Stony Creek, CT

The longest time we’ve spent in one place this visit has been in the Thimble Islands in Stony Creek, CT.  On Tuesday, August 25 we left the Branford Yacht Club in windy weather at noon.  It was a harrowing exit as we almost hit a neighboring vessel due to wind and currents, but quick action on the part of our captain helped us to avoid a more unpleasant departure. The short one hour cruise had us arriving at the mooring ball of our friend, Ted Graves, in the middle of the gorgeous Thimble Islands, a grouping of over 100 rocky outcroppings off the coast of Stony Creek, a tiny village that is a part of Branford, CT. This would be our base of operations for the next ten days as we visited with friends and family.

We realized upon arriving in the Thimbles that with all the hustle in leaving the yacht club we had forgotten to refill our water tanks and get a pump out. So the next day we returned to the yacht club to get those essentials taken care of.  We also picked up a rental car so we would have wheels for all of our upcoming visits.  The first of those was to see Lynn’s next door neighbor from when she grew up in Fairfield.  Jody and her husband Robert live near Fairfield Beach and invited us for dinner. Lynn hadn’t seen Jody in many years and was very excited to visit.  We had a wonderful time catching up with them in their lovely back yard with a view of coastal marshes. The years evaporated as we shared stories and experiences about our lives and families.

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On Thursday, we had lunch plans to meet Lynn’s high school friend, Susan Frenkel, for lunch in New Haven. We sat outside on the deck of a local seafood restaurant and had a fine time chatting. Susan and her partner live in Sandy Hook and have a home in Marco Island , FL. They had planned to visit us in Miami over the winter but Covid interfered with that this year. 

We had noticed that our rental car had a smoky smell and decided to trade it for a cleaner one. So on the way back to Zendo we stopped to do that and they upgraded us to a very nice new Subaru.  Later that afternoon we took it to nearby Hamden to Jonny’s cousins Michael and Debbie. It was Debbie’s birthday and Michael’s brother Robbie (a frequent visitor aboard Zendo) was coming down from Maine and would meet us there.  On the way there, the weather started to deteriorate rapidly. About a mile away from their home, weather alerts started blasting over the radio and our phones including tornado warnings for the immediate vicinity. We were warned to take cover away from trees.  But we were in the very leafy town of Hamden and there was no place to go. Being so close to our destination, Jonny continued on and turned into Michael’s street. By then the rain was coming down so hard it was impossible to see. He thought he turned into Michael’s driveway but wasn’t sure. We decided to just sit in the stopped car until the rain let up a bit, but just then WHAM a huge tree limb crashed down on our car smashing the windshield in front of our eyes and enveloping the car.

We were stunned but unhurt. As the homeowner rushed out to see the damage in his yard we realized we were directly across the street from Michael’s house! If we had turned left instead of right, we would have been saved. But instead, we crawled out of the car to survey the damage. In addition to the shattered windshield there was a little damage to the hood and quarter panel.  By this time Michael and Debbie were there and we proceeded to call Enterprise to figure out what to do. As soon as the rain stopped, Michael got out his trusty chainsaw and helped his neighbor cut up the tree while we waited for the tow truck to come.

Eventually, Robbie also arrived. He was waylaid as well due to fallen trees blocking many roads in Hamden and nearby towns. It turned out that a tornado had touched down in nearby Sleeping Giant Park and made its way south all the way to Branford. Susan was calling Lynn to see if Zendo was safe because the damage from the tornado was all over the news.

We managed to rally and proceeded to celebrate Debbie’s birthday with pizza and ice cream cake. Fortunately we were prepared to stay overnight at Michael and Debbie’s. The next day the three guys went fishing and actually caught over a dozen fish, bluefish and porgies.

Meanwhile Debbie drove Lynn to Enterprise to get the third car of this trip. Driving through Branford to Stony Creek was crazy as there were so many trees down everywhere. This beautiful part of the world had taken quite a hit but fortunately we didn’t see any damaged homes and Zendo was unharmed.  Later that day, Jonny brought Robbie aboard Zendo for a nice uneventful overnight stay. Lynn made a delicious dinner of pasta with a savory sauce of tomatoes and sardines.

