In the end, we decided that trying to board the dingy in 20 knot winds was not worth it for a 2-hour walk on Block island, so we spent an hour preparing Salty Ginger for the crossing to Montauk instead. The dingy was folded on deck, things were stowed properly down below: after all it was windy.
Once we were out of the channel and settled into the routine of going with the wind and mostly with the waves, it wasn't that rough at all. Yes, it still was the right decision to fold the dingy, since some waves were pretty big. The ride was fun up to the last few miles to the Montauk harbor entry when we finally gave up and turned the motor on.
For the first time since Northeast Harbor on Mount Desert Island we were staying at a dock. However, unlike MDI, Salty Ginger was in the minority. Almost all the vessels around us were fishing motorboats. Not that surprising for a fishing town. And for the first time since Salty Ginger left Cheasapeake Bay she was tied up not just to a dock but to pilings.
Montauk Yacht Club provides a shuttle that takes guests to where they want to go, so while Frank had an early dinner with his girlfriend and her friends, Lena, Joao, and I took Gabi into town for ice cream and a walk on the beach. The waves were huge. After all, even though the wind was light, the storm was still off the coast and the reach of the waves is well beyond the reach of its wind.
The calculus for departure Thursday morning was complicated in its own way. If we leave too early the current at the Race or Plum Gut would be against us. If we leave in time for the current the wind will be westerly, that is in our face. We took the wind complication over current complication. After all, S.G. at her absolute best can do 8 knots, and the current in the Race is up to 4 knots. With everything in mind, departure was set for 11:00.
In the morning I took a walk into Montauk Harbor (not the same as Montauk town), got dishwashing liquid, Cherios for Gabriel, and picked the brains of the local bait shop as to what we can do to catch a fish. At the same time Lena and Joao took Gabi for a swim at the beach and the pool while Frank was catching up on sleep and slowly enjoying the morning.
Ok, we didn't leave the harbor till noon. After all, we're crusing, not racing. The wind was wonderful, but as forecast totally in our face. We went around Plum Island through the Race (leaving it to the west), but to our luck, which I could attribute to forecast and my insight, the wind kept clocking to a more northwesterly. With favorable current we now seemed set to reach the Thimble islands off the coast of Connecticut.
The wind was forecast to be 10 knots. It wasn't. First we reefed the genoa. The we reefed it again (it seems like I'm copying this from an earlier blog post). Then we had a contemplation as to whether we should reef more, and 5 minutes later we reefed the main. We were still maintaining 7 knots that the favorable current made into 8 knots, but not quite in the right direction.
At 17:00 I looked at where we were and where we were going. It was clear that Thimble islands were out of reach. Long Island coast was out of question because of forecasted NW winds during the night. And directly north of us was the harbor where 2 years ago Irina, Margot and I met Alex and Jan aboard Renewal. No problem: we can get there before sunset, enjoy dinner at anchor, and then if the forecast holds cross Long Island Sound to Port Jefferson or somewhere there. We didn't have much interest in hanging out at a marina, but Point Kelsey would provide us with excellent protection from northwest winds for the night. Listen to King Neptune!
As to fishing... A fish did catch on the lure that I got in Montauk. We heard the sound of the reel unwinding, but then I stopped the reel too fast, and we lost it. Sigh. When we dropped the anchor, for the first time since I was a kid I pulled a fish out of the water! Yay! Except it was the size of my palm. We let it go before I realized that we should have used it as live bait.
Oh well, we still had an excellent dinner with rice and chili that Frank prepared before the voyage.
Once we were out of the channel and settled into the routine of going with the wind and mostly with the waves, it wasn't that rough at all. Yes, it still was the right decision to fold the dingy, since some waves were pretty big. The ride was fun up to the last few miles to the Montauk harbor entry when we finally gave up and turned the motor on.
For the first time since Northeast Harbor on Mount Desert Island we were staying at a dock. However, unlike MDI, Salty Ginger was in the minority. Almost all the vessels around us were fishing motorboats. Not that surprising for a fishing town. And for the first time since Salty Ginger left Cheasapeake Bay she was tied up not just to a dock but to pilings.
The calculus for departure Thursday morning was complicated in its own way. If we leave too early the current at the Race or Plum Gut would be against us. If we leave in time for the current the wind will be westerly, that is in our face. We took the wind complication over current complication. After all, S.G. at her absolute best can do 8 knots, and the current in the Race is up to 4 knots. With everything in mind, departure was set for 11:00.
In the morning I took a walk into Montauk Harbor (not the same as Montauk town), got dishwashing liquid, Cherios for Gabriel, and picked the brains of the local bait shop as to what we can do to catch a fish. At the same time Lena and Joao took Gabi for a swim at the beach and the pool while Frank was catching up on sleep and slowly enjoying the morning.
Ok, we didn't leave the harbor till noon. After all, we're crusing, not racing. The wind was wonderful, but as forecast totally in our face. We went around Plum Island through the Race (leaving it to the west), but to our luck, which I could attribute to forecast and my insight, the wind kept clocking to a more northwesterly. With favorable current we now seemed set to reach the Thimble islands off the coast of Connecticut.
The wind was forecast to be 10 knots. It wasn't. First we reefed the genoa. The we reefed it again (it seems like I'm copying this from an earlier blog post). Then we had a contemplation as to whether we should reef more, and 5 minutes later we reefed the main. We were still maintaining 7 knots that the favorable current made into 8 knots, but not quite in the right direction.
At 17:00 I looked at where we were and where we were going. It was clear that Thimble islands were out of reach. Long Island coast was out of question because of forecasted NW winds during the night. And directly north of us was the harbor where 2 years ago Irina, Margot and I met Alex and Jan aboard Renewal. No problem: we can get there before sunset, enjoy dinner at anchor, and then if the forecast holds cross Long Island Sound to Port Jefferson or somewhere there. We didn't have much interest in hanging out at a marina, but Point Kelsey would provide us with excellent protection from northwest winds for the night. Listen to King Neptune!
As to fishing... A fish did catch on the lure that I got in Montauk. We heard the sound of the reel unwinding, but then I stopped the reel too fast, and we lost it. Sigh. When we dropped the anchor, for the first time since I was a kid I pulled a fish out of the water! Yay! Except it was the size of my palm. We let it go before I realized that we should have used it as live bait.
Oh well, we still had an excellent dinner with rice and chili that Frank prepared before the voyage.
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