Sept 1
We have to get our Sag Harbor tourism done today, since the remnants of Tropical Storm Ernesto will be here tomorrow. So, after coffee and breakfast, we went to shore about 09:30. We walked up Main St a few blocks to the Sag Harbor Whaling museum. The museum is in an old house, and was nowhere near as formal or complete as the one in Nantucket, but it was still nice. I'm not sure what the connection was, but there was also an exhibit about the history of tattooing. I guess the tie in was that early explorers and whaling ships encountered tattoos in the South Pacific where they apparently began. In a series of panels depicting a timeline of the history of tattoos, was mention of the 1977 Jimmy Buffett song Margaritaville mentioning a tattoo. I'm not sure that would be historically significant if Jimmy didn't live near here.
From the Whaling Museum, we went next door to the old Custom's House. Sag Harbor was a designated port of entry into the United States, and therefore had a man appointed to assess the customs duties on incoming ships. This function was actually performed from his residence, which has been restored as a museum and contains many of the original furnishings from the late 1700's.
From here we walked a couple of blocks to the Old Whalers Church. Adjacent to the church, but not really related to it is the old town burial ground. The graves here date from the early 1700's to the last person buried here in 1870. A block from the cemetery we found the Sag Harbor Fire Museum. Sag Harbor boasts of having the oldest volunteer fire department in New York State. The small museum is staffed by a department volunteer and is normally self guided. However, since we just happened to arrive at the same time as half a dozen other folks, he decided to give us a little speech about what we were looking at and the history of the department. You could tell he liked having an excuse to tell the stories.
Next we walked back to the waterfront park which overlooks the marina where Jimmy Buffett's boats are kept. It's also where all the mega yachts that come here dock. We got several pictures of the boats. Jimmy's sailboat, named Chill, has a teal hull and what appears to be a wooden mast and boom. In reality, it is a new Hinckley and the mast and boom are disguised as being wood, when in fact they are modern composite materials. On the next dock, was Jimmy's sportfish, named Last Mango, also with a teal hull. A couple boats away was Billy Joel's boat Alexa. We also got a picture of a mega yacht with a small SUV on deck. We have seen many that carry good sized power boats, small sailboats, jet skis, scooters, and even a golf cart, but I think this was the first car we've seen on one. We had to laugh at a couple of the mega yacht names. When we got here, Bad Girl was docked right next to Blind Date. And, Blind Date's tender was named Second Date. There is also one named Tooth Fairy. Wonder how many teeth you have to put under your pillow to get one of those.
We went to The Corner Bar again for lunch. Even though we got there after 13:00, it was quite crowded. After lunch we walked up Main St. again. We stopped in a book store, and toured both the Ace and True Value hardware stores. Both hardware stores carry a small selection of marine supplies also. We actually picked up a couple of items we needed. We finally headed back to the boat about 17:00.
The wind is picking up quite a bit and is blowing between fifteen and twenty knots. The forecast if for twenty-five to thirty overnight and through tomorrow, with rain starting after midnight. We went ahead and raised the dinghy so it wouldn't be bouncing around in the rough water, took down the flags so they wouldn't get torn up, and made sure nothing was loose that could blow off the decks. Late in the evening we also shut off the wind generator since it was blowing too hard for it. It reaches a point where it overheats and then freewheels to cool down. It doesn't hurt it to do this, but the noise when it is freewheeling is very annoying. So, we shut it down and put a bungee cord around the blades so it won't turn at all.
GPS N 41-00.443 W 072-17.867 Nautical miles traveled today 0. Total miles 6140.
Sept 2
Today's log will be short. We are holed up on the boat weathering the storm. As of this morning, Ernesto is technically gone, but you can't tell that here. We have had winds in the twenty-five to thirty-five knot range all day. That's roughly thirty-five mph. The highest gust I saw was thirty-nine knots. Even though we are inside the breakwater, the waves have been as high as three feet at one point. We are on a mooring, so we aren't worried about dragging, but we still bounce around extremely. We almost had waves breaking over the bow as we bounced at one point. Behind us there was a large fancy center-console inflatable tied to a mooring that broke loose mid-afternoon. It's now over on the rocks near the shore. I can't tell from here if it's getting damaged or not. Other than the weather, there is nothing to tell. I have found that since we are not underway and I have no immediate responsibilities to deal with, I enjoy taking the cat's lead and just staying in bed under the covers all day. The boat has been bouncing around enough to make me feel just a bit queasy, but if I lay down with my eyes closed, I'm fine. It's also only about sixty-eight degrees, so under the covers is much warmer. Ms. Barb, of course is not bothered at all by the motion and has been reading all day. She even made a nice pot of homemade soup for dinner. It was a good day for soup. (Thanks Ms. Pege for your help.)
