City Island, New York

The days since our last stop in Connecticut have seen us sail through two additional states, meet some fine people, and see some wonderful sights. 

After we left the rainy but nevertheless pretty cool anchorage at Sheffield Island, we motored (sooner or later Cupcake will get to be a sailboat again, but we understand that the trip south will largely be a motorboat ride) through a rainy fog into a foggy rain that eventually resolved itself into a sunny day by the time we got to City Island in The Bronx. (Side note #1: Why are some places known as “The” places like The Bahamas, The Bronx, The Hague, The Netherlands, while others are known just by their proper names, like Schenectady, Timbuktu, Transylvania?

(Side note #2: I had been too embarrassed to let on that our radar wasn’t working when Cupcake was launched this year. Then in the fog as we made our way down Long Island Sound through increasingly frequent commercial traffic, the lack of radar seemed like less a pride issue and more of a safety issue. Because I installed the system myself a few years ago and it always worked well, there was nobody else for me to blame for the problem. 

I checked the wiring twice, went up the mast to check the wiring up there, added dielectric grease to all the connectors, (Side note #3: dielectric grease is my second-favorite greasy potion, I have two tubes aboard. My first-favorite greasy potion is Marine-Grade Anti-Seize Paste. I have a whole tub aboard) and messed around with the software. 

No dice. 

Then the other day I took a third look at the wiring. (Side note #4: each fall when the boat is hauled out of the water for the season, the mast is taken down. When that happens, all the electrical bits up on the mast (VHF antenna, WiFi antenna, radar, masthead light) need to be disconnected at the base of the mast so the mast can get stored in one place and Cupcake can get stored in another place.) 

When I installed the system a few year ago, I made sure the positive wires were red and the negative wires were black so they couldn’t ever get mixed up. I also labeled each wire that came down the mast as “+” or “-“, and I labeled the corresponding wire to which it needs to connect at the base of the mast, also “+” or “-“. I also marked with Sharpie next to the connections which was + and which was -.

And then when I connected the wires this spring, I did it backwards. Two simple, color-coded, over-labeled connections, done 100% wrong by the guy who put it together in the first place.

So, on the bright side, the radar is now fixed and works like a charm. My goodness I can be an idiot when I put my mind to it.)

Anyway, we dropped anchor in what could most accurately be called the middle of the City Island mooring field. Plenty of space, nobody minded. And what a secure spot. Good sticky Bronx mud. Got permission from Barron’s Marina to use their dinghy dock, and went ashore for the first time since Mystic.

Got groceries, had lunch, waited out a thunderstorm in the cafe where we had lunch (watched a James Bond movie on their TV while we waited) and got some bits and pieces for the boat.

The next day I got up early and went for a run the length of City Island. The key to success in the restaurant business on City Island is to name your Seafood/Italian restaurant something like Ray’s or Tony’s or Joey’s. The key success in any other business on City Island seems to be to make it a beauty parlor. 

The people of the island are friendly as can be, provided you don’t say “good morning” to them as you jog by in the morning. That phrase (and similar ones like “hi” and “how you doing?”) are met with very suspicious looks. City Island is not Maine.

We met up with our cousin Steven for lunch. He drove us to The Bronx to an Italian Seafood place. (Moss thought he was driving crazy fast because 40mph was the fastest we have moved in weeks. He was obeying the speed limit but does have a bit of a potty mouth.) Moss ate calamari (tried it first, was told what it was second, didn’t care and kept on gobbling it up). We checked out a market where some guys were rolling cigars. Saw all kinds of animal parts laid out for eating (pig trotters, for example), so much delicious looking sausage, sampled the best mozzarella cheese I’ve had in a long time, and generally enjoyed a little walk in the city.

Then Steven took us to his house where we the propane parts we needed to finally fix the second tank were waiting (remember that we’ve been on one tank since Woods Hole). Ellen has been nervous that we will run out without warning and without a second tank, so no brownies have yet been baked aboard.

Said goodbye to Steven after a delightful day with him, went back to Cupcake and hooked up the propane. SUCCESS! Everything worked perfectly, no leaks, lots of gas in both tanks.

The next morning we were planning to run down the East River, past Manhattan, to anchor near the Statue of Liberty. Timing was critical (my father and probably other sages will tell you that time and tide wait for no man). We needed to get ashore by 8:30 to buy eggs and milk, be back on the boat by 11am, up anchor by noon, leave the gas dock by 1pm, be at the Throg’s Neck Bridge by 1:45pm, in order to be at Hell Gate as close to slack tide or a fair tide at 3pm. Critical, careful, meticulous planning.

