Tiles Of Time

Four days of heavy rain sure can disrupt the best of plans for spring commissioning. The sanding, painting, and polishing all get postponed as I try to find some chore to tackle below deck. I check the hoses and clamps on the diesel, tighten the loose handle on the ice-box, then organize the storage lockers. I even give the stove and head a good scrubbing.

Marine stoves and heads have a way of getting filthy whether they are used or not. I distinctly remember cleaning them thoroughly when I moved ashore last fall. For a moment, I suspect that Charlie Sheen had been partying aboard this winter, but the liquor cabinet is intact, and I move on to other theories.

There are plenty of other projects in the cabin, but they should wait for drier weather. Sanding the teak trim, along with some minor epoxy work both require the hatches and companionway to be open. Those jobs will be addressed another day. Besides, no matter how comfortable a cabin may be, it begins to feel claustrophobic when forced to spend the day below. By noon, I decided to call it a day, and head for the library.

I don't know how many others from the boatyard make use of the Acton Library on rainy days, but I suspect I am not the only one. When the librarian asked for a local address, I told her I was on a boat, and our conversation never missed a beat. Several people browsing the aisle of nautical books only strengthened my suspicions.

I spend an hour or so on the computer, check out the updated version of Don Casey's This Old Boat, and read several chapters from an out-of-print book chronicling the history of the Fall River Steamboat Line.

What really grabs my attention, however, is a 24-foot tile mural that lines the entryway. Sponsored by the Friends of Acton Library, and created by artist Marion Grebow, the "ceramic quilt" illustrates the history of Old Saybrook, as well as the maritime significance of the town's location at the mouth of the Connecticut River. It is an impressive, informative, and unique piece of work.

See,...rainy afternoons in May aren't always my least productive days.

Grebow Tiles: website

Acton Public Library

Friends Of Acton Library

Middle Beach, Westbrook

Middle Beach in Westbrook, and an island I do not know the name of.

CT Coastal Access Guide: Middle Beach

Map

The Late Season Mooring Field

Essex, October 19, 2010



Map

Essex Museum Fire

 A fire earlier this month at the Connecticut River Museum in Essex resulted in significant damage to this waterfront landmark. On the evening of August 11, firefighters from three towns responded to the blaze which engulfed all three stories on the east side of the building.

Built in 1878, the building served as a warehouse for the many steamboats travelling the river. Threatened by commerial developement in the 1970's, a nonprofit group organized and created the riverside museum which exists today. Focusing on both the Connecticut River and local maritime history, it is one of the nicer regional museums I have visited.

While the fire caused significant structural damage , the museum's collection of artifacts was saved. They were forced to shut down for a period, but the museum was open to the public once again this past weekend.

CTMQ: CT River Museum

CT River Museum

Soundbounder: Mary E

WTNH: Fire Damages Museum

Indian River

Indian River, Clinton, April 2010

CT Coastal Access Guide: Clinton Landing

Map

Kimberly-Ann

Kimberly-Ann, Clinton Town Dock, April,2010

Nor'easter

It seems like many years since we have had a storm of this magnitude.While nor'easters are certainly common here between October and April, this weekend's storm appeared to carry an extra punch. Wind gusts as high as 74 MPH, combined with 5-plus inches of rain, knocked down trees and power lines across the northeast. Many low lying coastal areas are flooded, with the hardest hit regions being Fairfield and Nassau Counties.

The nor'easter I measure all others by, was one I did not witness personally. The 1992 storm combined severe wind and rain with high tides that flooded entire neighborhoods. Many harborside bars still display photos of one of their regulars rowing down the street or wading through water up to their waist. The high-water mark at the City Island Yacht Club remains visible on the clubhouse exterior. I have met numerous people who lost boats or had their homes damaged from that storm.

On Sunday during a break from the winds, I visited a boatyard in Old Saybrook. I had hoped to go out to some of the beach areas, but flooded streets and downed trees prevented me from doing so.The few boats  in the water were now tied to docks that were submerged. The hauled boats meanwhile, sat in a flooded yard. Hopefully that is the extent of the damage.  

While this weekend's storm was not as destructive as the 1992 nor'easter,  the effects of it will be visible for years. I am sure along many stretches of Long Island Sound,  there are  beaches that have been altered, homes damaged, piers destroyed,and lives lost.

Beaufort Wind Scale

The Late Season Fishermen

Without looking at a calendar, I can sometimes determine when a photo was taken by simply noting the activities taking place. By late September, the swimmers and sunbathers give way to dog walkers and fishermen. In December, the pets and their owners are still on the beach , but the fishermen are mostly gone.



These photos were taken last month at West Beach in Westbrook. It is a small, slightly rundown, town beach that is mostly consumed by it's parking lot. With the afternoon sun low in the sky, these fishermen took advantage of one of the dwindling, late season, mild days.



CT Coastal Access: West Beach

Map

Chester Hadlyme Ferry

Chester-Hadlyme Ferry, October, 2009

CT.gov: Ferry Schedule

YouTube: Ferry Crossing

Soundbounder: Restless Farewell (budget cut)

Map



Note Gillette Castle in the upper left corner

Mary E

The Mary E is a 75 foot coastal schooner built in Bath, Maine in 1906. She worked as a fishing and cargo schooner off Rhode Island, before being converted to a motored dragger in the 1940's. She sank in Lynn, Massachusetts during a 1963 storm, but fortunately was restored in the following years. Presently, the Mary E offers 90 minute sails from the docks at the Connecticut River Museum in Essex.

After many years in Greenport, a dispute with the village forced her to leave. There were several years where the Mary E seemed to bounce around with no true home port. She spent a portion of one season in City Island, and I have also seen her in New Rochelle (that's her in the background). Hopefully things work out in Essex, and she has a long successful run.

