June 17- 22 -- Six Nights Aboard But Only One Sail

With our car so easily available, we are seduced by almost daily trips into the City. These are for various medical and dental appointments and a drive to New Jersey for a fun and delicious but scary birthday party in Alpine for Bennett. Despite some restrictions, including the size of the outdoor party, only 12,  there was less masking and social distancing than we have been experiencing. That was the only scary part. The good parts were interesting people, social life and delicious food.
We picked up more "left behind" things, including the paper charts of the waters in which we will be sailing and the cruising guide. At home we printed out our tax returns and next day visited the drug store on City Island to make copies of the signature pages and to the PO to mail them back to our accountant.

Some boat work too. The last coat of polyurethane has been applied in the galley. The chafe guard that came as a sleeve on the new bridle ha been sewn to the right spot on that bridle to do its sacrificial work using the dink as a work platform. The dink has been hoisted in place on the davit bar with all of its associated equipment. A  few hours of work have made a dent in the compounding and waxing of the topsides; changing the surface from a bit chalky to bright shiny (the first of many such sessions to do the entire job). This during the day's shoulders to prevent sunstroke. And a reorganization of the aft cabin with Lene's expert organizational genius. With some things put down in the lazarette, others in the cockpit, still others in the locker ashore and the rest reorganized, the port side of the "storage locker" has been transformed back into an appropriate sleeping compartment for guests.
And do you remember that the shackle for the new spinnaker halyard was misplaced? Well actually it had been found. It was where I had temporarily tied it, with a bowline to the correct end of that halyard,  awaiting being properly riven with a halyard hitch!
The excitement here has involved our guest. We had expected our grandnephew, Trevor, grandson of Lene's California brother, Mike. He planned to visit before he starts medical school this fall. He had to cancel his visit with us; but his cousin, Sammie, a junior in college in Texas is coming on the 24th and these past few days have involved airline reservations, airport pickup details, planning passages according to the tides for a visit to New York's lower harbor, (Sheepshead Bay and the Sandy Hook anchorage), plus menu planning (she eats everything healthy. like us, except nothing from the sea except shrimp) .and finding out places that will allow us ashore. The Harlem YC restaurant is opening as last, for outdoor dining at socially distant tables on Wednesday and we will be the first to use our Club again.

And my sail was a lovely one in moderate wind aboard Hidden Hand with David and Sheyne Foigle.

She is a young bird, only five, and hops but does not fly yet. Her cage is on the cabin sole when we are underway and on the table there when on anchor. David has made several improvements such as solar panels and a better way to run the main halyard aft to the cockpit. His boat is fast and provided a comfortable ride in moderate wind. David accepted our offer to dine on Caterer Anne's launch delivered food after the sail. 

The evenings have been calm and cool, but in anticipation of the upcoming national holiday, they have increasingly included private fireworks shows. 

View from our back porch.