Underway: Norwalk to Nantucket

Sunrise between Block Island and Martha's Vineyard, August 13th, 2008.

We left Norwalk at around 2 pm Tuesday, August 12th, a good time to leave to hit the Race right at an average speed of 6 to 6.5 knots. With 10-15 from the Northwest, shifting to Southwest, in the forecast, the trip was looking good. Our boat (Gulfstar 37, aka condo that sails fast on a reach) doesn't like to sail upwind- or really, we don't like to sail upwind at 55+ degree tacking angles- so we usually do our best to avoid big upwind stretches in high seas. No issue here.

The overnight "sail" was pretty easy, with lighter breezes than forecasted oscillating between NW and SW. We motor-sailed the entire way, never having enough breeze to push us at more than 5 knots under sails alone and liking the idea of getting our fridge nice and cold since we'd be on battery power alone for the coming week.

We went through the Race at 11 pm, passed close to Block Island at 3 am, and arrived in Nantucket at 3 pm. If that's not enough info for you...you can track us at our SPOT page.

Next on the event list, Nantucket Race Week and the Opera House Cup photos.

Block Island Race Week Photos 2008

Block Island Race Week is always a great place for photos (click here to see the 2008 photos), whether it's an even year or an odd year. The logistics are always tricky for everybody, including PhotoBoat, because dinghying* from Pt. Judith to Block for a daily commute is...actually where we draw the line. So we sailed here and anchored in the harbor for the second year in a row. If only we could afford the time to travel to every regatta by sailboat!


*Dinghying and any form of "to dinghy" is probably not actually a word, but it's definitely part of our vocabulary.

We took advantage of our extra photoboat by sending Allen up the mast to get some photos on Tuesday. Take that helicopters! Only .9 gallons per hour. Hence our photos will be posted and available at our normal prices.



Wednesday, regatta participants sailed their Around the Island Race, which is always great for photography. Block Island is such a beautiful place, with lighthouses, dunes, cliffs, and mansions; all of these are among the top backgrounds for sailing photos.


This year, it's a small fleet at Block Island Race Week, with a handful of Swan 42s, over a dozen J105s, and others, totaling just over 50 boats. It's nice being on Block Island when things are a little quieter than the rucous created by the 200 boats in 2007. The low participation is due to conflict with the Newport to Bermuda race, which starts Friday, June 20, 2008. We'll be headed there next. Keep an eye on PhotoBoat.com for the Bermuda Race photos.

See the Block Island Race Week photos by Allen Clark here.