The Pirates Head for Home

After Chris deposited Kevin ashore and picked up some coffees for the weary crew, we got psyched for the long trip home to Noank from Newport.

The weather forecast wasn't very promising, calling for huge swells and a stiff easterly wind 10 to 20 knots, according to our weather radio.

The wind was already whipping, blowing our Pirate Flag out straight, and the scuppers were overflowing with rainwater.

We all suited up and prepared the cabin for rough seas by securing anything that could potentially become a projectile.

Chances were, we were not going to be able to go below for a while, due to the driving rain and the heeling over. Mark and Chris hauled the anchor and we headed away, rain flooding the cockpit.


We estimated that our trip home would take approximately 8 hours, so we had to get going.

Very few people were heading out, and even the larger boats were being tossed about in the pounding surf.

"The readiness is all."

~William Shakespeare

We took one last careful look at the charts, then headed out of the safe harbor into the rougher waters of Narragansett Bay and beyond. We set the sails for a "broad reach" and made great time, surfing the waves leaving Narragansett Bay.

"The cabin of a small yacht is truly a wonderful thing; not only will it shelter you from the tempest; but from the other troubles of life; it is a safe retreat."

~L. Francis Herreshoff

We made our way out of Narragansett Bay, past "League Rock", headed for Pt. Judith, a harbor where we could take a break from the pouring rain and the pounding surf.

"Sometimes the Lord calms the storm;
sometimes He lets the storm rage
and calms His child."

At times it was raining so hard, the ocean looked like a huge sugar bowl!

"Courage is grace under pressure."

~Ernest Hemingway

We sailed into Pt. Judith and dropped anchor behind the breakwater, then climbed below for a quick lunch and to adjust our gear. Mark tried his hand at fishing, since the birds were attacking the water, indicating that fish were nearby, but the fish weren't cooperating. I guess we would have to settle for sandwiches and Fritos.


Mark Weathering the Storm

Rhode Island Coastline

A few ham sandwiches and a few deep breathes and we had to get going again, in order to take advantage of the favorable tide situation. On a sailboat, a favorable tide can make a big difference in making forward progress.

The GPS told us approximately how long before we would make our destination along the way, as we headed for our home port of Noank.


The rain lightened up a little as we sailed past Watch Hill, Rhode Island, and the "one hour from home" point. It was time to start getting ready to unload the boat, and we were all looking forward to taking a nice hot shower and changing into dry clothes.

We could see the trademark church steeple in Noank, as we entered the mouth of the Mystic River and nosed our way carefully to the dock at Maxwell's Shipyard.

Miraculously, the rain had ceased, long enough for us to tie up and get a majority of our gear back to shore. It was nice to be home, and we were thankful to ZAYDA for taking us home safely.

The little reed, bending to the force of the wind,
soon stood upright again when the storm
had passed over.

~ Aesop ~

Another Year Comes to a Close

We took our showers, then returned to the mooring to have one last dinner together before Mark had to get on the road back to New Jersey. Chris whipped up a pork roast on the grill, with corn-on-the-cob, summer squash, potatoes, and applesauce. Mmmmmmmm!

We were beat! Suddenly, it dawned on us that the trip we had waited all year for was now officially over, but we had seen some great places and met some great people along the way.

It was great to sail with the pirates again, and we look forward to our next opportunity to be together again... to carry on the tradition of the Pirate Cruise, aboard ZAYDA.