Well
we made it and a great time was had by all.
After leaving Morgan, NJ on Saturday, July 1st we finally made it to Niantic Bay by late morning Friday, July 7th.
We had
a great trip and great travelling companions in our little flotilla.
We met up with Joe Focarile and Bill Comella aboard Endure (CD26) at the Harlem Yacht Club on City Island, NY on Sunday, July 2nd. The yacht club was very accommodating and the people were friendly. Even though they officially stop serving dinner at 9:00 p.m. Sunday evening, and it was 8:50 p.m., they invited us to take advantage of their dinning facility and we had a meal that could rival that of any 5-star restaurant.
Monday
morning we were off to Huntington
Harbor, NY. Most of the day was a motorsail and we passed
many tall ships and pleasure craft on their way to the OpSail
2000 celebration in New York Harbor. The wind came up in the afternoon
and we were able to sail into Huntington Bay. We found ourselves
being hailed by three boats at once. No sooner had we checked
in with Endure we were hailed by Dick Feffer aboard Adamarie
(CD30MKII) and Joe Ogrodnick aboard Freebird (CD30C) --
good thing we have two VHFs onboard.
Endure was surprised to see us sailing, they had no wind
as they entered the harbor. Adamarie wanted to let us know
that he was already anchored in Lloyd
Harbor. And Freebird wanted to let us know that he
was on his way. We met up with Freebird in the bay and
travelled together into Lloyd Harbor and rafted up with Adamarie.
We had a nice visit with the Freebird crew before breaking
up the raft. Freebird then headed back home while Adamarie
and Realization (CD32C) continued into Huntington Harbor
where we were provided space on the Ketewemoke Yacht Club's washdown
float and joined Endure which was already tied up at the
float. Bill Comella prepared a wonderful meal in Endure's
little galley and we all got together on Realization to
enjoy it while it sprinkled outside.
Tom
Shelford, KYC member and owner of Our Time (CD28 cruiser
w/flybridge), made the arrangements for us to tie up to their
float as there were no moorings available due to the July 4th
festivities. Tom gave us the royal treatment during our stay.
Not only did he procure the dock space for us, he also loaned
us his dingy and drove us around town. We could not have asked
for a more gracious, friendly host and I cannot thank him enough
for his and the yacht club's hospitality.
Tuesday
morning, July 4th, the three boats were beset by what my husband
called "the perfect calm," low visibility and high heat
as we crossed Long Island Sound on our way to Branford,
CT. We all kept our mainsails up more as a means of identification
than anything else. Realization's tanbark sails made her
the easiest to identify. The haze didn't lift until 5:00 p.m.
while we were approaching the docks at the Branford Yacht Club
where we spent the night.
Wednesday
morning we departed Branford for Essex,
CT. We opted to motor close to the Thimble Islands and the
Connecticut shoreline while Endure and Adamarie
sailed further from the coast in deeper water. Wednesday morning
was clear with bright sunshine and the islands were beautiful.
We were careful to keep clear of the rocks and reefs.
Adamarie caught up to us inside Long Sand Shoal -- big mistake
on Dick's part since we were becalmed. No sooner had Dick dropped
his sails the wind finally filled in, and filled in strong. By
then we were approaching the entrance to the Connecticut River.
Entering the river was a little bit tricky since the river was
running at full ebb, the wind was blowing strong on our noses
and there was a strong crosscurrent at the river's mouth. As we
fought our way up the river I contacted the Old Lyme bridge tender
on VHF13 to ask how long the rail bridge would remain open. He
responded "I'm closing now." I got back on the VHF and
contacted Dick on Adamarie who was ahead of us and informed
him of the bridge's imminent closing.
Click on the links below if you'd like to know more.
Last modified: 5 September 2000
