Blue Belle Cruise 2016 from Cape Cod to Newburgh on the Hudson River

2016 07 27 Leaving Jehu Pond, Mashpee, MA

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This will most likely be a fool’s errand. Two day after returning from our two week trip on Blue Belle, I will take a shot at putting together a journal of the good, the bad, and the ugly…..this from someone who has difficulty remembering what I did yesterday. Here goes nothing.

Mashpee to West Greenwich, RI

It is a gorgeous day with light winds and clear skies, ideal conditions for starting our trip. We have trekked down to the dock with duffel bags, food supplies, linens, and the plug-in refrigerator-freezer that sits on the back deck.

Technically, the cruise begins when we shove off from the dock. It’s the same procedure we do every time: engine on; thrusters on; lines untied. Then, as the last step, Bert literally shoves the boat away while stepping on to the back deck. Departure time is 8:30 AM. At 8:30:05, we have our first mishap, and not a small one at that. Bert says “I think I’m bleeding.” An understatement. I turn around to see blood streaming down his face and arm as he holds his hand to his head. Do not panic, I think. Yeah, right. I’m reminded that I have no calling whatsoever to be a nurse and have to concentrate on not fainting.

As the story goes, Bert gripped a handrail mounted by the door into the cabin while he leaned into the boat. His hand accidentally slipped down the rail and his head smacked into the fiberglass molding of the boat. A mess. Quick! Turn off the engine, retie the boat, and get back to the condo. I’m startled by the amount of blood dripping on to the dock which is starting to look like a crime scene. By the time we reach the condo, the wad of paper towels pressed to his scalp is soaked through.

By 9:00, the bleeding has stopped and Bert is showing no signs of concussion or confusion (at least nothing beyond the normal, that is.) In retrospect, we make what was probably a risky decision and head back to the boat. Bert uses a hose to wash the blood off the dock.

We are underway, finally. I am watching Bert like a hawk (more than my usual hawk-watching) for any signs of trauma. Fortunately, there is none, but the big gauze bandage on his head is a stark reminder of the accident.

Today, we will head to West Greenwich, RI as a stopping point on our way to Hampton Bays for our annual get-together with the Maguires. We make a quick stop for fuel at Pirate Cove, grateful that fuel prices are roughly half what they were several years ago. With enough drama already under our belt, we tie up at Norton’s Boat Yard and head to the Nautica restaurant for dinner. It’s been quite a day.

Nobska Light, Woods Hole, MA

Norton's Marina, West Greenwich, RI

Norton's Dock

Morning at Norton's Boat Yard

Norton's Launch

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2016 07 28 West Greenwich to Greenport via Block Island

Thursday, July 28

West Greenwich, RI to Block Island,RI to Greenport, LI

Another beautiful morning with low winds and sunshine. Today we will head to Mystic, or so we thought. Once away from the marina, we decided that Block Island might be a better destination. It would leave only a few-hour run the next day to get to Hampton Bays.

We are only about an hour into the trip when a dense fog settles over the boat. In all the years of sailing and power boating, we’ve never experienced fog this thick. It is as though there is a tiny halo of light shining down on Blue Belle as she is suspended in clouds. It is more than unsettling. We have no visibility beyond one boat-length. There are other boats out here with us, but not one of us can see the others.

It takes what seems forever to bring the radar app up on the navigation system. Once up, it confirms that, yup, there are other boats nearby. The system shows the boats, their speed and their direction. Some are headed straight at us. A quarter of a mile, then an eighth of a mile, then yards….. but not a single one to be seen.

A fog horn blows long and hard and loudly to our starboard side, when suddenly a huge ghostly-looking tanker appears out of nowhere. The captain is signaling to a power boat that went tearing in front of him. Within seconds, horns are blasting from all directions as though each was saying “I’m here, over here, please don’t hit me!” A large sailboat passes us in parallel to our port side, maybe a matter of 30 feet from us. A small power boat comes up to our side with a young man and woman aboard, staring intently into the fog. A boat that small never has radar on board. We ask if he knows the entrance into Block, but he doesn’t. All anyone can do at this point is trust the charts and move on ever so slowly, slowly, slowly. As we look behind us, we now see that we are heading up a caravan of boats, all trying to get into Block or return to Block.

Blue Belle at Champlin's Marina

As suddenly as we entered into the massive fog bank, a half hour later (which felt like an eternity) we exit it. The sun is shining as brightly as when we started the day. Our plan now is to stay at Champlin’s Marina for the night. The dock master assigns us a slip far into the marina, only steps from land. The day is hot so we head to the pool for a quick swim, anything to relieve the stress of the morning.

