Voyaging America's Great Loop Aboard Still Waters II

Tag: Connecticut

Thar She Blows
Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!

Eric here with the latest travels of Still Waters II.

Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard

Summary of week:

The crew spent the week exploring the greater Cape Cod region. They travelled from Sandwich, thru the Cap Cod Canal, and then on to Martha’s Vineyard on Monday. Wednesday, they moved over to Nantucket. Because of Hurricane Jose, the crew headed back to the mainland with a stop at Falmouth on Friday.

This week’s journey of discovery did answer the following questions:
1. Who was the first European to discover Martha’s Vineyard?
2. Where is the only Civil War memorial, dedicated to both the Union and Confederate Soldiers, that is above the Mason Dixon Line?
3. What are sperm whale teeth made of?
Click on the link to read the day-to-day travel log. This includes weather report of the day, sea conditions, log of the days travel, and a summary of the experience.

At the Box Office

This week’s video is on hold as the crew continues to travel to get out of harms way of Hurricane Jose.

To see past videos, click on the link to the Still Waters II Vimeo site. The library now contains 33 videos of Still Waters II cruising America’s Great Loop.

Monday, Sept 11, 2017

The crew got an earlier start than normal so they could ride the current thru the Cape Cod Canal. This strategy allowed the crew to navigate the seven-mile canal in less than 45 minutes. With the early start, the crew saw many fishermen along the canal banks.

There is no road along the canal; however, there is a bike trail. The fishermen have rigged some interesting accessories to their bicycles so they can get to their favorite fishing spots along the canal path.

After crossing thru Cape Cod at the Woods Hole Passage, the crew entered the Vineyard Sound and headed toward Edgartown on the far east side of Martha’s Vineyard Island.

After taking a mooring ball for two days, the skipper dropped the dinghy in the water and the crew headed to shore to explore.

West Chop Light on Martha’s Vineyard

The homes have shingles for siding. The shingles are cut from Maine white pine trees. The wood shingles can last up to 100 years without being replaced. The shingle has a light off white color when first placed on the home. After the shingle ages, it turns this grayish brown color.

The crew also came across some interesting yard art for sale. This guy was relaxing at an art gallery on the water front.

This whale tale was at another art gallery along the water front.

The crew found the Visitor center/bus stop and bought all day tickets to tour the island on Tuesday. After sampling the local ice cream, the crew headed back to the mother ship swinging on a mooring ball.

Tuesday, Sept 12, 2017

The crew took the dinghy back ashore and walked back to the bus stop to catch the 10:00 a.m. bus. The first stop was Oak Bluffs. This area is known for three things: the Martha’s Vineyard Tabernacle, the gingerbread cottages, and Flying Horses.

However, with all the statue controversy around the country, the skipper was intrigued by a Union Soldier that had a Confederate plaque honoring Confederate soldiers. Seemed strange, so the skipper went in search of the back story of the statue.

The statue was erected by Charles Strahan who was from Maryland. When Maryland did not succeed from the Union, Charles joined the 21st Virginia Regiment and was wounded in battle early in the war. He also fought at Gettysburg later in the war. He was near Lee at Appomattox when the surrender took place.

After the war, Charles made his home on Martha’s Vineyard and made his living by running the Martha’s Vineyard Herald. The local members of the Grand Army were not pleased with their new resident. Charles southern charm finally won the locals over. In an effort to build bridges and heal the divide in the local community, Charles purchased the statue and had it dedicated in 1891.

At the dedication, Charles said “That this comes from one who once wore grey, I trust will add significance to the fact that we are once more a union of Americans, a union which endears with equal honor the citizen of Georgia with the citizen of Maine; that Massachusetts and South Carolina are again brothers; that there is no North nor South, no East nor West, but one undivided, indivisible Union.”

Charles had inscriptions on three sides of the statue honoring the Grand Army and the local chapter. He left the back side of the monument bare and later wrote that he hoped that the locals would some day offer a tribute to their old foes on the inscribed side of the monument.

