Loading...
June 29, 1989 - Boat Launching Has Its Place in the Natural OrderFocus on Nature Boat Launching Has Its Place in the Natural Order By Paul Stoutenburgh As the years go by it seems my sailboat is put in later and later each year. This year when we took off the heavy canvas cover I was surprised to find a starling had started to build his nest under the port side. Evi- dently it gave up finding it too hot under the heavy tarpaulin. It reminded me of years ago when some friends had a mourning dove build on the stern of their sailboat. Doves nest early and so working around the nest the owner was able to get his boat ready and still have the pleasure of watching the family as it grew and eventually fledged its young. Once the cover is off, it's a mad race to get all the engine maintenance done, polish her hull and scrub her down before the discarded flowers from the trees fall and stain the decks. It seems this year there was more of this tree debris than ever. The roof of our house was literally yellowed with the drop- pings from our hickory trees. I wonder if this means we'll have a bumper crop of nuts this year. When all the work is done and the bottom has a fresh coat of paint on, she's ready to be hauled from our pasture to the shipyard for launching. What with all the rain we've had, we jumped at the one day of sunshine in between cloudbursts and got her out just in time. It's a real problem if we get caught in the wet pasture, for the hauling truck gets stuck. Of course, there is always the correct timing of opening the gates so the cows don't get out as the truck and boat slowly ap- proach. Luckily the lush grass from the heavy rains kept them busy and we were able to make it with no trouble. I am not sure if it's the rain we've had or if it is the "roaming time" for turtles but I've seen more box turtles crossing the roads lately than usual. Of course, I saw one in its perilous trek on our way over to the shipyard and had to stop and put it safely on the op- posite side of the road. It's good to see more and more people are becoming conscious of these slow- moving creatures and doing the same. They're doomed on our roads if not caught early enough. Studies have shown that box turtles don't leave the general area where they were born but stay in a 400 to 500 - foot area most of their lives. They've also found out that box turtles live to a ripe old age of 80, 90 or 100 years. Turtles hatch from leathery shells depos- ited by the female in the soft earth where the sun incubates them through the warm sum- mer months. It's early or late fall when they hatch and crawl out of their earthy home and forage for berries, mushrooms, insects and worms so they can fatten up for their winter sleep. In the fall they return to an earthy den they dig out where they spend the cold win- ter months. Turtles, like most wildlife, are having a difficult time as their native wood- land habitat slowly becomes homesites, shop- ping centers, roads, etc. so they need every bit of help they can get from us. Once at the yard, we left the boat to be Mourning doves are early nesters. This one built on the stern of a boat work around the bird until it fledged its young. that was stored in one of our local shipyards. Everyone managed to —Paul Stoutenburgh Photo launched the following day and, wouldn't you know it, the day turned cloudy and the wind blew at almost gale force. I was there by 7 to do some last - minute rigging as we were to be launched at 8 that morning. Once the boat had been lowered into the water, we started setting the mast and tuning the rig- ging. As we worked, barn swallows flew about us. They were disturbed by our presence for they had nested under the docks and launching platforms. They also built in some of the outbuildings and it was good to see them flying about for, with the rains we've had, the mosquito population needs everything it can get to keep it under control. A kingfisher had come into the boat basin and was sitting on a tree that overhung the protective water of the marina. His hopes were for a killie to show itself so he could plunge in for his early morning meal. Evi- dently the high winds had roughed the wa- ter so outside it made fishing impossible for him. I know where he nests along the banks of the bay not too far from the shipyard. The tunnel of the kingfisher goes back about three feet in the bank to a nesting cavity where the young are raised well protected from any predators. Once the mast was stepped and we were tidied up, I tried the little diesel. It cranked Interior Decorators Complete Decorating Services 50 Nugent Street Montauk Highway Southampton, L.I., N.Y. 11968 Eastport, L.I. 11941 283 -5890 325 -0176 