Picking good conditions for a first day of a long trip is a great thing to do if you can pull it off. We made it happen this time.
October 13, 2021 Portsmouth, RI to Stonington, CT Day #1
Our departure dates are always a moving target. We set a goal date, but stuff always happens to cause us to shift earlier or later. This time, a howling storm off the coast caused us to pause for a day or three to let things quiet down before we cast off.
Esmeralde is on the move. So are the fall gales, just like last year.
October 12 – 15, 2019, Days 0 – 3
Portsmouth, RI – Stonington, CT – Mamaroneck, NY
Thus begins our Winter Cruise 2019 – 2020. It will generally be a re-run of last year’s trip down the ICW to Florida, across Lake Okeechobee, along the Gulf Coast then down the the Keys. We will stop at some of our favorite spots from last time, and also add as many new destinations as we can. There is plenty to see and do. And, of course, it is a great way to get away from the New England winter cold, ice and snow. Continue reading Here We Go Again!→
Day 3, Stonington, CT to Essex, CT, Wednesday 10/17
We had a really pleasant two-night stopover in Stonington. We were safe and secure on a Dodson’s mooring for the gale, we got heater parts (that didn’t fix the problem), the Dog Watch Cafe was delightful, and we had wonderful blustery fall walks all over town with the pups. It was time to move on.
The weather forecasts for this week have been, um, not ideal. When we were getting ready to leave home over last weekend I had been watching the forecasts for the first week of our trip. They were a little bit unbelievable. Gale warnings every other day as cold fronts swept through, and the “lulls” between fronts were Small Craft Advisaries, 15 to 25 with higher gusts. Sheesh. Continue reading We Didn’t Think Long Island Sound Would Be The Hard Part→
The fall has flown buy and we are on our way. Florida and the Keys, and maybe the Bahamas, here we come!
The plan is to run down Long Island Sound, through Hell’s Gate, down the East River, around lower Manhattan, down the Jersey Shore, up the Delaware Bay, down the Chesapeake, down the Intracoastal Waterway, and ultimately to Key West. Repeat, generally, in reverse. Continue reading The Next Adventure Has Begun – With a Gale Warning→
Rody on watch again, as we round Whitehead Island at the southern entrance to Muscle Ridge Channel. The fog flirted with us, but eventually ran away.
Leaving Tenants Harbor, we were on a mission. Friends from Jamestown were staying on the north shore of Deer Isle along the Eggemoggin Reach, had a deep water dock to offer, and had invited us for a visit. And there was just a two-day window to catch up with them. So off we went, up Muscle Ridge Channel, north the length of Penobscot Bay, and into Eggemoggin Reach. With the exception of a little fog at the entrance to Muscle Ridge, it was a gorgeous day to be out on the water. We had a great ride, and the views were beautiful. By 3:00 pm we were alongside the dock on The Reach, and Enzo and Renata were there to meet us. Continue reading Maine Cruise 2018 – Deer Isle and Our Very Own Personal Chefs→
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