Long Island Slalom

Stepping Stones

Long Island Sound is fringed by glamorous mansions and lush greenery.  Its waters are awash with impressive motor boats and snappy launches. Smart sailboats with impeccable white sails lean into a perfect breeze, crisscrossing our path.  Artistic lighthouses dot the landscape.  Ah, only in America….  We hurried on (under motor) to our first destination, sidestepping the inevitable crab pots, to Oyster Bay.

Long Island Mansion

The Motleys had decided to hoof it up to Maine leaving time (hopefully) to explore on the way back.  Long Island had simply become another encampment on our journey “down east”.  That is until we left Port Jefferson.  The day was overcast, the wind was up and the Cap’n unfurled WJ3’s sails.  We belted along as the seas grew and breezes “freshened” – not exactly in accordance with the weather forecast…  Pot watch was made all the more interesting, especially as small multicoloured buoys began to appear in deeper, more remote waters.  The skies opened up too and even our Cap’n No Pain quickly put on his wet weather gear.  GS found a fleece jacket too.  Yes!  Cold, wet weather at last...

Nice little Grotto.  A useful idea for Penawar?

We rounded Plum Gut, another torrent of currents, stiff short seas and swirling eddies, in strong gusts of 25 to 30 kts, sails taut and reefed, then surfed the last few miles into Greenport, an old whaling port, situated in Long Island’s fishtail. 

Ferry into Port Jefferson

Greenport’s well protected Stirling Harbor, has town moorings and we were lucky to get one with such foul weather building quickly.  We really did batten down our hatches, crossed fingers that moorings would hold their dancing charges, and guessed our stay would probably be a few days, certainly until the weather cleared.

(Just on a technical note, we have installed Skymate, a satellite communications system that allows us to download weather and a limited number of emails - even out on the high seas.  I hope to be able to connect this to our blog tracker so that even when we are unable to get internet, our most current position/anchorage will be evident.  At least there would be a narrower search corridor if we ever get lost.  There, I knew you cared!)


From: Oyster Bay, LI  Lat/Long: 40 52N  73 30W  Date/Time: 21/8/10: 1115

To: Greenport, LI  Lat/Long: 40 57N  73 05W  Date/Time: 22/8/10: 1645

Time Taken: 83nm (16hrs)  Distance (this year): 517nm (101hrs)

Distance Total (since 2008): 4157nm  (800hrs)   Fastest Speed: 7kts**

Weather: Winds SE 5-10kts; Seas 1ft; TSM’s reported. Actual weather E winds 15-20kts gusts to 30kts; rain, rain and more rain

(** Sailing – doing 6 - 7 kts; well reefed down.)