So when Ellen started the stove to make coffee and pancakes, the propane sniffer gave the green light, turned on the solenoid valve to let the gas flow, and then after about three minutes shut it all down with the shriek of the gas leak alarm.

Turns out that in all the yanking and wrenching on the gas valve at the tank end of things, I kinked the old copper line running to the stove and caused it to leak. Once the gas started flowing, the leaking gas made its way to the bilge where it was detected by the detector.

Now the clock was ticking: we needed to get a replacement copper pipe (with proper flared ends, etc.) in time to work the tides through Hell Gate and into the City. What to do?

We went ashore, and about a block from the marina we saw the Cottam Heating and Air Conditioning shop (motto: Reliable, Conscientious, Responsible). On a whim, we popped in and asked if they could make a pipe to replace our broken one. Turns out the owners, Gary and Vicki are not only sailors, they are Pearson sailors.

Had a very pleasant chat with them about sailing in the Long Island area, about long-distance cruising, about making the long-term cruising dream happen. While we were talking, one of their employees was busy making a replacement propane line for us. Finished it in a few minutes and then wouldn’t let us pay. We walked out with a new copper pipe, a handful of chocolate candies, and a nice dose of sailing magic. Thank you very much Gary and Vicki and everyone at Cottam.

Finished out last-minute grocery shopping, upped anchor, filled Cupcake’s diesel tanks (only our second fuel stop since leaving Maine), and sailed towards the Throg’s Neck Bridge.

My typing paws are getting tired. Stay tuned for the East River installment. Wifi is slow, pictures will be up eventually.

Mystery schooner

We spent the past few days moving the boat. After a pleasant night at Fishers Island we headed to The Thimbles, a group of small private islands on the Connecticut shore. Ran with the tide down Long Island Sound and really moved along. Saw 9 knots at one point. 

Because there happened to be an empty bourbon bottle aboard, Moss drafted and launched a message in a bottle. We seem to get an astonishing 10% return rate on our messages. Better than I do with texts. Ouch.

Got to The Thimbles early in the afternoon so we had time to relax, do a load of laundry (and hang it to dry), and go for a swim. The current rushing past Cupcake was stronger than Moss could swim. Looked away for a minute and the next thing we knew, she was swept out of sight and washed up on the Long Island shore. (Just kidding, all the grandmothers reading this can relax. We keep a very close eye on our smallest crew member.)

We caught the tide for another run further down Long Island Sound this morning. Saw a steady 7+ knots. In the rain, also all morning. It’s not all cocktails and sunsets yet. In fact, it has been too few of each, despite that empty bottle. The past few days have been pretty wet ones, but the crew is cheerful. Tomorrow everyone gets shore leave in the big city.

For a while, Moss and I drove the boat together. She is good company. Then she discovered a new perch on the companionway hatch under the dodger. Driest spot in the cockpit this morning. I managed a nap below underway until a fly landed on my face. Yuck. I'm getting good with the flyswatter and killed 25 of the biting devils today.

Now we are securely anchored in the lee of Sheffield Island, Connecticut. The wind is blocked, but there’s a little swell bending around the point, so Cupcake is letting us know we are on the ocean.

Ellen and Moss just finished stage two of preparing a Rustic Italian bread. I'm informed this is the first bread Ellen has baked that employs a sponge. It's not that kind of sponge, it is some kind of bread-lingo-sponge. Smells great so far.

Special recognition to anyone who can identify the sleek schooner that just pulled in and dropped anchor. You have all heard of her. If you know her name and her story, please post a comment.

Cruising tip of the day: buy, read, and learn your Eldridge Tide and Pilot Book. It has a wealth of information you need to know about tides and currents if you intend on sailing the east coast of the US.

Goodbye Mystic

Today we did not cover a lot of sea miles, however, the day was well spent. 

After breakfast, we toured Mystic Seaport Museum a little more. Learned about the Vinland Map, discovered in 1957, purporting to have been drawn in 1440. The map showed the Vikings arrived in the New World hundreds of years before Columbus. The story was one of mystery, forensic scholarship, carbon dating, etc. You know, the usual.

In the end, it appears the map was a forgery from the 1920s, although subsequent archaeological excavations in Newfoundland show the Vikings did spend time in North America in the 700s or so. Pretty neat stuff. Sucks to be Yale University, paying who knows how much for the map.