The forecast is for the wind to abate overnight. As of writing this about 21:00, it may have dropped a couple of knots, but it's still howling.
GPS N 41-00.443 W 072-17.867 Nautical miles traveled today 0. Total miles 6140.
Sept 3
Before going to bed last night, I had decided we would stay in Sag Harbor one more day. The forecast was for the wind to die by morning, but I figured it would take a day for Long Island Sound to calm down. I awoke about 05:00 and it was still blowing at twenty knots and raining, so I was confident in that decision. I went back to bed after checking the weather radar online. It looked like the rain should be almost over, but who knows. I awoke again at 08:00, to no rain and dead calm conditions. We got up and checked the forecast again. The NOAA radio broadcast is saying that there is a small craft advisory in effect until 14:00, but www.wunderground.com and www.weather.com both make it sound like things should be pretty calm now. After some debate, I changed my mind and decided to move today. We only have a four-hour day planned, so we can wait until noon when we have to either vacate the mooring or pay for another day, and still be at the anchorage in plenty of time.
Exactly at noon, we dropped the mooring and headed north out of Sag Harbor. A number of other boats seemed to have the same idea as us. There is just barely a breeze blowing, and we have to charge the batteries anyway, since we had no sun and too much wind to use our alternative sources of energy, so we are motoring. We proceeded north through Gardiner's Bay to Plum Gut. Plum Gut is a cut between Orient Point and Plum Island. Of the three passages between Long Island Sound and the Atlantic, Plum Gut can be one of the most treacherous if you try to go against the current, especially if the wind is also against the current. Today the tidal gods have worked with us, and by leaving Sag Harbor at noon, we are getting to Plum Gut at slack water, and there is almost no wind. So, it was no big deal, and cut a couple miles off going further north to the Sluiceway.
From Plum Gut, it is a northeast run across Long Island Sound to the southern Connecticut coast. We fought a current some of the way that I wasn't expecting. The current should be running with us, but it's not. All I can figure is that so much water got piled up in the Sound from the east wind of the last two days, that it is still running out and negating the normal tidal current. Once we got out of the deep water and inside Long Sand Shoal for the last six miles, we had the normal tidal current boosting us as I expected.
We got to Duck Island about 16:00 and dropped the hooked behind the breakwater. The wind is from the west, at about twelve knots, which means we have a little chop, but it's not bad. The forecast was for southeast which would be perfect for the breakwater to protect us. I'm beginning to think it's going to take a day or two for the forecasts to get back on track after Ernesto.
By dark, there were eleven boats anchored here. That's several more than last time we stopped here. The wind is still blowing more than forecast, but it's ok since it's in the range where the wind generator works best.
GPS N 41-15.581 W 072-28.583 Nautical miles traveled today 27. Total miles 6167.
Sept 4
We had an ok night. As was the case last time we spent the night here, there is an unusual rolling motion, especially when the wind dies down. But it was not untenable, and we slept pretty good. There were about eight boats anchored here overnight. A couple who had been here well after dark left about 22:00. We got started about 09:30, heading west to Milford, CT. The forecast is for light winds from the west, so it will be another motoring day. Once we were away from the breakwaters at Duck Island, we found that the wind direction forecast was correct. It was from the west, directly on our nose. The wind speed and sea state forecast was a little off though. The wind was blowing over ten when we left and built all day to about twenty knots before we got to Milford. The seas were a three to four foot chop right on the nose. And the current was against us. All that conspired to make our top speed just under five knots. We usually cam motor at six and a half. So, our four hour trip took five.
