Archive | August, 2014

Two Fish is out of the water so we can fix our propellers.   A few days ago, we were in the middle of the mooring field when I realized that our engines could only run in reverse.  This was not my most relaxing moment, but we had a bit of luck and wiggled out of the mooring field using only reverse-sorry, no video.    We could see that the throttles were shifting the transmission, the shaft was rotating one direction in forward and the other in reverse, but the boat would only move in reverse, no matter which gear we were in.  We do not know for sure, but we think that the cause was the propellors not properly feathering.   To allow us to sail faster, our propellors twist to a low resistance position while sailing.   They also change orientation between forward and reverse.   This is very handy as it gives us more power in reverse.  If the prop gets frozen in reverse mode, then the boat becomes a beast to handle.   I will write a longer post on this when we have all of the facts.

Two Fish was hauled out of the water for further investigation.   The water in the Connecticut river is too brown and swift for good underwater work.   We hit a bit of bad luck when the boat was pulled out of the water.   The yard’s hoist operator managed to hook our propellor and damage the strut and shaft.   Our short visit on land became a bit longer.   “Let us make some lemon into lemonade.”  So Gail quickly arranged 1,000 things so our boat could get fixed.  Our friend Beth helped us buy a new strut.  The yard has taken responsibility and has been great as we added a few extra items (new bottom paint, clean topsides, check cutlass bearing etc…).   We have to wait 2 weeks for our strut so we have time for some fun.   We plan on exploring the Connecticut river and going back to NYC to prepare our apartment for a new, as yet unidentified, renter.

One Fish, our dinghy, was ready for a trip.  She has been idle recently since we have been in mooring fields and have ridden yacht club launches.  Makes coming home late at night (8pm) easier for the crew.   We have made some improvements and wanted to see how they performed.  We added a heavy duty fuel filter, installed wheels for beaching in the Caribbean, moved our fuel tank to the bow and did some general clean up.    The boat ran perfectly.   In flat water, under a helpful tide she reached a top speed of 20.7 knots.   You have to stay focused when you are at that speed-the next mark comes up quickly.   The removable wheels are prominent in the photos but do not impact travel while underway.

The river has a museum which taught us about the war of 1812, the industrial boom in the Connecticut River Valley, the steamships that plied the Long Island Sound and the 1970’s clean up of the river.  We spotted some of these features as we went upriver 10 miles to find lunch at the Blue Oar.   Not a bad place for a calm riverside meal.   Then we headed home at a good clip on mostly flat water.

 

 

Except for requisite visits to Mystic Seaport,  Eastern Connecticut has always been a long stretch of I95. I hardly ever thought beyond the highway railings. So, when we took a bike ride around Saybrook Point, it opened my eyes to the wonderful towns that can be found along the way. The houses, waterfront and town were picturesque and our lunch at the Monkey Farm Cafe made us feel like locals. However, after suffering a crushing defeat in mini-golf, Jason decided it was time to leave town.

Earlier, when Jason had asked me where I wanted to sail to in the Sound, I didn’t hesitate before giving my response-Block Island. I had only heard of sailboat races around the Island and it was remote enough to seem exotic. My goal was reinforced by the serene pictures in cruising guides of boats moored in the Great Salt Pond. Our friends graciously offered us their mooring ball for a few days, and our course was set. We arrived in 20 knot winds-where did that sheltered harbor go?- and I scoured the mooring field for their ball. Hmmm, this is going to be tight. We used our much practiced technique of stern step pick-up but a combination of me being slow to bring the line in after attaching, Jason being slow to rotate the boat, and the brisk wind, resulted in the line getting caught under Two Fish. There we were, line caught in a rudder and Jason trying to steer with no rudders and one engine. Somehow he got clear of other boats and I sacrificed my fleece arm to the pond and freed the line. Attempt number two went much more smoothly and soon we were attached at both bow cleats and cleaning up the boat. After a visit from Beth and Dave, we headed to shore for a beachside concert and family picnic.

