Offshore passage - York River, VA to Stamford, CT - 8/8/02 thru 8/10/02
It was a quiet, peaceful morning when we slipped our lines off the dock at the York River Yacht Haven marina and set off for Stamford.  This was definitely our longest time in one place so far - let alone at a dock.  We were starting to get rather spoiled with all the amenities of dock life - not to mention all the terrific people here.  But it felt good to be moving again.  The wind was perfect so we got in some great sailing in between our naps.  Since this will be a several day trip, we both need to make sure we take naps during the day so we can stay awake when its our watch at night.  The wind held until we turned the corner and went from the Chesapeake into the Atlantic.  So we started off motoring up the coast.  Fred checked in with Herb (the weather router) for our trip.   He said we should have good weather - possibly some northerly winds, but nothing strong.  The only thing out there was tropical storm Christabal.  And he said that if we weren't worried about that, then go for it.  The storm had moved south and out to sea, so we continued on.

Our passage took us up the coast of Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, then into Long Island Sound ending in Stamford, CT.  The trip took a total 59 hours.

Our first night of watches was pretty uneventful.  Unfortunately it was a new moon so it was pretty dark out.  But it was a clear night and with no light pollution, the stars were as bright as ever.  The second night of watches was a different story for me.  I took the 10-2pm shift and boy did I have lots of traffic.  During night watches its very important to keep an eye on the radar in addition to scanning the horizon often.  The radar was beginning to look like poka dots.  Then all the sudden a big blob was right in front of me.   I knew it wasn't land, so it had to be some type of commercial ship.  But trying to figure out where it was going so that I wouldn't run into it or any of the other poka dots out there was nerve racking.  At one point I woke Fred up for a second opinion.  I felt better after he helped decipher what all the dots were.  Boy was I glad when my shift was over.  Fred claims he had it easy after that.  Go figure!

Although we passed Atlantic City, NJ during the day, when nightfall came you could still see the halo produced by all the lights and we were over 20 miles away.  Later in the trip I saw a big black object in the water about 50 yards in front of us.  At first I thought it was some big tractor tire or something, but as we got closer, we saw it was a dead sea turtle.  The shell on this turtle was bigger than our cockpit - no kidding.  But unfortunately it appears that he must have gotten caught up in some lines as they were around his neck and leg.  Very sad - a reminder not to throw anything that will damage the ocean life into the water.

Talk about small worlds, again, as we pulled into NY harbor around 8am we received a call on the VHF radio.  Friends from Sabbatical  were right behind us.  We hadn't seen them since last October in Annapolis.  Caught up quickly on the radio and made plans to hook up with them somewhere later in Long Island Sound.  We passed under the Verranzano bridge, motored towards the Statue of Liberty and there was NY city without the World Trade Center towers.  Very different than the last time we went thru.  A sad feeling came over both of us.  We were a couple hours ahead of schedule and had some time to kill before going thru Hells Gate.  Hells Gate is section of the East River where the river bends and twists thus creating lot of current flows in all directions which could result in some potential hair raising moments if the timing isn't right.  We spent the extra time taking a tour of the Hudson River.  About an hour before the current was due to change we went thru Hells Gate - no problem.  And before you knew it, we were in Long Island Sound.  Then the wind died so we motored the rest of the way to Stamford.  This gave us time to clean the boat.  It had a nice crusty coating of salt on it from the trip.  Fred got out our 1 gallon weed sprayer, filled it with fresh water and gave Early Out's stainless, life lines and hatches a nice fresh water bath. She was looking and feeling a lot better by the time we arrived.
 

New York skyline - very different than the last time thru

We had been keeping Fred's sister Christa posted on our progress.  Shortly after we arrived  we called the Stamford Yacht Club launch to pick us up. We had noticed the schooner Danmark anchored outside the harbor when we come in. The shuttle was busy moving people all dressed up out for tours or some event on the boat. When the shuttle stopped by, it had standing room only and we really didn't want to get too close to any of these fancy dressed people since we hadn't showered in 3 days.  But we were anxious to get to shore so jumped in the middle of the well dressed crowd feeling a little self conscious. Christa, Steve and Ryan came by shortly and whisked us away for a shower and nice meal at their home in Greenwich. How nice it felt to be civilized again.

Unfortunately our refrigeration  thermostat was not quite all back to normal yet so we had to run it manually every 6 hours. This meant we couldn't stay at Christa's house overnight. Not a big problem though, one of their favorite ice cream places was right near the yacht club so we stopped by on our way back. Ryan thought it would be fun to spend the night with us on Early Out so he stayed with us and we stayed up late playing Uno and Skip Bo. Those games can get exciting.