In any event, the uproar in the 1960s when the map was revealed to the public was impressive. Lots of Italian-Americans felt that Columbus’ honor had been besmirched. The Viking-Americans were not as vocal, probably because they are not so numerous. 

Then we checked out an exhibit about the Vikings on loan from Uppsala University, Sweden. Short story: the Vikings were a violent, brutal people. I would not have enjoyed living as a Viking, living near Vikings, living in the time of Vikings. (Ellen says this position is because I do not like cold-weather or salted fish. She also says I would look dashing in chain mail.) And those people got around. One Viking woman sailed far enough in her lifetime that she met both Native Americans and the Pope on their home turf. 

This is Moss. She is not a whale. If she was a whale, she would have been chopped up into bits and boiled down in the try pots behind her. 

Speaking of brutal, we also checked out the Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whale ship extant. It is a big, tough boat with limited headroom below. The business of killing and rendering whales is thoroughly documented elsewhere (see Moby Dick by Herman Melville). The try pots on deck were a pretty graphic reminder of the whaling business.

Also saw a home from the 1800s, complete with a docent who was cooking cornbread over the open hearth. That’s where your Dutch oven cast iron cookery came in handy. She had already baked a delicious-looking blueberry pie.

Two-way traffic, current, wind, and rain.

We had to get off the dock in time to make the 11:40am bridge opening, so we cast off in the rain and joined the queue of boats waiting for the bridge. Ellen said it was like a driver-ed simulation, the only thing missing was a little kid chasing a ball into the street.

The Cupcake Rainy Day Salute.

Then we putted down the river and waited for the train bridge to swing open in turn. After that, we had just a 6 mile ride to Fishers Island, off the coast of Connecticut. Because Fishers is part of New York, we are now in our sixth state since leaving Maine. And we are out of New England. Looking forward to a whole new set of accents. Bring it on, New Jersey.

As Matt says nearly every time he gets aboard Cupcake, "there sure are a lot of ropes on a sailboat." (To be clear, this is not Cupcake's mast.)

Mystic Seaport Museum

Eager readers are still waiting to hear what Ellen and Moss have to say. So I will just post some photos from our day at Mystic Seaport Museum. We changed plans and crossed to Connecticut from Block Island on Friday, rented dock space at the museum, and spent the day checking out the sights. We've got to be off the dock in time for the 11:40am bridge today so no time to waste if we want to check out a few more exhibits at this extremely cool place.

Bascule bridge on the way up the Mystic River. Also transited a railroad swing bridge.

One of the workshops where little boats get restored. Love to see that Beetle Cat.

All the way up the Mystic River, the Seaport Museum is a treat.

The 250' long ropewalk was saved from destruction in the 1950s when this old-school method of making rope was made obsolete. The full-sized ropewalk was over 1000' long (which was the length needed to make 100 fathom ropes, the standard length).

The building smelled of tar and hemp and salt and wood. Fantastic.

Lemons to Lemonade

We have had a busy, fun, productive few days. On Monday we woke up to a bang and a hisssss. Turned out the hose to the second propane tank I installed last month had too sharp a bend in it and the kink was too much. Bang. Hissss. This is the lemons part.

Quickly shut off the tank and then cursed because tank #1 was empty…ran out the night before. What to do about a propanemergency in Woods Hole? First called Josh Olins to see if they were going to be heading anywhere propane tanks could be filled (tank #1 works fine). Then realized that we didn’t want to hustle back to Woods Hole from our anchorage because even if we left promptly, we would hold up the Olins Show. 

On a whim, we called our pal Matthew Layne who had intended to sail with us to Block Island but plans fell through. Turns out he was able to drop everything to spend the week aboard Cupcake on our way to Block. This is the lemonade part. His wife, our pal Dasha, drove him to Woods Hole, then took us all to the hardware store for a fill up, then to the grocery store for, well…

Fixing the propane, sort of.

Dasha thanked us for taking Matt off her hands, and off we went. Tuesday we had a delightful sail to Tarpaulin Cove on Naushon Island. Tacked out to Martha’s Vineyard, then back to Tarpaulin. Swam and relaxed.

Then on Wednesday we had another perfect sail from Tarpaulin, out to Martha’s Vineyard, and in to Cuttyhunk Island at the very tip of the Elizabeth Islands. (See what Ellen and Moss wrote for details.) More swimming, walking around the island, ice cream. Man alive it has been hot and humid.

First time we were able to dive on the anchor. It buried itself in sand within about two feet of hitting the bottom. Safe and secure, just the way we like it.

