The weather is getting cooler and we know Bolero, our sailboat, will have to come out of the water in early October, so we hit the waves for a short jaunt to Hadley Harbor. And waves there were. The winds were 15-20 knots with gusts to 25, so we opted for a jib only voyage, as trying to reef sails in 3 foot seas in a pitch-poling boat does nothing for my teeth clenching problem. At least adjusting a jib can be done in the cockpit, and nobody’s at risk of going overboard. The direction of the current and wind made for a bit of a bumpy ride, and an occasionally wet one as well. As I’ve mentioned, Buzzard’s Bay has an attitude. Probably because it was misnamed. There were no buzzards, only osprey who were mistaken for buzzards by early colonists, so the bay has been pissed off for 400 years now.

Buzzard’s Bay has an attitude. Probably because it was misnamed. There were no buzzards, only osprey who were mistaken for buzzards by early colonists, so the bay has been pissed off for 400 years now.

Thankfully it was a short jaunt on a very crisp, 60ish degree day. Hadley Harbor is a protected hurricane hole off of Naushon Island, at the beginning of the Elizabeth Island Chain. The Elizabeth’s are largely uninhabited islands and with the exception of Cuttyhunk and Penikese have been owned by the Forbes family since the mid 1800’s. There is a school for delinquent boys on Penikese, which was also a former leper colony. Hmm. Cuttyhunk has a year round population and a guesthouse open during the season, but is a quiet place whose population swells in the summer. Naushon Island has mansions and boathouses, and is only populated by Forbes family members and the island’s caretakers. They have a private ferry from Woods Hole called the Cormorant for family, guests and workers, but no one else is allowed ashore. They do maintain the mooring balls in Hadley Harbor, which are free to the public, so we won’t be throwing eggs or rotten tomatoes anytime soon.

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On a Friday in mid September we were thinking we’d have the place to ourselves. Not so much. At 2 PM every mooring ball was taken and a few folks were anchored. And there was a free-for-all every time a mooring ball was vacated. At one point we’d pulled up anchor before realizing two other boats were going for the same recently emptied mooring. We anchored twice before another boat left and we were lucky enough to snag a spot. They need a maitre d’. What’s wrong with anchoring, you ask? The wind was supposed to change direction that night, and a 180 degree swing could flip an anchor. The last thing we’d need would be to run aground at 3 AM. We did see a rather large sailboat aground and sitting at a 45 degree angle when we arrived. Gunkholing*, Steve asked? We thought not, and we saw both a yellow Sea-Tow rescue boat buzzing around the harbor like a bee and then a red Tow-Boat US joining him. We couldn’t see the ship from our mooring, only the top of the masts, but noticed after lunch that they were GONE.

So what to eat on a 50 degree night in a sailboat? Something you can cook on the stove that will heat the cabin up! After our 9th Century feast I gained a pound and was planning a trip to Weight Watchers on Sunday morning so I was trying to keep the points in check. So I made Portuguese kale soup the low point way.

I start with low fat-low sodium beef broth in a large pot (you can use vegetable or chicken broth as well). I add a large chopped onion and a peeled and chopped medium yellow turnip. I also add a good dose of dried crushed pepper. While that is boiling and the vegetables cook I take a can of Bush’s Reduced Sodium Dark Red Kidney Beans, and a can of chopped kale (if you use fresh, chop it and add it to the onion and turnip, or you can use frozen and add it at the end). I drain and rinse the beans, and drain the kale. I use 1 lb. of turkey Portuguese chourico, which I remove from the casing and chop. You can substitute Portuguese linguica, regular pork chourico, or any ethnic sausage you can find. You can also use soy crumbles if you’re a vegetarian, but add a good dose of smoked paprika if you do.

Once the turnip is cooked through add the beans, kale and chourico. Let simmer until thoroughly heated (as the chourico is pre cooked) and serve. Everything but the chourico is a WW power food, and the turkey chourico is very lean, so it’s a tasty, filling hot soup for a cold night.

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It was quite chilly in our cozy v-berth that night, and we were piled with blankets and anything else we could find. The cabin heated up in the morning with oatmeal and coffee on the stove, and the sail back was warmer than the day before. But it was still pretty windy approaching our slip. Or what was supposed to be our slip. We radioed the boatyard for help with lines and the yard manager, Fred, came down the dock to assist. But he went to the wrong slip. I should have listened to my inner voice that was saying, “Wait a minute. That’s not our slip.” But no. I turned in to where he stood and confirmed my error, and on backing out had some issues with wind. It was a mad scramble to get turned around. We finally did end up where we belonged but I owe John with the tugboat a pound of coffee for the rub I gave his stern (he’s a big coffee drinker) and every piling at Fairhaven Shipyard is terrified of me.

So how did I do at WW? I lost 2 pounds. 19.6 total! Exercise, back on plan, and lots of water helped. I do enjoy our meetings; we have a good group. Maggie is always fun, and I’ve met another member who is a hoot. Sandy is a beautiful brunette who has struggled as I have and we had a funny conversation after class. We were discussing how avoiding certain foods changes the enzymes, flora, bacteria or whatever is living in our guts to the point that when we eat those foods we feel awful. Those particular enzymes have taken a vacation, and when a fried clam plate comes through the rest of them all panic. “Wait, wait! He’s not here!” We imagined them saying. Sandy added, “We could have handled a single fried clam but you sent through the Spanish Armada!”

But that’s the problem that got us here to begin with; we never can eat just one.
So what can’t you have in your house because you know you’ll devour it? For me? Cape Cod Potato Chips…

Here’s to a good week!

Deborah

*Gunkholing: The word has plenty of definitions, but in the most traditional sense, gunkholing involves small boats nosing into coves that dry out at low tide, settling the hull into the gunk.