Milford has an anchorage called The Gulf, just off it's main entrance channel. It looks like it is well protected from anything but east winds, and the forecast is for the wind to go light and stay west to northwest overnight. Of course, I'm a little gun shy about trusting forecasts these days, but we'll go for it anyway. As we approached from the east, we could see dozens of small powerboats anchored in the area we want to go. It is obviously a favorite day anchorage for the locals, and being Labor Day, they are out in force. We dropped the hook amongst all the little boats and watched the show for the rest of the afternoon.
The west side of this anchorage is formed by a bar that runs from the shore to Charles Island. This bar is submerged at all but low tide. We arrive just at low tide, and there are lots of people on the island and walking to and from it on the bar. After we were settled, we started watching these people through the binoculars. We noticed a guy in uniform walking out to the island and apparently telling people to head back to shore before the tide came in. I'm surprised they warn them. If you're too stupid to understand the tides and get stuck out there, then you get to spend twelve hours until the tide goes out again. Most of the people left, although several went back out and then waded back to shore in knee deep water an hour or so later.
As the afternoon wore on, boats started leaving to go back home. I wouldn't be surprised if we are the only overnight boat here.
GPS N 41-11.704 W 073-03.356 Nautical miles traveled today 27. Total miles 6194.
Sept 5
My prediction of being the only boat anchored here overnight wasn't quite right. By dark, we were one of four boats apparently spending the night. Well after dark, we saw two more sailboats approaching the anchorage. One we only saw because there is a nearly full moon tonight. This boat had no lights whatsoever on. They came very close to our port side, turned a circle around our bow, and passed again very close to our starboard side. Then they went about a hundred feet to our starboard and anchored. Once anchored they still displayed no lights and stayed dark all night. Right behind them, another sailboat came in. This one came past us and looked like they were going to drive over the now submerged breakwater. They stopped in time and then moved to our port side to anchor. They dropped the hook with very little chain out and backed down on it at full speed. They dragged their anchor for several hundred feet across the bottom. I was watching through the binoculars and am quite sure the anchor never set. But, they stopped and pronounced themselves set for the night.
Fortunately, the night turned out to be dead calm, so nobody moved. We awoke at dawn and got ready to go. We are headed to Mamaroneck, NY today, where we will pick up my brother to travel up the Hudson to his house over the next two days. We were underway at 06:45, with dead calm wind and glassy flat seas. What a difference a day makes. There is a heavy overcast and rain forecast, but we only saw a few sprinkles while underway. It took us about six hours to make the trip today, and the conditions stayed the same the whole way.
As we approached Mamaroneck, we got a call from my brother. He is already at the marina waiting for us. He took a train from up by his house to Yonkers, where my daughter picked him up and drove him over to the marina. As we entered Mamaroneck Harbor, we saw quite a bit of damage from Ernesto. There were several boats up on the beaches and a couple sunk on their moorings. The marina guy later told us that it blew over fifty knots here, much stronger than we had in Sag Harbor. We got docked at Brewer's Post Road Boat Yard in Mamaroneck at about 13:00. We got showers and went to have lunch.
The forecast for today and tomorrow is for rain, so we put the plastic side panels on our enclosure for the first time in over a year so we won't all have wet butts. We spent the afternoon catching up with my brother, while it rained quite a bit. My daughter, Melani, and her husband Matt came back to the marina about 19:00 and we went to dinner. It was the first time Matt had had the opportunity to see the boat. We had a nice dinner, although as we were almost done, Barb spotted two mice in the corner of the dining room. We pointed them out to our waiter who said he would make sure the manager knew about it.
GPS N 40-56.880 W 073-43.874 Nautical miles traveled today 37. Total miles 6231.
Sept 6
We awoke to clearing conditions instead of rain. We need to get fuel, and the fuel dock has a boat at it, but we should be able to back in just far enough to get the hose to us. I backed around in a big circle and got the stern line and a line amidships tied to the dock. We filled up and were underway about 08:45. We will be going through Hell's Gate today, so timing the current right is important. We motored along in dead calm conditions once again. It took almost two hours to get past the Throgs Neck Bridge, LaGuardia Airport, Riker's Island, and into Hell's Gate. We hit just over eleven knots as we passed through the fastest part and headed south along the eastern side of Manhattan. We enjoyed seeing Manhattan from the water again, and my brother enjoyed it for the first time.
