Mystical Mystic

I am coming to you today from my home in East Hampton, NY. Here, I have found ways to replenish the cruising kitty. The material I left Key West with is still in Beta testing. A few of the 12 pages in-progress contain audio and video and are proving to be time consuming at the very least.

The trip around Key West was an interesting one. With the sun setting on my port side in the Gulf of Mexico, en route to Sarasota, the stainless steel bolts that hold the gudgeons to the transom broke off and set my rudder free. You can read about that little episode by clicking here.

Resting safely on a trailer, the LTD. is in my friend Mike’s backyard. I will rejoin my boat at the end of October. A week's worth of maintenance and repair will be all that is required before I return to the helm and head through Lake Okeechobee on my way to the Bahamas. From there it's back to my winter base in Key West. To coincide with my arrival, just before the season begins, I will release the aforementioned pages on Key West tourist activities.

A quick flight from Tampa brings me here. And to be here without a boat, once you’ve owned one, feels like a handicap. Luckily, I have a friend named George (I spent this past Thanksgiving with him and his mother in Beaufort, SC) who, in Three Mile Harbor, has a boat in my old marina. George is in Germany for 6 weeks and has given me permission to use his boat. What a pal!

“Ms. Defiant” is a 26-foot 1970 Pearson. She is a lot heavier than the LTD. Last year George purchased a brand new 9.9 / 4 stroke engine. Turning it over gives one the feel of starting a car engine. She is a solid outboard for a solid boat. I was excited as I untied from the dock and backed her out.

We are at the very end of Three Mile Harbor and it takes about 20 minutes to get out into the bay. The harbor is familiar to me. In the years past, I’ve traveled these waters at all hours and in all conditions.

Once out of Three Mile Harbor you are in Gardiner's Bay and a 5 hour sail to Mystic, Connecticut.

Leaving, as Billy Joel sings, “the bell in Gardiner's Bay” means you’re headed out towards the Block Island Sound. From the bell buoy you can see Shelter Island. (In the past, I’ve been known to frequent Rams Head Inn on a regular basis. Just a 2 hour sail, land to land, brings you to a fine restaurant with a Gatsby-type charm about it). Gardiner's Island is to the right and Sag Harbor is perched beyond rock ridden waters once you pass Cedar Point. But, that is not where we’re headed today.

Ruins of an old gun wall mark the northern end of Gardiner's Island. It was constructed there because of its strategic position, then used for target practice and currently houses a bird sanctuary.

Located off of Plum Island, which punctuates the north fork of Long Island, and home to many roseate terns, Gull Island is yet another living sanctuary. “The Race” and “Plum Gut” are found in these parts and consist of a ripping current where the Long Island Sound and its Connecticut rivers, Block Island Sound (AKA Atlantic Ocean) and Gardiner's Bay collide. This area is where I first learned about strong currents. 25 billion gallons of water pass through here with every tide change. The depths measure from 40 feet to close to 500 feet. It is not uncommon to witness a sailboat under full sail and full throttle being controlled by the force of the current and moving in reverse.

Fishers Island is dead ahead and off to the starboard side is Race Rock Light. It is reported that this lighthouse cost $278,716 and took six years to complete. That seems reasonable until you consider that the work was completed 120 years ago. Just about the time that the question of which state had legal possession of Fishers Island was concluded. To this day, Fishers Island has a Long Island area code and a Connecticut zip code.

Inside Fishers Island Sound the water relaxes and South Dumpling Light is there to greet you. If you’re rounding Morgan Point, you are headed up the Mystic River and Noank is off of your port side.

I was informed of Mystic’s bascule bridge schedule, hourly at 15 minutes past the hour, and it’s location just south of the Seaport. That would be my destination. I took the sails down and moved up the Mystic River at a pace that let me take in the surroundings. Church steeples rose above the trees in every direction. All along the river, there was never any doubt that I was in New England. The bridge opened right on schedule and I circled Mystic Seaport before attempting to find a berth for the night.

I noticed that there were many empty slips right in front of the museum grounds. It was a weekday. I called the dockmaster on the VHF while maneuvering around small cat boats whose captains were polishing up on their racing skills. At $3.00 per foot I decided against it. Contemplating my next course of action I was approached by one of the racers. He suggested that, on this side of the bridge, I tie up to the bulkhead in front of the condominiums. At a third of the price, there was just a space for me to do so.

I had glass of wine and took in another sunset before making my way into town. Yes, I ate dinner at Mystic Pizza, where photographs of the movie adorned the walls. A stroll in this New England town and another glass of wine were all I needed for a good nights sleep.

The morning was spent at Mystic Seaport. At 40 plus acres it is the largest maritime museum in the United States. A bit pricey for a non-member but worth every penny. A village made up from actual trade shops and homes from all over New England have been brought here and preserved. Working antique schooners and ships line the docks that encircle the village.

The 129-foot Amistad is being recreated by skilled craftsmen, using the tools and traditions of an art form that has nearly been forgotten. Amistad is scheduled to make her maiden voyage for OpSail 2000. Claiming to be the largest tall ships event in history, it is to take place in New York Harbor on July 4, 2000. This ship is being built as a floating learning center that will teach lessons of history, cooperation and leadership to people of all ages and cultural backgrounds.

I could have easily spent the whole day here. The collection of artifacts and smaller boats (steam, sail and kayak), working craft shops, a planetarium focusing on celestial navigation, and maritime trades such as whaling, sealing and fishing were all graphically represented. But, alas, I needed to catch the bridge by 15:15 in order to make it home by night fall.

“Home Sweet Home”, the title of a popular song in the 1820s, was written by East Hampton poet/actor John Howard Payne. With such a beautiful place to start from, it is hard to arrive somewhere that equals it’s beauty and warmth. Mystic was no disappointment.