2024 - Swimming and New London.
May 3rd: After finishing a number of winter projects, ORION finally made it to the Waterord launch ramp.
I didn’t have a chance to take her sailing yet, but it sure was nice just to have her back on her mooring.
May 11th: I didn't have very much time to go sailing, but I at least get out to the boat to make check her over after a few storms had passed through the previous week. All was fine.
May 16th: Another day short on time. It was a cloudy, blustery day, and I was happy just to spend a little time in the cabin on her mooring before heading back to work.
May 30th: Finally! I was able to raise ORION's sails, even though I kept the mainsail reefed most of the time due to gusty winds.
I ended up anchoring in the northern part of the mooring field and having lunch before sailing back home.
June 20th: After many Thursdays of rain, I finally had good weather! It was great blasting around the Niantic River for a while.
It was good to put ORION through her paces in advance of the trip to Mystic Seaport Harry and I would be taking the following week.
June 27th: Harry and I left Niantic to sail to the 2024 WoodenBoat Show. We left Thursday early afternoon, stopped at Bushy Point in Groton to swim, and finally made it to the Mystic Anchorage by early evening.
I elected to sleep in the cockpit overnight and gave Harry the V-berth. Nothing quite like a snug cabin in which to relax at the end of the day.
The Show itself was spectacular; beautiful wooden boats as far as the eye could see! Here are a bunch of boats berthed where O'Day Mariners usually dock whenever we go there for a Rendezvous.
We met my father at the Show - three generations of Bayreuther sailors! Click here to check out the photo album of the trip.
July 8th: I took my wife, son, sister-in-law and her two kids around to Jordan Cove to go swimming. There was absolutely no wind, so we had to motor the whole way.
But, no matter - we had a great time, even with the water a little colder than we thought it would be! It was fun to play on the sandbar and have the entire cove almost to ourselves.
July 11th: I took my buddy Chris Kent out sailing. The weather forecast predicted 15-20 knots of wind, but it turned out to be 5-10.
We sailed around Niantic Bay and visited the Niantic Bay Yacht Club to get lunch at their Galley restaurant before sailing home. A perfect sailing day!
August 2nd: The 2024 Mariner National Rendezvous got underway with 15 boats sailing from Niantic to New London.
We anchored for a short time off Bushy Point Beach in Groton before continuing on to Crocker's Boat Yard.
We had a great time at the marina and visiting various sites in the city, and it was fun to welcome friends aboard ORION to chat a while.
We sailed home Sunday afternoon, and everybody had a great time. Be sure to click here for the Google Photo Album of the event.
August 22nd: Liz, Harry and I sailed from Niantic to Fisher's Island in the afternoon. With winds at 10-15 knots on our starboard quarter and an outgoing current, we averaged 7.2 knots over ground.
We had a wonderful time walking around. For more pictures, click here to take a look at the Google Photo Album.
September 5th: I spent a nice time sailing up to Keeney Cove in the Niantic River to anchor and eat lunch. It would have been a lot nicer if there wasn't the constant sound of lawnmowers, hedge trimmers, weedwackers and leaf blowers from many of the surrounding properties.
After lunch, I motored even further up into the cove since it was high tide. It was so beautiful and tranquil; I should have come here to anchor for lunch! Oh well... next time.
September 26th: After a few busy weeks at work, I was finally able to spend a little time on the boat, even if it was just motoring to anchor up river.
It was a cloudy day with rain threatening to come at any moment, so after a quick lunch at anchor, I motored home. As soon as I was back on the road, it started raining. Good timing!
October 3rd: The weather was absolutely perfect for a leisurely sail through the mooring field at the Niantic Bay Yacht Club. About half the boats are still on their moorings.
I anchored just south of the Yacht Club and enjoyed a lunch of Mountain House beef stroganoff (surprisingly tasty), a fruit cup, trail mix, cookies, and coffee. Not a bad lunch at all.
October 17th: With many obligations piling up at work and at home, I decided to take ORION out a few weeks earlier than I normally would. I brought her into the beach to unstep the mast ahead of the following day’s haul-out.
October 18th: ORION was hauled out at the launch ramp and brought back to my parents’ house where I powerwashed the bottom and strapped down the mast before bringing her home. Another season has ended.