Barnegat Light, NJ

We had a long day of cruising down the New Jersey coast on Monday, October 10. We left Sheepshead Bay at 7:45 after Jonny took Archie for a walk on the beach.

It was clear and sunny but quite cold starting out in the high 40’s. Time to get back to Miami!  Thankfully the seas were very calm and we had an uneventful journey until Jonny kept  spotting a whale! He actually saw it breach but I, unfortunately, only saw its fin. We never expected to see one in New Jersey but apparently it’s not that unusual.

Getting into Barnegat Bay was a little nerve-wracking.  Jonny was following the markers but noticed that the other boats returning to the bay were approaching it from an entirely different angle. We proceeded slowly and carefully into the harbor but noted the depth gauge kept showing shallower and shallower depths until we finally touched bottom. Thankfully, Jonny took immediate action and skillfully maneuvered us back and forth until we were freed up.  At the same time, he contacted the harbor master to ask him about the right way to enter the harbor.  He was told that there had been a lot of shoaling (duh!) and how to proceed.  Clearly they should have put up temporary markers to prevent boats from going this way.  Apparently it was noted on the Notice to Mariners but we hadn’t bothered to review it this time.  So we followed the other boats entering the bay passing many of the attractive beach homes lining the shore.

We proceeded to the place where we like to anchor but there was a sailboat in that very spot.  After a couple of false tries, we finally got ourselves settled.

We dinghied over to chat with our neighbors and heard another distress call from a sailboat that had run aground and needed a tow. Not a good thing - they need to mark that shoaling!

After our chat we took Archie in for a walk. One of the reasons we like coming here is that there is a big dog park that Archie can run around in.  Usually there are just a few dogs but this day there were lots.  Archie was a little reluctant to interact with them at first but he eventually warmed up to a couple of dogs that he chased and wrestled with.  Surprisingly, this has been the first dog park we’ve been to on this voyage.

That evening Jonny made a lovely dinner of cod almandine, artichoke salad and quinoa. We had a quiet night aboard and will be heading to Atlantic City the next day.

Brooklyn, NY

Since we only had a four hour cruise on Sunday, October 9, we took our time taking off for our next destination, Sheepshead Bay Yacht Club in Brooklyn.  We took the launch to bring Archie for a walk down City Island Ave. 

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This time we walked all the way to the park where he was able to run freely and chase sticks through the old baseball field. 

On the way back we stopped to pick up a few groceries at the local market and Jonny bought a freshly made Italian grinder for us to split for lunch.

We left City Island by 10:30 for the cruise down the East River through Manhattan. It was quite chilly and I spent a lot of time riding from below in the salon.  We sped through turbulent Hell Gate and I went up to the flybridge to record our speed. It’s always exciting traversing the intersection of the East and Harlem Rivers.

Afterwards we passed the many landmarks of NYC. We’ve done this so many times I just included a few shots here.

The waters were pretty rough as we left Manhattan and headed to Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn.  This has become a convenient and cost effective anchorage for us especially with New York prices.  We secured a mooring there by 2:15 and called the launch so we could take Archie in for a walk.

Archie’s walk took us all the way down to a waterfront park where we chatted with some friendly dog owners.

We returned to a Zendo to relax and read and catch up on the blog. That evening we had meatloaf for dinner and did our usual routine of reading and watching TV.  Jonny has been spending a lot of time over the last couple of weeks talking with his brother Andy about their mom’s declining state.  Her doctor had suggested having hospice do an evaluation. That was just completed and Janice will have hospice services including an aide a couple of days a week starting soon.

We need to continue making progress on our return to Miami. Our next stop is Atlantic City where Jonny will be working with a friend to install the new inverter. 

City Island, NY (return trip)

After taking Archie for a walk, we left Milford at 8:30 on Saturday, October 8.  We had a comfortable cruise to City Island. Along the way we passed sailboat races in Stamford, Greenwich and Larchmont. There were scores of magnificent racing yachts resplendent in the vibrant colors of their sails.