We realize we forgot to bring beach towels with us so Bert sets out in sunny 90 degree temperatures to walk to town, which turns out to be two miles each way. He returns with "Block Island" towels and 5 pounds lighter.

Typical Block Island Scenery

Downtown Shoreham, Block Island, RI

When we return to Blue Belle, Bert turns on the VHF radio to get the forecast for Friday since we have a slip reservation in the Hamptons for the following two nights. And so, the “entertainment” part of our day is not yet over. Oh Lord, no! The forecast is for 50+ mph winds. There is no way we (more specifically, “I”) can head out in those conditions. The captain makes what will be end up being either a gutsy or a stupid decision. He decides that we will head out of Dodge right now. It’s 4:00 PM but a run to Greenport, LI should only take a couple of hours. With the long daylight hours of summer, we have ample time to get there. My stomach is in a tight knot, but I understand the logic.

Champlin’s charges us $2/ft for our afternoon stop vs. the $4/ft charge for an overnight and off we go. I can’t help but notice that we are one of only a couple of boats leaving BI, all others are streaming in for happy hour and a night’s stay. Will we regret this? Better yet, will we live to regret this? Of course, I am the one thinking this, not Captain Bert.

Blessedly, we have a smooth ride to Greenport with only one brief spell of fog. We have called ahead and are assured there is a slip available to us. I have never been so happy to see land. A few other boaters at the Mitchell Park Marina are regaling others with the horrors of the fog. After (strong) cocktails, we walk to the main street in town and have dinner at Noah’s. The food is excellent, the prices commensurate with it.

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2016 07 29 Greenport to Ponoquogue Marina, Hampton Bays, NY

2016 07 29 Greenport to Ponquogue Marina, Hampton Bays, NY

We wake up to a steady rain. It lasts all morning and we head off around noon, destination the dreaded Shinnecock Canal lock!

Maybe, just maybe, today will be a day without some calamity or stress. And it is. Again we have a day of good weather and once inside the forks of LI, we will have calm water. The trickiest part of our travel will be getting through the Shinnecock Canal which controls the meeting of Shinnecock Bay and Peconic Bay. With hundreds of locks under our belt from traveling the Erie Canal system, the Rideau Canal and the Lake Champlain lock system, passing through this tiny canal with its one-foot change should be a piece of cake for us. It never is. There is no natural runoff area here as there is on the other waterways where waterfalls allow release of the enormous energy.

In general, the lock system is “open,” meaning there is no “locking.” You simply take your boat through the swirling rapids where the two bays converge. It is nothing short of nerve-racking. When not “open,” the traditional locking takes place where the lockmaster opens and closes the huge walls that control water flow and “balances” the water levels. More time-consuming, but infinitely safer. On this day, at this time of day, the lockmaster is controlling the waterway. Thank God!

We head into Ponquogue Marine Basin and tie up in the early afternoon. It is hot! As we will find with all other days, the weather will cause us to close up the boat and use the air-conditioning system. Ponquogue will never be written up for its amenities. In fact, there are no amenities. None. However, the woman who runs the marina is friendly and helpful and the marina is very close to the Maguires’ house.

Shinnecock Inlet

As in prior years, Mary generously provides us with one of her cars so we can travel back and forth to her place and to do shopping for provisions. Tim and Brigid meet us at the marina with the car keys and tell us to meet Mary and them at Oakland’s for cocktails around 5:30. It is there that we get our first glimpse of Mariah since this time last year. She is now almost 14 months old. She charms us with her smiling face and sweet demeanor. Without little coaxing, she lifts her sippy cup of water and clicks our wine glasses chanting “cheers!” She’s a pip.

Mariah in her element

Shinnecock Inlet, with the "beautiful People" arriving by helicopter

Tim treats us to drinks and appetizers and then we all head back to Mary’s for burgers. Tim does a great job on the grille. We get our usual “dog fix” because Mayo is at the door to greet us. It is great to see this fearsome-looking bulldog treat Mariah so gently and patiently.

After only two days, we both feel as though we’ve been out for a week. We head back to Blue Belle for a restful night, knowing we will stay in the Hamptons for the next couple of days and will have a brief reprieve from fog and other unknown boating issues/accidents!

