Day 89 - Henderson Harbor, NY
25 June 2015
Day 89 - Wed 24 Jun 2015
Docked - Henderson Harbor, NY
[photo: Don and Pam Brandt with Duane and Diane holding the PGIslanders Cruising Club burgee from our Punta Gorda club of which we 4 are members]
We were up at 0500 as planned and the weather looked good. Although the flag at the top of the tall building across the river was standing straight out, the ones on our boat were limp. I texted Robert on Ariel that it looked good to go and he agreed.
Both boats cast off at 0600 and we motored slowly up the short section of the river to the breakwater protecting Oswego from the sea state in the lake. We expected it to be rough for the first bit, and it was, but not too bad. As we got into deeper water and away from shore, the sea state was much calmer and we had 1 foot winds waves on top of 2 feet of swell.
During the 3.5 hours it took to get to the edge of Lake Ontario, the waves got progressively smaller and more comfortable. By the time we were navigating into Henderson Bay, it was absolutely gorgeous, with mostly sunny skies and light winds. Don Brandt was waiting for us at the Henderson Bay Yacht Club to guide us in and greet us. We introduced Ariel to Don and Pam and made a plan for the day.
After our tour of the facility, Don and Pam left to attend to other matters, but said they would come back near 1500 to take us all on a ride in their van and show us around. In the meantime, Ariel and we each separately took our bikes for a ride along the road right next to the bay waterfront. There were many marine facilities and fishing guides, a few closed bars/restaurants, and some lovely homes up on the steep hillside.
Back at the YC, we took showers and got ready for Don and Pam. They piled us all ino their van and we set off on a driving tour of the area. We were all appreciative of how pretty and green it was here, with lots of rolling hills. We stopped at a special park donated by a family that was greatly involved in training dogs. It was about a half mile walk down a gravel road to get to a place where you could see the limestone bluffs that make up the topography here.
The day was perfect in terms of temperature, sun, and humidity, and everyone enjoyed the outing tremendously. The last stop was the beautiful homestead that had been in Don's family for a long time and which they expanded with a great addition. Inside the huge garage, Don's antique wooden Chris Craft runabout with an inboard engine sat as if on display. He also had some homemade ice boats (sailing craft with runners for racing on the frozen lake waters) hanging from the rafters.
We got a photo of Don, Pam and us holding the PGIslanders burgee showing "where our flag flies" for the club website. After cocktails and snacks, Pam served up a wonderfully tasty chicken stew and some absolutely fabulous homemade focaccia bread with which to sop up the sauce. We all want that recipe!
It was almost 2100 when we got back to the YC and there was still plenty of light. Lucy and Clyde each got their time ashore, although separately, of course, and then it was time for a great night's sleep. Tomorrow, we plan to move a short distance to Sackett's Harbor.