We arrived at the Harlem Yacht Club in City Island at 3:10 and tied up to a mooring. We like staying at this yacht club - it has a nice, old-fashioned bar, lovely grounds and friendly people.

Our plan was to stay two nights and we were deciding what special activity we would do on Sunday.  Options under consideration included the Bronx Zoo, the Botanical Gardens or maybe going into NYC.

The launch picked us up and we walked Archie down the main drag in town passing all the familiar storefronts and restaurants we’ve come to know.

When we returned to Zendo, Jonny did some more trip planning and realized that we needed to get to Atlantic City by Wednesday where he and a buddy were going to install the new inverter on Zendo.  The weather is expected to deteriorate by Thursday so we really don’t have time to spend another day here in City Island (even though he had already paid for two nights).  No matter, we will just have a credit for the next time we come.  So we just took it easy and had lots of delicious leftovers for dinner.

The big excitement of the day was learning that Stephanie and Ryan got a new Welsh Corgi puppy!  They drove out to Amish country to see four puppies but they fell in love with the first one they met.   She is eleven weeks old and absolutely adorable! They wanted a female as they already had a name picked out.  Meet Eloise!  Now their kitty, Sasha, will have to learn how to live with some competition!

We decided that we would leave the next day for Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn and were rewarded with another beautiful sunset.

Milford, CT

We had a long day of cruising on Friday, October 7 as we made our way from New London to Milford leaving at 8:00.  The day started off with the most gorgeous sunrise ever!

The skies cleared up and it turned out to be a sunny day but quite cold. It took us an hour longer than planned because we were running against the current. It was so chilly that we cruised from below in the salon for a part of the time.  As the day wore on and the seas picked up we started hobby-horsing but it wasn’t terrible. Needless to say, we were glad to arrive at the Milford Landing Marina when we did at 4:30.

We have come to really enjoy staying in Milford. Their harbor is protected and located adjacent to the very pretty center of town.  There are three marinas to choose from.  We chose Milford Landing because it was the most cost effective, the furthest inside the harbor and it had slips available. 

I walked Archie along the grounds of the marina and adjacent streets while Jonny got the Zendo tied up.  There’s a picturesque pedestrian bridge which has lovely views of the upstream waterfalls.

The boats docked nearby were all decorated for Halloween and as the evening wore on it became apparent that this would be party night on the dock.

That evening Jonny’s cousins Steven, Ann and Abby came aboard bearing champagne.  We had drinks and nibbles onboard before driving to a restaurant in Milford called Bin 100.  It was restaurant week in Milford (lucky us) and Abby chose this one.  The place was hopping and we got a perfect round table in a corner,  This restaurant had the unusual practice of offering its whole menu as restaurant week options.  So for $40 per person, several of us had Oysters Rockefeller, a delicious veal scallopini dish and yummy desserts.  Everyone loved their food and we had a great time as we always do when we are together,  We were lucky with our timing because Steven and Ann were getting ready to be away for six months as they travel to New Zealand and Barbados. Abby, who spends a lot of time with them, will surely miss them. But she will be able to spend time with her new granddaughter, Skydel, who is a little doll.

The next day we’ll be heading to New York and another favorite, the Harlem Yacht Club,

New London, CT

The morning of Friday, September 30 brought a little excitement when Stephanie learned that her flight to Philly had been cancelled! Apparently, when she was having problems with her flight from Philly, they cancelled her return flight by mistake. Fortunately after a lot of scrambling she was able to get her reservation reinstated. She called an Uber and left early so we could proceed with our long day of cruising. We had a wonderful time with our beautiful daughter and we treasure the days we had together! Archie is going to miss her too! Fortunately we will be in Philly at the end of the month for wedding dress shopping and to celebrate her Halloween birthday!

