08/03-08/07/23 Making our way to Cape Cod Bay

Thursday 08/03 we headed out into Long Island Sound and aimed north to Stratford, CT where Bob’s fraternity brother Alex Schwartz lives. We made it to Safe Harbor Stratford in just under five hours and had a great meal with Alex and his son at Big Jim’s Galley, one of our best meals on this trip!

Friday we untied our lines early and headed north to Essex, CT. We had the most uncomfortable ride of the trip. Wind against the impressive currents of Long Island Sound set up a ‘Lake Erie Style’ ride. Yuk! But, we happily found the entrance to the Connecticut River and headed six miles up river to the Essex Yacht Club. Wow, what a charming little town Essex is with so much history: ship building, commerce, a big War of 1812 battle, etc. We learned a bunch at the lovely Connecticut River Museum. We wanted to enjoy this little gem of town a bit longer, so we stayed an extra day. And boy are we glad we did because we were there for the Lions Club of Essex’s 39th Annual Lobster Bake! What a night we had at the park listening to the big band sounds coming from the gazebo, entering the silent raffle and people watching. We started our short walk back to the boat but could not walk past The Griswold Inn, opened in 1776, without stopping for a glass of wine and a snack from the wine bar and then heading to the Tap Room afterwards for the most fun listening to a great band. It was one of those magic couple of days that we stumbled upon based on a recommendation from a boater who was docked next to us when we were in NYC, thanks Ray!

Next stop was Stonington on the CT / RI border. It was a glorious Sunday on Long Island Sound and hundreds of boats were out enjoying it with us. Lots of traffic, for sure, but it never felt crowded. We called ahead to grab a mooring ball in the inner harbor at Stonington and we were greeted by another fraternity brother, Dave Schrage, as we tied up. We walked the pretty town with Dave and ate dinner at Breakwater, a nice waterfront restaurant. Dave ferried us around on his Boston Whaler. It was a great evening – not withstanding a gas tank snafu that Dave’s daughter helped us troubleshoot.

Currently, we’re bound for Wareham, MA and the entrance to the Cape Cod Canal. We won’t go through the canal today as we arrive with the 5+ knot current against us, so we’ll pick up a mooring. It’s a long 10 hour + run today, but the weather is changing tonight and Buzzards Bay will not be the place to be for the next few days!