Sun of a Sailor Goes Cruising

Since my last post I have been spending time on Long Island Sound.  Believe it or not we owe the existence of Long Island Sound to the Ice Age and glacier activity from 18,000 years ago.  Much of Connecticut, Long Island, and Long Island Sound were covered by thick sheets of ice back then.  The flow and the ultimate melting of the glaciers carved out the sound and deposited their remains on the shores of Connecticut and Long Island.  The Sound is only about 110 miles long and 20 miles wide - stretching from the East River of New York City (to the West) out to Montauk Point where the sound flows to the Atlantic Ocean (and vice versa). The Sound is truly an underrated and beautiful natural resource.  There is a rich history and heritage dating back to revolutionary war times.  And, the Sound has been a major fisheries resource over the years.  It is know for lobster, crab, clams, flounder, and bluefish to name a few. Several major cities line the sh...

Daughter of a Sailor and her favorite Deck Hand bring you this blog post. Upon finishing two weeks on the boat with my dad, one thing is easily apparent; this was an amazing, once in a lifetime experience. There are not many people who have such an invitation: "Come join me on my year long sailing cruise... Where would you like to meet?... What kind of sailing would you like to do?" For many years I have sailed with my dad. From a goofy middle school kid in Lake Michigan to a working adult using my vacation time in Florida, I have always enjoyed the opportunity to be on the boat, soak in some time with my dad, and embark on the ultimate relaxation: boat life. As one who has sailed with a Son of a Sailor over the years, I have proudly embraced myself as a Daughter of a Sailor. When people ask me about my dad, what he does, or what this trip he is doing is about, I proudly tell them about his past experiences and current adventures. With great excitement, Phi...

One of the original objectives of the early part of my cruise plan was to sail in to New York Harbor.  I don't know what it is about that idea - but it is just something I think is pretty cool and I made it a goal of the early part of the cruise. The original idea was to leave Miami and head offshore - get out of the hurricane zone and make my way up the Atlantic East Coast.   So arrival in New York was a logical milestone and a destination that once achieved would then allow me to slow the pace of the cruise and enjoy New York and destinations East of there (more on that part later). In my previous post you may recall we were in Cape May, NJ.  This was our final stop before a planned overnight sail with arrival in New York. We left Cape May last Sunday after waiting out one day of rain and one day of heavy winds.  We left early in the morning but there was still some strong north/north-east winds which were blowing directly from the direction that we need...

The propeller is a simple machine that dates back thousands of years.  In 400 BC, a Greek apprentice to Pythagoras used an inclined plane on a cylinder.  Archimedes followed a couple hundred years later and used a screw to lift water.  DaVinci got into the act in the late 1400s and applied the concept of the propeller to an 'air screw'.  Then Bernoulli suggested propelling boats using 'vanes set at a 60 degree angle to the water and the keel'. 'Green Ayes' uses a propeller to make way through the water when there is not enough wind to sail, or the wind is unfavorable, or for maneuvering in confined waters such as channels, harbors, docks, etc. As I prepared for this trip my marine mechanic took a look at the existing prop and said, 'if it was me, i'd replace this old prop'.  The prop is made of bronze and was chipped on the edges and brittle, and could fail at any time, or certainly if the prop were to hit something in the water. Photo of ...