The next morning Christa and Steve joined us and we went for nice sail on Long Island Sound in about 10 knots of wind on a beautiful sunny day. The wind didn't last more than a couple hours, but at least they got to see Early Out in action.

Christa & Ryan

Steve & Fred

We went back to their house for an afternoon of relaxing and eating. It was nice not to be in hurry to go somewhere. After a nice grill out on the deck,  we headed back to the yacht club before the shuttle stopped running.  Said our good-byes and off to the boat. What nice visit.

The next morning before we left we decided to check out the facilities at the Stamford Yacht Club. We both took showers and boy were we impressed. These were by far the nicest showers we have seen in all our travels. A quick trip through the club house gave us a sense of the history of Stamford Harbor and some of the great boats that have come and gone.

Facilities we found at the Stamford Yacht Club:
* Guest moorings are available - $32/night
* Marina provides free launch service
* Pool and tennis courts available
* Wonderful shower facilities
 

Exploring Long Island Sound - 8/12/02 thru 8/18/02
After enjoying one last "real" shower ashore at the yacht club, our plans were to take off for Oyster Bay.  But after receiving a call on the VHF from our friends on Sabbatical, we headed for Eaton's Neck Basin, NY instead to meet up them them.  Only 9 miles later we were there.   It wasn't long after the anchor was down that Jim & Marti came over to catch up over some cocktails.  It was great seeing them again.  Eaton's Neck is a well protected anchorage with good holding.  Its also a great place to swim.  There's a coast guard station there that plays reveille every morning at 6:30am.  So if your not up by then, you will be.  Its all private land so you can't go ashore, but its a nice place to tuck in to for a night or two. There wasn't much wind the next day so we decided to stay and work on some projects.  Fred was working on our wash down pump that conveniently decided to fail right before we had to pull up a very muddy anchor.  I was making bread and experimenting with a few new recipes in the galley.  Unfortunately it appears that the motor on the wash down pump is shot and the whole thing needs to be replaced.  Luckily its still under warranty.

We discovered there was a West Marine in Port Jefferson, NY so that was our next stop.  The bottom is pretty muddy here so we really wanted to get that pump working again.  We arrived in Port Jefferson around 11am.  Had a quick lunch, called West Marine for directions and found they were about 5 miles away - not really within walking distance.  So we loaded the bikes and wash down pump in the dingy and went ashore.  We found West Marine, no problem, and they gladly exchanged the pump.  yea!  Trip back we stopped at a library and a local grocery/deli for some supplies.  Boy were things expensive here, so we didn't stock up too much.  Then back to the boat.  Fred hooked up the pump and it was working again.  yea!

Today we made our way to New London, CT which is where we will hook up with Ron.  He was in the Boston area on business.  He has a friend, Joe, who lives on the Cape and also has his pilot license.  So the two of them are to fly up tomorrow to go sailing for the afternoon.  We're looking forward to seeing him.  We arrived at New London after another enjoyable day of sailing with a little motoring mixed in.  Anchored just off the mooring field and went ashore to find a place for Ron & Joe to meet us.  What do we find right by the dingy dock at Thamesport Marina but a restaurant named Fred's Shanty.  It's an outdoor restaurant - walk up to the window, order what you wannt, then sit on picnic tables overlooking the harbor.  How much better can you get?  And with a name like Fred's Shanty, we had to try it.  I had fish & fries while Fred tried their cheeseburger & onion rings.  yum, yum!  Then we walked around for a while checking out the area. St. Michaels college is there.  Nice campus, but Fred really liked the fact that they had their own set of racing boats.  The next morning I cleaned up the boat while Fred took the dingy ashore in search of a grocery.  Ron & Joe arrived 11am and found Fred's Shanty with no problem - apparently its a well known restaurant.  We had some lunch on the boat while catching up, then off sailing we went.  Unfortunately the winds were pretty light, but we all had fun anyway.  The time passed by too quickly and we had to head back.  Decided to try dropping them off at Avery Point since it appeared to be closer to the airport.   Come to find out later that they were asking a local for directions to the airport and they ended up getting a free ride there.  Such nice people out there!  Then while we were talking with folks at the local yacht club we found there were several complimentary moorings so we definitely took advantage of that.  New London / Avery Point is home to Connecticut College and a U.S. Submarine Base.  While anchored in New London we did see one of the subs come in.  Always a sight to see.