Saturday night found us back at Michael and Debbie’s where we relaxed in their verdant back yard with its huge vegetable and flower gardens.

But most uniquely, we were entertained by a flock of chickens and a fellow rooster who clearly ruled the roost! We were amazed to see them actually freeze in place as a hawk soared overhead.  Later we enjoyed the fruits of the guys’ fishing expedition with a great bluefish dinner.

We’d been having some problems with our dinghy and Jonny had ordered a new carburetor because neither he nor the marine mechanics at the Thimble Island outboard shop could repair it.  That night as we took the dinghy back to Zendo, it finally gave out completely and Jonny got to row us back to Zendo. Now we were dependent on either taking the available launch or rowing back and forth to shore until the new carburetor arrived.

Sunday was the start of our road trip. We headed north to Waterbury to visit Lynn’s 100 year old Aunt Lillian and her 102 year old husband Robert. They still live in their family home and we had a short but lovely visit with them. They are still sharp and though they have some health issues and an aide who stays with them, they are as engaged and loving as ever and thankfully surrounded by many family and friends.

From there we headed further north to Vermont to visit Peter and Paula in South Londonderry near Stratton Mountain, the big ski resort.  Peter and Paula have a second home there and have been urging us to visit. Lynn has known Peter since fifth grade and all four of us went to UConn together. It was so beautiful driving through the Vermont countryside.   Their home is very comfortable and perfectly situated in the woods, with wonderful hiking trails just outside their door, great kayaking and canoeing nearby, and of course access to wonderful skiing. We stayed for three nights and had the best time. It was a real treat to be in such a different environment from our usual coastal living.

On Monday night we drove into Manchester where we met another of Lynn (and Peter’s) childhood friends, Michael and his partner Melina.  Readers of this blog may remember them as friends visited during previous cruises in Burlington and Maine.  We had a fun dinner at an outdoor Mexican restaurant.

We returned to Zendo on Wednesday, stopping to replenish our refrigerator which we had to empty because we were away for three days without power.  We had a relaxing evening sleeping in our own bed.

On Thursday we checked to see if the carburetor had arrived as planned but it hadn’t. Hopefully it would arrive soon. Keeping with our full schedule, we were supposed to meet Lynn’s cousin Sally for dinner on Thursday night. Sally lives in nearby Woodbridge but works in Danbury (not so close). Unfortunately, she had car trouble and had to cancel. We consoled ourselves with a visit to the Thimble Island Brewing Company where we enjoyed some of their local IPAs. Jonny was happy!

Friday was a very quiet day doing boat chores, paddling, reading  and relaxing.   We thought we might be able to reschedule with Sally but that didn’t work out so we’ll catch her on our return visit.  

Jonny checked again on the carburetor and discovered that it was on indefinite delay due to supply issues with Covid. He checked with Thimble Outboard to see if there were any used outboards available but there were none. He then checked Craig’s List and found a couple, one of which we were able to snag and we drove to Milford it to purchase it the next day,.  Jonny was very happy with his two year old Yamaha 6 hp outboard complete with the remaining warranty. 

On Saturday we resumed our social activities welcoming another of Lynn’s hometown buddies onboard.  Billy and Lisa, who live in Fairfield, joined us for lunch. Lynn made some new recipes including a pasta salad made with marinated local heirloom tomatoes and a watermelon, tomato and feta salad.  Both were hits.  Billy and Lisa brought great homemade breads and dessert. 

We took one of the local cruise boats for a tour of the Thimble Islands which provided another look at this interesting and beautiful area. Afterwards we walked them back to their car through this beautiful village. We had a great visit with Billy and Lisa and are so glad they were able to come aboard.

That night as the wind picked up we had one of the most uncomfortable nights we ever had on Zendo. The boat rocked back and forth and sideways throughout the night due to the two foot seas. We didn’t sleep much, fitfully at best, and we’re glad we didn’t have any guests aboard. 

