Life is an experiment in which you may fail or succeed. Explore more, expect least.
Santosh Kalwart
If I could sum up our cruising thus far, I would have to say that every day is a new experiment, and a new experience. Navigating a sailboat is very different from planning a trip on land. On land, you have roadmaps which pretty much guide you to your destination. While we do have charts and navigational aids on our boat – many times our route gets altered and the place we arrive was not our planned destination. That being said, thus far, fate has had a hand in guiding us not where we wanted to go, but where we needed to be.
August 1st was our one-year anniversary of living on our boat. Our original plan when we left one year ago, was to be in the Mediterranean by now. That plan failed and we spent the winter in the Bahamas. As a result, our kids were all able to join us and spend time on our boat. In addition, we were close to the US which enabled us to be in North Carolina and attend my dad’s 90th birthday party and family reunion. This probably would not have been an option had we been in Europe. Then, despite the overwhelming odds against her, my daughter qualified to represent the United States in the 2018 World Equestrian Games this coming September in Tryon, NC. Yet, another life event I wouldn’t have wanted to miss for anything in the world. I sometimes wonder who is actually in control of this journey as we are being led down a path that more often than not, takes us in a different direction than what we have planned. This past month has been no exception.
Nova Scotia or bust. That was our plan. Head up the coast, visit the northern latitudes and friends and family along the way. Equus and her crew of Orion, my 3-year-old grandson and daughter-in-law Shelby, completed a visit to NYC. We played in the city and saw her sights from the perspective of our peaceful anchorage just off 79th Street. Our goal of arriving in Portsmouth, RI by the 4th of July was quickly approaching so we set off into Long Island Sound to continue north.
Places we made!
Port Jefferson Long Island and Fishers Island, CT
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hese two stops in Long Island Sound provided us with reasonable day sails from NYC on our way to Portsmouth, RI. Port Jefferson had plenty of room to anchor in this busy little harbor. The beach was primary comprised of rocks – a rock throwing lover three-year-old’s dream. This harbor is a popular day-time destination and was filled with small motor boats and jet skis. The traffic and wakes caused by passing speeders was quite annoying during the day. There was a police boat presence that tried to keep speeders through crowded areas to a minimum. Fortunately, they left by sunset and we had a nice, quiet evening before pulling up anchor and departing the next day.
Fishers Island was another day sail away. The Waterway Guide suggested there were anchorages in their little harbor but we could not find room to anchor amidst the many mooring balls. This unfortunately seems to be a common occurrence in many harbors. After several failed attempts to anchor, we gave up and picked up a mooring. There seemed to be activity and places to go along the shore, but since we arrived in the early evening and had to leave the next morning, we simply spent a quiet evening enjoying the views.
Mystic Seaport, CT
Definitely one of the quainter seaside towns you will ever discover – Mystic is a bustling boat area. There are many moorings outside of town and a couple of marinas, but if you want to be in the town itself, I will let you in on a little secret. It won’t be an easy trip. First you have to pass under the railroad bridge which may or may not answer you when you call. Responses are quick for the commercial traffic requesting openings, but not so much when it comes to pleasure cruisers. This can cause many nervous moments when approaching on an incoming tide which is very strong. Eventually we did get a response but not without some delay. Next, you have to pass under the lift bridge in the center of town. Good news is the bridge does open hourly, bad news is our delay at the railroad bridge made us miss the timing so we needed to hang out and wait. However, trying to hang in a narrow channel with a strong current in a 43 ft. sail boat does not work well. The public dock says you can only tie up there 15 min. prior to the bridge opening. We cheated a bit, by a half an hour or so and got chastised, but we were able to stay secured to the dock until the bridge did open.
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fter navigating through the two bridges, the river goes around a small bend where a Mayflower replica, tall ships and a Mystic Seaport Living Museum reside. The river narrows to where no larger boats can pass, but next to a channel marker is room for two or three boats to anchor. This tiny anchorage is awesome and you can easily get into town and tie your dinghy to the city dock and wander the town to your heart’s content. Excellent shops, restaurants, ice cream parlors, and interesting historic sights make this town one of my favorites to visit.
