HYC Cruise -- Day 16, August 9 -- Northport LI to City Island NY -- 25.6 Miles

It seemed that today's would be like the prior passage, with wind on the quarter. And so it was, except that the wind was lighter so we had the motor on the whole way, with the wind adding half a knot at times. We could have sailed without the engine, but at three knots for the 25.6 miles, well you can do the math. North Star left shortly before ILENE's 10:15 departure and Sangaris, shortly after we did. We hugged the LI side's green buoys while Sangaris gave them a very wide berth and pulled away from us. I did not see No News, but hope they too got home safely. The only excitement of the day was the radio chatter on VHF Channel 16 about a helicopter rescue from a boat that was taking on water near Sandy Hook. We got on our mooring at about 3:15.

The entire sixteen days was blessed with dry weather, except for a few sprinkles in port, at night.  And for the power boaters, the light winds were a boon, though not for sailors. still, we were spared stormy winds which in past cruises have persuaded some captains to avert from the itinerary for a day, waiting calmer weather. I recall one cruise when we all looked at the weather in Shelter Island, saw a hurricane coming and completely diverted from the plan to make for the hurricane hole of Hamburg Cove in the Connecticut River, just a bit north of Essex, where took a non-scheduled lay day while the storm roared. So we had great weather and good tides. Thanks again, Bruce, for planning such a good cruise.

All told, nine Harlem boats bearing eleven Harlem families participated in the cruise by boat for one or more days at the beginning, middle or end. An additional four Harlem families visited the cruise by land bringing the total to fifteen participating Harlem families. Of those fifteen, seven had a member who was a Past Commodore. (Not me, I hasten to add!). The PCs, who have so selflessly devoted themselves to our Club, seen to know something about the pleasures of cruising that some of the rest of us have not yet learned. Wait till next year!

HYC Cruise -- Days 14-15 August 7 and 8 -- Port Jeff LI to Centerport LI and Lay Day There -- 18.1 Miles

ILENE hauled anchor at 10:45 and was passed by North Star only about two miles outside PJ inlet. Waves from aft gave North Star a roly ride. The wind was broad on ILENE's starboard quarter and while only about 10 knots true, was strong enough to push us on a course close to the entrance to Huntington Bay. There we jibed and continued sailing until the narrow, well marked entrance to Northport Bay. Another good sailing day with enough time to go slow. We were on our mooring at three.

We saw North Star, a few moorings away and chatted a while in the Centerport YC bar with PC Bruce and Dianne, before taking the launch to town to explore. Another postcard run. 


The Centerport YC is on a peninsula projecting northward into Northport Bay. Centerport Harbor is on the west side and Northport Harbor is on the east side of the peninsula, but both Northport and Centerport YCs are in Northport Harbor, which is nicely protected by high hills on with sides. There is a channel between them, visible in this picture taken from Seymour's Dock.


We learned that Dana and Ellen of Frabjous were on a mooring here. But it was an evening when everyone did their own thing, with the big dinner celebration the next night. Unfortunately, Frabjous had to go to Seacliff YC on the 8th, so we did not have the opportunity to break bread with them. The water's surface was still as a morgue and the heat of the day switched into a light blanket night.

On the lay day our group was enlarged by the arrival of No News with Ken and Camille, last seen several days ago. 

"Sangaris" arrived with PC Craig and Katherine and PC Erwin as well as their friend Bill, who had made great time up from South Florida in the past three weeks. Also in our party at dinner were Doug and Hedy of "Hurley" and Walt and Rita of "Into The Mystic". These Harlemites joined us by land, not by sea. We all enjoyed the company of each other in the dining room of the elegant Centerport YC, which provides excellent service.

 They printed up a special menu for us. 


But I have to tell ya, the food is better at the Harlem.


 

Walter, Rita, Diane, Bruce, Doug, Hedy, Ken and Camille.


PC Erwin, PC Craig, Katherine, Bill and Lene.
We also met two other former Harlemites who were at the club on their boats: Rick, who has joined the Norwalk YC after moving "Messing About" to Connecticut, and Bruce and Linda of "J-Erica" with the Huguenot YC. 

Another blissfully peaceful night to sleep aboard.

