Despite our rule of never sailing to a strict schedule, we had wanted to have time to visit friends in Rowayton then do the East River (timing currents is critical) on a Friday so any NY friends could make use of a weekend to visit us on board.
Our first problem went like this….”You can’t pick up a mooring at West 79th Street Boat Basin – we're 5 feet over the limit. No, can’t anchor out, Coast Guard have just this week changed the channel markers. Ok, if we do find an anchorage, which I doubt, it will cost $25 per day to leave Bruce at the dock. Otherwise, a slip hereabouts will cost at least $2.70 per foot per day (that's the cheapest) and the facilities are somewhat limited”. Hmmm, forget it! Let’s move out to Great Kills and catch a bus over to Manhattan.
Our second problem was refuelling. Refuelling went ok, no worries but we didn’t get away in time to make our planned destination, the Thimbles. “Oooh”, said the fuel man, “my friend went onto an unchartered rock there. Not a good place to be anchoring in the late evening”. Terrific, not a lot of options - lets hook into Duck Island then. Duck Island Roads was fine until we got there. SE winds had by then worked themselves up into a consistent 25kts which blew in over the rock causeway ALL NIGHT. Scant protection.
The next was pre-arranging a dinner date. That little breeze continued well into the morning and we bashed on into strong headwinds over an incoming current. Short, steep waves and washing machine (on the spin cycle) conditions for hours and hours…. And, we weren’t making any headway either. Blast, even later for our re-arranged, planned dinner with Scott & Kitty in Rowayton!
Then it was the phone! Tamure, is moored in a narrow slither of Fivemile River. Scott had arranged a mooring for us close by – a tricky little bow & stern mooring ball affair. We needed to contact him by phone on arrival. You guessed it – no phone coverage…… “Butt clenching”, said our Cap’n. Turning WJ3 around mid-river was also on par with the aforementioned experience.
Lastly (and that makes bad luck in fives not threes), we discovered the East River was closed to all traffic on Friday. UN General Assembly. Of course! A heavy Coast Guard presence with lots of “hardware”, an un-navigable bridge (less than WJ3’s mast needed for clearance), not to mention that devil of a current through Hell Gate didn’t bode for an incident-free trip. “Scott, can we stay another day on your mooring please”?
I really don’t think we should have got out of bed that morning, do you????
Time Taken: 82nm (15hrs) Distance (this year): 1273nm (231.5hrs)
Distance Total (since 2008): 4913nm (930.5hrs) Fastest Speed: 6.5kts**
Weather: Winds W turning NE 10-15kts; Seas 1-2ft; low vis in the morning – kinda foggy!
(**Motoring again…)
 |
| This is Duck Island Roads - scant protection even for ducks! |
Our second problem was refuelling. Refuelling went ok, no worries but we didn’t get away in time to make our planned destination, the Thimbles. “Oooh”, said the fuel man, “my friend went onto an unchartered rock there. Not a good place to be anchoring in the late evening”. Terrific, not a lot of options - lets hook into Duck Island then. Duck Island Roads was fine until we got there. SE winds had by then worked themselves up into a consistent 25kts which blew in over the rock causeway ALL NIGHT. Scant protection.
The next was pre-arranging a dinner date. That little breeze continued well into the morning and we bashed on into strong headwinds over an incoming current. Short, steep waves and washing machine (on the spin cycle) conditions for hours and hours…. And, we weren’t making any headway either. Blast, even later for our re-arranged, planned dinner with Scott & Kitty in Rowayton!
 |
| WJ3 up Five Mile River |
Lastly (and that makes bad luck in fives not threes), we discovered the East River was closed to all traffic on Friday. UN General Assembly. Of course! A heavy Coast Guard presence with lots of “hardware”, an un-navigable bridge (less than WJ3’s mast needed for clearance), not to mention that devil of a current through Hell Gate didn’t bode for an incident-free trip. “Scott, can we stay another day on your mooring please”?
I really don’t think we should have got out of bed that morning, do you????
From: Mystic, CT
Lat/Long: 41 19N 71 58W Date/Time: 21/9/10: 1130
To: Rowayton, CT
Lat/Long: 41 03N 73 26W
Date/Time: 22/9/10: 1615Time Taken: 82nm (15hrs) Distance (this year): 1273nm (231.5hrs)
Distance Total (since 2008): 4913nm (930.5hrs) Fastest Speed: 6.5kts**
Weather: Winds W turning NE 10-15kts; Seas 1-2ft; low vis in the morning – kinda foggy!
(**Motoring again…)
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