Sept 9. — Cruise 2; Day 3 — Milford to Niantic, 41 NM

These posts are following the current nomenclature for TV series:  “Season 1; Episode 3.”

The Milford YC launch, named Fetchem, is small and cute It never goes out even to the Gulf, let alone to the Sound, but lives in the protected inlet (from the Gulf to the Town)  where the  Club and its moorings are. 

And one of its functions, which we utilized, is as a water taxi to town. We had pretty good scones for breakfast at Scratch Baking. Go left at the light and it’s on your left, a block away.

Underway at 9:45 for Niantic Bay, 41 NM away. The wind let us sail, a very close reach, most all the way, sometimes at 7.5 knots and sometimes at half that speed. And when the wind got too weak, we motored. Arriving at 5:25, made for a passage of 7.5 hours, but with only 3.5 engine hours, so four hours of pure sailing. Entering Niantic Bay we had slowed to 1.3 knots so we motored the last mile. We called the Club which gave us a mooring for $40.  I made a mistake in not giving better instructions to Lene on the way in, while I was putting away the sails.  The launch operator/mooring vender, Bob, called us back on Channel 72: “Hard right! Stay outside the green!”  We were heading for what is called “Three Foot Rock”. The pink track line on this screen shot shows our track, the hard right, the green can; it tells the story. No calamity this time, again.

The Niantic Club has docks protected by the curved seawall. Our mooring is outside. The yellow tear shaped mark shows 4.9 knots of wind; right on the five knots from the south that were forecast. But despite the fact that the wind is on our bow, we have been rolling from side to side, uncomfortably.  The dinner Lene cooked required the use of “fiddles” to keep the pans from sliding off the stove. But it was delicious. Later I realized they the fiddles were not required. All  I had to do was until release the pins and let the galley stove swing on its gimbals. It is a sorry thing to lose one’s memory.

Here’s our sure footed yet delicate 15 year veteran, at home on the boat. But most of the time she hides our in dark recesses amidst the stuff stored in the aft cabin. We have to use the flashlight to prove to ourselves that she is still here. She is in fact smiling but the pattern of her calico coloring make her look sad.

And here’s the moon rising over Niantic Bay. Good night, folks.