Sun 29 Jul 2012
On free mooring ball in Manhasset Bay, NY
The winds died down overnight and it was a very pleasant sleep until about 0430 when Duane couldn't sleep anymore. Diane got up around 0520 and we got underway a little earlier than planned, at 0540, with a hint of the dawn light filtering through the solid overcast. The flooding tide slowed our speed heading out the channel (with a large barge coming in, by the way), but once out in open water we had both the current and a nice sailing wind carrying us along.
We motor-sailed at an average of about 6.5 knots for most of the way until the wind died down and the current turned against us near the end of our 6 hour run. We had a little excitement at that point; a shrieking sound started emanating from the engine compartment. I quickly slowed the engine and had Diane take the wheel. I opened up the engine cover (not a simple, quick task) and identified the sound as the alternator fan striking something. I had her shut down the engine and then climbed back on deck to set the sail again. We had to adjust course to be able to sail, but at least we had control of the boat.
I inspected the alternator and quickly discovered that the lower bolt had backed out and the alternator had shifted a fraction of an inch. It was a simple matter to reinsert the bolt and ensure it was well tightened. After restarting the engine, all was well and we were both relieved that it was such a simple fix.
We continued on into Manhasset Bay where we stopped for fuel ($5.00 per gallon!) and water. We are still averaging just under 10 statute miles per gallon of fuel and under 6 gallons of water per day (not counting the leak the other day). We next grabbed a free town mooring ball and then relaxed. After that, the dinghy was lowered, we cleaned up our grubby selves, and headed into town with the dinghy. First stop was the main town dock to dispose of some trash.
Unlike our first visit here, we did not combine the shopping with a bike ride, so this time we located a great town pier right across from the Stop n' Shop supermarket. There was also a liquor store to get more wine and a nice Italian restaurant where we got take out linguini with white clam sauce and eggplant parmigiana for tonight's supper. Overall, this is a very nice place to pull in for reprovisioning.
After being up so early, we felt a nap was in order before supper. The portions of the take-out meals were much larger than anticipated, so we package the clam sauce pasta for another night and just ate the eggplant and spaghetti, but even that proved to be twice as much as we could eat. Having sampled both dishes, we can say they are really good. Being this close to New York City, I suppose we should not be surprised to get good Italian food.
We put up our rabbit ear antenna and watched well over an hour of the Olympics and some "color" about its host country of England. Then the cockpit was calling us in the fading light so we sat up there with Clyde and some beverages. It was amazing how many light and commercial aircraft we spotted to our W in just over a half hour, but there are quite a number of airports over there.
Tomorrow, we leave at 0700 to have the strong tidal current with us the whole way through the infamous Hell Gate, then the East River, then the Upper and Lower NY Bays. We expect to anchor again at Sandy Hook, NJ.
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Comments [3]
Also, re my earlier stern anchor suggestion: you don't always have to completely set it. Sometimes you can literally just drop it off the stern, once you're in the right position, so it's hitting the bottom and will keep you in position to avoid having the waves on the beam. A bridle sometimes works, too.
Sat 28 Jul 2012
Anchored in Port Jefferson, NY
When we first arrived at the anchorage, the wind went calm and it got warm pretty fast, especially for Duane in the galley. By the time we finished supper and took a warm shower in the cockpit, the air had chilled and our wet skin made Duane comfortable and Diane freezing. It was a good thing that all the captains in the anchorage left a lot of room between boats because in the very light air of the early morning, the current eddies around the breakwater had boats pointed in all directions of the compass.
Again, we had to await the earliest time that we could realistically depart (1100) due to the current in the sound. Not all sailors care enough about the current to modify their schedule, but for us it can make the difference of being underway 5 hours or 7 hours. When you are motoring, that is two more hours of time on the engine, fuel burned, and listening to the noise.
As expected, we had a somewhat foul current until about 1400, but the SE wind was strong enough to help us along on our WSW course, so we maintained a decent speed. When the current began flowing in our favor, we were making good time until the wind went light due to the nearby thunderstorms. We were very fortunate that we had just a little rain and no winds of concern for the entire passage, until the very end, that is. As we entered the channel at Port Jefferson and turned into the NW anchorage, it started raining pretty hard and gusting to 25 knots or so.