Today we woke up with the sun (which has been rising later and later) and set out for Block Island. It was a motorboat ride, then a sail for an hour or so, then a motorsail. We are anchored in busy busy Great Salt Pond and just got back to Cupcake after having hamburgers ashore with Matt and taking him to the ferryboat home. 

The last time Ellen and I were on Block Island was 24 years ago just after we were married. We haven’t changed a bit.

This is one of the spectacular views from Cuttyhunk.

Finally, anybody have any ideas about this unusual five-cylinder radial, air-cooled engine we spotted on Cuttyhunk?

Posting Maniac

Rainy afternoon, lots of time on my hands.

Today was a fun day in Woods Hole. After a decadently late wake up, I made Ellen her coffee while Moss and I had our hot cocoa. Then we got the boat squared away, drove Mr. Flowerpot (our dinghy) to shore, and met Josh and Naomi at Pie in the Sky, a wonderful and very busy bakery in town.

After our late breakfast we walked to the Titanic museum. Woods Hole is crawling with scientists, and some of them were instrumental in the creation of the deep sea submarines and unmanned vehicles that (among other things) located and dove down to the wreck of the Titanic in the 1980s. 

We also saw a brief video about an unmanned sub/drone that followed great white sharks to learn about their feeding habits. The sharks sneak up on seals, bite off their flippers so they can’t swim away, and then eat the rest of the seal. There was no video for the public of that gory business, but there was a sobering video of a great white attacking the sub.

Moss got to check out a model of the submersible Alvin. Lots of toggle switches in there. I could have stayed all day.

We then all had lunch aboard Cupcake and got to show off our little floating home, always a treat. And a particular treat when the guests are sailors who get it.

After taking Josh and Naomi to shore and saying farewell, we radioed the drawbridge operator to let him know we would need the bridge lifted so Cupcake could exit Eel Pond. The pass is very narrow, tourists with cameras line the sides, and a video of any piloting error would doubtless be posted on YouTube well before any insurance company or towboat could be notified.

Look carefully and you can see the yellow TowBoat waiting in the harbor, ready to rescue careless sailors.

We passed through without mishap and made our way through the Woods Hole passage under diesel power. The current was adverse, but not so strong that we couldn’t power through. The way it tugged that red nun 2A was pretty impressive. Lots of swirly current tossed Cupcake about. Visions of Scylla and Charybdis. 

After our wee odyssey, we had a quick sail to the lovely and peaceful Hadley Harbor where we will likely stay for a few days to enjoy the clean warm water and relaxing spot. It’s raining right now but we are snug and dry inside. Moss just finished some boat school math and is now creating a board game of some sort.

Woods Hole

One of the Cape Cod Canal bridges...Sagamore?

When people talk about wind against current and standing waves, what they are really talking about is rough stuff. We woke up early (again) on Friday to get through the Cape Cod Canal while the current was in our favor. Because no sailing is permitted in the Canal, we motored along in the grey fog. At the Canal sides, about every 100 feet there was a person fishing, miles of guys (didn't see any women fishing) standing on the shore casting and casting and casting. Didn't see anyone catch anything though.

As we exited the canal into Buzzards Bay, the wind was coming out of the southwest at 18 knots or so, right into our face. Because the current was still flowing through the Canal into the Bay, there was a pretty wicked chop. And standing waves.

For the uninitiated, standing waves are good-sized waves that stay pretty much in one spot as the wind pushes them forward and the current pushes back. It was pretty rough going for a while, some seas broke over the bow. A few broke over the dinghy on the bow. That's a lot of water crashing around on our girl Cupcake. (And once again, we left a hatch open. This time it was the forward hatch, under the dinghy. Collected plenty of water inside again. In our bedroom. We may have learned our lesson.)

Once we got past the big waves, we contended with a pretty bouncy ride from the Canal to Woods Hole. Fortunately our angle on the wind let us motorsail so we were able to cover some ground and get out of the mess relatively swiftly. Everyone aboard was very glad to enter the protected channel to Woods Hole where the sea settled right down.

The view from our mooring in Eel Pond, Woods Hole.

We caught the current well through the channel and made it to Woods Hole without any additional drama. Poached a mooring for an hour or so while we got ourselves organized, then went through the tiny little channel to Eel Pond where we are hanging on another obscenely expensive mooring. (Massachusetts, come on, give a sailor a break!)

Yesterday we got in touch with our Freeport friends Josh and Naomi Olins who are long-time Woods Hole summer residents. Josh gave us a quick tour of town, we went in to a Woods Hole Oceanographic lab where we saw some crazy fish in research tanks. Fish with legs, a mess of squid (technical term), urchins, dogfish, all sorts of stuff. No pictures. Why? Because we are still getting the hang of all the cruiser details.

