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.
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.
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!
CLICK HERE to go to the next day
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.
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
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!
CLICK HERE to go to the next day
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.