Crew Log for October 7th, 2022
Trip Summary:
Stratford / Milford, Connecticut to Port Jefferson, NY
Trip Distance of 18.3 NM, Total Distance To-Date of 1,086.2 NM
Departed at 0900 hours and arrived at 1300 hours
I promised myself that this blog was not going to be all sunshine, rainbows and champagne sailing. This adventure is hard. Whether it is just trying to accomplish simple things like buying milk or gas or getting a shower, or more complicated tasks like dealing with strong winds and tidal currents or doing boat repairs, everything is harder to do on a boat than it is on land. We try to stay positive and we work really well together, which is important when you have a day like we did leaving Milford / Stratford.
I introduced Ned, Jane’s friend in our last post. We really enjoyed our time with Ned and Jane, and appreciated the local knowledge. Ned had warned us that the current on the river was really strong, particularly where we were given the river narrowed around the Hamilton St. Bridge. We were tied to the transient dock on the outside of Dock C (closest to the bridge) and in the morning the current was running hard, up the river, which meant we would be fighting it again to leave.
The bridge opens on demand, but only between 9:00 am and 4:30 pm. We casually waited until 9:00, then called the bridge and requested an opening. Again, there was a slight delay as they moved equipment off the bridge, but they were happy to accommodate us.
The transient dock is a long dock, big enough to side tie two boats. As with most docks down here, it is a floating dock that moves up and down on large posts, on either end, and another in the middle. In the middle of the dock on the outer edge, there is a white service stanchion that houses a light, electrical hook ups and water taps. It’s about 3 feet high and a foot or so square.
As we pulled away, the current kept forcing into the dock. As the boat went by the service stanchion, our fender caught on the water and turned it on, resulting in a stream of water shooting across the dock. The next thing I know, the dinghy, which we hang off the back, caught the top of the service stanchion and knocked it over. Meanwhile, while all this is going on, the bridge is hailing us to make our way through the opened bridge, while the current pushed us dangerously close to “B” Dock in front of us. The image of water shooting out and a toppled over service stanchion, as we chaotically dodged B Dock and made our way against the current to the bridge, will forever be etched in my memory.
Getting back on the dock would be next to impossible with the current running. And, given the construction on the bridge, I was doubtful that they would be near as accommodating if we passed on this opportunity. I immediately called the marina. I frantically explained my situation, only to realize, I called the wrong marina. When I eventually called the Dockside Marina, I got a voice mail that gave me the option to make an online reservation for the restaurant or enquire about their hours.
I eventually got through on email and someone called me back. I explained what had happened. They were very nice about it and apologized for the situation and for us not to worry. I did stress to them that someone needed to go down and turn the water tap off! My heart still racing, we had to turn our attention to dealing with the incoming current on Housatonic River.
Our reward, as if we deserved a reward, was a beautiful beam reach sail across Long Island Sound. It was a warm sunny day, winds were westerly, 10 – 15 knots. Ned also warned us about the ferry traffic in and out of Port Jefferson. Rather than try to share the narrow harbor entrance with the ferry, we circled around on the outside until our course was clear. Once inside, we picked up a mooring ball just off the town dock.
Port Jeff, is a very busy tourist town. We were here late in the season, but there still seemed to be a lot of people coming and going on the ferry. There were lots of restaurants, bars, ice cream parlors and tea shops. And other than a comic book shop, there were no bookstores in Port Jeff and we didn’t find a grocery store. After a walk around town, we stopped at the Port Jeff Brewing Company for a glass of “Nauti IPA” (just OK) and an “Apple Pie Selzer” (very good), before heading back to the boat.
Judy spent the rest of the afternoon stitching the dodger and applying some waterproofing, while I watched the kids from the local school sailing club and the yacht club negotiate through the mooring field on sailing dinghies. A boat from New Brunswick (sv Nerea) arrived in the evening and appeared to be singled handed. As several other boats came in for the night, one boat radioed the Port Jeff Yacht Club and asked to tie up on their dock for free under a reciprocal agreement between Yacht Clubs. I chuckled when the Yacht Club responded with, “the only reciprocal agreement is that you pay for everything, so the dock will cost you US$4 per foot”.
It was a quiet night until about 0400 hours, when the wind shifted and the mooring field got very rough. I was grateful however we hadn’t shelled out US$132 for a transient slip at the Yacht Club, since the wind was pounding boats side on into the dock. It calmed a bit by 0600, but the cooler temperatures and rain were back. Again!
We were headed towards New York City down the Long Island side of the Sound and were really hoping for a better start than we had the day before in Stratford.
But, more about that, next time.
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