Scituate

Saturday, 26 July

The bow wave rises and runs the 26 feet to the stern quarter before spanking the dinghy. When it hits, her bottom goes pop, pop, splat. A brief pause, then pop, pop, splat, the rhythmic riff repeats.

This can be heard and enjoyed this morning because Little Red rests. Steadfast sails!

A lonesome lobster boat was the only traffic on Mass Bay.

With 10 knots out of the so’west, Steadfast reaches southward down Massachusetts Bay toward Farnham Rocks, slipping along on a flat sea making five knots. There’s the promise of sun later but at 0730 it hides behind a thick overcast. The air temperature hovers at 60° so this has all the feel of a Fall sail on the Chesapeake. The plethora of pot floats only adds to that feeling.

Scituate Light dates to 1810.

Despite conditions that seem ideal, hers are the only sails to be seen round seven or so miles of horizon. This after a pleasant night in Scituate Harbor, MA, where Abigail and Rebecca Bates became the “Army of Two.”  One with a fife, the other a drum, they ran to the lighthouse their father tended and made enough noise to discourage a British landing during the War of 1812. The light still stands at the entrance to a long, sheltered harbor that has most landside services a sailor might want within a short walk of the Harbormaster’s office at the town pier.

Once Steadfast slid out past the breakwater, her heading was basically due south. She’d pass Howard Ledge (remember him? Hit .238 for the ‘54 Reds), then Mary Ann Rocks (and ain’t that the truth!). But ideal conditions last only so long. East of Gurnet Point about 1030, the wind died, then shifted more southerly. Little Red responded faithfully but the blow built a bit of a chop as Steadfast neared to the Cape Cod Canal.

Her arrival there coincided roughly with the time of maximum current westard which pushed her along at what was thought to be remarkable speed. From 4.5 knots, it jumped to 5.8, 6.5 and just that quickly, into the 8s. Passing under the Bourne Bridge, speed over the bottom broke ten (10) knots. Not bad.

Coast Guard Cutter Eagle joined the Charles W. Morgan at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy pier, part of the celebration of the canal’s 100th anniversary.

The Hood Dairy blimp hovered over the festivities for the Canal’s centennial.

The west end of the Canal was pandemonium, boats of all types and sizes going in all directions—and with great velocity—while that southerly breeze blew the westbound current into a swirling froth. Just nuts.

With nearly 39 miles under her keel, Steadfast turned into Onset Bay and the situation settled considerably. Not the relaxing sail of the morning but a good deal more sane than the canal turned out to be.

The atmosphere in here is festive, this being the assembly point for tonight’s centennial celebration “Lighted Boat Parade.”  Not, however, for Steadfast who swings on her mooring. The wind still blows.  And the dinghy delivers a comforting pop, pop…splat.

Steadfast out.