Day 4 - Wed 1 Jun 2016
Moored – Port Jefferson, NY

[photo: a shot of Diva Di and crew on a mooring in Port Jefferson Harbor]

We had quite a few hours of rest last night, so awaking at 0445 was not a problem. I made coffee and then checked the tidal current status for our continuation westward only to find that I had failed to note the timing very well. In order to not have to fight a 3-4 kt current at the famous Race, a region where the current is magnified, we would have to leave ASAP.

I gently asked the Admiral if she wanted to leave now or wait until this afternoon and she said now. We had the anchor up and we were underway by 0545. It was truly a glorious day with light winds at our back and almost flat seas the entire way, discounting a few wakes from other vessels. Being early in the season and a weekday, we saw very few boats out there.

Running at high speed, we made it through The Race before the current switched, and then had one more hour before things would be against us. All the high speed operation brought us low on fuel, so I headed for Westbrook, CT to fill up. Diesel is higher than last year, but at just over $3 per gallon, it is not too onerous.

It was only 0930 and while we could have anchored right there behind the Duck Island breakwater, we elected to go another 3.5 hours to get to Port Jefferson. We went high speed again and I kept telling myself it was good to gain confidence in that pesky port engine after the couple of fixes I had the yard make in the fall. It proved to be fine in all respects except for using more oil than it should.

So, by 1300 we were on a mooring ball. The chili had cooked in the crockpot, but since we were here, we decided go ashore for something different. In the meantime, I called to remind my mother’s ALF, and my mother (she forgot, of course), about her doctor appointment tomorrow. Within 30 minutes I got a call from the doctor’s office that she had an emergency and had to cancel. Fortunately, I could get another doctor in the practice to see her, since arranging for transportation is not a casual thing.

After cleaning up, we used the launch service to go ashore mid-afternoon for a walk (first time off the boat in 3.5 days). We finished the walk at Tommy’s Place where we had visited the last time and had a beer and appetizers for our early supper. On the walk back, we bought a fruit-filled crumb cake for breakfast.

The launch operator was very congenial and offered to take a lot of photos of us on deck with my phone. When he came alongside again, we invited him to tour Diva Di as he was very interested.

The rest of the evening was quiet and beautiful. We plan a very short day tomorrow to anchor inside Eaton’s Neck near a beach.