LAT: N 41° 16.1' LON: W 72° 20.4'		50's mostly sunny. winds 5 - 10 kts today's sunset
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Back in the Saddle Again

600 - A last minute weather check last night indicated that today wouldn't be so bad after all. We wake up and check the weather again. Looks like the weather we've been waiting for. We've been amazed at how quickly the weather can change.
715 - More securing and tying down this morning means a later start.
800 - The forecast was still for 2 - 4 seas, so we were nervous but optimistic going out, and indeed that are looking very good.
835 - Just passed Buzzards Bay Tower. Now, we are really out. Like, out out. Well, like unprotected out. There is nothing now between us and the great blue and beyond.
1031 - The sun has really come out and we are just passing Newport. Earlier we were thinking of stolling in town with other "yachtsmen," but there is no time for that now. Onwards ho!
1315 - We are in the Long Island Sound now, rounding Watch Hill, and watch those mansions! The wind is hardly blowing and this is the type of cruising we were hoping for.
1630 - At the mouth of the Connecticut River we are about to follow two pretty lighthouses into the somewhat narrow channel. 1715 - We are greeted by Nana and Carl and a harbormaster and Tim backs the boat into the slip like a pro.

arggg me maties, it's Log, it's Log, it's better than bad, it's good!

The Cappy says: "Click here to see a chart of our progress."

The debut of the first item in our line of Slowly merchandise! This one-of-a-kind trucker hat will surely turn heads when you pull into truck stops on your own slow journeys. More exciting items are on the way. Keep tabs at click here.

All other boats in the Sound cower at the majesty of her tsunami size wake.

Break in poor weather

Spooked mariners make a clean passage across Rhode Island Sound

The Governator. - guest Editor

We are writing in from warm and welcoming "Windswept," Nana's house in Essex, CT. As for our 10 hour journey, it was a wonderful ride. Although the waves were still 2-4 ft., there was much less wind. We went up some tall swells, which is much like a roller coaster ride, but they put the boat down easy, unlike the other day when we were out in very choppy waters. This was smooth like a Cadillac, smooth like silk in the wind, smooth like Dannon vanilla yogurt. [Smooth like an M-16 in my supa uge ands. -Ed.]

The sun was shining and once we got through Buzzards Bay the mansion watching was swell. Hannah could even write up the Special Edition without her head swimming and Tim didn't toss his cookies once. Hurrah! We saw plenty of other boats out including the Block Island Ferry, splashing in the waves like a huge steel baby, and a fancy sailboat from Australia that caught up to Slowly and passed right in front of her (but we forgave them since they waved at us). Show offs.

We came into the mouth of the Connecticut River at sunset passing by two charming lighthouses, and getting passed by the Plum Island Ferry (quite suddenly). After getting directions via the radio we turned into the posh Saybrook Point Inn and Marina and Tim did some awesome manuevering into the piling surrounded slip.

Since we didn't spend much time in Old Saybrook, where the boat was docked, we will refrain from rating it and instead rate Nana's house at 5 propellers! The best yet! (Extra points for being dry and providing succulent steak for dinner):

Every day before leaving we check certain things in the engine room. One of which is the oil level, much like in a car. Each of the two girls takes 3 gallons and a quart of oil. The port engine doesn't often need more oil. However, the troublesome starboard engine experienced overheating earlier in her 30 year life (must have been those wild teen years). As a result this engine has "blow-by" which leads to excessive oil consumption. She gets an extra quart of oil about every 5 hours. (We plan on getting this checked out and taken care of in the near future.)

The Rhode Island state bird is the Rhode Island Red Hen. Yes indeed. As we learned at the Rhode Island Red website these hens can be single or rose combed (their hairdo) and are superb layers of big brown eggs. Also, the Rhode Island AHL team is called the "Reds". We wonder how many fans know that they are named after a superb laying hen.

On a pre-dinner note, our daily consumption has moved from a meal plan to a grazing plan. Given the unpredictability of the seas recently, we are happier just cutting up some meat and cheese and eating with our hands, saving the trouble of dishes flying or any condiment complications. It brings a whole new meaning to "life on the move."

For dinner, we were spoiled (in our favorite way) with a juicy Black Angus sirloin steak, pan roasted herbed baby red potatoes, blue cheese salad, and a plum tart. It was the perfect meal to conclude an excellent day of cruising. Thanks Nana and Carl!

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