July 09, 1981 - The Fourth AfloatJuly 9, 1981 The *uffolk Timex —
The Fourth Afloat
Last year we were a bit more organized
in getting our boat in the water than we
were this year. For some reason there was
just one more meeting to go to or just one
more job around the place. Something
always seemed to take priority over
getting the boat ready. This went on
through the busy days of May and June,
until finally a decision was made. Let's put
all our effort into getting the boat ready!
After all it was now July 1.
Arrangements for launching were made
with the hauler and the yard, and the rest
was up to us. Freshening the water tank, a
thorough cleaning, checking out the motor,
going over all the rigging and sails,
painting the bottom and a hundred other
little things that make boating a lot easier
if taken care of ahead of time.
By now it was July 2 and by noon the
next day we had planned to be in the water.
That night Barbara and I worked till the
last bit of light faded and forced us to stop.
Again the next morning we feverishly did
the last- minute jobs that somehow contin-
ually kept showing up.
What added to our confusion was that the
hauler arrived early and threw our
schedule off. The cradle groaned and
moaned as it was lifted up on the trailer in
the effort to move the boat from its resting
place of last November. Jacks and blocks
were pushed under and taken out and Tern
II was soon riding down the back farm
road and then out onto the highway.
Boats look so much bigger out of the
water, and we felt quite proud of our
,Dewly-polished craft as it traveled along to
the shipyard where it was to be launched.
The men at the yard were waiting and in
no time the sling with its enormous
apparatus moved under the boat and
slowly started raising it in the air. Then
'like a giant spider it carried Tern II over
the launching pit and slowly let it settle
into the water. Barn swallows that were
nesting under the pilings darted in and out
in a frenzy of chirping. What monster had
invaded their domain? Now she was
afloat; looking down she seemed smaller
and with her mast not yet stepped also
looked undressed.
Mast Stepped With Help
With the help of Barbara and our son
Roger we soon had the mast stepped and
the stays tuned. We had to be out within the
,hour, as another boat was ready to go in. In
the shuffle we had lost one of the main pins
that held the forestay, but a jury rig of an
old screw driver slipped through the
turnbuckle saved the day.
It was good to be in the water again and
our little 25 -foot Cape Dory seemed to tell
us that it too was happy to be back in the
bay. Our dinghy awaited us at the mooring
and we soon tied up.
Off on the beach where a great meadow
spread out behind, an osprey sat on its
high -pole nest. We could see the heads of
young as the proud adult stood over them.
It's a handsome bird and, what with man's
encroachment on its nesting areas along
our creeks and bays, it's having a hard
time finding isolated spots to nest.
We tied up and made ready for shore.
The dinghy bounced gingerly alongside the
boat. As we loaded our gear in, we talked
over plans for the Fourth. "Let's go to
Orient and stay overnight to watch the
fireworks." The weather predictions
weren't good, but then we've sailed in poor
weather before.
Sure enough by the next day, the
weather had really turned sour. By the
time we had done some chores at home
and written an article, the clouds and
intermittent rain started to take over. By
four in the afternoon the weather looked as
if it was going to stay with us through the
visit the GNS
Showroom.
Main Road, Mattituck 298 -4278
Water Condnioniny Egwnmem
mermaid
GNS
CONTRACTING CORPORATION
11952
weekend. But we were ready to go!
Back on board, the sails went up as rain
came across our faces. We rounded the
stony beach where a new colony of least
terns had taken up residence. Of all our
terns they're having the most difficult
time, because of their need for open
beaches and, of course, these beaches are
in demand by the public. Let's hope this
isolated beach will prove ideal for them.
Elements Fail to Cooperate
We tacked up the bay and rounded the
buoy off Nassau Point with a strong
southwest wind from behind. We literally
flew down the bay with the tide helping us
along. There were few boats out, and as we
went along the rain would come and go,
sometimes in torrents. I remember one
poor open boat with four people heading
home in the downpour. There was no
getting away from it.
We sped past Jessups and headed for
Paradise Point. Off to the north at Cedar
Beach we could see the lone osprey
platform with its new nesting pair. It was
good to see them taking hold in that area.
Terns worked the troubled waters but we
had no time for fishing. I'm sure if we had
trailed a line we would have gotten
bluefish.
Now the wind was directly behind us and
we sailed wing and wing, headed for the
northwest corner of Shelter Island. Past
the buoy we changed our heading, more to
the east and passed the famous gazebo
that sits atop the rock -- a product of an era
that will never be seen again.
By now the thickening clouds told us we
were really in for something and the rain
started to increase until it equalled a
tropical downpour. It pelted the water so
hard it flattened it out. The water came off
the sails like rain off a roof. We stood alone
in our boat, hardly making a move so the
Page 17
LEAST TERN- -This dainty little seabird, half the size of our common
tern, is having difficulty finding areas to nest that man has not claimed.
Unknowingly people disturb their nesting sites without realizing the
damage they do. Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
water wouldn't find a crack or loose seam
in our rain gear. The wind had died down
now and we were forced to motor. All the
way up the north end of Shelter Island we
motored in a downpour.
Greenport lay off to the port in a haze of
rain. Opposite Hay Beach, the rains still
came down. A string of weekend sailors
motored in with sails down to moor in
Dering Harbor. The yellow rain gear of
one or two lone people at the wheel were all
the color that could be seen on this bleak
Fourth of July.
"Bombs Bursting in Air"
Our destination was behind the State
Park in Orient and by the time we hit the
open water the wind had come up to some
extent and we sailed again. We dropped
anchor 300 feet offshore in what now had
turned into a drizzle.
Barbara went down below and had the
stove on with a quart of her best clam
chowder warming up. We changed clothes
because as we had feared water had found
the weak spots in our rain gear. It was cozy
below and the chowder made everything
just right. Friends were anchored nearby
and we chatted back and forth. As it
darkened, fireworks started to show up
along the shores but the big event was off
Orient. We "oohed" and "aahed" at "the
rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in
air." Then after what seemed hours of
skyrockets and fireworks of all kinds the
rain decided to come down again. This
dampened the event and the waterfront
became quiet. Needless to say it also
ended our day. I remember only the rain
on the deck. I was asleep in no time.
The next day we sailed home with a
strong west wind under cloudy skies. A
laughing gull off Greenport greeted us as
we worked our way up the bay. Our Fourth
of July was well worth the effort; a good
sail under unusual weather. Perhaps it
would have been drier and more comfort-
able at home, but then we would have
missed the adventure and all this adds to
life. It's what you put in it that makes the
difference. Put the effort out and the
reward will be yours.
PAUL STOUTENBURGH