Joe & Ron after a fun afternoon of sailing

We enjoyed New London, but decided to head towards Newport, RI.   Unfortunately after only a couple miles out, the wind died.  We really didn't want to have to motor the rest of the way, so we saw a bunch of masts close to shore, consulted the chart and cruising guide and decided to stop in Stonington, CT instead.  What a great decision.  We found a pretty good anchorage - although the bottom was a mixture of rock & grass.   But the harbor was delightful.  Hosting a mixture of mega yachts to fishing fleets.  There is a small shopping district that includes several restaurants, gifts, art galleries, liquor and antiques.  A small deli called Mothers caught our eye as ice cream was advertised in bold letters.  A lovely older lady waited on us and I enjoyed some mango sorbet while Fred had to try the new flavor of the month - chocolate cherry vanilla.  Stonington, originally a farming community became known in time for its whaling, sealing and shipbuilding.  Today Stonington's heritage is displayed in museums such as the Old Lighthouse Museum.  We took a look inside and enjoyed the many different exhibits - one that caught our attention was on how they made and stored ice.  Makes you appreciate your freezer.

One of the beautifully landscaped  homes along the waterfront in Stonington

The Old Lighthouse Museum - great view from the top

Went for a bike ride the next day around Stonington, then into Mystic.  Ended up being about a 15 mile ride.  Mystic was nice to see.  Didn't stay long because we had to get back.  But we did manage to enjoy some ice cream (what a suprise) by the drawbridge watching boats come and go.  We had to lick really fast though as the ice cream was melting at an alarming rate.

Facilities we found in Stonington:
* Dingy dock available at Dodson Boatyard.
* Laundry and shower facilities also available at Dodson's.  Laundry - $1.50/load
* Marine store at Dodson's - they carry Yanmar parts - phone# 860-535-1507
* Grocery - nice A&P about 3-4 miles outside town on west on route 1.  We rode our bikes - too far to walk really.
* Ice cream - good assortment of flavors at Mothers - on Water St. in town
* Restaurants - several close by
* Church - St. Mary's - Masses:  Sat - 5:30pm; Sun - 8:00 & 10:00am - phone## 860-535-1700
 

Block Island, RI - 8/19/02 -8/21/02

Monday morning we decided to pull up anchor and head for either Newport or Block Island, depending on the wind direction. We got past the rocks between Fisher Island and Watch Hill Point and headed for Block Island. The wind was light but in the right direction to try the spinnaker. Fred setup the chute and it went up with out a hitch.  We had a great sail to Block Island with the spinnaker up most of the way.

Upon arriving at Block Island we called the harbormaster on the VHF to find where we could anchor. He was very polite and told us the boundaries. When we took a look at the anchorage, it covered  half the harbor - boy did we feel silly. After looking around we found a spot and dropped the hook in 30 feet of water. After a nice lunch we relaxed, read and just enjoyed this beautiful summer afternoon. Later we went for a short dinghy ride.  Walked on the beach and were suprised to see so many people there. Hundreds of people enjoying the long beach on the eastern side of Block Island.  Many of the cars parked there had come over on the ferry as they were mostly from New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island.   Block Island has over 17 miles of beaches - no wonder lots of people come here.

As the day went on, the anchorage filled up and up. Pretty soon there were boats anchoring in spots between two boats that were already too close.  I really don't like to be anchored to close to others - especially when the winds are predicted to shift during the night.  So I set my alarm to go off every two hours to check things out. The wind shifted about 90 degrees through the night but no major problems with dragging or getting too close to anyone.  whew!

It was a beautiful morning so we decided to get the bikes out and take a ride around the island.  What a perfect day.  Here's some of the things we saw.

One of the many fresh water ponds we saw
 

The Southeastern Lighthouse - 67 ft tower - still in use today

Block Island is over 11 square miles and its a delightful place to bike.  You can enjoy many great views from the majestic bluffs which overlook the island's southern and northern shores.  The island has over 365 freshwater ponds and one-fourth of the island is designated as preseved open space - no wonder its such a beautiful place.  The island is home to about 851 year-round residents.  Must be some hardy souls as I imagine it gets pretty cold and quiet in the winter months.

Something unique to Block Island is Aldo's bakery.  You can hear Aldo yelling throughout the mooring field and anchorage every morning and evening.  He carries a variety of baked goods on his boat.  If you turn into VHF 68 in the mornings, you can hear all the boaters calling him to find what time he'll be in their area.  We couldn't let an opportunity like this pass us up, so one morning we flagged Aldo down and enjoyed a delicious danish and sticky bun.  yum, yum.  What a great idea he has and people just love it.

