We left Mystic in time to make the 7:40 bridge - thanks to Bill's expert de-docking skills in such a tight place. The water was completely calm. No wind, no waves, sea like glass. Bill pushed the engine up since he knew we had about 8 hours ahead of us and the current was due to change around 1:00 pm. In Long Island Sound we were making way at about 10 knots. Everything was great.

Around 10:00 am we passed a HUGE log (20 feet long, 3 feet in diameter) in the middle of the water. Bill called it into the Coast Guard as a hazard to navigation; if a motor boat going fast hit the debris there would be a big problem.... Around the same time the sky got dark and it became very foggy. We turned the radar on so we could see what was ahead (and behind and around) us. That was the start of it all.

Beginning at 10:30 or so the Coast Guard stations in both Long Island Sound and New York began to issue hazardous weather warnings. As good mariners, we had already checked the weather online (from several sources) and listened to the radio. We knew what was to be expected and what we were in for.

As the sky got progressively darker and darker, we put everything down below and prepared for the rain, wind, and thunderstorms. Bill changed course so we would avoid the brunt of the bad weather, but the storm was large and was heading our way regardless.

But.... we still knew it would hit. It started to rain, got much colder, and the wind picked up. It got worse and worse. I got Bill his foul weather gear and went below to wait it out. The lightning was all around us and it began to rain very VERY hard. The seas picked up.

Then it DID hit us. We saw 30, then 40, then 45, then 50 knots on the wind gauge. Now, I will put put that into perspective.... 65 knots is considered a hurricane. We saw 5-0 knots! Fifty knots is the most wind that I have ever seen (by far!) and the most that Bill has seen by 10 knots. We had no sails up, which was a good thing. During the 30 minutes or so that we were in the storm, we heard four different mayday calls from sailboats to the Coast Guard. We were very lucky that we were prepared for what was coming and had a plan. Bill calmly steered the boat (getting very wet in the process). Thankfully the seas never got too rough (4-6 feet was the max we saw). We were down to motoring at 3 knots (WAY down from the 10 knots we had seen earlier!)

About half way through the thick of it, Bill yelled from the cockpit "Lauren, look at the dinghy!" I came topside only to see the dinghy (which we were towing as we always do) completely upside down!!!!! The dinghy rode a wave and the 50 knots of wind flipped it over. The dinghy was inverted and acting as an anchor (hence the 3 knots). It was half way submerged under the water. We couldn't see the motor and had no idea what happened to the gas tank. We tried to flip it right side up but it was no use. We eventually decided (after weighing our options) to cut it loose. We watched it float away in huge waves and pounding rain. In hindsight, we should have taken the engine off the dinghy before we left Mystic and mounted it aft of the boat. It was a costly mistake, and one we will not make again. So for now, we are again without a dinghy.

So.... it was a strange day to say the least.... very large logs and other debris in the water, so much fog that we had to use the radar, huge lightning bolts, 50 knots of wind, buriel at sea, May Day calls.

Thankfully we had Port Jefferson, NY to look forward to. We arrived at Danford's Marina around 3:30. Bill did a perfect job docking in a very tight slip in a narrow fairway. Danford's is a beautiful hotel / marina. We checked in and went to the hotel lobby for a drink to check the place out. Later Linda and Mike and their kids John and Andrew came by the boat. We hung out for a bit and then Bill and I went to their beautiful home for steak and corn on the grill. What a nice night we had at their place. Both Bill and I very much appreciate their generous hospitality!! We look forward to two more nights in Port Jefferson!

Mystic cont.

Mystic continues to be beautiful, and we are enjoying our stay here. Yesterday we had the divers come and look at the propeller. They found the towing line from the dinghy loosely wrapped around the prop. We are lucky that it wasn't tightly wound or it would have seized the engine.

Last night it rained and we stayed on board and had a lazy night. This morning we woke up early and explored the museum grounds before it got too crowded. We were on board the Charles Morgan when the 24 hour continuous reading aloud of Moby Dick (in honor of Melville's birthday) was finished. There were about two dozen people, with their own copies of the epic novel, following along. Very neat. The Charles Morgan is the last remaining whaling ship. It has been completely restored and it was amazing to explore her three decks – including where they stowed all of the oil from the whales.

We had lunch in the "greens" as part of the wine and food festival that is going on. Yesterday we also got some locally grown vegetables from the farm stand, which we will have for dinner tonight with grilled chicken.

This afternoon Bill and I took the dinghy into town and to get a few provisions and see the museum from the water. We came back and then went to the last planetarium show of the day.

Bill figured out the cause of the strange smell that we have been experiencing recently. There is a bilge in the aft part of the boat where the stuffing box drips into. The “drip, drip, drip” is happening more frequently than it should and the stale seawater is leaving a bad smell (possibly a result of the fouled line around the prop?) Thankfully we are going to be in Rock Hall soon where the boat will be hauled and worked on. Bill has submitted a long "to do" list to the Island Packet folks in advance so the generator, tank indicator, and other ongoing issues will be fixed. The main thing that we will have fixed is the damage caused to the awlgrip (blue paint) from the cruise ship dock and weather in Bermuda. For now, we added some bilge cleaner, which appears to have helped the smell.

We have plans to leave Mystic tomorrow morning. We are going to try to leave in time for the 7:40 bridge opening. I say "try" because we are packed into the slip tight tonight - there is less than a yard on either side of us and we are bow in (meaning Bill is unable to use the bow thruster to get us out of the slip.) The weather report states that the wind will be blowing us onto the dock. So... for now, we are not sure whether we will be able to get out of the slip until the boat behind us leaves. Bill predicts it will take about 8 hours to get to Port Jefferson, NY so unless we leave fairly early, we will have to come up with a plan B.

Mystic, CT

Bill and I are enjoying our stay at Mystic, CT. As Bill wrote last night, we are actually staying inside the Mystic Seaport Museum. It is both strange and fascinating. Strange because we feel as if we are almost part of an exhibit, as museum goers can stroll by the boats in the small marina (there are nine boats here including sv Mary Elizabeth). Fascinating because the museum grounds close at six and then we have the place to ourselves. We became members of the museum so we could get the better rate on the dockage since we'll be here through Saturday.


The museum, officially called Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea, is sort of like Plymouth Plantation, for anyone who is familiar with that. The website states that it is a "living history museum" and is 17 acres "depicting life in New England in the 19th century." There are three tall ships that visitors can board, a working shipyard, planetarium, and a recreated village. Bill and I are going to explore more tomorrow.

Today was an "errand day." I got up early and went for a walk. Bill secured a diver for tomorrow afternoon to come out and look at the propeller. We walked to West Marine and did some shopping for essentials. We haven't been to a West Marine since we were in Cataumet. Now we are back at the boat enjoying the late afternoon breeze (it has been hot in here).

For a slideshow of pictures of Mystic, CT click below: