[TO NARRATIVES AND PHOTOS LIST]
September 28, 1999
Page One
We departed Plymouth, Massachussetts just after sunrise and passed this beacon marking the rock noticeable on
its lower right. Compared to the West Coast, there's more to worry about on the East Coast. Every
harbor that "Silver Heels" has entered so far is strewn with rocks, shoal water, reefs or some sort of
hard earthy object that can easily put a hole in the boat's bottom
This is a bridge in the Cape Cod Canal about a mile in from the entrance.
We had a two hour trip to the canal entrance from Plymouth .....
and another 'up before dawn, leave at sunrise' departure.' The water is calm being
protected from the wind by the trees alongside the banks. It takes about 45 minutes to transit the canal
if you have a favorable current. We passed no more than 10 or 12 boats. Fishermen, joggers
and walkers were visible along the shoreline as were some beautiful New England "saltbox" homes.
This was a nice 'ride' reminding me of the Sacramento River Delta.
This railroad bridge marks the ending of the Cape Cod Canal trip from this direction.
The canal exit opens to Buzzards Bay and a potential problem for the small boater. Outside the canal
with a strong ebbing current, seas can build to 4 or 6 feet if the winds are from the SE. As "Silver Heels"
entered the bay and not wanting to buck headwinds and choppy seas, I was ready to duck into a small
nearby harbor called Onset. At the canal exit we experienced mild seas and 14 to 16 knot head winds.
We set the foresail and kept going to Padanaram.