Day Seven - Thursday, Sep 22 - Essex to Rowayton, CT

Points of interest: Essex to Hamburg Cove, pass Old Lyme and emerge from the CT River and swing West to Rowayton.

We awoke at Brewer's Essex Island Marina to a beautiful day, calm, and high temperatures  forecasted. 

Brewer's

The marina is on an island, making it necessary and fun to take a ferry across about 20 yards to the mainland so we could grab breakfast and take a walk around this historic shipbuilding town.

History of Essex

Main Street

The Griswold Inn

Essex is a beautiful village.  Small world category: it just so happened we ran into an old friend of Amanda's out walking her dog.  She and her husband had recently moved to Essex from New Canaan.

We shoved off at 1032 from the marina and headed north up the Connecticut River ....

Ely Warf, Branford

Dared risk the iPhone out on the paddleboard!

....to Hamburg Cove, a mile or so up River; an idyllic spot which reminded us of the Basin on Cape Small in Small Point, ME. We picked up a mooring for half an hour and chilled (?) while John did some paddle boarding to explore the cove.  

Hamburg Cove

Hamburg Cove, which has a narrow channel into the Connecticut River, is fed by fresh water and, for some reason, many schools of fish (bass?) were swarming the surface in this fresh/brackish water. Unfortunately many of the fish were belly-up which created a great incentive to stay balanced on the SUP!  Natural selection?

At 1133 we motored six miles down the CT River, 

Lowering the antennae to pass under a bridge

exited the Connecticut River

Saybrook Breakwater Light with Lynde Pt. Light behind
as we exited the mouth of the Connecticut River

and headed west for the 4 hour trip to Rowayton where we've arranged for a berth for the following week.

Tanker headed in to New Haven Harbor

Made in the shade, one week done!

Today's conditions were ideal with little wind, flat seas and the tide and current helping almost 2 kts.  In fact, the weather conditions for this first leg all the way from Maine to Southern CT could not have been better.  Only one rough four hour day out of 36+ total running hours.

The Lady A Log blog will take a breather for a week or so while we lay over in Rowayton.  We plan to do the next leg from Connecticut to Virginia fairly quickly.  A friend of John's will join as crew and Amanda will take a break for the 3-4 day run. We will continue the story then.

Thanks to all who have paid attention!