On November 9, 1620, after two months at sea, the Mayflower sighted land at Coast Guard Beach in Eastham.  The Pilgrim passengers were supposed to settle in northern Virginia, so Captain Jones headed the Mayflower southeastward. He kept well offshore to avoid shallow water, but his ship was caught in the shoals of Pollock Rip near Monomoy Point. A lucky change of wind (a "miracle" said the Pilgrims) enabled Jones to sail his ship out of the shoals.  The Mayflower turned north and anchored in Provincetown Harbor on November 11, 1620.

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Beautiful Sunrise over Cape Cod this morning. Not much for waves today so I poured a cup of coffee and went to see the sunrise. Above is cam capture from this morning ...

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New England has had a warm and wonderful indian summer.  Now that it's behind us the only way to find a warm beach is to travel south and east and west. Newspapers and magazines offer many suggestions.  India might be one of the more interesting choices.  If you still think of India as a depressing pool of poverty then you haven't been paying attention.  Thanks to booming software and back-office service industries India now boasts one of the largest middle classes of any country in the world.  As in the Caribbean, Hawaii, Polynesia and Bali, luxury five star $400+ per night resorts can be found.  For people who seek value there are some first rate locations where near luxury an be found for $75 a night.  India is a long flight, but at $75 a night you can stay for a month at the cost of a week.  The next to last thing to say about India is that it is a friendly country where Americans feel comfortable (except near the Pakistan border region). Finally, India offers good surfing in the southern subcontinent and GREAT surfing at the nearby Maldive Islands.

There are affordable beach hotels and resorts in the Western Hemisphere.  The NY Times scouted 13 Caribbean islands to find beach area rooms for $100 a night.  If you're seeking a fast beach fix the Bahamas could be the answer.  If you're thinking of getting that perfect North Shore condo for a couple of weeks this winter be aware that local governments in Hawaii are starting to enforce zoning laws and many vacation rentals will be shut down.

• Beach vacations in India.  Byron Ayonoglu writes in Montreal Gazette
• Affordable Carribbean.  The New York Times scouted 13 Caribbean islands to uncover affordable places.  NY Times
• Quick Bahamas trip.  NY Times
• Local governments on the Hawaiian islands of Maui, Kauai, and Oahu are cracking down on unlicensed vacation rentals.  Conde Nast Traveler
• Here are a couple of links for surfing in India:
• Surfing India
• GlobalSurfers.com

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Surrounded by a crowd on June 30th at 8:30AM, 1.5 hours before his first attempt at rowing from Cape Cod to France, Charles Girard was posing for photos and answering questions. His departure from Orleans was to be at low tide. Leaving from Town Cove meant he’d be rowing against a strong current. An odd choice, I thought. Why not go at high tide and ride out with the current?

His 23' rowboat was surprisingly devoid of gear and provisions. I guessed he must have a chase boat following him with said necessities. Then there was the design itself: shaped like an airplane fuselage with two stations, one for rowing and the other for sleeping. There was also no deck. Sixty days at sea in that contraption would drive me insane. Moreover, the vessel looked optimized for rolling over.

The wind was blowing hard from the east. If he did clear Town Cove, Girard would have a hard time avoiding the beach. After watching for half an hour, I left the scene feeling like he was grossly unprepared and wouldn’t depart that day.

In any case, he finally left Cape Cod on July 4th. Now, consider this: his trip was expected to take roughly 60 days. He planned to arrive in France at the beginning of September. Those who follow North Atlantic weather patterns know that tropical depressions regularly form ocean storms during mid-late summer. Gales and hurricanes would greatly help a record-setting row. West winds between 30 – 60kts could move a boat much faster than just rowing alone. It would also be gutsy to actively tackle 20+ ft seas. However, if you're going for a record and fully prepared, this strategy might just work. Clearly though, if you plan to begin a two-month row from Cape Cod to France in July, it’s wise to expect large rough seas.

Georges Bank resides fifty miles off Cape Cod. There, on July 5th in 5-8' seas and 15-knot winds, Charlie Girard called it quits and was rescued by the Coast Guard. Considering the boat already capsized eight times by then, it’s not surprising he gave up the ghost so quickly.

Practically speaking, he could have easily prevented this by using a sea anchor. A weighted centerboard and small stabilizing sail (is that allowed for a rowing record?) would’ve also added further stability. The Boston Globe reports that Girard's longest previous row was six hours on a lake in the French Alps. Since his seaward attempt failed, it’s safe to say Charlie Girard was foolishly naive about the ocean. The real question is whether he ignored advice from experienced mariners or never sought any counsel at all. Either way, at age 26, the excuses of adolescence no longer applied.

Yet while I rebuke Girard's maritime irresponsibility, I also applaud his entrepreneurship. Here's a guy who knew nothing about the ocean yet managed to find sponsors willing to pony up almost $200,000 for his trans-Atlantic effort. And, even though his boat had critical flaws, it actually had some innovative design attributes. With minor modifications, it could become ideal for the task or maybe been converted into a very cool trimaran.

Update: the boat, christened Caliste, is abandoned at sea and was last seen drifting towards Canada.