June 29 -- In Memory of Nick Lecakes

Yesterday, organized and led by Pat McGovern, a group of mostly Harlemite and former Harlemite friends of Nick, paid him our final respects and scattered his ashes, as he had requested, about a quarter mile off the Sand Pit at the entrance to Huntington Bay, under Eatons Neck Light.

We all recalled scenes from the life of our friend: how he loved to teach, his service to the Club in many roles, including as instructor of a  class of dance lessons, his love of cola, the beverage with which we toasted him, and his mastery of fine wood working (of which this working tool, made entirely of wood - with only one piece broken off is a sample), and many other memories.

We read a psalm, said a prayer and had melancholy thoughts.

The ashes, much like sand, lingered, floating on the water, for a few seconds before slowly sinking, giving meaning to the expression “ashes to ashes; dust to dust”.

In addition to Pat, who fed us and took the pictures, John Paskalis, now living on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Don Havilan, our former Social Chairman, Harry Joseph, a long time friend and working colleague of Nick, and I comprised the crew of ILENE, on this mission.

Harry and John

Me and Don

The same group, and others who could not join us, had taken Nick out from The Hebrew Home for The Aged in Riverdale for several years, for annual day sails in the final years of his life.

The “rain date” for this mission would have been July 7, Nick’s birthday.

We slipped the mooring at 8:20, motored all the way out under overcast skies with very little wind, from behind us. The sun broke out during the brief ceremony. Then, fighting the ebbing tide,we sailed close hauled for about two hours, across the Sound and back at the beginning of the return before calm seas forced us to motor most of the way back, but, we sailed again from Execution Rocks to Big Tom and arrived on the mooring and had everything squared away before the brief torrential thunderstorm hit.

Here is a picture of our Club taken from a drone at high tide on a nice day; beautiful!