Finally, in 1925 a few surviving members of the local post of the Grand Army took the challenge. Charles was also able to attend the ceremony at the age of eighty-six. The fourth plaque reads, “The chasm is closed. In memory of the restored Union this tablet is dedicated by Union veterans of the Civil War and patriotic citizens of Martha’s Vineyard in honor of the Confederate soldiers.”

The statue remains the only memorial north of the Mason-Dixon Line dedicated to soldiers on both sides of the conflict. If the people who actually shot at each other can find a way to build a bridge and get over the war, makes you wonder why our population today (150 years later) cannot find a way to do the same.

The next stop on the bus was Tisbury where the crew walked around and enjoyed lunch. So far the crew has concluded that the island has more bicycle rental shops and ice cream stores per capita than any place they have ever been.

Next stop was at West Tisbury. Not much here except a general store that claims to sale just about any and everything. After going inside, the crew can confirm that indeed they sell just about everything.

The crew then strolled thru an outdoor art gallery while waiting on the next bus. The artist has a large range of medium and subjects.

The next stop was Aquinnah. The bus driver on this leg of the journey used to be a tour bus driver so he gave the bus occupants his old spiel on the way to Aquinnah. The bus driver relayed the story of the first Europeans that visited Martha’s Vineyard. The first being someone I hold near and dear to my heart, yes, none other than my son Leif Erikson. He initially named the Island Vineland.

The next ‘discoverer’ was Verrazano, who sighted the Island in 1524 and called it Claudia, in honor of the mother of Francis II.

The next ‘discoverer’ was Bartholomew Gosnold of England in 1602. He is credited for naming Cape Cod for the codfish he found in the water. He named Martha’s Vineyard after his mother Martha and all the grape vines that were plentiful on the island. He is also credited with naming the Elizabeth Islands after Queen Elizabeth.

At this stop the crew could see the famed clay cliffs of Martha’s Vineyard. They also went up to the Aquinnah Lighthouse. The views were spectacular.

From here the crew took the bus back to a transfer station and made one last leg back to Edgartown. After finding an ice cream store, the crew made their way back to the mother ship to conclude another wonderful day.

Wednesday, Sept 13, 2017

Today the crew left Martha’s Vineyard and headed over to the Island of Nantucket to learn about the 1800 whale industry. It was a good cruise over but an interesting indirect route. The waters between the two islands is shallow and shoals often so the channel runs north into deeper water back towards Cape Cod, then turns and runs west for a while, then turns south to Nantucket.

Replica whaling ship at the entrance to the harbor to greet all boaters.

After arrival in port, the crew took a mooring ball and relaxed in the harbor watching all the other boaters come and go.

Thursday, Sept 14, 2017

Today the crew dinghied ashore to explore Nantucket and the Whaling Museum. The museum did an excellent job show casing the hey day of the whaling industry in Nantucket.

One of the best exhibits was the Essex Gam. A storyteller presented the tale of the ill-fated voyage of the whale ship Essex. After rounding Cape Horn, she was sunk by a renegade whale which rammed the ship twice which led to the sinking of the Essex. Three small whale boats were salvaged along with water and food before the Essex sank. The men then endured a challenging ordeal before they were rescued. Eight of the twenty-two men managed to survive the ordeal. The events of the Essex are what inspired Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. But since the truth is stranger than fiction, I suggest you read In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex.

The museum also has a forty-six-foot sperm whale skeleton.

The whale washed ashore on the eastern end of Nantucket Island during the Christmas Holiday season in 1997. The whale died January 1, 1998. After scientist completed their studies, the whale was buried. In the spring of ’98, the whale was dug up and suspended in the ocean to allow sea creatures to remove the remaining flesh from the bones. The skeleton was then prepped and made available for the museum.

The skipper in the lower jawbone of a sperm whale. The sperm whale has ivory teeth.

Friday, Sept 15, 2017

The skipper has been keeping one eye on hurricane Jose while the crew has been exploring the Cape Cod area. Based on predicted storm conditions in the area, the crew has decided to head back to the mainland.

The weather decided to be strange today though. After departing from the island, a heavy fog sat in and took visibility down to less than a half mile. Since the crew is making way along the fast ferry channels, this is a bit uncomfortable.

