September 6-11 -- Including a Wedding and a "Funeral".

Three sail days. averaging 2.5 hours. First was Old Salts after lunch went off promptly after all the problems with service the week before.  Mark, of Deuce of Hearts, accepted my invitation to sail on ILENE, I think his first time. He helmed through Hart Island Sound which was tricky because we came close hauled, and out past the red buoy marking No Nations rocks. Then a rookie, Sarah, a new social member, took over and did well deeply into Manhasset Bay, about a half mile past the racing barge and back out to Big Tom. I took over and sailed between the rock and the Island. The other three aboard were regulars. The refreshments were aboard ILENE, where we were joined by four of the five, including Bennett, who had sailed on Ohana.
The next day after a few hours of boat chores I got picked up by Rhoda and we sailed Jazz Sail over essentially the same route as the day before. I brought my whipping kit along but found that I had whipped the ends of most of her lines on a prior trip. The genoa sheet was new and its ends are now properly whipped. I noticed that the boat's main, when fully and tightly raised, ends about 14 inches (estimate) below the top of the mast. Also, the sail's foot ends about the same distance short of the aft end of the boom. In other words, it appears that the boat can carry a larger mainsail. Rhoda took photos and will check out my theory with Catalina. The more pressing problem however, as we are entering the stormy season, is the wobbly nature of the attachment of the port bow cleat to the boat. At least the starboard one is secure. We had dinner at Archies, our first time there, and were pleased with the food.
An "O" (Other -- related to sailing but not sailing or living or working aboard) was for the wedding of Erica, daughter of our friends Bruce and Linda, former Harlemites, at the Mamaroneck Yacht Club. A lovely wedding and we met two other former Harlemite couples, PC Tex and Maria, and Ken and Linda, who have recently gone over to power boating. The other three couples at our table were all Huguenot power boaters.
Finally, a day sail with the three adult children of Joel and Leticia, Harlemites who died in the past few years. My friend Jim, formerly of "Aria," set up the day for us. I got some boat chores done and the boat completely ready to go before they arrived, including a reef in the main because the winds were strong. The primary purpose of the sail was the dispersal of the ashes of their parents who loved sailing and were very active Harlem sailors though I had never sailed with them. The guests declined my offer to provide a religious component to the ceremony because their parents were secular ethical humanists. The scattering took about 20 minutes near Execution Rocks, with the mourners seated on the starboard coach roof between the mast and the dodger. There was weeping and appropriately I kept away from them, at the helm, during this time, keeping on port tack on a near  beam reach, with the wind slightly aft of the beam to reduce heeling. It served a cathartic purpose for them, I believe. The rest of our time together was pleasant, social and happy. They had brought snacks and wine and we had a very light early dinner at the club after returning to the mooring.

In my religion there are three major commandments or "mitzvahs": "Visit the sick. Comfort the bereaved. And rejoice with the bride and groom." During this period no one was sick but I was able to accomplish the other two.

What is happening?

From Aug 26 to date there has been a vast increase in the readership if this blog. From 30 page views per day to about 150. I'm not complaining; I write this for public consumption. But I'm curious. Have I done something right? Any explanatory comments would be appreciated. thank you. Roger

Wednesday to Labor Day -- first six days back

Wednesday I lowered the dink, tied up the davit bar, drove the dink to the dock, unlocked and removed the outboard and took it to the locker, deflated the dink using the pump to suck all the air out of it to make it smaller, tied it up, and, with friends, hauled it upstairs in the locker house and into the locker where itislocked up for the winter. Amazingly, while it was getting soft on cool fall-like evenings, I never had to pump more air into it since I pumped it up in mid June. Lene did the laundry.

The afternoon was the Old Salts sail. The only problem was lunch, which our restaurant fouled up completely by not having food. We waited two hours and then half of us left without lunch. Things like this have got to stop. It's no good for the would-be diners, and not good for the Club either, which needs its members to patronize its restaurant. Things came off the rails this time and it must not happen again. There were 15 of us and I sailed with about half of them on Bennett's "Ohana" and  the others on Mark's "Deuce of Hearts". I took ILENE out of circulation this week until her transformation from "cruising/live aboard" status back to a day sailer could be completed. Two and a half pleasant hours underway followed by the customary appetite ruination aboard Ohana. Two new faces. Lisa, is a new non-boat owning member whose family keeps a big power boat. The week before had been her debut session with us and she repeated this time on the same boat, Deuce of Hearts. I told her that next week she must join a keel boat to become a real sailor by getting the sensation of heeling. The other newcomer, this also his second time, was Bob, a friend of Marcia, who helmed Ohana a lot.

Thursday I took the outboard up to Island Outboard for adjustment and winter service -- except not the oil changes due to the little use she got this summer, I estimate less than eight hours. And then Lene and I filled our mini SUV with stuff, including the kitties and their stuff and transitioned to our urban apartment. Funny thing that night. Lene was laying by my right side, as she does aboard. When I got up in the middle of the night she said "What are you doing?!"  Well, I was climbing over her like I have to do in the Pullman berth when we are aboard! At home it is not needed because I can get up from the left side of the bed. Force of habit.

Friday I spent about three hours on the boat, test-installing the replacement stanchion, packing up a second carload of stuff and preparing ILENE for the expected arrival of hurricane Hermine:
chafing gear on the mooring pennants, tighter wrapping of the roller furled headsails, closer positioning of the anchor, and removal of blocks and lines that could be whipping around in a big blow. Mark and Marcia invited me to join them on "Leeds the Way", out of Minnefords South Marina. Also joining us were Walt and Rita and a couple from our hosts' ski club. Into Manhasser Bay for two hours a of sailing. I trimmed a bit.  Dinner after at Artie's.

Saturday through Monday we visited our friend Lianne in her home in Great Barrington and brought Ellen along.  We were joined for dinners by Susan and Stan, did theater and visited Leanne's son and his family in Kinderhook NY. No sailing, but all was not lost. Herman Mellville, author of Moby Dick, which got such big play in New Bedford, wrote that Great American Novel in his home, Arrowhead, in Pittsfield. I learned a lot during a guided tour of the house by a very well informed docent, Jeff Aldrich, who intends to enter graduate school in American Colonial History soon. The view from Mellville's study of Mt. Greylock, the highest in Massachusetts, was excellent and he wrote that he saw in its ridgeline the back and tale of a whale. Moby Dick was a huge commercial and popular failure when published in the 1850's. It was not recognized for its genius until 70 years later, long after he was buried. Between New Bedford, a few weeks ago, and The Berkshires, now, lies most of the latitude of Massachusetts and a whole lot of whaling content.