Mary E Website

Voyages: Mary E Hauled On City Island

Extremes II

Old Saybrook Town Beach, April 2009 (top), and October 2009 (bottom)

Smyth Sanctuary & Pratt Cove Preserve

On a winding road connecting Essex and Deep River are two protected areas, side by side. Smyth Sanctuary and Pratt Cove Preserve both overlook the freshwater marshes here that feed the Connecticut River. They are areas best explored by a kayak or canoe.

Pratt Cove Preserve was donated by Susan Haig and is managed by the Nature Conservancy. The preserve includes a short trail, along with a launch area. Despite being freshwater, the cove is tidal, with a current that looked fairly strong when I visited.

Across the street and slightly south, is the Smyth Sanctuary. This is a wooded area maintained by the Deep River Land Trust. There did not appear to be any trails, but a viewing platform provides an attractive view overlooking the marshlands that make their way to the Connecticut River.

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Nature Conservancy: Pratt Cove

CT Coastal Access Guide: Pratt Cove

Map

Deep River Land Trust

Our River.org

Hamburg Cove

Map

Cruising Guide To The New England Coast: Hamburg Cove

Knollwood Beach

Knollwood Beach, Old Saybrook May 2009

Saybrook Lighthouses

Lynde Point Lighthouse and Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse 2008
Lynde Point: First Lit 1839
Saybrook Breakwater: First Lit 1886

Lighthouse Friends: Saybrook Breakwater (map)
Lighthouse Friends: Lynde Point (map)
Cyberlights: Saybrook Breakwater
Cyberlights: Lynde Point

Springtime On The Connecticut River

Spring Commissioning

Old Saybrook, April 2009

Saybrook Point

Years ago when I was about 7 or 8 years old, we stopped at Saybrook Point for lunch during some extended road trip along Interstate-95. One of the small buildings here served fried seafood and steamed clams on a picnic table patio. They must have had good prices because my parents let all of us kids order whatever we wanted. I ordered the fried clams.
Previously, the only fried clams I had eaten were the clam strips offered on the childrens menu of all the Howard Johnsons that once lined the turnpike. When my order of whole-belly clams arrived, I was more than a little surprised. In typical 8 year old fashion, I spent about five minutes playing around with each clam, never quite sure when to stop chewing and finally swallow. When no one was looking, I tossed a few half-chewed lumps to the gulls. Eventually my father moved in and finished my plate.
The clam shack is now gone; replaced by some overpriced, upscale, tourist trap selling frozen shrimp with views of the river. There are some exceptions, but I am usually skeptical today of many of the waterfront eateries. Too many of them are selling the same food that can be found in Omaha or Bakersfield. You pay for the view, and the fantasy that your meal arrived via the docks, rather than the interstate.
Saybrook Point offers an attractive view at the mouth of the Connecticut River. There are restrooms, benches, and a miniature golf course. There is also a building called The Pavillion that is used for town functions and is available for rent. This is a nice spot to watch the activity on the river.
As for the whole-belly clams,,,,....they are now the only type I will eat. No offense, Howard Johnson.

CT Coastal Access Guide: Saybrook Point
Map

Clinton Town Beach

"The ocean has always been a salve to my soul....the best
thing for a cut or abrasion was to go swimming in salt water.
Later down the road of life, I made the discovery that salt water
was also good for the mental abrasions one inevitably acquires
on land."
Jimmy Buffett
A Pirate Looks At Fifty; Random House, 1998

Clinton Town Beach
Map

November

"November always seemed to me the Norway of the year."

EMILY DICKINSON

Hauling a boat is a ritual that I often try to postpone. When the calendar reaches November, a strain of denial seems to overtake me. I become convinced that there will be plenty of warm days ahead. I try to remind myself of the years when I sailed on Thanksgiving weekend. A few peppers still growing in the garden reinforce this delusion. Unfortunately, the calendar and the thermometer do not lie. Sailors, like aging starlets and men with bad combovers, need to acknowledge the passing of time.



The sail from Noank to the Connecticut River boatyard is an easy one. It is the preparations that are most consuming. I needed to make sure the yard had a dock space available. I also had to make arrangements for getting back to Noank to retrieve my car. Finally I had to dig through my bedroom closet for gloves, a wool hat, and the rest of my winter wardrobe. A gentle autumn day on land can sometimes feel like January just a few miles from the shoreline.



November is lonely on the water. An occasional commercial boat is the only other vessel you may see. The shoreline in the distance seems deserted too. Gone are the crowds that flocked to these beaches just six weeks ago. Waterfront homes that overflowed with guests, look empty and silent. Their awnings and Adirondack chairs have been removed from the lawn. Only an occasional whiff from a fireplace tells you that someone is home. A lighthouse that seemed like a quaint image for artists and tourists in June, becomes a utilitarian navigation aid in November.

November is also a sad month on the water. No matter how enjoyable the time might be, you know the days are numbered. This year is no different, as my day is spent looking back in time, rather than forward. I think of my trip to the Thimble Islands, and a starry night anchored in West Harbor. Any sort of thought to suppress my approaching winter ashore. The seasons of the year have come full circle.



I arrived in Saybrook without a hitch, and made my way to the train station the next morning.

It was a spectacular fall day with sunny skies and temperatures in the 60's. As the train passed through Niantic, Long Island Sound came into full view. There were several boats in the distance, taking advantage of the lovely weather. For a brief moment, I started thinking that I should drive back to Saybrook and take one more sail. There would certainly be enough time, and it would be a shame to waste such a nice day. Eventually I realized that this would not be possible since I had already removed the sails from the boat. My sailing season was over, and there was no way to delay its inevitable end. But in spirit, it never ends.