We headed out on Zendo by 9:20 bound initially for Stonington, CT.  We didn’t know how far we could get but we wanted to go as far as we could because the following day the weather was going to deteriorate. Our ultimate goal was to get to New London where we would ride out the next few days in a comfortable marina. Our main concern was that the winds were going to kick up on Long Island Sound for several days because of stormy weather. We can handle rain but choppy seas and four foot plus waves are not for us. Our only limitation for the day was the time of sunset as we don’t like to travel in the dark.

The day turned out to be overcast and cool but the seas were not bad at all with 1- 2 foot waves.  We made decent time and passed our first bail-out option in Point Judith and decided to proceed past Stonington as well. As the day wore on, we decided we would try to get to New London even though we would be arriving by sunset.  And so by 7:10 just as the sun was setting we arrived at the Shaw Cove Bridge that would lead us to Crocker Boat Yard.  Unfortunately, the bridge was down awaiting a train to pass. So by the time we got to Crocker’s Marina it was definitely dark.  Jonny thought he knew what slip we were assigned so we headed for it and had a tricky docking job because we had to back in. Of course, there were no dockhands at this time of day but we managed to tie up, get the electric set up and settle in. The slip was pretty funky, especially the finger piers which were very wobbly.  But we were relieved to have made it all the way to New London and we settled in for the night. 

The next day we were doubly relieved to have made it to New London because it was very rainy.  We discovered pretty quickly that we had docked at the wrong dock and not only that but the wrong marina!  We were at a dock just next door to Crocker’s and we would have to move our boat to another dock and slip. This time it was easier because two dockhands came to help and fortunately the rain let up for the short time it took us to move.  So now we settled in a second time and decided to opt for a weekly rate since we would be here for at least five nights.

Jonny’s cousin Jimmy had graciously offered to loan us a car just as he did when we stayed at his in-laws’ dock on our way up earlier this summer. It’s always good to see Jimmy.

On Sunday, our good friends Peter and Paula drove down from Longmeadow, MA and we went out to lunch at Captain Scott’s. It was fairly cool that day and we had to sit outside on the picnic tables as that’s all there is at this popular seafood joint.  We always have fried clams here but we were disappointed this time because they were overcooked. We did enjoy our favorite Rhode Island clam chowder and a scallop roll.  Afterwards we took Archie and their dog, Wyatt, for a good long walk at Fort Trumbull where they had fun running off leash.

The weather has been dreary and cold and unfortunately our inverter died and that means that we have to go to extra lengths to get heat.  Jonny spent the next several days troubleshooting the issue and deciding what to do about it  The plan changed from day to day.  Fortunately we had a space heater that we moved from salon to cabin as needed and before the week was up we had purchased a second one. We did not freeze!

We had made appointments to get our flu shots and Covid boosters on Monday so we got that done first thing. Afterwards we had lunch with Jimmy. He took us  to one of his favorite haunts, Mr. G’s. We were all surprised that Jonny had never been there before.  It was a good place for grinders and burgers and beer!

I needed a haircut and Jimmy was nice enough to get me an appointment at the salon next to Mallove’s on Tuesday after my Spanish lesson. I was quite pleased with the outcome!  After that we went to the T-Mobile store and finally got ourselves new I-phones which always takes three times as long as expected. Later that day Jonny presented me with my birthday gift - a beautiful silver bracelet that complements the one I wear every day. I love it!

On Wednesday Jonny continued trying to solve the inverter problem by talking to several experts and pricing various alternatives.  In the meantime, he bought another portable heater and even brought home electric blankets in an effort to ensure our comfort until the inverter could be fixed! We really didn’t need the blankets but we kept the extra heater.  That evening we drove to New Haven to meet my cousin Sally for dinner.  We went to Sally’s Apizza, one of the three great pizza restaurants in New Haven.  I used to go there as a kid with Sally’s family and mine. We had great pizza and it was a good opportunity to catch up with Sally and tell her about our visit to her second home on Martha’s Vineyard.

We planned to leave Crocker’s on Friday so we spent all day Thursday doing boat chores including laundry, defrosting the refrigerator, grocery shopping, and blogging.  We treated ourselves to a better fried clam lunch at Ocean Pizza since we were so disappointed at what we had at Captain Scott’s.  This batch was quite delicious!  After that I had my book club meeting with Lisa and Maddie.  

