Our destination after the New York excitement was Fairhaven, MA in Buzzard's Bay. The route along the New England coast called for passage through bodies of water called "sounds." According to google, a sound is an inlet larger than a bay, deeper than a bight and wider than a fjord; or a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land. Yup. That describes our route through Long Island Sound, Block Island Sound, and Rhode Island Sound.
We spent the first night in Port Washington, NY. This region on Long Island is called "The Gold Coast", peppered with beautiful estates reminiscent of those from The Gilded Age. There was a Vanderbilt property nearby, but it paled to this one. We chose a marina here in order to run our AC to mitigate the 104 degree temp.
 |
| Mother osprey tends her flock at the head of Branford Harbor |
Our next stop was Branford, CT, a skinny inlet from the sound with a yacht club, marinas and boat yard. Sally grew up nearby and the family had boating friends. Even so, what would be the chance of running into them? Pretty slim, but ... then again ... there they were - the Bacons knocking on the window of Sally W. And even better, Jeanne had spotted this boat at the marina. It was Phil Bacon's recent build.
One of a kind, just like the Bacon family.
Father Walter, 92, and son Phil came for breakfast. The best part? Walter and his wife Peggy owned 37 Victory Tug #74 for 13 years, calling it "Wayfarer". Allan and Sally talked with them before buying their tug in 2009. They were particularly interested in the roll factor. "Does it roll," they asked? "Nah," Walter said. "It's fine." Hah!
Then we showed him this ...
... and he had a good laugh. Walter taught Allan the principle of WOOF. Every day before starting the boat you need to WOOF. Check the Water, Oil (engine), Oil (transmission), and Fuel filter. Good advice which he follows religiously.
Next stop: Old Saybrook, a lovely town at the mouth of the Connecticut River. We walked around in the sweltering heat. Moxie did not like the hot pavement and preferred to be carried. Jeanne left the next morning on the train for New York. She would rejoin us in Fairhaven for the rendezvous later in the week.
Bob and Moxie continued to trip up the sounds with Sally W. Due to Salty Paws crew desertion and a less than favorable weather forecast, we decided to forego gunk holing for the next four days and hightail it to Fairhaven.
 |
| Exiting the Connecticut River into Long Island Sound. It can get pretty crowded in the narrow channel |
This one gets our vote for least favorite for two reasons. Although it may be designed to accommodate as much "stuff" as possible inside, it doesn't look very sleek nor symmetrical; half the boat is missing (the aft). Tugger Bill Irwin calls this a cheeseburger for its bloated look. The second reason for dislike is that a lot of the captains of these vessels missed the boating 101 lecture on courtesy and wake damage. They like to whiz by us at full speed and too close for comfort. For us full-displacement hull crafts who do 7 knots, this is a five whistle moment, necessitating a quick maneuver off-course to put our bows perpendicular to the wake. Otherwise things inside our boats "go flying."
This one must be cheeseburger's Uncle Whopper. Enough said.
On the subject of boating etiquette, this near-miss with Salty Paws occurred EVEN AFTER radio discussion and agreement that the sailboat had the right of way and would pass in front of the tug. As she approached she turned closer to SP and Captain Bob had to throw her into neutral to avoid a collision.
But there are some better looking boats out there. This is a Ranger Tug. It's smaller than our Victory Tugs but catches a lot of eyes. And the word "cute" is employed here.
As we passed outside of Mystic, CT we were hailed over the radio by the captain of this beautiful schooner, Mystic Whaler. He wanted to know if we were going to Fairhaven. Huh? How did he know that? Apparently, he and his wife have been considering a life change after welcoming guests aboard for many years, and are looking at Victory Tugs. We invited them to come to the rendezvous for a closer look. Which they did later in the week. Nice people.
Passing by Watch Hill, RI, one of the hardest hit towns in the famous Hurricane of 1938. Many homes and hotels vanished. It looks like the white establishment has built one of the world's largest sea walls as a buffer from future fury.
This weather on the final push to Fairhaven was the reason we decided not to dilly dally. Boaters like to call this "snotty." Buzzard's Bay is famous for unkind conditions.
Fortunately, as we passed by Old Cock, the seas started to calm down. It didn't make sense because these waters were shallow and should have made for lumpier conditions. But we didn't complain. By the time we passed through the hurricane gate into the New Bedford/Fairhaven Harbor, tummies were calming down too.
We arrived at the Fairhaven Shipyard four days ahead of our scheduled landing. This is a fascinating place with a marina, home docks for large scallop boats, and repair facilities for seriously large commercial and pleasure boats.
The marina is the home of Victory Tug "Neptune", owned by John and Ellen Isaksen, who hosted the tug rendezvous.
Our early arrival brought an invitation for grilled cheese sandwiches at the Neptune Diner, a Tuesday occasion during boating season. John has elevated this fare to haute cuisine, using trial and error to find the perfect bread, cheese, ham, and tomatoes.
 |
| L to R: John's cousin Arne, Chef John, AC, and boat neighbor Tom |
He welcomes carefully screened dock regulars ... and guests. Bob, Allan and Sally and a few others thoroughly enjoyed themselves ...
... including this character, Fred, the dock master. Now Fred has a peculiar sense of humor and likes to decorate the environs with unusual notices. His affection for John is manifested in odd ways, and has been going on for years. One of his favorite targets is The Neptune Diner. Read below, but remember, don't believe everything this man writes. Witness his partaking.
 |
| CDC BULLETIN: The Fairhaven Shipyard will not be held responsible for any diseases or illnesses contracted due to being in the vicinity of Tug Neptune, aka NEPTUNE DINER. Due to Mr. Isaksen's strong political connections with the Clintons we have not been successful in shutting him down. We strongly advise that you keep as far away as possible from both Mr. Isaksen, aka THE BUTCHER OR NORWAY, and the NEPTUNE DINER. Take heed fellow boaters. You have been warned. |
No comments:
Post a Comment