The crew was fortunate and did not see or hear of any ferries along the route. At one point the skipper was looking for a green marker to verify they were on the right course.

The GPS showed them less than a half mile from the green marker, but he could not see the navigational aid. Finally, he started hearing the bell ringing on the marker. Then suddenly it sprang into view about a quarter mile off the bow.

Then as the crew approached within two miles of land the fog finally lifted, the sun came out, and it was a beautiful afternoon.

Saturday, September 16, 2017

With hurricane Jose taking aim on New England, the crew has decided it is high time to get to safer ground. This is why our crew has a fast boat. They travelled 80 miles today back to Groton where they took a mooring ball for the evening.

Since the travel was in the fog with less than a quarter mile visibility, there are no pics. The skipper did say he was a bit tired after straining all day looking out for other boats. He said it was a strange feeling to cross a boat wake when you never saw the boat.

Boat Name of the Week

Reel Estate

Next Week –

At this time, it looks like the best guess is that high winds and storm surges will hit the lower New England area sometime Tuesday ahead of Jose. Based on these predictions, the crew has decided to keep moving and head towards the Hudson River. It is two hundred twenty-five miles to the Hudson River. The goal is to travel long and hard Saturday, Sunday, and Monday so that the boat is far enough up the Hudson River to be out of harms way.

Loop On – The water goes on forever and the adventure never ends.

Eric the Red
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September 17, 2017
Truth: Stranger Than Fiction
Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!

Eric here with the latest travels of Still Waters II.

Watch Hill Light

Summary of week:

The crew left for Newport, Rhode Island on Monday and explored the mansions of the rich-and-famous on Tuesday. Wednesday, the crew anchored at the entrance of the Cap Cod Canal to time their passage with the tide and current. On Thursday, they transited the Canal and anchored off the shore at Plymouth, Massachusetts. Friday, the crew completed their run to Boston.

This week’s journey of discovery did answer the following questions:
1. How did Rhode Island get its name?
2. Did the Vanderbilt’s succumb to the three-generation fall?
3. What is the truth about Paul Revere’s Mid-Night Ride?
Click on the link to read the day-to-day travel log. This includes weather of the day, sea conditions, log of the days travel, and a summary of the experience.

At The Box Office

This week’s video shows Still Waters II bobbing gently in 4-6-foot swells on her run from Newport to the Cape Cod Canal. If you watch closely you will notice a couple of 10-foot swells roll under her keel. Then a few clips of her entering the Cape Cod Canal. Enjoy!

To see past videos, click on the link to the Still Waters II Vimeo site. The library now contains 33 videos of Still Waters II cruising America’s Great Loop.

Sunday, Aug 13, 2017

There have only been a few stops that the crew was happy to leave, and vowed to never return. They have added the Burrs Marina in New London, Connecticut to that short list. The marina staff and people keeping their boats at the marina were all fine folks. The problem was with the Ferry Boats that run up and down the Thames River. The wake from the Ferry Boats started early in the morning and lasted till after dark. Still Waters II rocked-n-rolled all day long in her slip.

Offending Ferry

The crew was glad to have found this last-minute slip, but now understands why there was availability at the marina when everything else within 10 miles was sold out.

Monday, Aug 14, 2017

The run to Newport, Rhode Island was filled with the rocky coast that the crew imagined that they would see in New England. The number of lighthouses continues to increase as the hazards in the water also begin to rise. The lights mark areas of shallow rock formations called ‘ledges,’ so many of the lights have the word ‘ledge’ in their name.

The other observation is that though the crew is out in the Atlantic Ocean, these waters are named ‘Sounds.’ For example, today the crew cruised in the Fisher Island Sound and the Block Island Sound. From the skipper’s point of view, when you can see the mainland off the port side of the boat and only water on the starboard side of the boat, you are in the Big Pond. In these parts, the Big Pond would be the Atlantic Ocean.

