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August 04, 1988 - Weathering a Three-Day SailAugust 4, 1988/The Suffolk Times /Page I I A Weathering a ThreewDay' Sail Ov Paul Stoutenburah Hot and humid. It seems the weather forecast is like that old broken record we all remember, it repeats and repeats it- self. Luck was with Barbara and me when we snuck off for three days in oue sailboat to travel east along our south shore and Shelter Island. We started off slowly under that unbearable heat, set- ting sail about midday. After pulling up anchor Barbara got together a nice, cool tray of cheese and crackers, grapes and a bottle of wine for lunch. We sat on deck under the shade of the mainsail to eat. We have an automatic pilot that func- tions in the hot sun, allowing us this luxury. We really thought we had it made as we cruised along at three knots under a gentle breeze, sipping our wine and munching our crackers. To add a bit of flare to our noon repast Barbara had brought out two long- stemmed wine glasses friends had given us for just such an occasion. If anyone had seen us they would have thought it was some TV ad for our local wine. Suddenly all came to a crashing halt when a wave from a passing boat flipped the tray -- cheese, crackers, grapes and even our tall- stemmed glasses, almost empty now, went plummeting to the deck -- leaving us with a matching pair o f short - stemmed glasses. Were the gods of the sea telling us that this was no way to present oneself on the briny deep? No matter. We both laughed at our short spree into the elite. By two the wind picked up and by three we were charging eastward at a nice seven knots. The sails pulled for all they were worth and the SeaWind cut the water with her clean, white bow, seeming to enjoy the dashing trip and the flying spray. Shore Birds Seen Occasionally small groups of shore birds passed -a foot off the water, beating their way into the wind in a westerly direction. There is a continuous stream of these tiny shore birds out of the north. Also passing were the highfly- ing swallows. It reminded me to keep an eye out for their mass accumulations as the season moves on. They'll line the telephone wires to a point you'd think they'd break and they'll perch on TV antennae like lights on a Christmas tree. We were disappointed to see the jellyfish. The big, white sea nettles and occasionally a big, red one we call Lion's mane made us give up any idea of swimming while underway. We rounded Jessup's and passed through the south passage between the shuttling ferries. Then, with the tide with us, we rounded Mashomack's southwest point and then passed Cedar Point Light east of Sag Harbor. How wonderfully the wind blew. In no time Three Mile Harbor with its red -and- white entrance buoy loomed up before US. Just outside the breakwater common terns had gathered to feast on the bait that was evidently plentiful there. Down they dove, disappearing completely un- der water only to pop up and fly off, sometimes with a silvery morsel but more often without a reward. On our way out of the harbor in the morning we stopped to see what some commer- cial -bait people were gathering there. In one haul they filled their huge drum with spearing or silversides and sand Focus on Nature eels. This would be used for snapper bait. As we entered the channel we turned on the old reliable engine and with sails still up made our way, eventually rounding the last red buoy where we headed west to the sheltered shore. In no time the sails were down and we were securely anchored. Nice, Quiet Harbor Our first day couldn't have been nicer. Of course, the weather was overcast and hot, but with the wind in the afternoon, what more could a sailor ask? By night- fall the wind dropped off. While we ate dinner a lone gull sat on the stern of our dinghy waiting for a handout. I'm sure it had been through this before. As soon as it saw people eating, it moved in for a free dinner. Of course, we had to oblige by tossing tidbits to him. After dinner we reminisced how we had once come to this harbor years ago with our kids. It seemed our oldest al- ways had to have a fishing rod in his hands. One evening as we all sat in the cockpit in the dark he called out "I got one!" Sure enough, from six feet of wa- ter he soon brought aboard a huge, squirming eel. Now, if you've never caught an eel, it is quite an experience. You can't grab on to them, they are so slippery. In the dark the eel thrashing about, sliding over our feet and winding around our legs made quite a commo- tion. Next day it was hazy and the wind was barely stirring; we decided not to try any long trip. Orient seemed the likely place so we headed over to hang out in back of the State Park. We again set our automatic pilot and relaxed while eating lunch under the shade of the sail, this time without our long- stemmed glasses. We actually sat with our feet dangling in the cool water, keeping a watchful eye for any stray jellyfish. We barely moved until two when luck was with us and the breeze came up out of the southwest driving us across Gardiner's Bay to our invisible destination. Once anchored we took the dinghy and explored that lovely area called Hal - lock's Bay. We passed by one of Bob Gloria's osprey platforms that had two or three nice -sized young in it. The fe- Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh MIGRATING SWALLOWS--All members of the swallow family are now migrating through our area. They stop and rest on telephone and electric wires, TV masts, boat railings or any available object. male soared overhead giving her shrill call, letting us know she was watching. A few tumstones (shore birds) worked the flats along the park side and a great white egret stalked in the marsh nearby. Time to Make a Move It was a lonely and wonderful after- noon but by five the wind really started blowing and shifted more to the west, putting us in a rather rough sea. Not caring to spend the night under such conditions and listening to the radio re- porting severe thunderstorms to the west, we decided to head for a more sheltered harbor. There's no nicer place to get out of foul weather than Coecles Harbor on Shelter Island and so we set sail late in the afternoon for that pro- tected anchorage. We arose to another overcast day, part sun, part haze, but still warm. On the boats were hundreds of swallows resting and preening themselves. It seems they too found it to be a good harbor of refuge. They clung to the lines and the railings and any other object they could perch on. Most were barn swallows but there were a few tree and bank swallows scattered amongst them. LIMB I ft t Ab GESTAU"R"zANT l 34 FRONT STREET. GREENPORT. NY _ p c� I 477 -9883 Fresh Local Seafood Local Wines Daily Blackboard Specials Large Selection of Imported Beers After breakfast we decided to make another short trip in the haze and set sail for Sag Harbor, always a rewarding stop. The town was busy with shoppers and we walked the streets feeling as if we had come a long way to a strange town. It's kind of nice to just poke around and shop here and thfe. We saw old friends who invited us to meet them in their boat off Morton Sanctuary. Hasty plans were drawn up and we soon were back aboard the SeaWind. We both arrived about the same time and tied up alongside. We chatted and laughed about old times 'til someone realized it was almost six o'clock. Since it was still overcast, evening would come soon. We had to say good- bye as we still had to head up bay into the wind. It was a wet sail, close - hauled. As we dropped anchor the lights around the bay started to come on but even those were shrouded in fog. We had gotten in just in time. A short dinghy ride and our trip was over. To our sur- prise friends on shore invited us to a scrumptious dinner. What better way to end our three days on the water.