Could the Cove be any lovelier? No; and to think we’ve been fortunate enough to have lived close and could just pop in for an evening wind-down or a weekend fun day. No matter which boat, from our 21ft Larsen to 32ft SeaRays to our Maine Cat 41, every moment in the Cove was a treasure. One especially fun time was when our son tried, with some success, to teach Russ how to dive. What about me you say? Hopeless.

Preparing to head off, Russ removes the secondary line from the mooring

Splish splash, they are taking a bath

Passing through what you could call Essex Harbor along the CT River we came upon a lovely motor yacht anchored, her black at-anchor day mark visible at the bow. M/v Blue Guitar, and depending on which source you believe and who has it right, belongs to, did belong to…… Eric Clapton. But don’t get too excited; from what I read the yacht he owns is Va Bene and she is larger and uber-luxurious. The clincher for me was that the captain did not possess a British or Aussie accent; therefore the yacht is not owned by Eric Clapton.

No matter who owns her, she is quite attractive

Low SW winds held some promise of a motor-sail across LIS; and that we did with very calm waters. Our big surprise resulted from raising the main; not only did gallons of water dump out (as expected because our sail and stack pack make a perfect water catchment system, but a crap-house full of spiders with broken dirt dwellings, came spilling out all over the roof top and stern- ugh it was awful and messy. So I’ve done some serious Google research and submit my conclusion: a mud dauber wasp builds a multi-celled mud nest, collects spiders, paralyzes them and lays one egg on each spider, placing the unit in a cell, covering the cell and making another. Here is a link to a more detailed tale along with better close-ups than I took.

More came out of the stack pack at the stern. Most of the mud was grayish and dry. The spiders appeared alive but not moving.

Plum Gut, that notoriously rough passage between LIS and Gardiner’s Bay welcomed us with barely a wavelet and the ferries that run between New London, CT and Orient Point, NY passed before we arrived.
During our powerboat years we never anchored or took a mooring at Sag Harbor, mostly due to lack of a dinghy with a decent outboard. The town-operated marina has prime location slips right at the park and about 15 additional less scenic ones at the foot of the main street. Now that we have our home and our taxi with us at all times, anchoring out is cheap and easy. We headed for the beach so this beachcomber could have a much-needed fix and watched the sea gulls feast on spider crabs they plucked from the shallows.

Not all the shops in Sag Harbor are expensive clothing or jewelry

The obligatory town walk through completed, we headed to our favorite dinner (and lunch) place, Dockside Bar & Grill at the American Legion across from the town park. Always a delicious meal outside under the umbrellas; a not so pretentious bit of NY dining. Our waiter was the most energetic and enjoyable waiter I think we have EVER had, anywhere. You must go dahlings, and be sure to ask for Peter! I opted for my Earl Martini on the rocks because well, it’s better for the drink to be on the rocks than the boat.

We splurged; consuming way too many calories and spending like drunken sailors on shore leave. Our appetizer was an engaging lobster/avocado spring roll. Russ chose a Serious Manhattan and my unique Earl Martini excellent; Earl Grey infused Bombay gin, lemon juice and agave. Yes, do try this at home.