When Giovanni Verrazzano arrived at what today is named Block Island back in 1524, he described the island as about the size of the Greek Isle of Rhodes. However, the first settlement of modern Rhode Island was not started until 1636 at Providence. Interesting enough, Rhode Island was the first colony to declare independence from the British, but the last colony to approve the Constitution of the United States.

East Point of Fisher Island

Newport has a long nautical history and is a very popular place for boaters. The mooring field has just over a thousand mooring balls. They are first-come-first-serve and the crew was glad to find a vacant ball upon their arrival. The first marina they called said they were full. The second dock master said he thought he had one ball left, gave the crew the number and a general description where to find the ball. The skipper weaved in and out of the moored boats until he finally found the empty ball.

Entrance to Newport

Tuesday, Aug 15, 2017

In the Gilded Age, Newport became the summer home for the rich-and-famous. ‘Summer Cottages,” as their owners called them were open for living for six weeks in the summer. The Preservation Society of Newport has managed to save several of these mansions and allow self-guided tours. The crew decided to tour two mansions, both built by Vanderbilt’s.

You might recall that Cornelius Vanderbilt started his climb from poverty by starting a ferry business with one sail boat. That business eventually became known as the Staten Island Ferry. He moved from sailboats to steamships during the age of steam. He then moved into the railroad business. He became the richest person in America in the early 1850’s but lived a very modest lifestyle. Upon his death in 1877, he left his 100 Million estate to his oldest son.

William Henry Vanderbilt grew the business empire to 200 Million in just 10 years. He also is the one who started the Vanderbilt culture of living large off the new money he inherited. He built the first family mansion on Fifth Avenue in NYC. He really did not like running the family business so he established the first corporation to run the business for him. Upon his death in 1885, he claimed the amount of money was too great for any one person to manage, so he divided the estate between two of his sons.

Cornelius Vanderbilt II is described as a socialite. He built ‘The Breakers’ in Newport between 1893-1895. The mansion has 62,482 square feet of living space on a footprint of about one acre. He had seven children. Strangely:
- The first child died at the age of five of childhood illness
- The first son died of typhoid fever while attending Yale University
- The second son was disinherited for marrying a woman the family did not approve
- The third son died aboard the RMS Lusitania when a German U-boat sank the ship
That left the fourth son, Reginald Vanderbilt to inherit the family fortune when Cornelius died an early death in 1899 at the age of 55.

In the book, Fortune’s Children the fall of the House of Vanderbilt, Reggie is described as living the life of a rich playboy. The book also claims he did it with dedication and skill. Reggie’s fast living left him dead at 45 from cirrhosis due to alcoholism.

The Breakers

In the cluster of pics above, the bottom right picture shows a wall with ‘silver’ wall finishings. The interesting thing about the ‘silver’ finish was that it never corroded as one would have expected silver to do. The Preservation Society wanted to find out what the ‘silver’ was so they used modern technology to solve the mystery. Turns out that the ‘silver’ wall is actually Platinum, a metal more scarce and expensive than gold.

William Vanderbilt I is described as an American heir. He built ‘Marble House’ from 1888-1892. After his divorce in 1895 he went to Europe to live out his life.

He had two sons, William Vanderbilt II and Harold Vanderbilt. William was a fast car enthusiast and was into auto racing, travel, and leisure activities. Unfortunately, his only son was killed in an auto accident.

Harold was into yacht racing and playing bridge. He defended the America’s Cup three times in 1930, 1933, and 1937. He was a world class bridge player also winning the North American Bridge Championship in 1932 and 1940. However, Harold had no children and the name of Vanderbilt faded into the history books.

Marble House

In the book of Genesis, chapter 5, there is a list of Adam’s descendants. In the middle of the list, verses 12-18 we find the following names: Kenan, Mahalalel, and Jared. If you look these names up in Hebrew, you would learn that the names mean Material Acquisition, Exuberance (letting go with no restraint), and Decline.

Ancient Jewish Wisdom teaches that once our heart moves towards material acquisition, the next generation will be exuberant, and the third generation will be in decline.

