Every morning since July 2, I have been awakened at dusk (4:30 am) by the harsh sound of seagulls. This can hardly be called a birdsong. Nor is it only one bird. The whole mob screeches together. The other morning, there was a gale with whistling winds and yet the gulls still sang out. There’s a colony along the rocks and they seem to cooperate and guard the baby gulls. As soon as the sky begins to lighten, they are noisy until sunrise, then things mellow out again for a while. The real question is not why do they cry but how can I make them stop. Apparently it drove some others a little mad recently too, some troopers clubbed seagulls that were bothering them in Seattle. I was thinking of a more peaceful resistance.
The flag flies again
So after lots of head scratching and trips to nautical supply stores, we figured out a solution to the flag dilemma. Thanks Andre, but we couldn’t get Loki to walk the boom. We bought a few pulleys and when we were at the store saw a whisker pole on the counter and voila! We own a whisker pole. We could use that as an extension arm, maybe. So first we had to get it out on the catwalk without breaking anything. The first oath in medicine and lighthouse care taking is do no harm.
The problem, old hooks and no rope and high in the sky
The approach with the new brass hook and whisker pole
Rethinking
So close but…
The team at work, photos courtesy of Kristi
A New Approach
Houston, we have contact!
Look at that!
Victory
Flying high
Back to shipshape
And then when our work was done I was able to return to my knitting. I finished the shawl I had begun at the bottom of the Grand Canyon in April. It’s a lot smaller than I thought but now I am going to stretch the heck out of it and see what happens. After that, we have a lot of painting and housework to do
Finished shawl
Lost Line
My earlier post includes a nice photo of the flag billowing behind the lighthouse. Since then, the line snapped and we almost lost the flag to the wind. It was saved but our attempt to run a new line through the pulley, which is about 9 feet away from the top of the tower, which is about 60 feet high, met with disaster. The new line broke away from the old and now we have to figure out a way to put a new pulley and run the new line through it. Any suggestions are welcome. I’ve considered fishing line with sinkers perhaps shot through the old pulley. DH plans to install a new pulley with the line already threaded through it by attaching it to a long pull and snapping it on. I’ll keep you posted.
Watch cats
We’re safe at night. No ghosts ramblings and the cats look out for us when they’re not sleeping. We’ve been settling into our summer home and finally have it in a presentable state.
The computer room
What you can’t tell is that the table is only 18 inches off the ground and DH is sitting on a beach chair.
Kitchen
Refrigerator high
Pantry
Looking through the front porch
Porch
Note the toilet repair kit close at hand
View from the prison cell
Very comfy bed, I sleep 9 hours straight
Looking out from bed, which I do when I’m not sleeping 9 hours
Tower from the beach
Our link to land
Shirley
My World Shook
My son and I went to my PODS storage container to pick up a few things. The door was jammed and we couldn’t open it. The PODS man came and he couldn’t open it either. Then he got a forklift and lifted one end of the container and shook it like a salt shaker. All our carefully packed possessions! It worked. Something shifted, I didn’t hear any major crashes and we were able to open the door. So much for boxes marked fragile.
I ran errands on Long Island for a few days and am now back at the lighthouse. More cleaning today and DH mowed for 5 hours! That’s why he’s in bed while I write this. I ran the Boston Whaler back to the island yesterday and had lots of fun. After so much time spent sailing, I’m not used to speed. Plus other boats headed towards me at the same speed and lobster pots in channels.
Tomorrow will be my day of rest. I baked up an amazing deep dish apple pie tonight and am pleasantly stuffed.
Our New Home for the Summer
Despite a soggy spring, we slogged our way to New England. After 2 wet days on the boat with the cats, we headed out to the lighthouse in a 16 foot Boston Whaler. DH and I had foul weather gear but the cats didn’t fare as well. We made it ashore with several dinghy trips and arrived safely on the island.
I was rewarded for hard work with a double rainbow, neat cloud formations and beautiful boats.
DH had to leave for a few days and I was left to fend for myself. Not too scary!! I kept occupied by cleaning, sweeping, cleaning, cleaning and mowing.