We took Archie for a long walk at Fort Trumbull where he enjoyed running through the beautiful grounds overlooking the Thames River.

We’ve noticed that the leaves are starting to change colors beginning as always with the maples.

That night we had a light dinner on board and got ready to leave early the next morning for a long cruise to Milford, CT.  My apologies for the scarcity of people photos in this blogpost. I don’t know where my head was but we did have a very nice visit in New London!

Fairhaven, MA (return trip)

We had a short last cruise with Stephanie on Thursday, September 29 as we made our way from Falmouth to Fairhaven.  It was quite cool when we left at 7:10 for the three and a half hour cruise so we were bundled up on the fly bridge to keep warm.

We were staying at the Acushneck Safe Boating Club where we had stayed before when Jonny had to go to the hospital.  Their rates are very favorable and it was a good location for Stephanie to get an Uber to Providence airport the next morning. 

As we entered the harbor we passed by an enormous breakwater which makes the New Bedford harbor very calm and safe.

We were assigned a spot on a face dock but the docking was very difficult because of the currents. I was trying to manage the lines and I almost fell off the swim platform trying to lasso a line onto the cleat.  One foot and ankle went into the water but fortunately I was able to pull myself up and prevent myself from getting wedged into the dock with the boat! It was scary but I was unharmed and we were able to dock without any further incidents. 

Stephanie and I took Archie for a walk through lovely Fairhaven with its stately homes and magnificent Unitarian Church, library, and city hall.  As we walked through the park, Archie who just loves to chase squirrels, finally caught one for the very first time. We got him to drop it before doing further harm.  It wasn’t such a big accomplishment because it had appeared that the squirrel was having trouble walking even before Archie caught him. We hope he survived!

That evening we took an Uber into the old section of New Bedford to show Stephanie that historic area with its cobblestone streets and brick and stone buildings.

We went into a gift shop that we quite like and got a recommendation from the owners to have a drink at a bar called Cultivator Shoals.  It was a cool place with very good drinks.  We had reservations for dinner afterwards at an Italian restaurant called Carmine’s. It was very good!

We made an early night of it onboard Zendo. Jonny and I were reevaluating our travel over the next several days to try to avoid the projected windy and rainy weather on Long Island Sound. Our next destination will be either Port Judith or Stonington or New London.  We would see what the weather was like and decide then. 

Falmouth, MA (3rd trip)

On Wednesday, September 28 we left Oak Bluffs and returned to Falmouth.  Originally we were going to go on to Cuttyhunk Island but Joe needed some help moving boats and his boat detailer would be able to do some work on ours.  So we decided to go there instead. 

We left at 8:20 and arrived by 9:40 only to find that Joe had already moved the boats and the detailer was not available to work on our boat!  No problem. We would make the most of our time there because our water pump had stopped working that morning and Jonny could work on replacing it. Joe offered his car for Stephanie and me to go shopping, so it all worked out fine!

She and I had fun shopping in Falmouth where there is a very attractive outdoor shopping area, like a town center.  She wanted to look at wedding bands so we went to several jewelery stores in search of a style she liked.  We had a very nice lunch at a local restaurant and returned to Zendo later in the afternoon.

By the time we got back, Jonny had done his boat chores and also the laundry that I was supposed to do! We spent a little time visiting with Joe and Pat and then went back on board to make dinner, chicken Nona once again, this time with spaghetti with pesto and a veggie.

We had been watching Hurricane Ida approaching Florida with concerns for friends and family especially those on the west coast. My cousin Valerie was visiting the west coast of Florida from Connecticut and was planning to stay in our condo for a few days. She was going to go to Miami earlier to escape the storm but instead decided to hunker down in Naples.

Only one more day with Stephanie! We planned to sail to Fairhaven the next day so she could Uber to the airport in Providence from there.  Archie will miss her a lot!