The Vanderbilt family lived this pattern out to a T. Once William Vanderbilt started building and acquiring property rather than running a railroad the family future was sealed. The Breakers and Marble House are both excellent examples of exuberance of the second generation. Reggie’s playboy lifestyle with his cousins consumed with leisure activities in the third-generation lead to the decline of the House of Vanderbilt where the name died with no male heirs.

Certainly, something to think about as America has been on a Material Acquisition binge for a while. The second generation is currently living a life of Exuberance, as many people are living a life with no standards and no restraint. Is it any wonder that many people believe that our country is currently in Decline?

Wednesday, Aug 16, 2017

The crew began their three-day journey to Boston. The first stop was to anchor near the beginning of the Cape Cod Canal. The swells in the open water were consistently 4-6 foot with occasional swells 9-10 feet. The swells were about 13 seconds apart so the ride was a pleasant slow roll as the waves passed under the keel.

Leaving Newport, these are the breakers that the summer cottage was named after

At one point the crew began to overtake a sailboat. The sailboat was about a half mile off the starboard beam. As the swells would roll by the sailboat would drop down in the trough between waves and the crew would lose sight of the boat and just be able to see the mast of the sailboat.

Saw this ship as we entered Buzzard Bay

They dropped the anchor initially in the Phinneys Harbor and had supper. The skipper noticed that the wind had changed direction (by 180*) and intensity. He went out to make sure the anchor would catch when the wind blew the boat the opposite direction.

Cleveland Ledge Lighthouse

The anchor did not hold so the crew had to reset the anchor. Once the anchor was back onboard, the skipper decided to move behind an island to get out of the wind. They dropped the anchor and had a nice calm night on the hook.

Phinneys Harbor

Thursday, August 17, 2017

The tide and current dictated that the crew should enter the Cap Code Canal about 1100, so the crew had a leisurely morning. At 1100, they weighed anchor and headed over to the Canal. When they entered the Canal, the Admiral noticed a posted sign that said Speed Limit 10 mph No Wake. Let’s just say that there were plenty of boats exceeding both the speed limit and No Wake requirements. It felt like the boat was in a washing machine for the first mile or so.

Open RR Bridge over Cape Cod Canal

Upon exiting the Canal, the crew was in Cape Cod Bay. They altered course and headed towards Plymouth. The crew had wanted to visit the Pilgrim Museum upon arrival, but due to the late start the museum was closed by the time the crew arrived.

First look at Cape Cod

The skipper also checked the weather and noticed that a storm was brewing off shore and would arrive Friday afternoon. Since they could not visit the museum, they decided to drop anchor out in the Bay rather than spend the hour getting into Plymouth.

At anchor in Plymouth Bay

After dropping the anchor, the skipper deployed the dinghy so that he could move a lobster trap. He was afraid that the float and line might tangle in the anchor chain if the wind changed direction.

Friday, August 18, 2017

The crew weighed anchor at first light and set out for Boston with hopes of beating the predicted storm. The wind was light and the waves were 1-2-foot following seas. The crew made good time and arrived in Boston Harbor around 1000.

Boston Light, location of the first lighthouse in America in 1716

They were surprised by the number of islands scattered around the entrance to Boston. There are some 30 plus islands protecting the entrance to town.

Cruising by downtown Boston

After they docked the boat, the rain started to fall and the winds began to pick up. After the storm blew through, the crew decided to set out on foot and explore the Freedom Trail towards Bunker Hill.

Looking at the marina from the top of the Bunker Hill Monument (294 steps to the top)

Saturday, August 19, 2017

The crew took a Hop-on-Hop-off trolley ride around Boston. They started the tour at the USS Constitution. The town has really changed significantly since the last time the skipper was here back in 1992. The tour guide made a point to reinforce that Boston had four main business sectors:
1. Financial
2. Medical
3. Technology (he called it the Silicon Valley of the east coast)
4. Tourism
He also mentioned that the improvements in the city are keeping the graduates of MIT and Harvard gainfully employed. There were new condos being built all over town.

The Admiral has a keen interest in Real Estate Markets, so upon return to the boat she looked up housing prices in the area. The cheapest one-bedroom condo around the marina district was $750,000.

