A tough Thanksgiving on the South Shore...

oysterman23 · #1 (**permalink**) 11-25-2011

11:00 am I drove down to the bay with an intuition and there it was nice little riffle to the water and a 10-14 kt wind anyhoo wyndwitch and I spent a very beautiful afternoon on Great South Bay. Couldn't beleive it was late November but had no problem thinking what to be thankful for. Perfect day playing the Sumpwaums and Carll River coves for a stiffer breeze and then a nice broad reach home to the creek. Yea Baba sometimes its just soooo simple.
Cod

WanderingStar · #2 (**permalink**) 11-26-2011

Love it! I was on the ferry to Bridgeport, sort of wishing I could sail. Maybe today.

oysterman23 · #3 (**permalink**) 11-26-2011

Yeah it is just amazing. Today (Sat) the wind was light but fun and it actually got warm out there! There were perhaps a dozen+ sailboats out and toward 430 it began to calm but there was just enough to skate home in beautiful pale light, rather ethereal !,m Very thankful to be alive on days like this .
Cod

BarryL · #4 (**permalink**) 11-26-2011

Hey,

This fall is killing me. I had my boat hauled two weeks ago and I wonder why! The weather has been great for sailing. Maybe next year I'll just keep her in.

Barry

HUGOSALT · #5 (**permalink**) 11-27-2011

Barry,
Know the feeling from past years...but now sail into Dec.
out of Manhasset Bay. Will be out there tomorrow, your welcome
to join us.
Hugo

WanderingStar · #6 (**permalink**) 11-27-2011

I was out yesterday too, mostly putting the boat at it's winter dock. But I couldn't resist sailing off the mooring and tacking out of the harbor. Two friends were practicing on sunfish. While approaching my starboard side, one of them jokingly called out "starboard!". The other said "I don't think he'll tack for you." True enough, she tacks too slowly for such silliness.

oysterman23 · #7 (**permalink**) 11-27-2011

On Thursday I told myself "this has got to be the last sail" but left the sails on when I returned.....Yesterday before going out I changed one of the ignition coils and a plug wire and for the first time all season the motor is working quite smoothly...so it seemed absolutely right to assume "this is the last day" as I motored out!

Just now i poked my head outside to find it's lovely ...well all I can say is its time to put the helmet on because this is way too nice to be normal and a meteor must be hurtling toward Babylon! Yeee Haaaa

Rather than be greedy think I will go down with the notion of doing some boat chores and maybe just putt up and down the creek a little

Cod

teddier1 · #8 (**permalink**) 11-27-2011

My wife and I pulled off the dock at EYC Cleveland Ohio at 10:30 on our friends Jeanneau 36.1 with 8 other people and sailed around for about 3 hours in 15 to 20 Knts. Great sail. When we got in another friend was taking out his Columbia 50 so we jumped on that boat for another couple of hours. First time I sailed on Lake Erie on Turkey day and it was wonderful. We are taking our boat to SC next fall and hope we have the same type of weather we had this year.

WanderingStar · #9 (**permalink**) 11-28-2011

Staying in until December is how I got started wintering in water. I had a 20' sloop (no engine) in a south shore canal in Lindenhurst (Copaigue?). The yard was in Islip, ten miles(?) away. I started on a light air day and got less than half way before being becalmed. It was quite beautiful on the calm bay in the dark, even when light snow started to fall. A tiny head wind came up, enough to get me back to the dock. By the time I could return to try again, the brackish canal was frozen. I arranged to keep the boat there for the winter. I've been doing so, through two more boats, ever since.

oysterman23 · #10 (**permalink**) 11-29-2011

WS:

We keep the boat in Babylon village a few canals east of Carll river. Guess it is probable that sometime over the past 30 years we may have sailed or motored (or combination thereof) past each other. Prior that I sailed friends boats: SigneT a friends Morgan and various clam boats of my own....My father preferred fishing to sailing so powerboats were his choice,
Anyway as it turned out Sunday was blustery and since I usually solo I stayed at dock and worked on the boat, finishing up the bilge cleaning program, planning some locker projects and that sort of thing. Realistically I guess I should pull the sails and get them to a loft they need attention! Want to see if a re-cut will work on the main..and I believe the jib needs some work too.
I apologized to the water gods for any utterances made re: time lost during the Irene drama....and rest content with a very special November
Cod