2020 - Hurricane and Trouble.
May 21st: Although ORION was launched back on April 25th, lousy weather and other commitments kept me from sailing her for the first time until today. But what a day it was - perfect winds, sunny skies… who could ask for more?
Once out in Niantic Bay, I hoisted the sails, shut off the outboard, and watched as ORION roared along between five and six knots in ideal conditions.
I sailed by the Niantic Bay Yacht Club - how very strange to see the docks totally empty because of the Coronavirus pandemic. A couple boats were on their moorings in the mooring field, but nothing happening at the Club itself.
Coming back through the bridges, even my nemesis, the MIJOY 747, was tied up to her berth, with no activity whatsoever. The BLACKHAWK was also dormant tied up on the other side of the channel.
The sportfishing fleet was inactive as well. At this time of the year, all of these boats would normally be out fishing with loads of customers. But not this year.
I put ORION back on her mooring and went back to work. Although she is still one of the only boats on the Niantic River so far, I’m sure I’ll start to see more as the summer gets closer.
May 31st: Enjoyed a nice afternoon sail in the Niantic River with my wife and son today. Northwest winds 10-15 knots and temperatures in the mid-60s were perfect conditions.
With whitecaps on the river, I elected to sail under mainsail alone. Even without the jib, we were able to roar along at hull speed.
June 4th: I sailed over again to the Niantic Bay Yacht Club, only I anchored just a couple of hundred feet away to relax in the cabin with the portlights and forward hatch open.
Afterward, I had a brisk sail wing-and-wing back toward the railroad bridge. A great afternoon.
June 18th: I motored out into Niantic Bay and spotted another Mariner sailing under jib alone.
It was Chris Albert in #2714 FLOTSAM, out for a short sail as well! We sailed around the Bay in light winds before heading back mid-afternoon.
July 2nd: Went for a great sail with my father! My outboard starting acting up a bit, so instead of risk getting into trouble out in the Bay, I elected to stay in the Niantic River.
While sailing, we managed to get the outboard running smoothly again and motored as far up the River as we could, passing near the site of the old Beckwith Shipyard from the early 1800s (where the catamaran can be seen near the right of the picture).
July 16th: A brisk wind of 10-15 knots prompted me to put a reef in the main as I went out into Niantic Bay to investigate a tall ship at anchor.
It was the unmistakable shape of the United States Coast Guard Barque Eagle, always a beautiful sight. It has been a long time since she has anchored so close by!
The cadets were all dressed in their bathing suits and had clearly just come out of the water. They were also retrieving two large, pink flamingo floats - something tells me this was not a work day!
It was a rare treat to be able to sail so close to her. I took a few last pictures before heading home, roaring through the water at over six knots on a beam reach.
August 4th: As Tropical Storm Isaias skirted the western part of Connecticut, it brought some rain and a whole lot of wind to Niantic. I received a frantic call from my mother telling me ORION was dragging her mooring and was slowly heading for the beach.
Through the heroic efforts of my father who managed to swim out and start the motor to keep ORION from dragging, a disaster was narrowly averted.
Friday, August 7th: 14 Mariners and 38 sailors from seven different states gathered at the Niantic River Boat Launch to participate in the 2020 Mariner National Rendezvous. We had a great time despite having to adhere to strict guidelines due to Coronavirus concerns.
We stopped and anchored for lunch at Bushy Point Beach in Groton before continuing up to Crocker’s Boat Yard in New London. We had light winds all the way there, but it was still enjoyable!
On Saturday, after touring nearby Fort Trumbull, some of us sailed around in perfect sailing conditions. I sailed up the Thames River and got a little too close to Groton’s Naval Submarine Base, so they sent out a patrol boat to keep an eye on me.
Sunday’s trip back to Niantic was uneventful, and some folks had to resort to using their motors when the wind died off Millstone. Nevertheless, everybody had a fantastic weekend! Check out more pictures in the Photo Album.
September 6th: I had a quick afternoon sail right after church and happened to meet up on the Niantic River with Spencer Clapp, a Niantic resident who recently purchased a Mariner and now keeps it at Three Belles Marina!
I went on the east fork of the River into Keeney Cove, but I had to turn around as the wind picked up mightily and I was quickly running out of room to maneuver. A pleasant sail nevertheless.
October 11th: After a few daysails here and there during the month of September, I took ORION out into Niantic Bay intending to stop for lunch at Jordan Cove. The wind was 10-15 knots with seas 2-3 feet, so I put in a reef and hung on as I pounded upwind.
To my horror, while on a port tack, I saw the starboard lower shroud had somehow lost its clevis pin at the chainplate and was flapping loosely against the cabin side. I immediately rolled up the jib and lowered the mainsail to relieve pressure on the mast.
As the boat was bouncing around, I managed to find a tie-wrap to secure the shroud to the chainplate so it wouldn’t flap around anymore, and I attached the main halyard to the chainplate as a jury-rigged shroud. Thankfully, I had enough gas to motor home.
That marked the last sail of the season for me. When I motored back into the River, I beached ORION at my parents’ beach, emptied her cabin, removed her mainsail and rudder, and put her back on her mooring until she was hauled out October 28th.