Million Dollar Condos in Boston

The tour guide pointed out one building that was recently sold for 31 Million after being listed on the market at 28 Million. The increase in price due to competition between buyers.

Old state House
- Oldest public building in Boston, built in 1713
- The Boston Massacre occurred under the balcony on March 5, 1770
- The Declaration of Independence was read from the balcony on July 18, 1776
After taking the tour around town the crew hopped off the bus at the Old State House and started the Freedom Trail back to the boat.

Changing of the Guard at the Old State House

One of the big narratives on the tour was Paul Revere. The Freedom Trail takes you by Paul Revere’s home and by the Old North Church. The story that was told along the trail conflicted with the skipper’s previous understanding.

Paul Revere with Old North Church in background

Turns out that the truth was that three men rode to Lexington and only one made it to Concord. Paul Revere was captured after leaving Lexington by the British. They took his horse and he walked back to Lexington on foot. He never made it to Concord. And how about that famous line “The British are coming; the British are coming!” Did not happen. His actual message, “The regulars are coming out.”

Of the three men who rode, only Dr. Prescott made it to Concord .

Reminds the skipper of the old joke, what were Paul Revere’s last words on the mid-night ride? “Whoa horse”

Map from paulreverehouse.org

To get the real story about Paul Revere’s ride, click the link above in the picture.

So where did all the miss information originate from? Short answer – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his 1860 poem, Paul Revere’s Ride.

He knew his poem was historically inaccurate, but his purpose in writing the poem was to warn of a future civil war so he took poetic license with the facts. Some how the poem became the definitive ‘truth’ about the event and these ‘truths’ made there way into textbooks. Hmm, so much for that ‘free’ public school education. I guess you get what you pay for.

With the Hop-on-Hop-off tour, the crew also got a cruise on the Boston Harbor Tour Boat. Rather than walk to the USS Constitution, the crew took the Tour Boat and enjoyed the narration about the harbor.

Boat Name of the Week

USS Constitution – the world’s oldest commissioned naval vessel afloat. She was launched in 1797.

Next Week –

The crew will stay and explore Boston and surrounding areas most of the week. They will leave on Friday and try to make it to New Hampshire and Maine.

Loop On –

The water goes on forever and the adventure never ends.

Eric the Red
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August 20, 2017
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Hello virtual crew members and fellow adventurers!

Eric here with the latest travels of Still Waters II.

Smiling Mr. Mets before the loss to the Rangers

Summary of week:

The crew left Liberty Landing on Monday and headed to Port Washington on the Long Island Sound. Thursday the crew went further down the New York side of the Long Island Sound. On Friday, the crew crossed the Sound and entered the Connecticut River to anchor for the night. Saturday the crew made a short jump to New London where they will stay for the weekend.

Click on the link to read the day-to-day travel log.

Still Waters II VIMEO site

At the Box Office, this week is a video of Still Waters II leaving Manhattan and cruising to Port Jefferson.

Manhattan from Still Waters II on Vimeo.

Click on the link to the Still Waters II Vimeo site for other videos.

Sunday, Aug 6, 2017

The Admiral wanted to attend church service at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. The skipper spent some time and figured out that they could take a subway within two blocks of the church. To get to the subway, the crew took the ferry back over to Manhattan. They then walked past the 911 Memorial to catch the subway over to Brooklyn. After arriving in Brooklyn, they walked two blocks and got in line at 1030 for the 1100 service at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. At 1045, the line started moving and the crew entered the building.

The line wraps around the corner

The worship started on time and the church and choir sang for most of the first hour. Wonderful worship experience. Jim Cymbala spoke for 30 minutes or so and the congregation left about 1230 so the third service of the morning could start at 1300.

It was a great way to spend a Sunday morning.

Monday, Aug 7, 2017

The crew left Liberty Landing in an overcast, cloudy, dismal grey morning. The forecast was for rain for much of the day and night. The crew crossed the Hudson River and entered the East River just south of the Battery at Lower Manhattan. The crew got a 4-knot push by the current as they transited the East River.