We rounded the tip of Manhattan, past the Staten Island Ferry terminal and Battery Park, and headed north in the Hudson River. Of course it rarely works out that all the current stars are in alignment with each other, so once we got into the Hudson we paid the price for our sleigh ride in the East River as our speed slowed to about five knots. It took a couple of hours to make our destination for the day at the 79th St. Boat Basin. I had called the 79th St. Boat Basin yesterday to ask if we could get a slip for tonight. I was very specific on the call about our size and depth and was told it was no problem. So, I hailed them on the radio when I was a half mile south and was told to come in to the t-head of the southernmost dock. Again, I was very specific about our length, width, and depth. As we approached, we could see the girl on the radio standing on the dock waiting to take our lines. We were about ten feet from the dock when we abruptly came to a halt in the mud. It was dead low tide. We hollered to the girl and asked her how deep it was dockside, wondering if we were just on a hump. She said at low tide there was only about four feet at the end of the dock. I wanted to scream at her, "Then why did you tell me to come to the dock!!!???". But instead, we all smiled and said that we would just take a mooring when the tide came back enough for us to get off. I tried backing off at full throttle reverse several times but got nowhere. I did succeed in overheating the engine however. My first thought was that we sucked up mud into the raw water intake. I shutdown the engine and went below to check the strainer. There was nothing significant in it. I then started the motor and verified that there was water coming out the exhaust. There was, but we immediately got hot again. I shutdown and checked the water level of the fresh water system and found it quite low. I filled it up and restarted the engine and it ran at 180 degrees like it should. I looked closely for any leaks while the engine was running and found none. Where did the water go, and was it just coincidence that this happened while running it hard while stuck? While waiting we lowered the dinghy since now we will have to use it to get to shore. We sat there for almost an hour until I was finally able to back off. We tried to pick up the first mooring south of the docks, but when Barb snagged the pennant with the boat hook, she found it was broken off a couple feet from the ball. So, we went to the next ball south and grabbed it.
We hopped in the dinghy and went into the marina. We checked in and paid or the mooring. We then went to eat. There is a nice restaurant right there by the marina, so we went there and had burgers and beer. We then went for a long walk in the city. Since it was already late in the afternoon, we didn't go in any of the attractions like the Museum of Natural History, but we walked several miles through Central Park. We walked from the west shore of Manhattan, along 79th St. to the eastern side of Central Park, south to 66th St, back west to Broadway, north on Broadway stopping at a Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream, and then back to the marina. We noticed while in the marina that the majority of the boats in slips seem to be old powerboats that people live on and never move. One was actually a two-story house built on a floating base like the ones found in Sausalito, CA. I saw the rates in the marina office, and at $100/ft for the summer six months, and $75/ft for the winter six months, it probably one of the cheapest places in the city to live.
We went back to the boat and as usual double checked the mooring. We seemed to be connected ok, but the ball was being pulled below the water. Since there is a very strong current in the river, we weren't entirely surprised by this. We relaxed in the cockpit, listening to the sounds of the city and watching the lights.
GPS N 40-47.018 W 073-59.277 Nautical miles traveled today 30. Total miles 6261.
Sept 7
We got underway about 07:45, in order to benefit from the northbound current as long as possible. Barb cast off the mooring ball lines as usual, but then noticed that the ball did not reappear after the strain of the boat was gone. Thinking perhaps we were over the ball, I backed away cautiously not wanting to pick up a line in the prop. We got well clear of the area, and still no ball. I guess we sunk it. We never had that happen before.
During the night a large mega-yacht had anchored in the river several hundred feet off of the boat basin. From our mooring, it looked like they were right in the river traffic lane, but once we were out in the river, it was apparent they were well to the side. Still struck me as an odd place to anchor. We headed north under the George Washington Bridge, into a stiff breeze. It was blowing about fifteen knots, right on the nose. Since the wind was opposing the current, the chop we were bashing into was substantial. We noticed that nearer the eastern edge of the river, the water looked much calmer, so we eased over in that direction. I found that if I stayed just a hundred feet or so offshore, at about the twenty foot depth line, the ride was much nicer. After about two hours, we were north of the New Jersey Palisades and the Tappan Zee Bridge. Here the river widens and the wind is not funneled so much, so the water was much smoother all across the river. We moved away from the shore some and kept moving north. We passed all the landmarks that we knew from last year, including West Point. We only encountered a couple of barges along the way, which were no problem.