HYC Cruise -- Day 13, August 6 -- Milford CT to Port Jefferson LI -- 17 Miles

Alphie Girl is enjoying the day.  Tides were favorable in the afternoon so after buying a quart of milk and a postcard for my wonderful grand daughter, ILENE left at 11:45 for a leisurely sail across the Sound, anchoring in the huge anchorage just inside and west of the Port Jeff inlet. North Star had a hankering for "2 for 1" lobster and hence took a mooring at the Setauket YC, near town. They left before us. On our way out we stopped to fuel up and got hailed by Dana on "Frabjous". They will be joining us in Centerport. 

It was a day made for sailing. We had plenty of time to go 17 miles and sailed the distance in light wind. Too often we cruisers have miles to go and do the math to conclude that at the speed over ground that the wind will give us, we can't get from here to there before dark without a motor assist. But today we put up sails before clearing Charles Island and headed south, close hauled on starboard, across the Sound, only about ten degrees off the rhumb line to the way point. Then tacked and sailed over Misery Shoal to the mouth of the inlet. Anchored is 22 feet of water at near high tide with northerlies of only ten knots expected tonight on 80 feet of snubbed chain. But it is near dead calm.

Home cooking tonight and blissful solitude. Attempts to watch the Fox political debate were unsuccessful so we will have to read about it tomorrow. There is room for about a hundred boats here and only three are present, as these sunset photos show.

HYC Cruise -- Days 11 and 12, August 4 and 5 -- Westbrook CT to Milford CT and Lay Day There -- 19 Miles

 I had a bit of trouble backing ILENE's stern to starboard in order to get off the Westbrook dock; bit more wind than I had thought, but no harm done. ILENE motor sailed south, past the east side of Duck Island before tacking to the west. I had hoped to clear east of Fishers Island and its shoals on their south side, but there was too much west in the SW, and we had to clear that obstacle on its north side before tacking south again. This time Lene intelligently pointed out that the wind was too light to make the sailing part of motor sailing worth the game and so after a bit more, we headed west, just on the edge of being able to sail. So it was a motoring day until the last fifteen minutes, when the wind came more southerly and we close reached with the engine at idle speed.

North Star had passed us early, much closer to shore, and we were assigned a slip very near her.  But a failure of communications and Lene commenced the turn to port into the slip too late. We missed the assigned slip and were floating sideways, north, to the shallow end of the Milford Landing Marina. Not a problem. North Star and ILENE were the only boats in the marina (two more came in the next day)  so we just pulled in to number 13 instead of number 7. Perils of Pauline!
Underway from 9:45 to 2:45.

Next up was a party with North Star and Stu and Barbara, who came by car from Westport. We had a big round table with six chairs in a shady public spot, lots of food and wine, and the enjoyment of renewing old friendships. It was one of the high points of this cruise, in my opinion. Bruce and Stu are Past Commodores and senior to me in the Club and I joined in 1990. Everyone present except Lene and Barbara knew Stu's late wife, Deena. And everyone except possibly Barbara knew my ex, Dorothy. So we all go back a ways but never fail to enjoy retelling old stories of funny and exciting moments from past cruises.  This is not to say that newbie cruisers would be unwelcome. Indeed, they would be most welcome.

 
Another quiet night, but from a side port, when I went to the head at midnight, I saw the visuals of a big thunderstorm over Long Island. Too far to be heard, but quite the light show.

During the lay day, we had more visitors by car. Joan and Jerry drove up and had lobster rolls for lunch at the Milford YC with Bruce and Diane. Lene got a haircut in the AM, and we had lunch with a classmate of hers from Lincoln HS at a local eatery before I gave ILENE's top sides a thorough scrubbing. Dinner aboard.

HYC Cruise -- Day 10, August 3 -- Lay Day in Westbrook

We all shared Mango-blueberry-sweet potato pancakes and bacon with our morning coffee.  Breakfast was cooked, except the coffee, on ILENE, but eaten on Blast due to cat allergies.

Then Diane and Lene went to market. 

Ernie accomplished a long and difficult repair to one of Blast's heads.
On ILENE two smaller projects this morning: hauled up in the bosn's chair to the first spreader to insert the new burgee halyard through its block, and replaced the mostly corroded sacrificial sink [last letter of alphabet still not available]  of the refrigerator's condenser.

North Star visited the pool in the late morning and all others (except Lene, who used the free wifi to get caught up with Jon Stewart) swam and read there in mid afternoon.

