August 9 - 11 Port Washington to Branford/Westbrook -HOME! Page 19
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going to be a cooler summer day, low humidity, and a cold front moving
in from Canada. That's a warning to beware of Long Island Sound! It
WAS a gorgeous blue-sky day, however, the seas were VERY choppy
with 3-4 foot swells mixed in with the chop. Golden Lily skimmed over
the top of the close waves, and every 3 or 4 rolled down, but always
stayed in the water and was very steady. Lily was settled under Jim's
feet the whole 6 hour ride and was very relaxed - not like our trip
across L. Ontario. The rollers and chop increased drastically at New
Haven, and then as we turned into Branford Harbor, we were taking the
swells on our starboard side. Now we were rolling! Luckily we only had 2
miles to go. Jim docked the boat perfectly with just the bow thruster,
we tied up, and Jim washed the boat. I walked Lily and straightened
out the boat from our morning "rush" to get underway. Our dinghy's bow
has been deflating all summer, and we have been pumping it back up.
The bow is still deflating, and we think we found a leak in one of the
valves...brand new dinghy! The rubber also wore off on one of the
handles and seam from when we left it in the water over night. Brand
new dinghy!...and we've only used it twice! It's our "life line" to get Lily
off the boat when we are anchored out. It has to be reliable and ready
to go when we need it, so when we get home, we need to get it repaired.
We met friends from the Coast Guard Auxiliary who keep their boat
here at Bruce and Johnson's and had dinner at the restaurant here. Jim
and I had shrimp and garlic mussels steam pot with potatoes and corn...
really yummy!
in from Canada. That's a warning to beware of Long Island Sound! It
WAS a gorgeous blue-sky day, however, the seas were VERY choppy
with 3-4 foot swells mixed in with the chop. Golden Lily skimmed over
the top of the close waves, and every 3 or 4 rolled down, but always
stayed in the water and was very steady. Lily was settled under Jim's
feet the whole 6 hour ride and was very relaxed - not like our trip
across L. Ontario. The rollers and chop increased drastically at New
Haven, and then as we turned into Branford Harbor, we were taking the
swells on our starboard side. Now we were rolling! Luckily we only had 2
miles to go. Jim docked the boat perfectly with just the bow thruster,
we tied up, and Jim washed the boat. I walked Lily and straightened
out the boat from our morning "rush" to get underway. Our dinghy's bow
has been deflating all summer, and we have been pumping it back up.
The bow is still deflating, and we think we found a leak in one of the
valves...brand new dinghy! The rubber also wore off on one of the
handles and seam from when we left it in the water over night. Brand
new dinghy!...and we've only used it twice! It's our "life line" to get Lily
off the boat when we are anchored out. It has to be reliable and ready
to go when we need it, so when we get home, we need to get it repaired.
We met friends from the Coast Guard Auxiliary who keep their boat
here at Bruce and Johnson's and had dinner at the restaurant here. Jim
and I had shrimp and garlic mussels steam pot with potatoes and corn...
really yummy!
Bow up on one of the waves, windshield wiper Lily went right to sleep after we docked. She
clearing windows of sea water from the spray! had a VERY bumpy ride today.
I tied up the flag and burgee because we were
heading into a 20 MPH wind.
clearing windows of sea water from the spray! had a VERY bumpy ride today.
I tied up the flag and burgee because we were
heading into a 20 MPH wind.
August 10
It turned out to be a rainy day, and so we decided to stay in Branford and not the 20 mile run to
Westbrook. We planned to pump out, and by the time we did this and got into our slip, we would be WET!
It's a good day to do some inside boat cleaning, wash a few blankets and towels, and relax. At least we
back in CT close by home, and a good day rest, read, and watch "Life Time" movies!
It turned out to be a rainy day, and so we decided to stay in Branford and not the 20 mile run to
Westbrook. We planned to pump out, and by the time we did this and got into our slip, we would be WET!
It's a good day to do some inside boat cleaning, wash a few blankets and towels, and relax. At least we
back in CT close by home, and a good day rest, read, and watch "Life Time" movies!
The rain stooped during the night, and the temperature during the night dropped into the 50's. We
turned off the air and kept the windows open and needed a blanket. The morning brought bright blue
skies and a north wind. Local news reported winds north, 10-15 MPH with 1-2 foot seas, Weather
Channel reported winds from the southwest at 5-10...who do you believe??! Our tug LOVES challenging
seas, but I worry about Lily. So far she's been very brave even after her experience crossing L. Ontario.
Turns out the last report we heard was 10-15, and after leaving Branford and getting underway 3 miles
out, that's what it was! There was a breeze, wind from the north, but a comfortable ride except around
Kelsey Point where the wind and current seemed to be shifting.
We wanted to fuel up and pump out, but the fuel dock was too busy and there was too much wind and
boat traffic in the area, so we docked at our slip at 1:30, a 2 hour ride from Branford. After eating a
quick lunch of left over fried clams, we washed the boat, and then headed home to check the house and
email, and give Lily a good run and playtime in the yard. We had hotdogs, beans, and salad for supper.
It's good to be back home.
We now completed "The Little Loop" - traveled 1300 miles and locked through 100 locks! ( 368 locks
since we started boating!)
| Westbrook Channel |
| Duck Island, Westbrook |