Long Island and New England

So tempted to linger in New York, we nonetheless pressed on through the East River and Hell Gate, past Riker’s Island, and La Guardia Airport, and entered Long Island Sound, a veritable sailor’s paradise.  So many harbors to visit and so many of them historic places dating back to the 1600’s.  We entered Manhasset Bay just west of the Throg’s Neck Bridge and moored overnight in Port Washington, NY.

We then sailed along the northern shore of Long Island Sound to New Haven, CT.  From there we sailed east to Fisher’s Island and anchored on its north coast.  The next day we carefully made our way east in a fog and sailed for Block Island and entered the harbor in the early afternoon.  We met up with our friends, Rich and Kathy, who had arrived there from northern ports the day before.  We spent a day visiting with them, took the launch into the marina, walked into the town and dined at a good restaurant.  Back to the boat at 9:30 PM where we expected to tolerate a rocky anchorage because of the high winds.  At midnight, night I was awakened by rain and a howling wind.  I climbed into the cockpit and started the engine in case the anchor was dragging in the 25 knot winds.  For about an hour there were anxious moments as I checked and rechecked our position.  Eventually the frothing seas subsided for which I thanked God for his grace in sparing us.  Our strong ground tackle properly deployed was worth the investment. 

We pressed on the next day and took refuge in a very peaceful anchorage at Hadley Harbor on Naushon Island off Buzzard’s Bay, Massachusetts. 

Off again the next day to the 17 mile Cape Cod Canal and then into Cape Cod Bay on a blustery afternoon bound for Plymouth, MA.  We toured the town and the famed “Rock” but were most impressed with the National Monument to our Forefathers.  Ironically, this memorial to liberty, 81 feet tall, located in a residential neighborhood is off the usual tourist path.  But more than worth it as we were treated to a video clip of the story behind the monument and what it represents. 

Despite an unfavorable forecast, we chose to press on the next day.  Our friends, Chip and Valerie, were flying in from California on Friday, August 30 to meet us in Boston.  Our goal was to get there several days before their arrival so we could have work done on the Fantasea while she was in a marina.  We set out on a rainy and windy morning from Plymouth Harbor and, once we reached the entrance to the inlet, turned north, hoisted the reefed mainsail and headsail.  The wind in the 20’s was strong enough to propel us forward at 8 knots under sail.  For the next 3 hours, even as the rain subsided, the swells increased, and we struggled to keep Fantasea under control in the heavy winds.  We finally reached Scituate, entered the harbor and grabbed a mooring with a sigh of relief.  We stayed in the harbor for the next day and a half until the weather was more favorable.  In the meantime, we enjoyed the amenities in this historic town and provisioned for the next leg of our journey. 

Boston

Boston has been referred to as the Cradle of American Liberty and it has a well deserved reputation.  Here John Adams, Samuel Adams, and other early leaders in the fight for independence from England, developed the principles of self-government that would be incorporated in the Declaration of Independence. 

What joy as we entered this magnificent harbor and moored near the downtown financial district!  We had finally made it after sailing from Miami over 6 months ago.  Our goal, as we originally contemplated it, was to sail from Miami to Boston and back and visit as much of the historic East Coast.  We really had no idea if we would even make it to Boston much less consider a return to South Florida over the ensuing six months.

 

When Chip and Valerie arrived, we spent several days on the Freedom Trail, dined at Joseph Warren’s Tavern from the Revolutionary War era, and were awed by the Bunker Hill Monument.  A trip to Boston would not be complete without a tour of the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned ship in the American Navy.  Recalling the days when ships were made of wood and men of iron, Old Ironsides still amazes us with its formidable 53 gun arsenal. 

On a rainy night we made our way over to the Old Colony Yacht Club in South Boston where we were greeted warmly by the Commodore and the club members who were not only happy to exchange burgees with us but would not permit us to pay for our dinner and drinks!  Such is the bond between yachtsmen who sojourn from afar.