High Tidings October 2023
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Upcoming Events
Mondays 6:00 until October 16 – Yoga at the Club
October 7 - 9 – Columbus Day Mini-Cruise to Mattituck
October 9, 9:00-5:00 – Last Day of Launch Service
October 17, 6:30 – Board of Governors Meeting
October 27, 6:00 – Friday Night Social, “Friendsgiving”
November 4, 4:00 – Annual Meeting
November 5 – Club Closed for the Season
Sign up for Discord – NCYC’s Communication App
Discord is a communication program that runs on phones, tablets, and personal computers. It’s free and allows users to post messages, direct messages, photos, and videos within the discussion topics (called channels) that have been set up. We’ve been using it since July and it’s made a huge difference in being able to communicate efficiently with other NCYC members about cruising, racing, items for sale or swap, and other topics. This month, we’ll be using it to organize the rescheduled Mattituck Wine and Bike Cruise.
To get access to NCYC Discord, please send an email to Caroline Miller, Deb Paulson, Chris Griffin, or to anyone who is already on Discord, to get an invitation link. After clicking the link, you will be asked to create a user name (best to pick a user name that people will associate with you—your boat’s name is a good one) and install the software. Depending on whether you are installing Discord on your phone, tablet, or computer, the directions to install will vary. It may seem intimidating at first but becomes natural to use with a little practice.
After you log in, you can set your own notification levels. Don’t be alarmed by the wavy, cartoony characters in the “Lobby” area—the area that gets you in. They go away in the other channels.
Commodore Remarks
harbor master Scott mitchell showing his moves!
Man the Bilge Pumps!
Wow, that was a whole lot of rain this September. That ole Tropical Storm Ophelia called “All Stop” on our Mattituck wine cruise and even canceled the infamous Fall Off Soundings race.
Oh well, sailing season is not over just yet. A few of us die-hards are still hoping to make it to Mattituck Columbus Day weekend. Sign on to Discord (instructions above) to find out the latest about this trip. It will be under the topic channel “Cruising-Official.” Bring the sleeping bags as it’s getting chilly at night. Also, it’s migration season for the swallows and I know a few of you have been making trips upriver to Goose Island at sunset to watch them do their murmurations, and then bed down into the marsh for the night. It’s quite a show and very well attended by boats and a couple tour boats, as well as kayaks and even hearty paddle boarders.
Remember that boats must be off their moorings by October 31, and when you are departing your mooring for winter storage, you need to tie an orange ribbon on your mooring ball (available int the basket by the Steward’s office.) That way the contractor that hauls the moorings knows to bring it to NCYC for storage vs. the town dock. It’s best to remove any pickup stick buoys you have, also, as they tend to get tangled and damaged or lost during the hauling process.
The front door lock has been re-keyed to match the key on the kitchen door. Remember the kitchen door also has a push button combination lock and the combination is the year NCYC was founded (page 34 of the yearbook.) To lock the door when exiting, just push the button with a lock symbol while holding the door shut. We tried installing this lock on the front door but had difficulty with it being a double door and hardware alignment. I have been handing out hard keys at events trying to get one key out per member. We will also have keys available at the Fall Annual Meeting on November 4th. Funds are a bit tight this time of year so trying to avoid the expense and trouble of mailing out a hundred keys.
Enjoy the cool temperatures and our last weeks of boating season
Lou Vinciguerra, Commodore
Vice Commodore Remarks
As we wind down the 2023 season, we can’t help but notice the number of rainy weekends this year. For those who can go boating any day of the week, the summer was great. Those who work Monday through Friday were limited and probably did less boating. A couple of planned cruises were canceled too. However, the weekend activities made up for the dreariness. Most recently, the fabulous Oktoberfest with live music made up for the previous two days of rain. Coming together with boating friends is always enjoyable!
On the business side of things at the Club, we are looking for a person to run the Chandlery next year. This entails keeping inventory, purchasing, and selling merchandise at club events.
We also need an In-House Chairperson. This person manages the clubhouse on a day-to-day basis, oversees repairs, orders supplies, and does general maintenance.
Both positions fall under the Vice Commodore, so please contact me if you’re interested.
Do you have any novels to donate to our corner bookshelf? Drop them off anytime. There is another copy of Where the Crawdads Sing, which is an excellent read.
The cruise to Mattituck is next weekend and the updates for this trip will be on Discord, under the channel “cruising-official.”
I met someone who took the ferry from New London with their car and drove to the wineries and the quaint little town of Mattituck. That sounds like a nice day trip, if you’re not up to boating there.
May your end of the season chores go quickly, your haul-out go smoothly, and your summer memories carry you through the winter,
Linda Tuzzio, Vice Commodore
Membership
Please welcome into the Club the following new Members:
Michael and Kathleen LeGeyt
At this time a year we start looking for volunteers for the standing committees.