Sunday shone brightly and the waters were much calmer. It’s a good thing because it was to be another day with visitors.  Michael and Debbie were finally able to come onboard for a Sunday afternoon dinner.  Jonny, who loves Debbie’s gazpacho recipe, asked her to bring some.   Lynn made her mother’s delicious potato salad and a tossed salad and Jonny prepared cod with chimichurri sauce. We had a lovely time on the aft deck on a beautiful clear September day.

The next day we would leave the stunning Thimble Islands to continue our cruise up the coast of Connecticut.

Branford, CT

We headed out from Long Island for the Connecticut coast on Sunday August 23 at 8:30 after a beautiful sunrise.

The day started off clear but quickly became overcast.  But the sound was flat and the temperature was perfect.

The five hour cruise was very pleasant and we arrived at the Branford Yacht Club at 2:15. Our fellow MTOA member, Ted Graves, is a member there and we had asked him if we might dock at the club for a couple of days to get some needed boat repairs accomplished.  He is the friend who had kindly allowed us to use his mooring ball in the nearby Thimble Islands. We stayed there last year and plan to go there next. 

As we entered the bay where the yacht club is situated we passed many lovely shoreside homes. Some were very tastefully landscaped with beautiful meandering stone walls. 

When we settled in, Ted invited us to an outdoor food and music event at the yacht club.  There was a reggae band and food trucks selling lobster rolls and pizza. After showering and changing and donning our masks, we gladly joined in and stayed properly socially distant at the picnic tables. 

Our plan is to stay here and at the Thimble Islands for about 10 days altogether while we visit family and friends.  Jonny spent Monday fixing the line on the outboard motor and installing a new battery on Zendo while Lynn made dates with said friends and family.  That night, Jonny’s cousin Steven and his wife Ann came to visit and we were all going to go out to dinner.  They surprised us by announcing that his cousin Abby and her husband Rich and daughter Alana would also be joining us! Steven and Ann brought a bottle of Moët which we thoroughly enjoyed as well as produce from their garden. We had a great time catching up with everyone and pouring over old photos of Jonny’s family that they had collected for him after recently selling their mom’s home.  It was a fun and sweet walk down memory lane.  We FaceTimed with Andy and Jan who were particularly happy to see the Katzen “kids”!

From there we headed over to a very good Italian restaurant in Branford called Rossi Vino that was luckily open on a Monday night. We ate well and drank some more and finally headed back to Zendo quite repleted!

Northport, NY

When we woke up on Saturday, August 22 we were able to see where we ended up anchoring in the dark the night before.  We found ourselves in a quiet bay with some industrial buildings on shore and a number of hulking, half-submerged shipwrecks nearby.

We were concerned that the narrow channel we traversed the night before (and hit bottom) might pose a problem on our ability to exit safely.  So Jonny rigged up a depth gauge and took the paddle board over to measure the depths.  They were just fine. We had mistakenly veered off the channel during our nighttime excursion.  With that problem removed, we proceeded to lift anchor and took off towards New York City in order to catch the favorable current through Hell Gate. 

We cruised north towards Manhattan passing the Statue of Liberty on our left in New York Harbor. As we cruised up the East River we saw the beautiful NYC skyline and many of its iconic landmarks including the World Trade Center, the Chrysler Building, the United Nations and all those fascinating bridges!

We also marveled at the architecture of some of the newer (to us) buildings that make up that unique urban landscape.  

Hell Gate is a notoriously turbulent area at the confluence of the Harlem and East Rivers.  Currents run as fast as 5 knots and Zendo’s cruising speed is 7 knots.  So we have to time our passage with the current, not against it (which would clearly be a slog).  Our timing was perfect and we sped through the passage at the grand speed of 12 knots! 

We were now on Long Island Sound and our plan was to anchor in what was described as a quaint and charming town in Northport, NY on the north shore of Long Island.  We cruised up the Long Island coastline passing Oyster Bay, a beautiful spot that we enjoyed staying in during last year’s cruise.  But we wanted to visit someplace new so we proceeded onward.  We entered the lovely large bay where Northport is situated at 1:30 and found a great anchorage on the outskirts of its large mooring field where the shoreline was lined with beautiful homes. 

