It rained a little today

 

We'll call it a micro burst. Anyway, it was an intense hour of pouring rain, wind, and lightning.

The wind was so intense that it bent our metal flag pole. Seriously intense!

A foggy evening

If there's one thing Cape Cod is famous for, it's fog. Thick, soupy, ethereal fog so dense that it muffles sound. On the Cape, fog settles in any season and occurs when the dew point drops after a temperature decrease. Though nostalgic on land, fog on the water poses a serious navigational hazard for marine traffic.

Taken one July morning steaming by Massachusetts Maritime Academy's training ship, USTS Kennedy. By the way, it's difficult trying to take pictures on the deck of a pitching yacht.

Summer afternoon off Onset jetty watching the fog build.

thickening fog...and to think the morning started like this:

and ended like this:

 

Steaming through fog is eerie; you hear fog horn blasts, mysterious buoys dinging in the void, and feel your senses heightened wondering when a huge ship will blast out of the mist and cream your small boat.

Massachusetts Maritime wind turbine appearing out of the mist before disappearing again.

Looking toward the canal railroad bridge. The fog is so dense that the railroad bridge, with it's blinking red lights, is completely obscured.

Last Thursday, an intense fog bank shrouded Bourne, our marina and upper Cape. From the boat, we could hear fog horns from many passing ships. It was especially memorable when a large product carrier blasted it's horn in the middle of the night when passing through the canal.

Boxes and Boxes and Boxes

 

The movers come tomorrow to whisk our accumulated crap to a storage facility. We've spent the last two weekends packing and preparing, but mostly annoying and confusing the dogs. Sandy hates bubble wrap and Tia, who is prone to nervousness, huddles in a corner with a very worried expression.

 

Since space is a premium on the boat, we are placing nearly everything we own in storage. This translates into a gazillion boxes, miles of tape and bubble wrap, and towers of boxes all over the house.

 It's 1:15am and we're finally going to bed, though Chad beat me to it. We still have packing to finish! I feel like quoting Frost..."And miles to go before I sleep."

As an aside, bubble wrap is oddly expensive.

Good night! Tomorrow will be a very long day....

The Beginning of a New Chapter

Chad and I made the decision to relocate to Cape Cod - Woods Hole - to be exact! We're packing up the house in Reading, putting it on the market, and placing our stuff in storage so we can live the boat life. That's right! Our new home is a 42 ft. x 20ish ft. yacht, where we will neatly fit two adults of varying proportions, two dogs, Chad's wardrobe and my shoe & camera collections for at least one year.

Malevolence docked at Taylor's Point

Currently the boat, christened M/V Malevolence, is docked at Taylor's Point Marina in Bourne, MA, which is 1/4 mile from Massachusetts Maritime Academy and along the Cape Cod Canal. Our planned wintering dock is in Woods Hole at Eel Pond Marina, thanks to Chad's connections at WHOI.

A couple of friends suggested I create a blog or, at least, share pictures of our experience. I acquiesced, thinking it would be an extremely therapeutic endeavor.

So, here we go! I'm happy to receive your thoughts and suggestions - even places on the Cape you would like to see.

Wish us luck!