Uncategorized · October 18, 2024 0

Old Saybrook to Port Washington

Fall in New England

During our two days and three nights in Old Saybrook, we mostly worked on board with a couple of dinghy trips to shore to stretch our legs. We also filled Sans Souci’s water tanks at a nearby marina and bought a few provisions. The town was charming, with scarecrow displays all over for the annual Scarecrow Contest and friendly shopkeepers on every street. Last night we had a great meal at an unassuming dive bar called The Monkey Farm, where the staff was preparing to prank the bartender by sneaking a Chuckie doll into his car after dark. 

Dawn breaks while Sylvia sleeps.

This morning, before I was even out of bed, Hugh was up and starting the engine to head west/southwest. Early in the day we had great sailing conditions (20 knots of northeasterly breeze), so we turned off the engine and had a pleasant and FAST reach up Long Island Sound. The new autopilot worked smoothly, allowing me to work and Hugh to easily single-hand the boat most of the day, although I always try to spell him for a bit. 

We had to restart the engine and motorsail later in the day when the wind died down, but since both running the engine and the four solar panels (800 watts) atop the biminy charge the LiFePO4 batteries we use to run all of our 12V systems (lights, laptops, phones, etc.), we ended the day with fully charged batteries for the first time since we left the dock in New Bedford. Short winter days make it challenging to stay powered up!

Tomorrow we will sail through NYC!

NYC in the distance