Having heard that it is a great island to bike, we stopped by the bike store, where we were greeted by the surly teenage attendants-the only time that I have visited a bike store where the people could care less about biking. We also decided that being only 44 feet away from each other all day wasn’t stressful enough, so we rented a tandem. Since there is just one chain being driven by the cranks, we needed to constantly communicate to keep from being hit in the ankles with flying pedals, while adjusting our positions, or trying to glide (me) on the downhill. We really enjoyed our time there, but Two Fish keeps moving and we headed to Narragansett Bay and the Herreshoff Museum in Bristol-free admission with your mooring fee!

Once again, we “discovered” a wonderful small town with revolutionary-era houses and a fantastic lunch spot. At the Beehive Cafe, they serve a great breakfast burrito, only to be surpassed by my post-dinner ginger ice cream at Gray’s Ice Cream. Since the Beehive was closing for renovations, we decided to move on and headed towards Pocassett Bay, sailing away from the Long Island and Rhode Island Sounds and into Buzzards Bay. Next stop: Cape Cod Canal.

Some bonus photos taken by our friend Elaine.

A friend refers to boaters who spend significant time in marinas as “trailer park specialists”.   After staying at a few marinas, we consider this to be a harsh and unfounded review.   After a few weeks in Port Washington solving our engine cooling engine issue, we have learned the pros and cons of marina life.   We stayed at the very pleasant Manhasset Bay Marina; the associated restaurant, Lamottas, filled our bellies more than once when the Two Fish galley was declared closed.

The first thing we realized about Northeastern Marinas is that many of the liveaboards have jobs.  People with jobs are a rarity when cruising the Caribbean.  Working liveaboards have many challenges that we do not face.   How to get to work each day.  How to keep your suit from being wrinkled.   Since they do not get to move their boats often, they focus less on fixing their running rigging and more on optimizing their water and power hook-ups in ingenious ways.   When Arthur (the Hurricane) was approaching,  I spent plenty of time adjusting Two Fish’s tie-down system but the veteran liveaboards did not flinch.   They probably had not untied since the last big blow.  [Tie down tips.   If you plan to test your engines at the dock while tied down make sure you are up to date on your insurance, the cleats are strong, and that multiple lines are doing the same job so as to spread out the load ]  Liveaboards  use bubblers to keep the hull from freezing in the winter.  They also get involved in Marina life by adding services or butting heads with management.  So don’t fall into the labeling trap – look at their lives through a different lens.

This is an oddity I discovered in our marina.  It is a runabout which had dual anchors led back to the helm.   I was impressed that the owner had rigged this complex set-up and would have loved to have witnessed it in action.   The local marine shop must have rolled their eyes when the owner came in to buy all the parts.   I also learned how much fuel motor yachts consume.   A nearby boat (right hand side) was owned by a very friendly family.  The captain (also Dad) told me that they burned 100 gallons of diesel per hour.   A simple 2 hour spin in the boat can cost 1,000 bucks!   Wow, Two Fish burned about 60 gallons on her last 1,100 mile trip.

 

At the end of our dock in Port Washington, there was a 70 foot replica of a paddle wheel riverboat.   It was built in the 80’s for some rich guy.   The current owner does the sound and lighting for a popular Broadway show.   He moves the boat every year.  The paddle wheel has much more square footage than an average home.    She has been in the open ocean once when coming up from Baltimore.   Theocean trip was done with much trepidation and the utmost care for the weather as large waves would easy come over her low freeboard.

 

 

We made fast friends with our liveaboard neighbors.  They had a full size stairmaster and rowing machine aboard.   I still can not understand how the stairmaster does not topple over in big waves while underway.   Our neighbors leave the dock about six times a year.

 

 

When we finally got the engines running, the grass on the sugar scoop indicated we were overdue for a passage.  We did a short hop across the sound to Westport, Connecticut.   During the early part of the trip we passed Execution Rocks, which are allegedly named after cruelties committed by the British during the Revolutionary War.   The poor patriots were chained to the rocks at low tide and killed by the rising waters.   Not sure whether it is true, but the story gets my patriotism boiling.

 

Some photos from the cross-sound trip.  Taking photos from aboard is very tricky.   The vistas are huge and you are trapped aboard.  I need some photo tips!

 

 

Westport is a town we knew from “our old life” and it was a treat, as always, to have some visitors stop by.