About fifteen miles south of Marlboro, our destination, the boat suddenly went into neutral. We heard the engine pitch change, and realized we were slowing down. I put the shifter in neutral and ran below to see if the prop shaft was turning. I had Barb put us back in gear and the shaft did turn, although we still didn't seem to be going anywhere. I went back above and shifted to reverse. We seemed to back up normally. I put us back in forward, and now we seemed to go forward ok, although we could only get up to five knots. According to the tide tables, we were right at the point where the current should have been turning against us. But, I was not convinced that there was not something still wrong with the transmission, even though the logical answer was that we had picked up something on the prop which came off when we reversed. We'll see.
We made it to Marlboro with no further incident, although we never got over 5.4 knots. We docked at the Marlboro Yacht Club and were greeted by my friend Blair. We unloaded a few things for the night and went to my brother's house. I had ordered a new Dell computer several weeks ago and had it shipped to my brother. My current computer is several years old, but it has to be plugged in all the time to work at all, even though I put a new battery in it last year, and the screen is starting to do an odd flickering. So, I decided it would be best to replace it now before we leave the States for over a year. I started building it this evening. The first thing to do is to undo most of the crap that Dell pre-installs for you. I suppose if you know nothing about computers their bundling of crap might be useful, but I wish they would offer to sell you a machine that has nothing but Windows on it.
GPS N 41-36.488 W 073-57.609 Nautical miles traveled today 54. Total miles 6315.
Sept 8
In the morning, we went back to the boat. We unloaded laundry, food, the cat, and more clothes, since we will be spending a couple of weeks ashore. We moved the boat to a mooring for the rest of the time we are here. It will be interesting to see how it lives on the mooring with just the fridge and freezer running, but with solar panels this year. Hopefully they will keep up with the usage.
I spent the rest of the afternoon working on the new computer. I brought all the CD's that I think I need from the boat to install software that I have on the old one. When I built the old one, I was very careful about folder structures of my actual data, and have been good about backing that data up to an external hard drive, so moving my data should be easy. I installed lots of programs, and migrated the data, and was making good progress. I installed the software for the cellular air card that is my primary Internet connection method when we are traveling, and made a terrible discovery. (I'll get a little technical here for the benefit of those who understand it and may care about this.) My Air Card is a PCMCIA card. PCMCIA cards are used by lots of devices to connect to a PC. I also have a PCMCIA card that connects the boat's radar and chartplotter to the laptop as a belowdecks repeater. I discovered that PCMCIA cards are being phased out, and replaced by Express cards. Dell, in their infinite wisdom, has started equipping their laptops with Express card slots and not PCMCIA card slots. This, even though very few Express cards are available yet. Even if they were available, my Air Card cost $250, and the Raymarine card for the radar cost $1500 including the software it uses. I'm not going to replace them even if Express cards are the way of the future. Dell, does not give you the option, or even mention the change, on their website when you order a machine. Nor do they spend an extra $20 and simply install one of each. So, the new Dell computer is basically worthless to me.
I got on the phone to Dell to see what I could do about this. Could I get a PCMCIA card plug and replace the one in the machine? Could I return the machine? I spent a good half hour on the phone talking to automated voice response units only to finally get hung up on. Once I had determined returning the machine was the only option, the VROOM told me that the return department was open 8 to 5 Monday through Friday and to call back, then hung up. Needless to say, I was more than a little pissed at Dell.
The cat has been fun to watch all day getting used to my brother's house, cat, and dog again. He seems to remember being here before and is acclimating much quicker than last year.
GPS N 41-36.488 W 073-57.609 Nautical miles traveled today 0. Total miles 6315.
Sept 9
This morning we went to Middletown, about fifteen miles from my brother's, to do some shopping. One of the stores we hit was Best Buy to look at computers. I'm not going to by another until I'm sure I can return the Dell, but I want to see what's available. I found a Toshiba for several hundred more than the Dell, but it is a lot more computer. And, it has a PCMCIA card slot AND an Express card slot. What an ingenious idea. I'll probably be back Monday after I talk to Dell.