Looking down the East River with JFK Bridge in background

Lighthouse on East River

As they continued towards the Long Island Sound, the homes began to get larger until they pulled into Manhasset Bay. Then the homes became large colossal Mansions.

Turns out the second largest home in America is located on Long Island, the Oheka Castle. The skipper will try to figure out how to visit this home on the way back from Maine. The largest mansion in the US you ask? The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.

Oheka Castle

As the crew approached Port Washington they located the town mooring field and found the yellow mooring balls. The yellow mooring balls are free for the first two nights.

The crew will swing on the mooring ball for the next few days and cruise further down the Sound on Thursday.

Still Waters II on yellow mooring ball #3

Tuesday, Aug 8, 2017

The rain continued through the night and into the morning hours, but finally dried up after lunch. The crew decided to call the Water Taxi to get a ride to shore.

The mooring fields in these parts usually have a Launch (or Water Taxi) to ferry people back and forth from their boats to shore. A nice amenity when you consider the size of some of the mooring fields.

Conner operating the Water Taxi

After arriving at the Town Dock. the crew set off to scout out the local train station for a trip in the morning. After finding the train station, about a mile from the Town Dock, the crew headed to the Public Library to attend to a little business, print some documents, and charge devices.

While using the printer at the Library the skipper had an interesting conversation with the Librarians. He had a 72-page document that he needed printed. The charge should have been $7.20. After he put the first two dollars in the machine, the machine decided it would not accept anymore money. The skipper decided to print the first 20 pages and then try to print the rest of the document.

View from Port Washington Library

To the skipper’s surprise, the whole document printed. When he glanced over at the pay machine it was still showing $2 available. He pressed the button to return the cash and the machine only would give a message that he needed to print one page before any money would be returned.

The skipper went over to the book checkout station and informed two ladies working the counter that he thought the machine was broken and that he owed them $5.20. They both gave him a quizzical look and in unison both said “you just need to run for it.””

He asked them if they wanted the $5.20.

They responded “no.”

Not the response he was expecting, so he did as advised and ran upstairs to the second floor and began to edit his document.

Sunset from Port Washington

Wednesday, Aug 9, 2017

The Texas Rangers were in town to play the Mets. The crew took the Water Taxi back to the Town Dock, they then walked the 15 minutes to the Train Station and bought tickets to the stadium.

When the skipper first asked for two round trip tickets to the Mets drop off point, the clerk asked “Why do you want to go there?”

The skipper responded with, “You a Yankees fan?”

The clerk smiled and said “Yes”

The skipper announced that they were from Texas and were going to go watch the Rangers play.

The clerk said, “oh that will be acceptable, I will sell you the tickets.” The skipper got a big kick out of the exchange.

It was about a 30-minute ride on the train to the ballpark. The crew had a near miss while trying to get off the train though. When the train stopped, the side door of the car the crew was on did not open. The skipper noticed that there was no platform to step off onto. Someone yelled out to go ahead into the next car and exit. When the skipper got to the next car, he could not get the door open to enter the car. He finally got the door open and they rushed to exit the train as the doors were closing.

After arriving, the crew walked around the Flushing Meadows Park for a while. This is home to the US Open Tennis and the famed Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The Unisphere was the centerpiece of the 1964 World’s Fair, and is the world’s largest globe. The sphere is 120 feet in diameter and weighs 700,000 pounds. The water fountains were placed to make the globe appear that it is floating in air.

As game time approached the crew made their way to the ballpark to enjoy the game. The game was enjoyable because the Texas Rangers won, but it was a strange game. In the first inning, with runners on first and third, the Met’s pitcher balked and caused the Rangers to take the lead. All nine batters in the Rangers lineup saw the plate in the first inning.

In the top half of the second inning, the Met’s pitcher continued to struggle. By the end of the second inning he had already thrown 72 pitches. The skipper mentioned at that pace the pitcher was not going to last long. He did not. He was replaced in the top half of the fourth inning when the Mets took the field. He had thrown 87 pitches in just three innings.