American Eagle
I am always ready to take time to stop and smell the roses. Or whatever flowers present themselves. I’m not sure what this is. We found blackberries, wild irises and are still looking for Juneberries.
Some views make it seem like we are living in another era.
Loki aboard Water Lily
Cats on a Cat
Well it’s finally happened. Both cats have joined us on Water Lily. We aren’t sailing but are moored in Salem, MA waiting to go out to the lighthouse. Shirley has explored the boat and we can see her walking around the salon. Loki is social but hides when he hears anything. He also can’t figure out the steps. I think they are called ship stairs. Each tread has a cut out over the one below it that alternates so they only take up the square footage of one step. He can’t make the turn and just jumps down to the floor with a thud.
The Hurricane Barrier Shut
We were safely tucked in the boat and it was windy outside. Tim looked out to the barrier and noticed the opening getting smaller. Then we heard a fishing boat call the control people and they told him the barrier was closed until the morning. A Tow Boat called to get in but graciously accepted the news that the harbor was closed for the night. DH thought it was merely a practice run but we learned later that it was due to a tidal surge and was for real. I never slept better.
It’s too windy?
We sailed north across Buzzards Bay with tail wind and headed straight for Marion, MA. There was some fog and then when we got near the coast and of course another sailboat race was under way. Boats looked confused, heading and tacking in all directions. Guns went off and the race began and then the committee and spectator boats headed back to the harbor! We had just seen the start of the Biennial Marion to Bermuda race and boats had come out to the bay to watch them take off. We ran and explored Marion. There’s a great one class design boat here. I think it’s a Hereschoff design, very cute with a self tending jib and gaff rigged main. They dot the harbor here and in Woods Hole.
We listened to the weather reports and a gale was predicted so we headed to a mooring in New Bedford where we did laundry and went shopping. There’s a hurricane barrier at the mouth of the harbor that protects it and us and is the largest stone structure in the northeast.
We organized the boat and turned the second state room into an actual room and stowed everything that was on the bed under it. I stowed my spinning wheel, which I haven’t used once since we’ve been on the boat. I’m just too busy. We went for a run along the harbor and saw signs referring to a monument to Joshua Slocum but couldn’t find the monument. He was the first to sail around the world alone in 1895 and wrote a classic book about it. He rebuilt the boat near here.
Joshua Slocum's boat rebuilt in Farihaven, MA
The harbor is full of huge fishing boats. This morning at 6:45, I was awakened by a voice telling me and everyone on the party fishing boat via loudspeaker that it was going to rain and get very windy today. Tonight we are swinging around the mooring but are secure. He was right.
Menemsha and Gay Head, Martha’s Vineyard
We filled the water tanks and headed to Menemsha, Martha’s Vineyard. This was another beautiful island. We took a town mooring in the middle of the commercial fishing harbor and were awakened each morning by the Coasties testing out all their horns, whistles and loudspeakers. DH made a stealth move to the delight of others moored in the harbor and himself, and used a bungee cord to quiet another boat’s slapping halyard. it just goes to show you, it’s always something.
Menemsha is where Jaws and Jaws 2 were filmed but didn’t see any fins circling our anchorage. We rode our fold up bikes to the beach and Gay Head. We kept right up there with the cyclists on their 10 speeds and then we hit the food market on our way back to the boat.
Reindeer crossing
Gay Head Martha’s Vineyard
Gay Head Light
Tonight we are safely tucked into another quiet anchorage in Wood’s Hole. We’ve been exploring the Elizabeth Islands, shich are privately owned by the Forbes family. More importantly, this may be the place where Merino sheep were first brought to the United States by Mr. Bowdoin in Thomas Jefferson’s day!!! I may have to take out the spinning wheel after all. We’ve seen horses, sheep and cows and heard the wildest animal sounds last night. We awakened to winds and later rain so we’ve had a quiet day of projects and tooling around in the dinghy. DH was a good samaritan and towed in a couple on a runabout boat whose motor stalled – with our 3.3 hp engine and port a bote!
Island and North Country Life 