Last sail of the season

[JeffM]

I'd given up on the idea of any more sailing this year--this is New England in November, after all! Weather has been uncooperative, and looking for a replacement for the car my boat totalled (Main Forum) has eaten into my free time.

I'm mostly an open water sailor, but my daily commute takes me along the Taunton river for nearly a dozen miles. Its been beautiful when the leaves were turning in the fall. I've been itching for months to try sailing it. It's rather confined: maybe half a mile wide on average, but with deep water limited to a narrow channel. But if I could find a ramp at the right point on the river, and the tide were pretty high...

When I got out of church today the weather was so nice I just HAD to check the marine forecast. Hmm: tide is perfect. Wind s at 15-20kt with gusts to 25kt is a BIT much, but I'll be semi-protected on the river, and I'll reef at the ramp. Timing will be everything: sun sets before 5pm, and I've got no lights.

My three boys and I pushed off from the Somerset ramp before 3pm, and we headed downstream, against both the wind and the tide. The wind had moderated. I figured to spend all but the last few minutes of the trip tacking downstream, then go ripping back upstream wing and wing just before sunset.

Its a nice river to sail. We had lots of room to maneuver--not once did the cb touch, and we got pretty close to the banks on each tack. We got only a mile and a quarter in nearly two hours against a respectable tide (channel markers leaned and had quite a wake), but the landscape is nice and the river has its little coves and spits to add variety. Sunset was gorgeous, with layers of many different cloud types. I watched the sun go down as I determined to get just a little farther downstream... Finally we turned for home. After a few minutes run we headed for the bank to skim along and look for our ramp. We went so fast that we'd gone a fair distance and it was full dark before I realized we'd overshot our destination. We didn't even have a flashlight. I hope I succeeded in keeping the desperation out of my voice when I told the boys that it was little things like this that turned an outing into a true adventure. Fortunately the moon was nearly full, and boat traffic non-existent. It would be sheer luck to hit the ramp in the dark while tacking back and forth. More than likely we'd have to deliberately overshoot again, and then run along the bank near enough to make out the unlighted ramp. I had visions of having to call my wife to explain that we were lost in the dark somewhere on the Taunton River. But luck was with us: after only 10-20 minutes of nail-biting, we ran smack into the ramp. We are safe, we are warm, and my days of pushing the envelope are over...for a while, at least.

[Richard Whitney CS#70]

Jeff

Thanks for you great story. As you pass into winter we are just heading into summer. The few of us on the water in the southern hemisphere will try to post some sailing adventures and pictures to keep those of you wintering over going until your next season (although I will be slowed down for a week or so rebuild midship seat.

[Greg Luckett]

Jeff,

Does the Taunton river empty into Narraganset Bay? That part of the country is certainly pretty, especially this time of year. Thanks for the report.

Greg.

[JeffM]

Yup, Greg, it does. The Bay is fed by many picturesque streams, big and small. For poking around the smallest of them, I'm beginning to think about a kayak...