Day 1 -- July 23 -- Were Off! -- With Leeds the Way to Greenwich -- 16nm

Last trip in to NYC --  to park the car in our garage -- for security purposes. The Harlem YC parking lot is clearly secure enough against crime, but if a Nor'easter comes in while we are away for five weeks the floodwaters have ruined the engines of  cars parked there. The subway back was uneventful and we were off at 11 a.m.  This was the date originally scheduled for the commencement of  the Club Cruise, which did not come off, but PC Mark and Marsha, on Leeds the Way, wanted to join its first (and last?) day, so we selecte the nearby Indian Harbor YC in Greenwich, CT, as our destination. But first the City Island Fuel Dock to pour 19 gallons of diesel into the good tank.

Then we sailed, or motor sailed,  using Genoa only. The primary problem was that with great weather and gusty winds we had to cross about four heavily entered races. With winds from the south, the race organizers set up their courses NS, to require the racers to beat and run, and so with our eastern destination, there were racers coming at us from port and starboard -- in large numbers over most of the width of the Sound. The racers think they own the water of their courses and want us to "go around" the entire area. We did this for one of the races but mostly plowed through, being careful to alter course and or speed to avoid any collisions or even close calls. But our sails create wind shadows and we are one more of the obstacles, like commercial shipping, that confront and challenge racers.  We had one incident where we had turned away and then the race boat totally lost control of its high tech sail and veered toward us in an effort to straighten things out, forcing me to do a 360 to avoid them. When the wind hit our sails from the side we heeled sharply for a few seconds, upsetting Lene who was below and yelled at me. The other problem was that the gusts heeled us from time to time and the small L.L. Bean "Water Hog" mat that acted as the "rug" in the galley which Lene likes to "air" on the coach roof took a brief flight and sank quickly.

We were assigned the largest mooring we have ever had, used by a 100+ foot sloop which was off cruising. Indian Harbor is an elegant, posh, old fashioned Yacht Club. Examples: paper hand towels in the restrooms have the club's burgee imprinted on them and the rest rooms are equipped with hair dressing and mouthwash and big white fluffy terry towels if you shower there; the launches have miniature flags for each of the flag officers which they hoist during that officer's launch ride and the launch operators wear white with epaulettes; the menus in the restaurant, except that given to the man who the staff presumes is the "host", have no prices. You get the idea. A bit "stuffy" as well, though the wait staff and launch operators were friendly and efficient. They were having a white wedding: all guests wore (and were) white and the chairs, balloon pods and chairs were all white. This event took up the large front patio area for the ceremony and cocktail hour and the dining room after that, but there were very nice tables in the bar and we had drinks and later, dinner.

In the morning, a delicious breakfast on Leeds the Way before our departure through the east entrance to the harbor headed for Stratford CT.