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2016 07 30 Hampton Bays, NY

2016 07 30 Hampton Bays, LI

Swimming off of Shinnecock Inlet

It is time for the annual Sixth Annual Maguire cruise! In addition to Mary, Brigid, Tim and Mariah, we also have Jack Maguire, Joe and Pat Downey, and Joanne Taylor. Nine and a half people! We have no intention of going through the canal again, particularly because there are so many of us on the boat, and we don’t want to take any risk with the baby on board. This is a swimming crowd, no doubt about it. Once anchored in Shinnecock, everyone (except Joe, of course) goes in for a dip, even Mariah……although the cold water of the bay startles her a bit.

As always the currents are running strong, too strong for even the strongest swimmers. However, we are in fairly shallow water so if you can manage to swim 20 feet from the boat toward shore, you can stand and almost walk in. Of course, captain Bert hoists his camera high, gets to ground and starts snapping his pictures. For the rest of us, there are noodles and the long boat lines running from the stern with seat cushions attached. We hang on to the lines to keep from being swept away by the currents!

Cute little beach cottage with ocean and bay frontage

Interested in newer construction?

Brigid’s teacher skills show as she unpacks all the sandwiches she’s made, all labeled, all with name tags on them. Plenty of beer, wine and MER-mades to go around. My sister Mary Ellen claims to have invented and named the “MERmade”….. a take-off on her initials (MER) and the fact that she is the first person in human history to have ever “made” one. For those who care, it is diet tonic, diet cranberry, a splash of orange juice and gin or vodka.

The think I'm going to sleep in here,... NOT A CHANCE!

We have a beautiful afternoon to chat and laugh. Bert and I recount the start of our trip where Bert cracked his head on the fiberglass. Both Pat and Joanne are nurses. Each in turn asks: “So, you took him to the Emergency Room, right?” I guiltily explain that I, with no nursing skills whatsoever, determined he was fine. For the remainder of the trip, I silently admonish myself for taking such a chance.
Back to Mary’s in the late afternoon after showering and changing. The weather has changed but who can object to nighttime rainfall when the days have been so good. Once again, Tim to the rescue. He orders and picks up two outrageous pizzas, one with chicken, and ranch dressing. One piece was a meal in itself.

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CLICK HERE for all the photos from the trip. Warning: There are almost 300 pictures on the photo site. Click on any picture to enlarge, and look for the slideshow option for best viewing.

2016 07 31 Sunday, Hampton Bays, LI to Aquebogue, LI

It’s a quick run today and once again, the weather does not disappoint. Once again we need to pass through the Shinnecock Canal. It is early so there is not the usual amount of boat traffic out yet. As we approach we can see that the canal is open and unattended. I flinch as I watch a trawler go through in front of us. The churn turns him sideways and it takes some doing to get his steering back in line. We hold our breath and Bert guns the engine to plow us through without slamming into the canal walls.

Lighthouse Marina, Aquebogue, NY
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We head to Aquebogue which is near Riverhead. The marina was once called Larry’s Lighthouse Marina, but apparently Larry fell out of favor since it is now simply Lighthouse Marina. The facility is beautifully kept and has a very nice pool, so we take advantage of it. Now that we are five days in, it’s a good time to do some laundry. I have two loads……at least I had two loads until I see that the washer requires $6 a load. Even if I were willing to pay that, it would require 48 quarters to do it. The dryer was another ripoff, roughly $2 a load. Miraculously, parsimoniously, I manage to cram two loads into one.

It’s a beautiful evening as we head to the new restaurant on the premises, Phil’s Waterfront Bar and Grille. (I wonder if Phil bought the place from Larry?) Anyway, the place is huge and nicely done, but we must wait for a table. We opt for a drink at the bar while waiting and meet a nice couple who are having their dinner at the bar. When we get to talking, they quietly confess “we are afraid of our boat.” The guy quickly adds, “You gotta understand…I grew up in an apartment in Brooklyn.” Not to be outdone, I tell him I grew up in a basement apartment in the Bronx. Really, it is somewhat sad. He desperately wants to use the boat to go to local restaurants but is terrified of docking, afraid of crashing, afraid of having other boaters laugh at him (for the record, he’s right…..boaters secretly enjoy seeing other boaters make the same stupid mistakes they make.) Anyway, his wife just stares at me, then rolls her eyes. I suggest he take the boat to one of these places when it’s closed and practice. He almost hugs me. He likes the idea. She just rolls her eyes again. She is unhappy that he is such a scaredy-cat (my words, not hers.)

We’re finally seated at a table that overlooks a large waterfront deck where there is a singles’ event in process. By singles, I mean no one is wearing a wedding band, but by the looks of the singles, they are all well into their forties and fifties. The prowling and picking up begins and I make a mental note to myself that I am very happy not to be single.