Heard from "Sangaris" that this fast Amel are already in Annapolis and will most probably get to the Club on Friday and to the final cruise dinner Saturday night in Centerport.

This is Blast's last night with the Cruise -- they are headed west to Essex for an Albin owner's meeting there.

We all enjoyed dinner tonight at Bill's Seafood Restaurant, just outside this 900 slip Marina.

Rain predicted tonight and sailable winds tomorrow for the passage to Milford where we hope to meet up with Stu and Barbara who plan to come by car.

HYC Cruise -- Day 9, Sunday, August 2 -- Stonington CT to Westbrook CT -- 29 Miles

ILENE got underway at about 9 am, half an hour before Ohana was arriving back at City Island. After a few hours of sailing, it was motor sailing the rest of the way for Ohana.  The wind was too light for ILENE to sail as well, and what apparent wind there was came directly in our faces. So ILENE's main was up but just to prevent rocking.
We passed a green 30 foot sloop with sails up, headed east, going nowhere, with Towboat US and the Stonington Police at her side. Later we heard that the owner had reported a slow leak and the Coast Guard demanded slow speeds from passing boats and discussed with TowboatUS that they were having trouble finding a facility willing to take responsibility for the boat.
The tide was very strong and favorable for the best part of the trip and ILENE got into the Brewer's dock in Brewers Pilot Point Marina at Westbrook at 1:15.
The only other Harlem boats here are Blast and North Star, which both passed us. Not a good photo, sorry,  but they were going too fast for my camera to warm up!

I have learned that North Star is a "Rhode Island Lobster Boat", not that any lobster boat has ever had such elegance, but she is based on the lines of such a working boat.
 We all said goodbye to Marty and Ghennie who have departed for home from Blast, picked up by daughter Darrah with two of the grandkids.
This Brewer's marina is pricey, $4 per foot, but friendly and efficient with lots of extra services such as free wifi, free electricity, a nice pool, courtesy car rides and free propane for the community barbecue grills.
I got a ride  to West Marine to get a replacement halyard for ILENE's burgee while Lene shopped for provisions.
I then tested out the pool. Dinner involved shared foods grilled on the barbi.

Camille, Dianne, Bruce, Lene, Ernie and your Fleet Captain, as photographer; we are down to six but reinforcements are on the way!

HYC Cruise Day 8 -- August 1 -- Block Island RI to Stonington CT -- 18.6 Miles

Ohana left Block first, at about 7:30, after fueling up at Champlin's dock, where he had to slither into a relatively short space between two megayachts on the fuel pier. He is heading as far west as he could get today, but later advised that he would not stop before City Island where he will arrive tomorrow. Sunset from Ohana.

ILENE left next, at 8, after raising and securing the dink, Again, the mooring painter hardly had time to get wet before the next boater picked it up. Today was a good sailing day, we put up full sails immediately after leaving Block's channel and sailed all the way into Stonington on a port tack. Not a white knuckle speed day, what with ILENE's dirty bottom (Barnacle Buster didn't get to us before the cruise) but speeds between four and six knots depending on the wind. We picked up a mooring from Dodson's at noon and spent a few hours aboard before going ashore to tour the land. This is my first time here that coincided with the annual "Stonington Day" festival -- a lot of craft booths on the green. Long hot showers at Dodsons.

We heard True North call the Yacht Club, where Blast is also now, on outside berths. I had mentioned how packed in the boats were at Payne's Dock in Block. Ernie provided this photo. This is way too close!

We took Dodson's free launch from shore to the YC for dinner with a stop at this "cruise ship" out of Mystic in the harbor where its guests embarked her.

Also joining the cruise and on a mooring is "No News", Ken and Camille's Nonesuch, They are active cruisers but this is No News' first Harlem Cruise and they love the extra room their new boat has. They will detach tomorrow and join us again in Centerport.

Dinner for ten at a big round table at the Yacht Club [photo on PC Marty's camera will be added here later] was delicious and long. We just sat around telling stories long after the foood was gone.

On the walk back to Dodson's to get the launch to our boats we showed Ken and Camille the location of the 24 hour, freshly caught fish store, with payment of the marked prices by the honor system. But it was closed, sadly an apparent victim of lack of honor.