After relaxing for a couple of hours, we boarded the dinghy for a ride into town stopping to get gas for the outboard on the way.  As Jonny restarted the outboard for the short hop to the town dock, he pulled the cord right out of the engine block! Oh no! What do we do now, as he held the raggedy line in his hand?  The marina had no supplies for us to use to repair it so all we could do was return to Zendo.  Jonny’s first inclination was to row back but we were almost two miles from Zendo. Instead, he asked another boat at the fuel dock if they would be willing to tow us and they kindly agreed.

That ended our foray into Northport.  Jonny wouldn’t be able to properly repair the cord until we got to our next destination, the Branford Yacht Club in Connecticut.  We’ll just have to catch Northport on our return trip.

So we made the best of the rest of our evening with a delicious dinner of  sausage and peppers on the grill along with mashed cauliflower.  We had a quiet night reading and enjoying the beautiful setting with yet another gorgeous sunset.

Coney Island, New York

In order to catch the outgoing tide, we delayed leaving our Glimmer Glass anchorage until 10 a.m. on Thursday, August 20.  We alerted the bridge tender and were on our way for a five hour cruise to New York.

It was a beautiful day on the water. The seas were calm and there wasn’t a lot of boat traffic until we got close to New York (of course).

We decided to try a new area to anchor this time and found one called Gravesend Bay in Coney Island.  Neither of us had ever been to Coney Island and we didn’t even realize it was in Brooklyn!  By 3 p.m. we found what looked to be a great spot with really good reviews and a great view of the Verrazanno-Narrows Bridge.  So we settled in comfortably and did our usual routine of family phone calls and dinner.

After it got dark, Jonny decided to go to bed early and it was then that the tide turned and began beating very uncomfortably against our aft cabin which is where we sleep.  Ever since we had dropped the hook he had been fretting over whether we should have gone further into the bay where it would be less choppy.  Well, now we had no choice as it would have been impossible to sleep under the present conditions. So Jonny put on his clothes and took out a flashlight, hoisted the anchor and onward we went through a very dark and skinny channel that got so shallow that we bumped the bottom! Fortunately we plowed through and entered a nice little calm bay where we dropped the hook once again.  Looming on the perimeter were some dark shapes but it looked like we were in a safe spot overall.  We were now able to go to bed and sleep peacefully.

Manasquan, NJ

It was a beautiful day on Thursday, August 20 as we prepared for an all day trip up the New Jersey coast. We left our Brigantine anchorage near Atlantic City at 8:10 and proceeded out to the Atlantic.

Although it didn’t seem particularly windy, the waters were pretty bouncy.  We hobby horsed for several hours and it was rough enough that Jonny graciously offered to go below to make our lunch.  It did settle down some as the day progressed and we managed to enjoy a full day’s cruise.  The musical soundtrack was a good one with the University of Pennsylvania’s station playing Beatles and Rolling Stones music all afternoon which we happily sang along with.

When we arrived at the Manasquan Inlet, it got very busy with dozens of small craft zipping all around us with no thought of minimizing their wakes. We expected to anchor at a place called Glimmer Glass which is one of our favorite anchorages.  We had to go through a lift bridge that usually opens on the half hour.  When we arrived we were informed that due to Covid, the bridge was only opening on the hour.  So we had to cruise around the harbor for another forty minutes. We spent that time checking out fuel prices at the various marinas but the prices were higher than we wanted to pay.

We finally arrived at Glimmer Glass at 5:15. This anchorage is surrounded by homes with scores of boats docked outside.  Despite the density of homes and vessels, it’s nice and quiet with only occasional paddle boarders enjoying the calm waters.

After settling in, we proceeded with our usual routine  of watching the PBS News Hour, talking to family on the phone and preparing dinner (leftovers this time).

That evening we watched the last night of the Democratic Convention cringing through Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ awkward comedy bits and reveling in Biden’s inspiring and flawless speech.