After spending a few days there, we continued north and encountered our first New England fog. We left with zero visibility for a day sail to reach Portsmouth. It was eerie being cloaked in a thick white blanket, not able to see any of the activity that lit up our display screens. Boat traffic was heavy on the radar screen and not everyone showed up on the AIS. More than once, a small fishing boat would appear in a flash, directly in front of our boat and have to take evasive action. Giant ships and large ferries passed mere hundreds of feet away from us, their horns blaring, the only indication of their ghostly presence. Captain Dan stayed glued to the helm, white knuckled, watching the radar screen to ensure our boat and crew stayed safe.
Newport and Portsmouth, RI
Our land travels have taken us to Newport to visit my UNCW college roommate Beth Ann and family. We have been there several times and from her mom’s house in Newport, we have a spectacular view of the harbor where lighthouses, spectacular bridges, and passing sailboats teased us into eager anticipation of the day we could arrive there with our own boat. Arriving there was a special treat as we took in the waterside views of the landmarks we had previously visited by land. 
We were able to anchor just off the shore of the Bly family residence. This allowed us to stay on our boat but take our dinghy in to be spoiled by the kind and generous hospitality of Beth Ann’s family and take Shelby and Orion sightseeing. Our Son Philip joined up with us making us a party of five. As guests of the Blys we were able to enjoy the incredible amenities of the Newport Beach Club resort. This was Orion’s favorite part of the trip for sure featuring a state-of-the-art kiddie pool complete with a fountain and many toys.
When we arrived on the night of July 3rd, we were invited to a beach picnic party complete with a bonfire and sparklers. Our goal was to take the family out to our boat to see fireworks on the 4th. With our family and theirs we had 10 people aboard Equus for a sunset cruise up the river to watch the fireworks being fired from Fort Adams. I had explained our boating lifestyle centered around crisis management to our friends, not if, but when crisis occur how do we handle them? Their family learned our crisis management tactics first hand when as we were tacking up river, our rudder was snagged by one of the many pots that are set out in the river.
As we completed a tack, Dan exclaimed, “Crap, we have no steerage! The wheel is locked.”
While our visit looked on in horror, Dan sprang into action. I quickly retrieved his dive mask while Dan stripped down to his swim shorts. The river current was swift and we remained trapped dead center of the river channel. I secured a line for Dan to hold while he descended off the stern into the dark, cold, water. He was in danger of being swept by the current under the boat if he didn’t have a line to hold onto. Several dives under the boat later, while the rest of us held our breath with him, Dan made several attempts to free the line which had wedged firmly into the bearing crevice between the rudder and boat. On his last attempt, Dan was completely submerged under the boat with both feet braced against the rudder. The line popped free. Dan emerged a hero – boat and crew saved once again by his quick action and bravery.
The fireworks, percussion felt through the hull of the boat and bright lights illuminating the water around us, were spectacular. During our return trip back up the river, the show continued as we witnessed distant firework displays from almost every point of shoreline. Despite our “snag” which we chalked up as one more emergency we are now prepared to handle, our first large group outing was a success and so much fun!
Our little family of five visited the town of Newport where we enjoyed lobster rolls and elegant views of the harbor. Our final day before crew Orion and Shelby departed with Philip to return to PA, we took a tour of the Green Animals Topiary Garden which is a stop on the historic 
mansion tour. Despite the rainy and overcast day, with the aid of umbrellas and raincoats, our outing was still a treat. Embedded in the area’s history, the mansion and grounds held captivating sights and stories of her past days. Presidents, royalty, and Portsmouth’s rich and famous had attended grand parties and slept at the mansion. The rooms are now filled with memorabilia and antiques that allow visitors to glimpse the elegance and allure of the days gone by.
My favorite crew member and family left us in Portsmouth. We still had miles to travel northward – our anticipated destination, Nova Scotia. However, the hands that drive us, the fate that always plays her part in our journey intervened once again. It seemed that we had been turned in a different direction for the time being. Our explorations would lead us to new and incredible experiments and experiences, thus reinforcing the concept that every day on boat is about as certain as the currents, the blowing wind, and that nebulous body of water on which we travel.