The hardest part of anchoring was choosing a spot. The charted depths were so different than reality that it was laughable. We had 30 feet of water where the chart reported 6. The charted depths of 8-12 feet would have been nice, but we wound up anchoring in 27 feet of water, meaning we have a lot more chain out than usual. We are plenty far enough from everyone else, so we feel secure.
Supper tonight was a mix of healthy and not: pan-seared tilapia, snow peas, and homemade macaroni and cheese. When you don't anchor until after 1700, it seems that you have little time to relax, but tonight was different in that we had supper eaten and cleaned up in short order, and enjoyed an hour of TV (Joey Bishop show and the Beverly Hillbillies, which speaks to both the content availability and our age).
The rain continued until almost 2000, with Duane reading (mostly dry) in the cockpit under the Bimini and Diane doing puzzles in the V-berth. The rain has washed away all the salt from the boat and dinghy, and the winds were never a threat, so life is good.
We have consulted the current information and decided that it would be best to leave around 0600 tomorrow. That will give us fair current for the first half of the run and minimally foul current for the last half. It will, most importantly, allow us to get moored and dinghy to get some provisions prior to tackling the NJ shoreline.
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Fri 27 Jul 2012
Anchored off Duck Island, Westbrook, CT
It was still blowing in the morning, but after forcing ourselves to just relax until 1100, we weighed the anchor and headed to the fuel dock at Payne's to top of our water tanks (2 of which were emptied accidentally due to my error). We got outside the channel by 1130 and had the wind on our nose, as expected. We also had large ocean swells coming from the SSW that were easily 6 or more feet high, but they came at such a long period that it wasn't too uncomfortable. Once in a while the roll we experienced would be ill-timed for the next swell and then we would "really" roll.
The current predictions by both Eldridge and our C-MAP chartplotter software are obviously not always very accurate, because where they predicted we would have about 0.5 knots of fair (beneficial) current, we obviously had none or even a slight foul current. We knew we could not go too long, however, before the current's help would become apparent.
There was rain on the CT shore mid-afternoon, but we had no bad weather at all. Once we got W of Montauk, the ocean swell started dying and then the wind did, too. Having read about the way the water reacts to its movement through The Race, we were not surprised, but still fascinated by the standing waves and swirls that we witnessed for almost a mile.
As we neared "The Race," we finally started seeing some significant benefit and at one point gained almost 4 knots over our standard motoring speed. Overall, we averaged just over 7 statute miles per hour, which was not too bad, so our 49 mile run took just about 7 hours. This is not necessarily a long day to some, but not getting anchored until 1830 is not our preference.
As soon as the anchor was set, we got out the fixings for the pizza that we had prepared in the morning. It didn't take long for the oven to heat and cook our flatbread pizza. Diane had made a salad for us, and with some nice wine, it was a tasty feast.
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Thu 26 Jul 2012
Anchored in Great Salt Pond, Block Island, RI
[photo: dinghies at the edge of the pond near the beach access]
When the wind was howling through the wee hours, it occurred to both of us independently that maybe it would be best just to stay another day. We have done plenty of uncomfortable passages, and there was no urgent need to do another one right now. So, when light started filling the cabin at dawn, I finally verbalized the thought and Diane readily agreed. It will likely be cloudy all day and we will definitely have rain and strong winds in a while, but better here than "out there."
According to cruising guides and other cruisers, one of the attractions in the Great Salt Pond is Aldo, the Italian baker, who comes out in his red skiff named Andiamo to pedal his tasty offerings. There are several types of yummy pastries and even bacon and egg sandwiches available (until they run out, of course). I hailed him over to the boat around 0730 when he was in our section of the anchorage and bought a cinnamon roll and cheese Danish. It was not nearly as healthy a breakfast as our typical multi-grain cereal with fresh fruit, or even the weekly multi-grain toast with scrambled eggs, but it sure was a great special treat. Aldo comes around in the evening with Stromboli and other, too.
