Yesterday we returned home after ten wonderful days at sea – including six in Maine. We left Wentworth-By-The-Sea around 8:15 with 91 miles to go to reach the eastern entrance of the Cape Cod Canal.

The wind forecast was ideal for a long open ocean run.

Unlike Tuesday, when we ran with big ocean swells, the sea looked like a lake the entire 25-mile run to Rockport.

Snottynose Island

Once we rounded Rockport, we ran due south for another 60 miles through the center of Massachusetts Bay.

Here’s an 80-second video I did of our journey back to Buzzards Bay.

We got to the canal just after 11:00 and went to the Fisherman’s View for lunch.

Much to our delight, our dear Tara was there on her day off, and she joined us for twenty minutes before lunch.

Happy Father’s Day To Me!

My daughter and her husband gave me an F/V gift certificate for Father’s Day, and this seemed like a perfect opportunity to use it.

Tara’s Giant Dunkin Ice Coffee Flanking My Finder

Mrs. Horne went with her favorite Poke Bowl.

Peter enjoyed a beautiful Spider Roll.

I went with the Dry Rub Wings with Buffalo and Blue Cheese dipping sauces on the side.

At this point, you’re probably tired of me telling you how perfectly prepared everything always is at The F/V.

We tied up in Mattapoisett at 2:00 PM, and Mrs. Horne started doing eight loads of laundry!

Voyage Takeaways

I like to make notes while things are fresh in my mind, so here goes.

1. There is simply no substitute for tackling long runs on calm days. I originally booked marinas with the thought that weather might limit us to 60 miles/day. Looking ahead, I will give us a longer departure window and wait for a 4-5 hour calm sea window to try to go all the way to New Hampshire on day one.

2. Lobster Pots are a colossal pain. The 45 miles from Boothbay to Portland and the 60 Miles from Portland to Wentworth-By-The-Sea were far more tedious than the 120 miles from Manchester-By-The-Sea to Boothbay or the 90-mile run from Wentworth-By-The-Sea to Sandwich due to the absence of Lobster Pots offshore.

3. It’s really nice to have a second mate onboard. Peter is very knowledgeable and quick to learn (he was also a ruthless warrior when it came time to wrestle for the check.)

4. The longer we were out, the longer it felt like I could stay out longer. The Sabre 48 is a solid live-aboard boat.

5. There’s no substitute for speed! Eating up 30-35 miles in an hour makes the long offshore runs pretty sweet.

Next Trip: The Southern New England Tour with Jake and Peggy.