Odalisque - June 2003 Logs

Log 2003 – June

6/29/03 - After working out our land transportation complications Noah and Caleb departed from Hempstead Harbour Club under power. Caleb’s rib hurt from some unknown sailing mishap. Yet we raised the mainsail and eventually the RF genoa. We found Steppingstone but sailed on almost to the Throggs Neck Bridge. Caleb nixed the centerboard and this was a good thing as we were sailing in unfamiliar waters and we did stray into the forbidden triangle demarcated by the light house and 2 shoreward red nuns. Someone blasted their horn at us as we missed the unseen hazard. The launch man John later pointed out this triangulated hazard. It as good we did not use the centerboard which draws 6’ but without it we draw 3’6”. We lucked out.

— Caleb Davison

6/28/03 - 5-7 pm. Having listened to part of the James Murphy tapes while sailing serenely in light seas I was reminded of his warning to always check the oil. We hadn’t yet done this so today as I de-provision the superfluous supplies I vowed to do it. I found the dipstick top and checked it. Seemed fine and clean. I also put some cotter pins in the turnbuckles on 3 of the shrouds. That fault had been picked by a survey. I also purchased some filament line for the Dutchman self flaking system but that will require more work than I am prepared for tonight.

— Caleb Davison

6/27/03 - Don and Caleb slept on chaise lounges by pool and were awakened by daybreak. There was the promise of wind today made by some light breezes that rustled the leaves of the trees. We got back to Wincote Marina around 11 am and would have set out had not the Admiral (Don) forgotten his knapsack. Compounding our delay was the fact that Kate and Jevon were not able to deliver the knapsack when it would have best suited us. We had only used around 2 1/2 gallons of fuel motoring from Port Jeff so no fuel was added. After we casted off we had bagels and humus in the cock pit as we motored out of Huntington harbor. As promised, some wind was available for sailing (5-10).

Lazily we crept west. We found ourselves near Hens and Chickens Islands. There was current on the Sound and we were near the Connecticut shore. We stayed on the deeper side of the islands and made for for the south, towards Long Island. We did some of our first downwind tacks late in the afternoon heading back towards Hempstead Harbor from off of Port Washington in the Sound. Practiced some jibes and accidental jibes too! The wind picked up to near 15-18 knots around 7:30 as we neared Bar Beach near Lilco plant. Don skillfully skipped back to Hempstead Harbor. Dropped sails outside mooring field and motored in as wind was still around 15. Transient slip 30$ VHF radio – priceless.

— Caleb Davison

6/26/03 -
06:30 – turn to Mattituck Municipal Marina
07:15 – Leave Marina Dock, head to Marimar Marina fuel dock
07:20 – Arrive fuel dock
07:30 – fuel attendant arrives. Gas up. 3.75 per gallon.
07:45 – Matt & don shove off, Caleb sleeps in.
08:05 – Clear Mattituck Inlet.
09:45 – After 10 miles of motoring, cut engine, raise sails.
09:46 – Caleb awakes
10:08 – boat sailing nicely. Matt at helm, keeping 30∞-40∞ within desired heading.
11:49 – After gaining 2 miles on our next way point, dowse sails and start motor.
1:00 – Caleb at helm. Avg. speed: 4.6 knots
Wind: WSW 2-3 knots
Engine RPMS: 1200
Engine Temp: 140∞
Oil pressure: 40
Knotometer: 6.5 knots
Heading: 270∞W
Location: 5 miles East of Port Jefferson Inlet entrance

— Donald Mullen

I awoke this morning in the cockpit at sunrise with Odalisque under me. The other two were already up and about. Since I had gotten to bed late I wanted more sleep, so I found the berth inside the cabin on the starboard side. I vaguely remember the sound of the motor as we got gas in Mattituck. By the time I had re-awakened we were close to Port Jefferson and had been using the motor steadily.

At Port Jefferson we took on 3.4 gals fuel and 6 bags of ice.

There was no wind as we motored further east towards Huntington at about 4 pm. Prudent use of the cellphone was made by Captain Caleb to arrange our mooring situation in Huntington Harbor at the Wincote Club's transient mooring. We made Huntington Bay around 7:30 pm. A somewhat riotous night spent at my sister, Melisa’s with pool games and dips in the pool. Omelets were the fare for dinner. Sunshine wakes us up again as we are sleeping in lounge chairs by the pool.

— Caleb Davison

6/25/03 - Crew; Caleb Davison, Matthew Schlanger, Donald Mullen.

This would be our maiden voyage upon a boat we never had sailed before. All of us had tried to memorize the landscape we would be passing from the sea for the first time from our newly purchased nautical maps. We overprovisioned the boat and tried to figure out what we had forgotten. Little was left up to chance, except our knowledge of our new 27 foot Tartan.

The Atomic 4 engine seemed to be sturdy and stable but who knew what might happen. The weather in June, 2003 had been incredibly wet and windy and cool. I pictured us trying to sail our new boat in heavy winds and big seas and rain up the Sound. Though the reverse occurred, I bought 6 cans of soup and various foodstuff I would later pawn off on my mother.We had sunny, humid, low wind conditions. We assembled in East Hampton the night before our big journey at my sister Sara's house in East Hampton; Don Mullen, my high school friend who went to Fort Schuyler maritime academy and Matt Schlanger both caught the same train out of Penn Station, NY.

We dined in truly Bonaker fashion on the local produce and pasta (pasta only because I was unable to catch a Bluefish earlier). We inspected our new handheld GPS and VHF units. Much merriment was made. The next morning we set about loading on the rest of our provisions and gear.

We motored out of 3 Mile Harbor boat yard on a hot morning at 10:58 am with Caleb at the helm. We left Jessie and Sara Davison at the dock, who were part of our supportive ground crew during our journey west through Long Island Sound. Matt and Don tinkered with GPS setting way points for Plum Gut while Caleb admired the scenery of a familiar 3 Mile Harbor. Through the channel under power past fishermen on the jetty. Sails were raised outside channel marker buoys in a light southwest breeze 5-10 knots. Temperatures were near 80 with a haze visible at about 5 miles. The wind freshened from the SW at 12:30 or so while Matt took the helm and headed for Plum Gut. We saw a pair of Greenport car ferries cross paths from a mile or two away looking like impossible behemoths plying the water. There were some visible signs of current and the flood had not yet begun flowing to help us but we forged through the Gut with little adversity. Around 1 pm. On the Sound side there was more visible signs of current in the chop. It was slow making headway west up the Sound so we started motoring well before Horton Point against a light but determined tide. Motored all the way to Mattituck Inlet at 7:30 pm. were told by a marina keeper to find the town dock at head of inlet. No fee! And quiet. Don & Caleb stayed up till 2 am enjoying some beers and a welcome cooling gust or two. Matt slept in v-berth and Caleb and Don in the cockpit. dinner at the Red Door – pricey but OK.

This was the one night that we actually slept on the boat and it was really great. Never mind the rescue vehicles that kept on being launched and trailored at the nearby launching ramp We were truly on our own. We were tied up out on the town dock in Mattituck. Mattituck reminded me of the village I grew up in, Sea Cliff, with many Victorian accents to the houses we saw. A very picturesque village.

Special highlights included: Matt and Caleb playing guitar and violin together before bedtime. Caleb was missing playing guitar duets with Jessie.

— Caleb Davison

41∞ 03.1’
72 48.4

— Donald Mullen