Point Judith, RI

Our visit to New London was drawing to a close. On Monday, September 14, Lynn finally joined Jonny on his long morning walk through New London.  As he loves to do, Jonny pointed out the landmarks of his youth as we walked through this small city of 25,000. The downtown has transitioned to be one of restaurants and galleries and a much more limited number of retail shops and businesses.  

New London has had its share of up and down economic cycles but it manages to continue to make improvements with new buildings and neighborhoods under renovation. We passed the site of his family’s jewelry business, Mallove’s, which has moved to the suburbs and many older more historic buildings.  And we saw another of Nathan Hale’s famous red schoolhouses.

We returned to Zendo in time to shove off at 10 for the four hour cruise to our next destination, Port Judith, RI. It was a lovely cruise along Long Island Sound.  The weather was clear and sunny in the 70’s with a touch of autumn in the air.  We passed many beautiful homes lining the waterfront.

As we entered the long inlet towards Point Judith we saw a lot of people sunning themselves on the beach (while we wore sweatshirts)!

We were planning to meet Jonny’s cousin David for a picnic dinner. He and his wife Bobbie have a summer home near the RI shore. Unfortunately Bobbie was unable to join us but we arranged to meet David at a nearby marina.  We cruised up the inlet towards the anchorage we had selected in Point Judith Pond.  We found a perfect spot in this large but protected area with only a couple of other boats at anchor. After reading and relaxing on board for a couple of hours, we took off on the dinghy to meet David.  

David met us with a delicious array of local “delicacies” including an order of the now famous Rhode Island calamari.  We found a picnic table at the marina and had a great time catching up with each other’s lives after not having seen each other for a few years.  Afterwards we dinghied back to Zendo using a flashlight to guide us on the 20 minute ride through the moonless night.

New London, CT

A  quick 30 minute cruise brought us from our anchorage to Crocker Marina in New London on Friday, September 11. It was expected to be a nice day as we went under the Gold Star Memorial Bridge on this very brief journey.

It was good to be in a marina so we could wash off the boat and take care of some cleaning and boat repairs.  Jonny spent a couple of hours repairing the windlass while  Lynn cleaned the inside of Zendo and did two loads of laundry. That evening Jonny’s cousin Richie picked us up and we went to Fred’s Shanty and had dinner outdoors.  They are known for their burgers but Lynn couldn’t resist having a lobster roll.

On Saturday, Lynn was excited to welcome her old friend Nancy Moriarty aboard Zendo.  Lynn and Nancy used to work together at Mansfield Day Care Center near UConn which was Lynn’s first job out of college. It had been several years since they had seen each other and the visit was a wonderful way to catch up now that we’re both retired.  The three of us walked down the street to another New London favorite, Captain Scott’s, where we sat on their outdoor deck and feasted on clam chowder, steamers, fried clams and corn on the cob.  Each item was more delicious than the next!

Later on, Richie picked us up and brought us to his brother Jimmy’s home in nearby Waterford.  Jimmy and his wife, Robin, were  hosting a graduation party for family members and we were able to visit the beautiful old home that they have lovingly renovated. Their outdoor area was a perfect setting for a party with a gorgeous swimming pool, a fire pit, and a lovely pool house.  Robin had prepared quite a feast but we were only able to take advantage of her delicious Rhode Island clam chowder from an old family recipe.  We were still full from lunch and we were invited to another friend’s home for dinner that evening.

After a couple of hours, Richie gave us a ride to nearby Defender (a marine products store) where Jonny bought some boat supplies. Lynn found a great-looking warm jacket on sale - perfect for the cooler fall temperatures we would soon be encountering.  Our friend Betsy picked us up at Defender at five to bring us around the corner to the home she and her husband have in nearby Jordan Cove.  They had invited us to dinner at the summer cottage that has been in Betsy’s family for generations.  It’s a very charming traditional summer cottage across the street from the cove with 270 degree views of the water.  We sat socially distanced on their porch for drinks and nibbles.  As the evening got cooler we proceeded inside for the delicious dinner that Betsy had prepared of pasta with shrimp, scallops, and crabmeat accompanied by salads, breads  and even homemade desserts. What a feast!  We had a lovely time and later Betsy graciously drove us back to Zendo.

On Sunday morning, Joe and Betsy stopped by for coffee and so Joe could see Zendo. They are avid sailers and Joe, who hadn’t seen Zendo before, was interested to see our trawler.  We sat on the aft deck on another stunningly beautiful late summer day.

  

That afternoon, we were expecting Samantha, Jonny’s niece, to come down from outside of Boston.  She arrived around 1:30 and we gave Sam the choice of where she wanted to have lunch. As expected, she chose Captain Scott’s (the absolute go-to place in New London in the summer) to which we happily agreed and the three of us strolled over there.  Richie met us and we all feasted on lobster rolls, corn on the cob and a side of fried clams and onion rings.  We are going to roll out of town after all the food we have consumed on this visit!  We provided vicarious pleasure to Janice and Andy back home by FaceTiming with them so they could talk to Sam and Richie. Poor Janice was jealous that she could not be with us in her beloved New London.