THE NEW YORK CONNECTION 0 RUER -SMITH A DESIGN SHOWROOM FOR FINE FURNITURE, We'd like to thank our clients for their many referrals! If you haven't seen us yet, now's your chance to get to know us. Offering free consultation. Come in and see our designers, Maureen and Lori, and let us put together beautiful rooms for you to enjoy this season. End of June Sale! INTERIOR DESIGN BY LORI AUER SMITH AND MAUREEN CONSOLE 375 N. Highway, Southampton, New York 516 - 287 -1414 • Open 7 Days, Sun. 12 -5 and cranked, coughed a few times and then finally started. That day luck was on my side. The lines were cast off and I crept out of the narrow passageway where boats were docked all along the side. The weather was so foul that no one was on his boat. A lonely swan moved around one of the larger power boats evidently looking for a handout. It doesn't take them long to find out that peo- ple will feed them if they beg but no one was here today. This was probably a young bird and one who had lost in the mating game. I could feel the fury of the wind as I left the shelter of the canal and headed out into the bay. Bain started spitting and the water took on an ominous dark hue. On I went almost triumphantly rolling with the sea that was now running outside. Even the gulls were missing. They were probably at the dump or, as we say today, the landfill. What they'll do when these landfills are all closed in the very near future I do not know. I passed the point where the horseshoe crabs had come up to spawn just a month ago. Barbara and I had marked the calendar for the next full moon and had visited the shores to see how the spawning was coming. We dug down three or four inches in the loose sand along the high tide mark and sure enough there they were almost invisible in their BB -sized plastic covering. We collected . a few and later with a hand lens at home we could see little curled up crabs inside their clear hard shelled casings. If we looked long enough we could actually see their tiny feel- ers moving as they stretched and tried to break loose. This would come later as they would develop and work out of their shell and then up through the sand at high tide to drift away by the thousands. Here they would live on the plankton of our rich creeks and bays, shedding and growing, shedding and grow- ing, some being eaten by predators, others learning the ways to survive. In the end only 19 Honor Thy - Country ' BAGS & FLAGPOLES * Residential, Commercial, Marine ,t All sizes U.S.; Foreign, Marine, Etc Over 1,000 in stock * Etiquette 8 technical consultants, custom flags 8 accessories for boats, buildings, autos * Free delivery, easy installation instructions FLAG LOCKER SPECIALS ALL SIZES 12 x 18" — 15 x 25 ft. in stock World Class Nauticalla. cNautique acid. Main Rd. (Rte. 25) Aquebogue 722 -3944 a few would reach maturity and come back to the shores again to spawn. Nature pro- vides a rich abundance knowing all too well there are other mouths to be fed along the way. Over in the cove I tied the SeaWind to her mooring. Here she'd stay tethered, swinging in the wind until we'd set her free for a trip somewhere. I rode the dinghy in, content with the day's work. Two ospreys hung in the thermals over the high bluffs taking advant- age of the strong winds that blew out of the southwest. They too are predators, and were waiting for their fair share of nature's boun- ties to distribute to their hungry young. L.C.L. Landscaping Irrigation Irrigation al.t' Systems Back Hoe Service LawpnrCare of Hampton Bays, Inc. 728.8426 PC Bon 1295 '1 trpton Bays, NY G STYLE MARBLE & TILE The Small Tile Store With A ,arge Selection 164 E. Montauk Highway, Hampton Gays Open 6 Days 730 AM to 5 PM - 728 -8810 ISLAND GYMNASTICS CMP A At LIU- SOUTHAMPTON July 9, 1989 through August 5, 1989 Boys & Girls — Olympic Events including Trampoline For Information Island Gymnastics Camp 76 West Lane Bay Shore, New York 11706 (516) 666 -6999 Director: Emerson W. Dunton, Jr 815 From All of Us to All of You A Safe &Happy 4th of July Cmdec = FURNITURE 35 Main Street Southampton 283 -8850 Everybody sells cabinets, we sell designer kitchens. We do it all! We sell and install a wide variety of Wood -Mode and Fieldstone cabinetry and accessories, bathroom cabinets, bars, den and bedroom built -ins, complete with tops, sinks, faucets and appliances. R.71 _ _-, F674 Ltd 148 SOUTH COUNTRY RD. — BELLPORT 286.4598 COUNTY ROAD 39 AT MONTAUK HWY. —SOUTHAMPTON — 287.1113 NIKIA 8200 -HI 464 EAST MAIN STREET — PATCHOGUE — 289.1112 '300 REBATE NEW! CARRIER SUPER HIGH - EFFICIENCY PREMIUM ROUND ONE CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONING ILI- _ 1O Yea �V Llim �Ir111 Y Warranty S Y 1 1�11131n 9A.71M 