Today was one of the first days where we stayed on the boat and just relaxed with our books all day. It was overcast almost all day so the beach would not have been especially pleasant. After a brief happy hour, however, we decided to brave the choppy water and take the dinghy back to The Oar for supper. This time we had a fabulous meal , reprising the delicious clam chowder and trying their sushi. It was a bit pricy, but excellent. Diane raved that her shrimp tempura sushi roll was the tastiest sushi she had ever eaten. We finished up with their famous mudslide as our dessert beverage and enjoyed that, too.
While sipping on the mudslide, Diane started a conversation with the couple at the next table. They are boaters, too, but apparently the wife is not as enthusiastic about boating as her husband. When they found out we were cruising together for 4 months straight, she was shocked and he was envious.
The ride back to the Diva Di was downwind and quite dry and comfortable. We relaxed in the cockpit with Clyde for a long while and then it was time for bed.
With apologies to friends whose advice and info we have solicited, we have decided to make up our lost day by traveling to Westbrook for an overnight stop, then to Port Jefferson, then Manhasset Bay, and then through New York to Sandy Hook on Monday.
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Wed 25 Jul 2012
Anchored in Great Salt Pond, Block Island, RI
[photo: view from top of bluff]
The last entry for yesterday's blog mentioned the dead calm after sunset. Well, the wind came back with authority and Duane was up checking the anchor and our position relative to the other boats. I wasn't the only one, as I saw several other captains on their foredecks with flashlights. It may have reached 20 knots for a while with a few higher gusts, but we stayed put on our 45 pound Delta anchor and all-chain rode.
The post-dawn sky was gorgeous, bright and clear, and blowing 10-15 knots with a crisp coolness that we (well, Duane) will soon miss as we head S. After a hearty breakfast to start the day, however, we noted that we had no water coming out of the faucet and worse, could not hear the pump running. This was not good. Last evening, we had switched tanks to one of our total of three when the current one had run out. We were a bit surprised it had run out, to be frank, but did not take any action at that time.
First, why was the pump not running? Touching it revealed it was really hot and I suspected (if we were lucky) it might just be off due to an internal thermal overload protection circuit. Even then, what made it so hot? There was nothing left to do but let it cool with the switch off, and 45 minutes later when the switch was turned on, the pump tried to run. So far, so good.
I opened the valve to the one tank we knew was full and when the faucet was opened, we had water as normal. Closing the faucet, the pump cycled on for about 2 seconds every 10 seconds. That was a major leak, but there was none near the pump. That's when I remembered we had used the stern shower, and when your hands are wet, it is not easy to get the valves turned all the way off. Sure enough, one was still cracked open. Once it was tightly closed, the pump stayed off and I buttoned everything back up.
Of course, we are now down to one-third of our tank water supply, so we will have to go back to the dock and pay the nominal $4 to top them off before we leave tomorrow. Aggravating as the episode was, it was only user error and not another systems failure to contend with. Having to await the opening of the fuel dock will not be a problem since the current will dictate that we leave near noon anyway.
Once the water pump problem was solved, we called to arrange for a taxi tour and pick-up at the dinghy dock near Crescent Beach. Polly was our driver/tour guide and her family goes back many hundreds of years on the island. It was a very interesting tour, and one filled with scenic beauty on this most gorgeous of days. In a few places, there were overlooks on the bluffs and the visibility was limited only by the curvature of the earth.
The downtown area is very charming and we can see why so many people take the various ferries here for the day and weeklong vacations. The airport is also nice, with a fairly new terminal, and a short hop from many places in the northeast.
After paying for the tour, we got back in the dinghy and got ourselves ready for a few hours on the beach. It was crowded, as expected, but we had a wonderful time there. The water was refreshingly cool for Duane after sitting in the blazing sun. Once chilled after being in the 68F water for a half hour and lying on his towel in wet trunks and shirt, it took a long while before he was hot again. Diane, very much enjoyed her time there, as expected.
We got back to Diva Di around supper time and pan-browned some turkey hot dogs, served with sauerkraut, and the leftover chicken jambalaya. It was surely tasty enough after a busy day.