The Membership Committee is looking for someone who is willing to attend impromptu events throughout the summer. These events are scheduled around the prospective members’ schedule. During these events, Members highlight the benefits of the Club and try to get to know the prospective members. After meeting the individuals, three members write a quick support letter/email. If anyone has an interest in joining the Membership Committee, please email Caroline Miller (c.d.miller@comcast.net).
Belle 8
NCYC’s signature race featuring women at the helm was held on Sunday, September 10 and it turned out to be a…strategic race. Involving anchors. There was no wind. Nada. But there was a hefty ebbing current and some serious looking clouds complete with thunder. The women of North Cove Yacht Club are not easily intimidated however, and the race started as planned. Lighter boats managed to make some headway towards the mark, but Kewalo, with her full keel, went sideways instead of forward and her captain and first mate, realizing the inevitability of their situation, made the strategic plan to drift until they reached the mouth of the Connecticut River (keeping open the option of drifting to Fishers if they felt like it) whereupon they would reluctantly withdraw, start the engine and motor back to the cove.
Meanwhile, back at the race, the other boats, Osprey, Seacant, Bianca, and Resilience, continued vaguely heading for the mark, but really just going mostly sideways, when Amy V. on Seacant made the strategic decision to drop anchor. Other boats followed suit and the fleet stayed stationary until a tiny bit of wind came up. Pulling up anchor, they rounded the mark and made a “dash” for the finish line. Corrected time gave Osprey, with Sara Ferrier at the helm, the win; second place went to Arden Rand on Bianca; and Amy Vinciguerra, on Seacant took third. Congratulations to all!
Many thanks to Karl Frost, Diane Stark, and Alex Beauchene on the committee boat, and to David Chan for being the intrepid launch driver, working in the pouring rain to get everyone back to the club for the party. A special thanks to Suzanne Miller for taking the helm of Resilience in her first race and showing her first mate, Walt, how it’s done.
We hope to see many more North Cove women show off their sailing skills at the Belle 8 race next season!
Thursday Night Racing
And The Winner Is….
Amazing cookies at the party after the last race. Baked by Lorina Ferrier, and decorated by Melissa maura.
Congratulations Osprey!
As an added bonus, Osprey crew member, jr. sailing camp alum, and Junior Instructor-bound Brooke celebrated her 10th birthday at the last race. You go, girl!
Activities
As we are nearing the end the sailing season and all the Fall activities have started, the only event in September–the pizza palooza, was canceled. Maybe we can revisit a pizza party next year!
Oktoberfest was a rousing success! Thanks to Immediate Past Commodore Caroline Miller and former Events Chair Ann Chan for hosting one of the club’s all-time favorite events! Past Commodore Peter Jenkin’s band was the highlight of the evening, giving a real Oktoberfest ambiance to the festivities. And the food! Grilled bratwurst and hotdogs, pretzels with mustard, schnitzel, salads and pickles and yummy desserts.
Our last event of the year will be our Friends-giving feast October 27. Sadly, this will be Lucy Armstrong’s last event as Events Co-Chair. We are hoping this will be a wonderful way to end the season, before we put the club house to bed for the winter, the “snowbirds” head south, and the rest of us hunker down with dreams of the summer sun on our backs and warm breezes in our sails. So let’s gather for a big family style Turkey dinner to give thanks for one another and for the great year. Warm spiked cider as the signature drink!! Please look for the sign up soon.
See you all soon!
Melissa C & Lucy
Cruising News
It feels like we are in a monsoon pattern of rainy weekends. As time marches on, the days are getting shorter and we are trying to get another cruise into our 2023 calendar.
We are hoping for fair weather on Indigenous People’s Day weekend, October 7-9, as we make a second attempt at the Mattituck Wine Tour. Anchoring & biking the vineyards and enjoying the wineries will be top priorities. Sign onto Discord for the latest as to who is going and when we are meeting at the town dock. Additionally, for the important dinner venue.
Cheers & here’s to dry weather, fair winds and smooth sailing.
Regards,
David Chan, Fleet Captain
Mystic Labor Day Cruise
The weather was beautiful, and Port Captain Pete Stump arranged a behind-the-scenes tour of lesser seen Mystic Shipyard activities. We toured the Coronet, the elegant 1885 yacht–one of the last yachts of the Gilded Age–now undergoing a complete restoration; we admired the rigging loft (and learned to tie a bowline one-handed;) we ogled the engine and metal facility; and we learned how the shipyard is able to haul out yachts of hundreds of tons.
Speaking of hauling out – closer to home, members Greg and Melissa Clark ran aground right in front of the museum. In Melissa’s words: “Pretty embarrassing as we were REALLY stuck! But Greg is always the best sailor I know even though HE was at the helm and grounded us. But he got us unstuck by taking the anchor out in the dinghy and winching the boat out.” [Ed. Maybe they only ran aground and got themselves out for the edification of the visitors at the Seaport?? I’m going with that explanation.]
