The perils of Long Island Sound

We pulled up the anchor early in the morning and said goodbye to Mystic.  We waved to the nice dock hand that allowed us to wash our boat, buy fuel and pump out when we arrived.  When we raised the sails, there was 10 knots of wind and we thought we would be able to sail the 30 some odd miles to our next stop.  Wishful thinking.  Sadly, we did a little sailing and a little motoring as we watched a huge regatta head out to sea.  The wind would pick up and then it would die.  We finally arrived at our anchorage for the night in Joshua cove, Horse Island.  We knew the wind was going to shift to the north during the night and thought the strongest winds were done for the day.  Boy, were we mistaken.  The southerly winds quickly picked up after we anchored, making the boat rock and roll.  It was very uncomfortable to say the least.  I became useless for fear of getting seasick.  I was really mad because we had a good wifi connection, but I wasn't about to sit and type on a computer!!  We entertained the idea of going elsewhere, but the sun was setting quickly and there was no better alternative within easy reach.  The girls and I took some dramamine and went to bed with Craig's advice "once you're asleep, you'll feel better".  I hoped he was right.

Lucky for Craig, he was right.  We slept well as the wind shifted out of the north and the boat was peacefully resting in the morning.  We could hear the wind howling through the rigging, so we knew there was strong wind awaiting us out in the sound.  We raised the sails at anchor and were under a double reef with 25 knots of wind right out of cove.  Woo Hooo!  We were flying.

Sailing past New Haven, CT.

Olivia enjoying the brownie batter spatula!  Mmmm, nothing better than warm brownies while sailing in a cool breeze

We passed a tug boat trawler with our sails full of wind.  He hailed us on the VHF as we crossed his stern.  The friendly gentleman on the other end promptly informed us that they would take away his diesel license if a sailboat past him!  Ha Ha Ha.  We chatted a while and continued on our way.

As many of you know, I love to cook and bake and am an avid Food Network watcher and geek.  One of my favorite shows is Unique Sweets.  Some time ago, while we were in the midst of planning our trip, I saw a show featuring a bakery in Connecticut.  I wrote it down, hoping we would someday make it there to try out the yummy baked goods.  Well, my friends, we made it!  We pulled into - or should I say we screamed in under sail - to South Norwalk to visit the Sono Baking Company.  You'd think it would be easy to dock or anchor and go ashore.  Oh no...not in this town.  The "visitors dock" wanted to charge $42 for our short 1 hour visit to the bakery.  They were unwilling to prorate our stay.  Geez!  Despite the frustration, we dropped the hook just beside the channel and Craig stayed back on the boat while the girls and I took the dinghy to shore.  We had a successful trip to the bakery.  Can you say YUMMM-YYYYY?!

Outside Sono Baking Company

Just some of the scrumptious treats

The two that we picked - 'Sarah Bernhardt' (almond cookie with a dollop of chocolate ganache, dipped in chocolate) and a raspberry thumbprint cookie.  Both were the best we have ever had!

After fetching our delicious treats, we swiftly sailed the 10 miles across the sound into Huntington Bay.  As we were crossing, we could see the New York City skyline on the horizon!  We had a peaceful nights sleep, ready for a day at the beach for Kate's birthday.

New York City skyline off in the distance

Sunset in Huntington Bay