Part of Duane's early day was spent perusing current tables and diagrams to determine when they could and could not easily make passages for the next week. The current in Long Island Sound, although only very strong in certain areas, is significant enough to influence our travel times. For the next few days, we should logically be starting to move no earlier than 1100 to 1300, getting later each successive day. That will be contrary to our preferred schedule of sailing in the morning and having from 1500 to the end of the day to unwind and/or explore ashore.
We will most likely get to our destination and relax aboard, and then decide if we want to go ashore in the morning or just bide our time until we move again. Since we will be, by practicality if not necessity, visiting many of the same ports we saw on the way north, we may elect to stay aboard. Only by following this blog will you know for sure!
[Early Thu morning news: The winds are howling and it will be a very uncomfortable passage W from here today, so we will use discretion and stay another day.]
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Tue 24 Jul 2012
Anchored in Great Salt Pond, Block Island, RI
[photo: wall view from our table at "The Oar"]
Duane awoke just before dawn well rested, and the air was still cool enough to enjoy a hot coffee, despite the high humidity. The humidity was so high, in fact, that there was a light, but significant fog. There was a tense moment when I thought we had left our camera with Dan and Sharon, but after Diane awoke, she assured me that she had been very diligent about keeping our stuff together and ready to take with us.
Before we could leave, there was the small task of installing the snap-ring on the wheel shaft and then mounting the wheel. That went without a hitch and then when the dinghy was hoisted and strapped, we weighed the anchor and left at 0750. We knew the tidal current predictions and the wind forecast and sure enough we had both against us for a while. Then the current shifted from abeam, but the wind was "on the nose" the whole 28 miles. We had some large waves that were not comfortable, and we had to motor the whole way, but despite that we made it to the harbor in well under 5 hours.
Getting fuel, however, proved to be interesting as we hailed the first marina (one of only 2 selling fuel) and they said to come to the fuel dock. We said there wasn't enough room and he said to wait until those boats were finished fueling and then come in. We circled for 10 minutes and there was no one at either boat, and no fueling was happening, so we left. The other marina didn't answer the radio at all, so we came in ourselves, but at least we finally got fuel and topped off our tanks with water.
Feeling emboldened by our very satisfactory anchoring in Newport, I decided to see if there was room in the shallower anchorage and found a nice spot in 10 feet of water at high tide, meaning we would have 7 at low. This allowed us to only put out 70 feet of chain and still be very secure. The reason for the "emboldened" comment is that most of the good spots are taken up by private and rental moorings and what is left for anchoring is usually too deep or too shallow or has bad holding.
After resting on the boat for an hour to check our anchor holding, we got the dinghy down and headed due E to the pond side of a narrow strip of land by Crescent Beach. There were already 30-40 dinghies there, but there was plenty of room.
After a short stroll across the road, we were on medium brown sand that had the feel of fine dirt. The beach was pretty crowded, and one can only imagine what it is like on a weekend or holiday. Once we picked a little spot, Diane got into her chair and read, while Duane headed right for the surf. I have to say that of all the beaches where I have been in the water up to my waist or more, this had the finest, cleanest sand bottom of all. There were no shell fragments, no seaweed, no rocks, no sudden troughs; it was just pure, smooth sand. The water was cool for Duane (about 67F) and Diane would not even touch it, but there were many people enjoying it.
The sun was out but not overly strong and the wind served to keep you from getting too warm (letting you burn all the easier, of course). It was delightful except for the occasional green-head flies that would bite me. Diane proved again to be immune. We left after a few hours and moving against the wind-driven chop got us pretty wet. The stern shower was handy to get residual sand and all the salt off of us with some warm, soapy water and then change into dry clothes.
We got back in the dinghy for a longish ride across "the pond" to eat at the famous restaurant bar, The Oar. At the dinghy dock, we had to climb over other dinghies due to the crowd, but that's just the way it is. Our clam chowder was superb, and the burgers were pretty good. With the reasonable prices and terrific view, it was a very pleasant experience. They are known for their killer Mudslide drinks, but neither of us was in the mood for one tonight.
Back on Diva Di, the wind had shifted by 150 degrees, but we were still positioned well with the other boats. The sunset was pretty behind the cloud cover, and we hope the dead calm does not mean a warm night.
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Glad our cruise is bringing back memories and getting you primed for being back at sea.
