June 22 - July 2 -- Home Waters

We had a great Old Salts Wednesday afternoon aboard ILENE after lunch at the Club on one of the nicest sailing days of the young summer sailing season. A counterclockwise circumnavigation of Hart Island and west to the Throggs Neck Bridge before beating back to the Club in light NW winds for our G and Ts. Here is the gang, in the launch on the way back to shore. We have regenerated from four to seven so far this summer thanks to Mark who could not make it this time.

From the left: Richie, Mike, George, Morty (hidden behind George) Larry and Klara. The launch, I find, is the best place for group shots because our bimini and dodger screen out the sun for on-board shots.

When I learned from Facebook postings that "Volare", who we sailed with in the French West Indies, was on a summer vacation from New Bern NC to Nantucket, I private messaged them to stay at the Harlem and we enjoyed a delicious buffet dinner on Friday night -- for the racers and anyone else who might show up. The lads are excelling in High School after their year of home schooling aboard Volare.

                              Nathan, Andy, Lori, Roger, Lene and Aiden.
After dinner we took them  adults to Throggs Neck by auto to provision and obtain metropass cards to tour Manhattan the next day. Its the thing that cruisers love to do for each other; we have been the beneficiary of this custom many times.

Next day it was lox and bagels and mimosas and a lot more in our apartment in Greenwitch Village with Judy and Meridel, of Portland Oregon, who sailed with us in the Turks and Caicos. A fourth member of the "Spa" coterie with those two and Lene, is Norma, who, with  her friend, Harold, also came for brunch.

And by the way, my Mom died in Atlanta at the age of 100 years plus eight months. It was Dementia and her last six years were dreadful for her, being cut off from the life of the mind, her only organ that she treasured. She had prepaid her funeral 32 years ago when my Dad died and so all my brother and I had to do was fly to Fort Lauderdale and back for the short graveside funeral. Down and back in one day, a lot shorter than the time it took when we sailed there and back last winter. During the last six years, when her mind had become fully vegetated, I did my mourning for her loss and look upon her death as a release for her, not an occasion to be mourned. She would have agreed. Rest in Peace Mom.

A lovely albeit windless day of sailing, actually 90 percent motoring, with Dana from my congregation, her friend Bill, her two sons Charlie and Aiden, and her Mom, Susan, followed by Mom's birthday party for all of them and me at the Club. Same route as with the Old Salts with an excursion in past Orchard Beach to fuel up ILENE and in to Manhassett Bay to see Port Washington. I very much regret not taking a picture of Dana and Bill, but took one of them from a Facebook posting from another venue on a different day.

Here are the others in the launch on the way back to shore.

Love those smiles!