Manittuwond: An Early History of Plum Island
We all know Plum Gut; that roaring sluice of water that abuts Plum Island whose tidal currents can reach upwards of five or more knots. Currently off limits to the public, home of an animal disease research lab, and containing myriad decrepit buildings–the leavings of the former Fort Terry–the island feels just a bit creepy. But before the government owned it, Plum Island’s history was varied and rich. Native Americans used it for hunting, and growing corn; colonials lived, farmed, and fished there. It was a place where wealthy Americans picnicked, where shipwrecked survivors found refuge, and it became the final resting place for many shipwreck victims.
Plum Island is made up of glacial moraine–a mixture of sand, rocks, and soil left behind 22,000 years ago as the glacier that covered Long Island Sound retreated. For thousands of years, Native Americans farmed corn and hunted on the island. When Europeans arrived in the 17th Century, the two cultures existed peacefully–for a very short time. But differences in values, as well as the idea of land ownership frayed the relationship. The Pequot war of 1636 was the final dissolution of the Native Americans’ hold on the land and the beginning of the domination of the English. Under English control, Plum Island became a manor–a privately held island owned by a few families. (Gardiner’s Island was also a manor, and is still owned by the Gardiner family.)
The 18th century found Plum Island settled primarily by the Beebe and Tuthill families, who were Whigs during the Revolution; an affiliation no doubt strengthened by the British Navy’s repeated raids on their crops and livestock during the Revolution. During the War of 1812–and learning their lesson perhaps–the families then living on the island were more cooperative. In fact, the British Vice Consul at the time, James Stewart, under diplomatic immunity, became rich off his schemes of selling the cargos of ostensibly neutral ships to the British Navy engaged in American waters. He and his wife, Elizabeth were largely considered to be spies, and had moved to the less hostile Plum Island from New London, where the residents either engaged in or tolerated selling supplies to the British enemy.
The first lighthouse on Plum Island was built in 1827. The primary duties of the lighthouse keeper were to keep the lamps burning from sunset to sunrise. Other duties included aiding stranded or wrecked mariners, of which there were plenty. In time, as a way to supplement their income, lighthouse keepers operated a sort of B&B for guests and the 19th century became the heyday of Plum Island tourism. While the lighthouse was government property and the entertainment of tourists by the government-appointed keeper not strictly legal, it was accepted as long as no alcohol was sold or served. Visitors to the island, fed by the excellent cooking of the lighthouse keepers’ wives, included President Grover Cleveland. The Jerome family, owners of vast acreage on the island, gave permission to many clubs to set up tents or even, in the case of the Smoke Pipe Club of Hartford, to build a clubhouse. Visitors waxed poetic about the beauty and solitude of the island and the abundance of the fishing.
But tourism came to an end in 1897, when Abram Hewitt, who had managed to acquire all of the island (but for the three acres the lighthouse sat on) sold it to the United States Army. It was thought that Hewitt wanted to develop the island as an elite resort, but the Spanish-American War had begun, and the army wanted the island for coastal defense. The army paid Hewitt 89,700.00 dollars; approximately 2,600,000.00 dollars in today’s money. With the army in charge, the construction of Fort Terry began.
Today, the rare visitors to the island can see the ruins of Fort Terry, and with the Animal Disease Lab relocating to Kansas, Plum Island’s future is in limbo. Its lighthouse is a National Historic Landmark, and the non-profit organization, Save the Sound, is working to have the entire island declared a National Monument so that its rich history and ecosystems can be celebrated and shared with you and I. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to anchor off the island and dinghy in for a picnic?
Thank you to Chris Bazinet for these amazing photos of Plum Island as it looks today
From the Chaplain’s Quiet Corner of the Cove
What Can I Say
by Mary Oliver
What can I say that I have not said before?
So I’ll say it again.
The leaf has a song in it.
Stone is the face of patience.
Inside the river there is an unfinishable story
and you are somewhere in it...
May you find time this fall to hear the leaf’s song and the river’s story.
Peace,
Jean Golicz, Chaplain
Winter Rental Opportunity
Member Joyce Grossbard has a lovely house for rent for the winter months–October 2023 through May 31, 2024. Three bedrooms, two baths. 2,500/month. Contact Mim 860 575-2722 if interested.
From the Editor
Thanks to everyone who contributed to this issue and to all the members of the Club who work together to make our official events and casual get-togethers so much fun! Photos contributed by: Eddie Addeo, Chris Bazinet, Alex Beauchene, Melissa Clark, Al Ebstein, Dan Ferrier, Jean Golicz, Deb Paulson, Linda Tuzzio