Mystic
After leaving Newport we motored out of Naragansett Bay in absolutely no breeze. At least it was sunny… Turning right at Point Judith we were briefly back in the Atlantic. I thought of the others heading straight out to the Azores from here…
Crew was myself, Bob, and Louise, so there was plenty opportunity for naps in the sunshine to recover from burning the candle at both ends in Newport.
The coastguard came and carried out an interrogation. Bless them, Dinah’s white ensign must have confused them terribly. I guess they don’t see one of those every day.
At 15.00 we cleared past Watch Hill Point and entered Long Island Sound. I was amazed at how shallow and rocky and tidal it was! This end of the sound was formed by glacial deposits, so there are loads of little islands with narrow channels between them. Dinah needs 2m of water to float, and we spent a lot of the afternoon in less than 4m. A little unnerving after over 4,000m in the Atlantic on Dinah’s last voyage!
By 17.00 we were entering the mouth of the Mystic River. Stunning. One of the most scenic shorefalls I’ve ever made… Weaving between little islands. Classic New England. Amazing properties on the riverfront the whole way up. They opened a railway bridge for us… And we pulled up at a marina right in the town itself.
Mystic is a sweet little place. Not as big as I was expecting, which is no harm as long as you don’t need provisions! A lay day on Friday allowed us go explore the enormous marine museum.
Aileen arrived in the afternoon, so we now have a full crew for the trip to New York. First things first though. Saturday we will cross to Shelter Island on the South side of the sound. Sounds fantastic. Lets hope it lives up to its billing in the cruising guide…
Barry
