Wanderlust - Our Seafarer 22 Sailing Adventures: Jones Park

For yesterdays "adventure" we tried for something a little closer than Kettle Cove. We went to Jones Park, which is in Clarks Cove, Dartmouth, MA. And as usual it was quite an adventure. We motored to the hurricane barrier then put up the sails and shut off the motor. The wind was light, but not to bad. I even fished while we were sailing :)

It wouldn't be a day of sailing for us newbies if something didn't go wrong for us. Although I welcome these "mistakes/mishaps" now while we are still learning, I do wish we could have smooth sailing one of these days. Anyway, we made it to Jones Park with no problems, and not needing the motor. YAY!

We got closer to the beach and this is the first "real" time dropping anchor. Guess we need a little work and practice. Dave tried a few times to get the anchor to set, and finally he thought it was set. We watched for a bit and we didn't seem to be drifting. So he took the 3 older kids in the dinghy and rowed to the beach. I stayed on the boat with the baby and tried to get her to nap, and then the plan was, for me to do some fishing while she napped and the other kids and Dave played on the beach.

I went down below and tried to get Autumn to sleep. I looked up at the cockpit and noticed a moored boat. We were NEAR a mooring field but I shouldn't have been able to see it from the cabin. So I left the baby in the V-berth and went out to look. We were in fact drifting to shallower water. Oh great. Dave is the one that usually got the motor running and the sails up. Once the sails are up, I know how to sail the boat. Uh-Oh!! Here I am alone on the boat with the baby and have no clue how to start the motor or lift the sails...

I tried to call Dave on his cell only to hear it ringing in the cabin. Oh great! Look at the depth meter and its

going back and forth from 7 to 8. Where we originally anchored it was going between 9 and 10. I felt I HAD to do something so we don't run aground but what? I figured I can start the lawn mower with no problem, so how hard could it be to start this motor? It took me a while but I finally figured out how to take the cover off the motor so I could get to the choke. I pulled and pulled but no luck. I couldn't get it started. And we are still drifting. I ended up pulling the handle thing off the rope. (You know the black "T" thing that you hold to pull) The motor sits lower than the boat, so I was needing to pull up and out, which was fraying the rope and it broke... Good thing we also had a knot tied in the rope so if that happened it wouldn't go all the way back in. So I continued to try to pull it using the knot. I couldn't get it started. So I figured, there was a little

bit of wind, maybe it would help if I raised the sail.

As I was getting out in front to try to put up the mainsail, I saw Dave and the kids rowing from the beach. It was a much further distance for him to row to get to me. He was still a ways off so I continued to try to raise the mainsail. Wouldn't you know it. I grabbed the wrong rope and when I unwound it from the cleat, the boom dropped lower. Uh-oh!. To say I was frustrated wouldn't even come close at this point.

Dave got the kids in the boat, and 1 pull of the motor and it started. GRRRRR! Dave motored us to deeper water while I double tied the dinghy to the boat. Then he went up get the boom back to where it needed to be.

Guess I need to push him hard to get a motor with an electric start so I can get it started a lot easier. And I need to also learn how to raise the sail just incase we are in a similar situation. I felt so helpless that nothing I was doing was working. I was actually starting the motor correctly, I just wasn't "strong" enough to pull it as hard as I needed to. And the sail, well there is no excuse for me not

knowing how to lift it.

All that set aside, it really wasn't a bad day. Sailing wise, we did well, and the kids are starting to enjoy it a lot more too.

Once we got back to the mooring, Dave steered us in, and I "hooked" the mooring rope. That is a switch up because usually I steer it in and Dave hooks it, but I want to learn how to do everything because ya never know when I will be in a position that I will HAVE to do it.

Dave rowed Holly, the baby, and I in the dinghy and unloaded our stuff and went back for the other 2 kids. Holly helped me get our stuff and the baby to the car and we loaded up and waited for the others to join us. I guess I missed more adventure. Apparently he had given the dinghy rope to his first mate Amber to hold on to while he locked up and secured the boat. Amber mistakenly dropped the rope and the dinghy drifted off with the current. Dave had to jump in and the more he swam, the more the current took the dinghy. He did finally get to the dinghy and got himself up in it. And rowed to the wanderlust to get Amber and Peter. And

rowed back to the dock to unload the kids and secure the dinghy to the docks.

Captain Dave got his work out, between all the rowing he had to do, and the swimming he had to do. This morning he was quite sore. I'm guessing by the end of summer, we will all be in better shape.

Here is a "documentary" video Amber made:

Here are some more pics we took:

Miss Autumn is stomping her foot and telling me NO because I wouldn't let her out in the cock pit. She wouldn't put her life jacket on so I wouldn't let her out of the cabin.