Aldo's bakery - delivering baked goods in the morning andd evening
 

Martha's Vineyard, MA  (Edgartown) - 8/22/02 -

Well as much as we were enjoying Block Island, it was time to move on.   The wind prediction was good enough to make the long trip to Martha's Vineyard - approx. 70 miles.  Our trip was a mixture of just about everything.  We started off motoring - especially since we needed to charge the batteries.  Then the winds came up enough to put out the spinnaker - Fred's favorite sail.  We enjoyed that for a number of hours.  But the winds were increasing and as soon as we started seeing close to 20 knots, it was time to take it down.  It was still downwind, so we sailed wing & wing for a while.  The current was a good 2 knots against us.  So even though our boat speed was good, we weren't making as much headway as we would have liked.  But that's current for you.   Sometimes it helps you while other times it doesn't.   By the time we made the turn towards Edgartown the winds had picked up to 20 plus.  Now it was more of a beam to close reach sail.  So down came the genoa and out came the staysail to finish our trip.  What a day of sail and weather changes.  Going from almost no wind to over 20.  whew!   The only disappointment of the trip was fishing.  We trolled a line behind the boat the whole time and all we caught was weeds - or weed bass - as my dad calls them.  So no fresh fish this time.

The next day was more of the same.  Winds 15-20 knots all day with some on and off drizzling mixed in.  It was quite cooler as well so we hunkered down for the day.  Fred briefly ventured in to town to get the lay of the land.  I decided to stay warm and dry on the boat.  George (our wind generator) loves days like this.  He's been pumping in anywhere from 5-8 amps consistently which has been quite enough to keep up with the refrigeration and keep us fully charged.  I just love it when George is happy!

I had a successful event to celebrate.  Tried my hand at growing alpha sprouts from seeds and it worked!  It was pretty easy.   After the initial soaking of the seeds overnight, you just have to remember to rinse them twice a day and 4 days later, whola, you have wonderful, fresh alpha sprouts to enjoy.  We've been putting them on salads, sandwiches, etc.   Growing them went better than I originally thought, so I'll probably experiment with some other type of seeds and who knows...

Debbie showing off her first batch of growing Alpha sprouts from seeds

The sun came out we decided to head ashore to explore.  Edgartown has shops after shops alongside dozens of historical buildings nestled beside a picturesque harbor.   We also enjoyed the many art galleries displaying a wide variety of talent that has come to the island over time.  There are also numerous beaches in the area one can enjoy.   We really enjoyed our walks around this classic New England colonial town.

One of the many beautiful homes that line the harbor in Edgartown.
One could have a full time job just washing all the windows in some of these homes!

After church we did a little exploring on the VTA (bus).  We thought we were heading for Vineyard Haven, but the bus stopped in Oak Bluffs instead.  No problem.  We just explored Oak Bluffs instead.  Enjoyed a terrific grilled swordfish sandwich at the Island House restaurant.  It's located on the main street and we found a table outside so we could do lots of people watching over lunch.  Always fun!   Oak Bluffs is smaller than Edgartown, but it has lots of charm, shops, and houses along the well protected harbor.   We checked out some shops and I was lucky to find a nice straw hat.   After  we had our fill of walking around, we got on the bus (the right one) and headed back to Edgartown.

Fred enjoying lunch at the Island House Inn & Restaurant in Oak Bluffs

Another beautiful day was forecasted so we got the bikes out and rode into Vineyard Haven.  They have excellent paths here which makes riding around even better.   We arrived in Vineyard Haven and although they say its the largest and busiest of the island harbors, we prefer Oak Bluffs and Edgartown.  We checked out several of the shops - even ran into a couple guys from Akron, OOhio who run a bike rental shop here during the summer months and travel abroad during the winter.  Not a bad life at all.  After touring Vineyard Haven we rode over to Oak Bluffs, enjoyed our delicious packed lunch along the waterfront and rode back to Edgartown.   It was a fun day - you couldn't have asked for a better place to bike.  But it was time to get back to the boat, jump in the water to cool down, then shower off.
 

Facilities we found in Martha's Vineyard (Edgartown):
* Dingy dock in Edgartown is next to the yacht club
* You can take a bus (the VTA) to different towns on Martha's Vineyard - i.e. Oak Bluffs.  Cost is $2/person each way
* Library - on Water street close to the marinas.  Internet access available.
* Grocery - nice A&P about a 15 minute walk up main street.
* Church - St. Elizabeth's - Sat - 4pm; Sun - 8:30, 10 & 11:30am - 508-693-0342
* Bike paths - great bike paths around the island!  Lots of places to rent bikes if you don't have any on board.
* Laundry - none available - atleast not anywhere accessible for boaters.  Apparently there's a place on Airport road, but apparently you never know when its closed due to water shortage, etc.