We also hit a sporting goods store where I picked up a wetsuit. I have never had a wetsuit, and didn't get in the water much in the northern Bahamas where it was still a little chilly since I didn't have one. Also, since I may need to get under the boat to se if anything is on the prop, I figure I might as well be comfortable. I also need to get under the boat to check the speed paddlewheel. Since finding the bad connection a couple weeks ago, it still isn't working right. Sometimes it doesn't work at all and sometimes it works but doesn't read as fast as it should. If I pull it out and spin it by hand, it seems to work ok. So, I think something must have grown on the hull right by the edge of the wheel that needs to be cleaned from outside.
From Middletown, we went to Marlboro to the end-of-season big party at the yacht club. My brother and his wife were able to join us this year, and it tuned out they knew several of the people there. We spent the afternoon eating, drinking, and visiting. We went out to the boat to check the voltage and found it higher than yesterday. By about 18:30, I was actually the one who was getting tired and suggested we leave. The party was still in full swing, and the big drawings hadn't taken place yet, but I left my raffle tickets with my friend Blair, and we went home.
GPS N 41-36.488 W 073-57.609 Nautical miles traveled today 0. Total miles 6315.
Sept 10
It occurred to me that my friend Donna in Florida had mentioned possibly getting a new computer if I would help her figure out what to get. Well, I've figured it out. The Dell that I have would be exactly what I would have advised her to get, and she doesn't have any need for a PCMCIA card slot, so it's perfect. I called her and she agreed to buy the Dell from me, alleviating any need for me to talk to Dell ever again and get any more pissed off at them than I already am. I restored it to it's in-the-box status thanks to a Dell utility I found (OK, they did one thing right) and then went through the initial setup again putting in all Donna's info.
We went back to Best Buy and got the Toshiba I looked at yesterday. I spent the rest of the afternoon building the new machine. I had a little hassle installing Microsoft Office and migrating my data to the new one, which almost got me as mad at Microsoft as I was with Dell, but I finally got it resolved.
GPS N 41-36.488 W 073-57.609 Nautical miles traveled today 0. Total miles 6315.
Sept 11
Today is the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York. We spent most of the morning watching the TV coverage of the memorial at Ground Zero. By noon, we went to the boat to drop off some stuff we bought, like kitty litter and food, and pick up our suitcase and some more clothes because tomorrow we leave for a week in Phoenix. We are going to visit my son and other friends before we take off out of the country for a year.
Back at the house, I messed with the computer all afternoon and evening, while Barb got us packed and ready to go. Since it has been downright cool here the last few days (like high 30's in the morning) we have to think about what to pack to go to Phoenix where it is still hitting 100.
GPS N 41-36.488 W 073-57.609 Nautical miles traveled today 0. Total miles 6315.
Sept 12
We got up this morning and prepared to leave for Phoenix. I was still messing around with the new computer, but I think I have enough of it built to take care of e-mail and stuff while we are gone. This will be the first that we have flown since the rules changed regarding liquids in carry-on bags. We never check bags, as we are used to traveling light. We can go for a week and both of us can be packed in one roll-behind bag that easily fits in an overhead. Now that the rules are changed, we will have to check a bag with our toiletries and just carry the computer and a small bag with one change of clothes each. Our flight is at 14:00, so we left the house about 11:30. We stopped at FedEx and shipped the Dell to Donna, and then went to the airport.
On the way to the airport, we got a call from my daughter that she was on her way from Scarsdale, to Newburgh (where the airport is) because her grandmother (my first mother-in-law) was in the hospital. She didn't know details, but said it was serious. We got to the airport, checked in for our flight and said goodbye to my brother. We went to get a light lunch before the flight, and got another call from my daughter to tell us that she had gotten a call back that her grandmother had died. I immediately called my son in Phoenix to see if he wanted us to still come, or if he wanted to come here to the funeral. As I expected he would, he wanted to come here, so I went to the ticket counter and told them we would not be going. Thank goodness Stewart Airport is a small regional airport, because they were able to fetch our bag with no problem in about five minutes. I had already called my brother and he was on his way back to get us.
I met my daughter at her grandmothers house and visited with her and other family for a while. Even though her grandmother was almost eighty, her death was unexpected, so everybody was still in shock about it. I made arrangements for my son to fly here from Phoenix overnight and he'll be here in the morning. Our next few days won't be quite as planned.
GPS N 41-36.488 W 073-57.609 Nautical miles traveled today 0. Total miles 6315.