Finally across Long Island Sound
Mika the Wonder Dog resting
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First thing on Monday morning October 20 I decided to make my way south again. This time I got up early and walked Mika so I could be off the dock in Noank in time to catch some of the race going down Long Island Sound.
No luck the small advantage that I had was over powered by the wind coming just off the nose I motor sailed as best as I could but eventually the seas kicked up enough that my engine stalled again. If you followed me on SPOT you would have seen a very sad attempt to tack against the tide of Long Island Sound. Though my plan was to get across to Port Jefferson by the end of the day I found myself anchored to close to some rocks on the Coneticut River not good for sleeping again that night. Instead of supper that night I worked on the fuel problem again, there has been some suggestion that the three way valves that change from one tank to the other may be the culprit, so I took the top tank out of the system and bypassed the three way valves. On Wednesday morning first thing I left he Coneticut River for Port Washington. First thing out of the river the engine stalled again. In stead of changing the filters I just bled the system again, within a half hour it happened again, and within another half hour again. I just kept bleed ending the system. Then it started happening every our and finally it went the rest of the way to Port Jefferson , another four hours without touching the engine. By the way I was sailing as well so each time the engine died I just kept moving. I arrived in Port Jefferson just before dark during a rain storm. I figured that I would anchor for the night in the cove to the right just as you make your way into the harbor, and in the morning fuel up, do some work on the boat and walk Mika.
During the night the storm hit, Port Jefferson does not take weather from the north very well, and I was on a strange mooring, so I got little sleep that night as well.
By the morning the wind was blowing steady around 25/30 knots. the waves were not to bad but I was a little nervous about going through the night like that, so I put out a couple of anchors as well. I had an experience in Atlantic City a few years ago that dragged me across the harbor and almost into some ones beach house, and I did not want that to happen again. Better to take care of things early before a problem arises then to deal with them in the dark, especially when your by yourself. So we arrived in Port Jefferson, I had a can of sardines for super and went to bed early.
We stayed in bed late this morning ( October 23) to windy to go to the dock.
Tomorrow with any luck I will get the anchors up and go to town.
My plan is to be a stones throw from the east river by Saturday and go though it on Sunday
My next Port of call hopefully will be Barnegatt Bay in New Jersey, to pay a visit to George Smith, and Janet Murphy two Southern Cross members who also happen to be curcumnavigators.