Welcome to the home port of the sailing vessel LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY returning to Boston after a weekend in Salem, MA. Photo by
LIQUIDITY is a 1977 Cape Dory 28 sloop,
currently floating happily at Marina Bay on Boston Harbor.
Delivery by Sail
Does the notion of Delivery by Sail intrigue
you? From May through September, hundreds of recreational vessels ply the New
England coast, each with more than enough room to carry small packages from
here to there. Shouldn’t some of them (even one of them!) be carrying cargo?
The notion of moving goods from one port to
another by sail is both green and romantic (albeit slow and somewhat unpredictable).
If you’re curious about how you might move your crafts or other goods by sail,
from Boston to Provincetown, for example, and reap the apparent marketing
advantages of a “Delivered by Sail” tag or sticker, email me. Let’s turn this small green
initiative into a reality.
Updates:
For the latest, see my blog at http://bostonsailors.blogspot.com/
Sailing in Boston Harbor:
Boston is a busy commercial harbor. Keep a
sharp lookout for large ships, tugs and barges, ferries and the like. It’s a
good idea to monitor channel 13 and critical if visibility is reduced.
The Long Island Bridge has been demolished but
the footings remain. Height is no longer an issue but use care to stay in the
channel, passing between the two large uprights.
Watch for human powered vessels, too. They’re
everywhere.
There are working lobster boats in Boston
Harbor; give them room to work.
Keep your charts handy and be careful who you
follow. You can go from deep water to shoal water in about the same time it
takes to say “Oh #@%$!” If you don’t have local knowledge, heed the buoys and
avoid the shortcuts.
Weather can change quickly in Boston!
If you’re anchoring, remember that tides can
reach 12’. Leave enough scope and swinging room. Remember also that low tides
can be as much as -2’; leave room for that, too!
Most boaters in Boston have a pretty good
understanding of the nav rules. (Just remember that I
said, “most.”)
Too many power boaters have no idea how large
their wakes are.
A fair tide isn’t critical but it does help.
Note that the current doesn’t always follow the channel; cross currents abound!
Short
list of favorite vendors:
Ralph DiMattia Sailmakers, Inc.
Rescue Tape. Don’t
leave the marina without it!
Join the Cape Dory Sailboat Owners Association