The original home run apple from Shea Stadium

Then later in the game, the Rangers had the bases loaded and the Mets pitcher decided to walk the batter. It is not often that you see two runs scored without the ball even put in play.

The Mets only score was strange also. Initially, the second base umpire called the hit just a hit and the batter had a stand up double off the outfield fence. The Mets fans were booing pretty loudly. The home plate umpire called a conference. While the umpires were discussing the situation, the scoreboard operator showed the ball striking an orange M&M on the outfield fence above the orange paint. Anything over the orange line is a home run. He continued to show the ball hitting the fence several more times, and it was clearly a homerun. The second base umpire finally raised his hand over his head and made a circle motion indicating a home run. The Met on second completed his jog around the base paths to the fans delight.

The orange line and M&M’s on left field fence

The left field wall with the orange paint signaling a home run even if the ball does not clear the fence is only one of several strange things about this field. I guess the designers are trying to keep some of the quirks of both the old Polo Grounds and Shea Stadium alive and well.

After the game, the crew reversed course and returned to the marina. The crew went to the local Stop-n-Shop grocery store for a few provisions. After the purchase, the water taxi picked them up at a dock across the street from the store and returned the crew to Still Waters II.

View from Stop-n-Shop Dock

Thursday, August 10, 2017

The crew left Port Washington and headed down the New York side of Long Island Sound to Port Jefferson. The weather was great and the cruise was full of beautiful scenery.

Execution Rocks Lighthouse was in the Sound as the crew left Manhasset Bay.

A sailboat along the route

Lighthouse onshore

Entrance to Port Jefferson.

The crew anchored out for a calm night in the harbor before moving on the next morning.

Friday, August 11, 2017

The day got off to a slow start as the crew had trouble pulling the anchor out of the mud. When the anchor chain had been pulled back onboard, the chain was taught down to the anchor, but would not break free. After 30 minutes of attempting to use the boat to break the anchor free the skipper resorted to additional means. He fastened a line to the anchor chain and tied the other end off to a boat cleat. This prevented the chain from playing back out when the boat put tension on the chain. With this aide the anchor let loose and came up with a huge mud ball.

From Port Jefferson they charted a course across the Sound towards the Connecticut River. They passed the Faulkner Island Lighthouse. The water was amazingly calm with the exception of large boat wakes by sport fishing boats.

When they approached the Connecticut River they looked for the Katherine Hepburn home. The home was destroyed back in 1938 by a hurricane. The home was rebuilt and reopened in 1939. Kate lived here till her death in 2003. It is currently on the market at the bargain price of 11 Million, recently reduced from 14 Million.

Paradise according to Katherine Hepburn

After travelling four miles up the Connecticut River, the crew dropped the anchor in a scenic side creek.

Saturday, August 12, 2017

Just before weighing the anchor, the skipper got an e-mail from the marina in Mystic that the crew planned to stay in for the weekend, that the marina was now full and could not accept Still Waters II. The skipper started looking for another marina and could not find anything in Mystic. He then started looking in the New London area. He finally found a marina in the Thames River. With a slip secured, the crew weighed anchor for the 24-mile run to New London.

As they were leaving the anchorage, the RR Bridge began to close.

The bridge has a sign that displayed a twenty minute wait for the bridge to re-open. In that wait, two trains passed over the closed bridge.

Once the RR Bridge opened they made their way to the Connecticut River entrance and headed back into the Long Island Sound.

The waves in the Sound were 1-2 feet, but were frequently overcome with 3-5 foot wakes from the many ferry boats and sport fishing boats.

The crew entered the channel leading into the Thames River and saw three lighthouses.

The crew was glad to have a spot to spend the weekend. The skipper will have to spend some time figuring out their next moves on their way to Maine.

Boat Name of the Week

Next Week –

The crew will head towards Boston. They would like to make stops in: Mystic, Connecticut, Newport, Rhode Island, and Plymouth, Massachusetts before arriving in Boston. However, they may just motor to Boston and rent a car to go visit these ports. Time will tell.

Loop On –

The water goes on forever and the adventure never ends.

Eric the Red
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August 13, 2017