters before making a transfer between Sue and @Ward H somewhere in Connecticut for the final delivery. I think the open waters, the wind, and the uncertainty of a new-to-us boat made her uncomfortable. She felt better if I just did the delivery with Ward, thinking that our experience together would be less stressful.
So Ward and I set out for MA in a rental car on Thursday last week. We weren't able to drop off the car at the 5:00 deadline so we kept it overnight and the PO graciously picked us up, and took us to a grocery store on Friday morning, delivering us to Red Brook Harbor. He was also going out to his boat, so just before we set off, he came by in his dinghy to touch the topsides one last time and shed some tears. It was very touching. We kept in touch with texts just to let him know all was well and Andante was amazing through the entire trip.
We set off on Friday, June 26 and arrived Wednesday, July 1st, covering almost 300 nautical miles in 50 hours total time traveling. We sailed upwind in Buzzards Bay heading due SW from Pocasset to Cuttyhunk in moderately strong breezes with reefed main for the entire day until it lightened up just at the end. We made 6 tacks across the bay and found out how well the boat handles upwind sailing. After the first day, though, we encountered conditions that were mostly too light to sail fast enough to make planned destinations. Of the 50 hours on water traveling, we sailed for about 10 hours and motored or motor-sailed for the other 40 hours. It was nice when the wind provided enough assist to make 6 knots SOG with lighter engine assist.
Our overnight stops were moorings at Cuttyhunk & Block Island, marina visit in Branford Harbor, mooring again at Manhasset Bay (Port Washington) and anchoring just inside the end of Sandy Hook. We used the grill for burgers, hot dogs & ribs. We used the stove for soup, egg breakfasts and french toast, and we had plenty of snacks and cold beverages for the entire trip. We found out just how valuable the connector and side curtains are between the bimini and the dodger as we encountered downpours at the end of our legs to Block Island, Branford Harbor, Port Washington, and even some light rain at Sandy Hook. We stayed dry and comfortable relaxing in the cockpit as the rain came down.
While I was doing all the navigational planning, Ward was keeping track of the weather, which turned out to be extremely important. We thread the needle between thunderstorm outbreaks on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Ward had an exceptional grasp on where we needed to be to avoid the trouble areas and we found that with planning and some luck, we weren't delayed even though we could see extreme weather miles away during several incidents.
I'd say that we only had one minor mishap. We didn't close the hatches and ports on Tuesday as we traveled through NYC, passing through the currents at Hell's Gate. Our timing was perfect for carrying through all the way past The Narrows with favorable current. However, we went through standing waves at about 12 knots in Hell's Gate in a current that was like river rapids. We didn't even notice as the breaking waves splashed through the open windows and soaked the interior until Ward went below and found puddles on the floor boards and wet furnishings. We dried out effectively, but it would have been nicer if we knew or remembered to be prepared!
In the end, we evaluated the trip as nothing short of amazing! Sue met us in Barnegat to document our arrival. It's good to have Andante home and being made ready for future trips!
Fortunately for us, the PO had already paid for a mooring at Red Brook Harbor in Pocasset, MA, where he also is on a mooring with his new boat. He graciously did this so that we could have time to make the boat ours on the water before bringing her home. Sue and I came up for a weekend to get familiarized and make the boat homey for us. During a sail on windy Buzzard's Bay, which went very well, Sue felt a little nervous about accompanying me on the first leg of the trip home. My plans were to spend a little time in the Massachusetts waters before making a transfer between Sue and @Ward H somewhere in Connecticut for the final delivery. I think the open waters, the wind, and the uncertainty of a new-to-us boat made her uncomfortable. She felt better if I just did the delivery with Ward, thinking that our experience together would be less stressful.
So Ward and I set out for MA in a rental car on Thursday last week. We weren't able to drop off the car at the 5:00 deadline so we kept it overnight and the PO graciously picked us up, and took us to a grocery store on Friday morning, delivering us to Red Brook Harbor. He was also going out to his boat, so just before we set off, he came by in his dinghy to touch the topsides one last time and shed some tears. It was very touching. We kept in touch with texts just to let him know all was well and Andante was amazing through the entire trip.
We set off on Friday, June 26 and arrived Wednesday, July 1st, covering almost 300 nautical miles in 50 hours total time traveling. We sailed upwind in Buzzards Bay heading due SW from Pocasset to Cuttyhunk in moderately strong breezes with reefed main for the entire day until it lightened up just at the end. We made 6 tacks across the bay and found out how well the boat handles upwind sailing. After the first day, though, we encountered conditions that were mostly too light to sail fast enough to make planned destinations. Of the 50 hours on water traveling, we sailed for about 10 hours and motored or motor-sailed for the other 40 hours. It was nice when the wind provided enough assist to make 6 knots SOG with lighter engine assist.
Our overnight stops were moorings at Cuttyhunk & Block Island, marina visit in Branford Harbor, mooring again at Manhasset Bay (Port Washington) and anchoring just inside the end of Sandy Hook. We used the grill for burgers, hot dogs & ribs. We used the stove for soup, egg breakfasts and french toast, and we had plenty of snacks and cold beverages for the entire trip. We found out just how valuable the connector and side curtains are between the bimini and the dodger as we encountered downpours at the end of our legs to Block Island, Branford Harbor, Port Washington, and even some light rain at Sandy Hook. We stayed dry and comfortable relaxing in the cockpit as the rain came down.
While I was doing all the navigational planning, Ward was keeping track of the weather, which turned out to be extremely important. We thread the needle between thunderstorm outbreaks on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Ward had an exceptional grasp on where we needed to be to avoid the trouble areas and we found that with planning and some luck, we weren't delayed even though we could see extreme weather miles away during several incidents.
I'd say that we only had one minor mishap. We didn't close the hatches and ports on Tuesday as we traveled through NYC, passing through the currents at Hell's Gate. Our timing was perfect for carrying through all the way past The Narrows with favorable current. However, we went through standing waves at about 12 knots in Hell's Gate in a current that was like river rapids. We didn't even notice as the breaking waves splashed through the open windows and soaked the interior until Ward went below and found puddles on the floor boards and wet furnishings. We dried out effectively, but it would have been nicer if we knew or remembered to be prepared!
In the end, we evaluated the trip as nothing short of amazing! Sue met us in Barnegat to document our arrival. It's good to have Andante home and being made ready for future trips!