After the lab we went to Josh & Naomi's house where we did some laundry. (Remember the wave? Salty sheets). And then spent a delightful afternoon at the beach. The water in Cape Cod Bay was 58 degrees (in Freeport it was closer to 68). But now it's in the 72 degree range. Fascinating. And we like the trend...warmer.

We were treated to a nice dinner ashore with three generations of Olins and then went to a lecture series held weekly at Woods Hole Oceanographic. This one was interesting for people holding PhDs in chemistry. For the rest of us, it was a competition to see who followed the drift of the talk longest. I fared poorly at maybe 10 minutes. But we all enjoyed hearing an enthusiastic and extremely intelligent expert speak about her research. (Don't ask me about electron transfer or ATP because beyond that, I really didn't even retain any of the terms.)

Then to bed. 

Today we will probably host Josh and Naomi aboard for lunch unless thunderstorms roll in. Then we will head to Hadley Harbor for a few days of relaxation at anchor while we figure out how to manage the next stage of the trip...long day to Montauk or break it up with a stop at Block Island.

Hallelujah! WiFi is HEALED!

Somehow, miraculously, the WiFi is better. For now. Here are some pictures.

Big yacht sneaking into the marina in Sandwich.

Cupcake, ready for business.

Moss working the signal flags at the Canal Museum.

Safety...

is our...

middle name.

One of the vistas you get for $103/night in Sandwich.

Sandwiched

Ellen authorized a late start so today we slept in until 5:30 before departing Scituate. Met a boat last night, they left 45 minutes before we did, so we spent the day pretending we were pirates trying to overtake them and capture their treasure. The boat was named Jade, appropriately. 

This is the treasure ship Jade. (Obviously, I got the wifi working again.)

After a few hours of glorious sailing, we caught them. Cupcake was in her element. Small craft warning, so we reefed the main and went charging through fairly flat seas in winds that probably didn’t get above 20 knots. At one point we saw 8 knots on the gps. Spent a good portion of the morning flying along at 6.1+. 

Downside? Between the humidity (it is in the high 80s here in Sandwich) and the cold water (50s!) moisture is condensing on the inside of the hull in all the dark dank lockers. Oh, we also overfilled both water tanks, it seems. So some of our homemade water found its way...everywhere durning the brisk excursion today. Fortunately we love drying everything we own and repacking it. Also, it’s a good thing Ellen has a ziplock bag fetish and puts just about all our stuff in those plastic wonders.

Anyway, we are at a crazy expensive dock in Sandwich, waiting for the current through the Cape Cod Canal to turn in our favor tomorrow morning. Hope to be in Woods Hole tomorrow mid-day to visit Freeport friends. Then we plan to anchor, finally, and relax while we wait for favorable weather for the trip to Block Island. About 16 years ago we spent some time in Hadley Harbor and are looking forward to stopping in that lovely spot. 

Went to the Cape Cod Canal Visitors Center and learned all about the big project. We have great pictures but I don’t know how to post them from this iPad. For some reason the WiFi on the laptop stopped working. Now I need to get myself a dongle. (Edit: it's working again.)

Cruising tip of the day: an hour by car takes a day by boat. 

Making tracks

We have truly begun our voyage. Covered a lot of ground in the past two days. After a really nice send-off in Maine with Matt, Sloane, and Cutler we awoke before the crack of dawn to get a 5am start on the trip to Isles of Shoals. Poached a mooring at Gosport Harbor. I'll let Ellen and Moss give details about that trip. It was a motorboat ride because the winds were light and the seas were flat.

Went for a swim in the super clean water in Gosport Harbor, took showers in the cockpit, had boat-pizza for dinner. I was asleep by 9pm.

Today we left Isles of Shoals at 5am, headed for Scituate. Again, I'll let Moss and Ellen provide the details. Both days we have seen some pretty special sea life.

I lived in Scituate in 1991 when I was working at my first job as a teacher at Hull High School. I told the launch driver this afternoon that it was one of the worst years of my life. Those kids at Hull were absolutely awful. If any of them are reading this I will be surprised because it would involve reading and it is also unlikely there is internet access in prison.

So we are going to check out the town tonight, have hot showers at the Satuit Boat Club because that is a perk we get with the mooring rental. This harbor is PACKED with boats. And it is crawling with kids sailing 420s for sailing camp. Very busy, very fun.