Leaving Aquebogue - This is all one man's toys...

2016 08 01 Monday, August 1 Aquebogue, LI to Mattituck, LI

Today is the twins’ birthday, so I fall on my sword in an email because I didn’t get cards in the mail before we left. Our run to Mattituck is about 4-5 hours, and much as the wind is behind us, the ride is most unpleasant. The waves pitch us forward into swells for most of the trip. Finally, we make the turn into the breakwater for Mattituck and head to Strong’s Resort and Marina. Once again, I wonder why they never cut a passage from the Peconic side of the South Fork through to Long Island. A mere 500 yards of land mass keep the two waters (Peconic and Mattituck/St.James Creeks) apart.

We are expecting to see Nancy, Bert’s sister today, as she is at her son’s house for a good part of the summer. It’s a pleasant day as we meet Robbie’s wife, Allison and their little guy, Hunter, for the first time. Alyssa, 23, is Nancy’s granddaughter and has also come along. Hunter loves the boat. At three, he must stretch forward in the captain’s chair to pretend he is running the boat. Alyssa proves she is a very good sport as six of us cram into Allison’s SUV. While she is tiny, she is forced to sit on Nancy’s lap in the front seat as Bert, Hunter and I are in the back. This is the first time we have ever driven around Mattituck. Our usual means of transportation is our feet.

Orient Point, LI to the inlet to Mattituck, NY
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The captain is on the bridge!

Hunter Grennan, Robbie and Allison's son, Nancy's grandson

We discover there are almost no restaurants in this little sleepy town and for the few that are, most are closed on Mondays. Fortunately, we find the Crazy Spoon and we order lunch which turns out to be quite good. The Reuben sandwich is so big, I bring half back to the boat. There are no other patrons in the restaurant, so we are not rushed and enjoy ability to talk without the noise of a crowd. The Reuben and some other doggie bags suffice for dinner after a swim in the pool.

2016 08 02 Tuesday Mattituck, LI to Haverstraw, NY

We’re off to another family gathering. We leave Mattituck with the same prevailing winds behind us. And so, another unpleasant three hour run until we enter the East River. We luck out at Hell Gate and get a good push through. While the name “Hell Gate” sounds treacherous, and the narrow straight surely can be, I learn from the guide book that it actually comes from the Dutch word “hellegat,” meaning “bright straight.” Rather than continue south around the tip of Manhattan, we turn north and head up the Harlem River which is a shortcut up to the Hudson. I always enjoy this ride, although it is not very scenic. But it does take us right by Yankee Stadium and streets that I traveled by bus when I was young. We also pass the oil yard where Uncle Dave worked for years and where we “summered” as kids. In hindsight, we were the frontrunners to “fresh air kids.”

NY Maritime Academy
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Throgs Neck Bridge

Harlem River, after leaving Hell Gate

The Columbia "C"

At the top of the Harlem River is the infamous “C” painted on the high cliffs of the North Bronx overlooking the river. The graffiti looks to be 7-8 stories high and it is a wonder as to who painted it and how. It’s here where the Columbia University crew team runs its practices. I’m not sure if it still happens, but in years gone by, on occasion you’d see a group of teenage boys doing treacherous jumps and dives off the cliffs here. The more cautious or fearful simply ‘mooned’ those watching.

We must wait a short bit for the bridge handler to open the railroad swing bridge that separates us from the Hudson. Once through, we are finally on the big river and we get a good push with the tide running to the north. We can now see the Tappan Zee Bridge ahead as well as its replacement bridge which is under construction right next to it. As the longest bridge in NYS, legend has it that it was placed here so that revenues would go to the NYS Thruway Authority rather than the Port Authority of NYC. That decision resulted in a span at one of the widest parts of the Hudson, not a very economical decision. Speaking of economics, I personally feel that for all the tolls we paid while commuting across that bridge to IBM, our names should be etched on a piling.

New Tappan Zee Construction

Only a half hour above the bridge and we are already approaching Haverstraw Marina in Rockland County. We are looking forward to seeing my brother and sister-in-law who live in Garnerville, only a few miles from the marina. Johnny picks us up and after a couple of drinks back at the house, the four of us head to the Firestone Restaurant. Dinner was both good and reasonable, a combo we had yet to experience on this trip!

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CLICK HERE for all the photos from the trip. Warning: There are almost 300 pictures on the photo site. Click on any picture to enlarge, and look for the slideshow option for best viewing.