Cape Cod - Circumnavigation

[Guest]

I sent the following E-mail to Rod and he was kind enough to reply. I'm posting this question for the rest of you and will post Rod's answer. I would like to know your thoughts.

Kit (kit-at-easternbag.com)

[Guest]

Rod,

As I recall you are sailing up in the Buzzard Bay area. I was wondering what you thought of the feasibility of circumnavigating Cap Cod in a Day Sailer. I'm in Connecticut but do spend some time up in your neck of the woods. The Sound, the Bay and even the Canal should be doable given good weather. What about the Atlantic. Too much for the Day Sailer.

Kit Carson "The Second Wind - 4288"

Kit (kit-at-easternbag.com)

[Guest]

Kit, I guess if you were able to pick your weather... a counterclockwise
circumnavigation of Cape Cod would be "doable" in a Day Sailer, but
it would take a few days....and as I say, weather conditions would be
important! Purchase a copy of the "Eldridge Tide and Current Tables"
book to guide you, it will list the tide times, has current diagrams,
lots
of navigation advice, etc pertaining to Cape Cod and Buzzards Bay.
Have an up to date chart with you, I recommend #13229 "South Coast
of Cape Cod and Buzzards Bay", and the #13246 CAPE COD chart.
The #13229 is a "small-craft chart" and is like a book, well a folder
actually! But it is easy to use on a small boat.

Most afternoons the seas at the west end of the Canal get pretty tough,
you would want to be going with the current through the Canal, but with
the usual Southwest wind on Buzzards Bay, it would be rough by the time
you got there! Obviously, you can not sail thru the Canal, you must
power,
however, you do not need to furl the sails unless you wish to. Basically,
no tacking is the rule, but auxiliary power is a must.

The Cape Cod Bay side is reasonably calm, not many harbors to duck
into...but yet with a Day Sailer..the tide will not be as much of a
problem
as with a deeper draft boat. Following the coastline is longer, but
perhaps
easier, since a direct course from Provincetown to the Canal can mean
being out of sight of land.

Buzzards Bay is not too bad, several harbors to duck into, but it can get
breezy every afternoon, again....weather conditions become important!
Going through Woods Hole to get from Buzzards Bay to Vineyard Sound
can be tricky, like the Canal...going with the current or better yet,
going
thru at "slack water" is best. Unlike the Canal, you can sail thru Woods
Hole,
but powering is better. It might be better to go thru Quicks Hole
instead, it
is the widest of the gaps between the Elizabeth Islands, current is less
of
a concern. There is also a great picnic beach there.

Vineyard Sound has a lot of small harbors where you can take shelter,
the Sound can be calm, but gets rough at times due to wind and various
swirling currents. Several harbors are home to small O'Days, so the
conditions must not be too bad.....and a friend of mine (he is now a
Petty
Officer in the USCG) used to sail his Widgeon over to Oak Bluffs from
Falmouth when he was a young teen!

The Atlantic Ocean side of the Cape is open ocean, it can get rough, but
you will be dealing with more swells that waves. Watch out for whales!
You might check with Arey's Pond Boatyard in Orleans (a former O'Day
dealer! One of the few that sold O'Days for the entire history of the
company)
about sailing conditions in that area.

Doing a circumnavigation of Cape Cod is not out of the question in one
of our Day Sailers, but it is not a trip to undertake with out complete
and thorough planning. You might wish to do it in steps, in other words,
make it in several shorter trips. So I guess it is feasible, if done with
proper forethought and planning.

Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD"



Kit (kit-at-easternbag.com)