1 Tl,tu711rtr it 'I'1s JA (UL'lt —)h1 �Usi __ 2 2. WE AREN'T COMFORTAE UNTIL YOU ARE. HEATING 8 C000NG Spolso1 11 AAH I ...11 1,111, 1'rpGi;, C ' iel #: 38XD Remember the heatwave of '88? This summer promises to heat up just as fast. And there's no better time than now to prepare for those long, hot humid days than with a super efficient Carrier central air conditioning system. And, no better incentives than these. If you install a new Carrier Premium Round One Central Air Conditioning System in your home before July 8,1989*, you'll receive a $300 rebate. Or, if you prefer, make no payments till Labor Day. The choice and comfort are all yours. Why choose the new Carrier Premium Round One System? • Energy Efficient • Premium Components • Quiet Operation • Low Operating Costs • Dependable • 10 Year Limited Warranty . ill it i, , Itr 1, Ln, ..n n, x ,1ib11.u1, Otter Available Through Participating Dealers Only. Not to be combined with other offers. WEBER & GRAHN AIR CONDITIONING Hampton Bays • 516- 728 - 1050 Distributed by Carleton -Stuart Corp. 718- 392 -9100 THE SOUTHAMPTON PRESS / JUNE 29, 1989 The ,�FEwefzy 60=Ez Fine Jewelry at Discount Prices Most Repairs in 24 -48 Hours Repairs and Engmving Done on Premises EAR PIERCING BY R.N. 105 W. Montauk Highway Hampton Bays 728.2944 19 Honor Thy - Country ' BAGS & FLAGPOLES * Residential, Commercial, Marine ,t All sizes U.S.; Foreign, Marine, Etc Over 1,000 in stock * Etiquette 8 technical consultants, custom flags 8 accessories for boats, buildings, autos * Free delivery, easy installation instructions FLAG LOCKER SPECIALS ALL SIZES 12 x 18" — 15 x 25 ft. in stock World Class Nauticalla. cNautique acid. Main Rd. (Rte. 25) Aquebogue 722 -3944 a few would reach maturity and come back to the shores again to spawn. Nature pro- vides a rich abundance knowing all too well there are other mouths to be fed along the way. Over in the cove I tied the SeaWind to her mooring. Here she'd stay tethered, swinging in the wind until we'd set her free for a trip somewhere. I rode the dinghy in, content with the day's work. Two ospreys hung in the thermals over the high bluffs taking advant- age of the strong winds that blew out of the southwest. They too are predators, and were waiting for their fair share of nature's boun- ties to distribute to their hungry young. L.C.L. Landscaping Irrigation Irrigation al.t' Systems Back Hoe Service LawpnrCare of Hampton Bays, Inc. 728.8426 PC Bon 1295 '1 trpton Bays, NY G STYLE MARBLE & TILE The Small Tile Store With A ,arge Selection 164 E. Montauk Highway, Hampton Gays Open 6 Days 730 AM to 5 PM - 728 -8810 ISLAND GYMNASTICS CMP A At LIU- SOUTHAMPTON July 9, 1989 through August 5, 1989 Boys & Girls — Olympic Events including Trampoline For Information Island Gymnastics Camp 76 West Lane Bay Shore, New York 11706 (516) 666 -6999 Director: Emerson W. Dunton, Jr 815 From All of Us to All of You A Safe &Happy 4th of July Cmdec = FURNITURE 35 Main Street Southampton 283 -8850 Everybody sells cabinets, we sell designer kitchens. We do it all! We sell and install a wide variety of Wood -Mode and Fieldstone cabinetry and accessories, bathroom cabinets, bars, den and bedroom built -ins, complete with tops, sinks, faucets and appliances. R.71 _ _-, F674 Ltd 148 SOUTH COUNTRY RD. — BELLPORT 286.4598 COUNTY ROAD 39 AT MONTAUK HWY. —SOUTHAMPTON — 287.1113 NIKIA 8200 -HI 464 EAST MAIN STREET — PATCHOGUE — 289.1112 '300 REBATE NEW! CARRIER SUPER HIGH - EFFICIENCY PREMIUM ROUND ONE CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONING ILI- _ 1O Yea �V Llim �Ir111 Y Warranty S Y 1 1�11131n 9A.71M 1 Tl,tu711rtr it 'I'1s JA (UL'lt —)h1 �Usi __ 2 2. WE AREN'T COMFORTAE UNTIL YOU ARE. HEATING 8 C000NG Spolso1 11 AAH I ...11 1,111, 1'rpGi;, C ' iel #: 38XD Remember the heatwave of '88? This summer promises to heat up just as fast. And there's no better time than now to prepare for those long, hot humid days than with a super efficient Carrier central air conditioning system. And, no better incentives than these. If you install a new Carrier Premium Round One Central Air Conditioning System in your home before July 8,1989*, you'll receive a $300 rebate. Or, if you prefer, make no payments till Labor Day. The choice and comfort are all yours. Why choose the new Carrier Premium Round One System? • Energy Efficient • Premium Components • Quiet Operation • Low Operating Costs • Dependable • 10 Year Limited Warranty . ill it i, , Itr 1, Ln, ..n n, x ,1ib11.u1, Otter Available Through Participating Dealers Only. Not to be combined with other offers. WEBER & GRAHN AIR CONDITIONING Hampton Bays • 516- 728 - 1050 Distributed by Carleton -Stuart Corp. 718- 392 -9100 THE SOUTHAMPTON PRESS / JUNE 29, 1989