Janice had also requested that we drive by her old home on Mallove Drive,  so of course we accommodated her request.  The house looked well cared for and even had the addition of new solar panels on the roof.  

And no visit to New London is complete without the last stop on our food tour, a visit to Michael’s Dairy for ice cream.  After satiating ourselves with that last tasty treat we said our goodbyes to Richie and returned to Zendo for an animated chat about politics before Sam had to hit the road.

This was our last night in New London and the next day we would head out to Point Judith in Rhode Island. We had a wonderful time seeing family and friends in Jonny’s charming home town.

Thames River, New London, CT

We had a leisurely morning at our calm anchorage in Essex on Thursday, September 10.  It was quite rainy and looked to be not a great day to travel so we just took it easy that morning.  It’s so nice not to have a schedule!  By lunch time we began to contemplate traveling since Long Island Sound was expected to have more favorable conditions today versus Friday.  After eating lunch (the final leftovers from our Gelston House dinner!) we lifted anchor and  took off for a short 3.5  hour cruise to New London. 

We proceeded south on the Connecticut River and then headed east on the Sound.

It rained on and off but the seas were pretty good and the cruise was pleasant.  Lynn was her usual busy self knitting an afghan for the Zendo.

As we approached New London, Jonny’s old stomping grounds and childhood home, he got more and more excited.

We went by the classic New London Lighthouse and later the square shaped Ledge Light in the distance.

The huge ferry returning from Long Island was approaching at a very fast speed and we needed to get out of its way.

We entered the Thames River and went by Connecticut College and the Coast Guard Academy.  Eagle, that impressive tall ship (originally belonging to Hitler) was docked by the Coast Guard Academy. 

And a lovely flotilla of little sailboats danced in the breeze.

Several teams rowing crew from the Coast Guard Academy were out rowing with masks on!  We cruised past them and saw a submarine being escorted by several boats.  As we approached our anchorage across from the submarine base we could see the Nautilus at its home port. 

That evening we enjoyed a very peaceful night at one of the calmest anchorages we have had on this journey. Tomorrow we’ll make the short hop to  Crocker’s Marina where we’ll stay for the weekend.

Essex, CT

After a quiet night at the Goodspeed dock, we awoke to the sound of traffic on the East Haddam Swing Bridge on Wednesday, September 9.

Fortunately, it was no earlier than our usual wake up time which is between 5:30 and 6:30. The day was overcast but became less so as the sun tried to peek through.  We went for a morning walk through East Haddam and found a lovely park with the reconstructed little red schoolhouse where Nathan Hale taught school after he graduated from Yale at 18!

At the park we met a woman who was walking her three dogs. As we chatted for awhile we discovered that she, too, had been married at the Gelston House many years ago - small world!  Lots of old interesting architecture lined the streets on our short walk up and down the hilly roads of this small town, including the formidable Goodspeed Opera House.

After walking out on the swing bridge to get another view of Zendo, we returned to our little “yacht” and headed south towards Essex.

As we approached Gillette Castle, we decided to take time to go ashore and visit that unique site.  Jonny dropped the anchor and we took the dinghy in to shore and tied up on a dead tree. The grounds around Gillette Castle are extensive and there are many well-marked trails. Although the castle was closed due to Covid there were several small groups exploring the grounds.

Gillette Castle was designed and commissioned by William Gillette, an American actor who was famous for portraying Sherlock Holmes on stage.  It took five years to build and was completed in 1919. It is built of wood, cement and lots and lots of Connecticut fieldstone. It has been described as medieval gothic or a “weird combination of American fairy tale and European flair.”  We had been here many years ago and were able to tour inside but this time we could only wander its perimeter and grounds.  It is really quite fascinating.

After a time, we continued our cruise a bit further south to Essex which is located on the west side of the river.  There was a comfortable anchorage on the east side of the river where we dropped the hook and took the dinghy to the town dock.  The Essex harbor is filled with beautiful classic sailboats and is well known as a yachting center.

We strolled up the very charming Main Street lined with shops and galleries in stately old buildings. The many historic homes in town were immaculately maintained and there were several historic markers noting significant events.

Essex, first known as Pettipaug, was settled in 1648 and incorporated in 1852.  It was known as a shipbuilding center and is one of the few American towns to ever be attacked by a foreign power. This was during the War of 1812 when 28 vessels housed there were destroyed by the British.  As the shipbuilding industry faded, the growth of ivory and piano parts grew in the village of Ivoryton.  Many of the beautiful homes in the area were built after the Civil War and were owned by the titans of those industries.

We walked up and down the streets of Essex late in the afternoon but decided to pass on having a drink at the famous and historic Griswold Inn.

After strolling along the town dock we headed back to Zendo for a dinner of our substantial leftovers from the Gelston House.  We were about to settle in for the night when Jonny turned on the generator to recharge the batteries and checked the water flow.  He saw that the cooling water was not flowing and he immediately shut down the generator.  He proceeded to check the strainers which were OK and then checked the hoses that showed that the impeller was not pumping water.  Fortunately he had spares and had to spend the next hour and a half replacing the worn impeller.  Another great  repair job was completed by our very competent captain!