WD-70 Encore – Friends and Good Times

Port Jefferson is straight across Long Island Sound from Milford. We planned to meet up with Don and Cindy on Limerick for a spontaneous WD-70 Encore. 

Approaching Port Jefferson means watching for the ferries. The ferry run between Bridgeport and Port Jefferson is frequent and they are BIG. Our timing is impeccable, and we need to wait. 🥴 😬

It’s been a long time since we did more than stop overnight here in Port Jefferson on a passage north or south. Al grew up making trips to Port Jefferson as a child on family boating trips, so his nostalgia antennae was up and running.  It must be over 22 years since we have stopped here for more than an overnight. That last time would have been after racing our Catalina 34 in the Nationals (and winning) in Bridgeport, followed by the Long Island Sound Catalina Association’s Labor Day get together on the beach in Port Jefferson.

The next morning was overcast with a threat of more showers following a rainy night. The weather was supposed to clear so we dinghied into Port Jefferson to see how much it had changed in the past two decades. I have to confess that I was underwhelmed by Port Jeff this time. Maybe because the threatened showers became real.

Limerick arrives!

Tuesday morning we both departed Port Jefferson to head east to Napatree. It was Don’s wish to end their northern cruising at his favorite place, Watch Hill. Al checked the currents for our 50 nautical mile trip and suggested that we leave around 3:30 am. 😳 🙄 Yeah, that’s not happening this time. He was outvoted by Limerick and the remaining half of Kindred Spirit‘s crew. Anchors up at 5:30 am!

When we arrived at Napatree Jallao was already anchored there so naturally we had to have a dinner party with Mary Jo and Dean!

Mary Jo took some amazing sunset photos. Watch Hill always has the best sunsets.

Sweet Liberty, with Whit and Joan, was also at Napatree.

The 3 days at Napatree were brutally hot and humid with flies (ugh), but we carried on. Relaxing, beaching, swimming, kayaking, and socializing with friends.

Patrice and George on Our Nest, also came to Napatree. Got to have another dinner party!

Dean was determined to blow a conch horn for sunset so we all headed out to Limerick’s bow. There’s no audio for this blog, but take my word for it – Dean is really good at this!

Another hot day (and still with the flies….) but we continued to play.

Here’s an interesting tidbit. Kadey Krogen made a sailboat. They made eighty-five 38-foot centerboard gunkholers. I was swimming off the boat when a guy paddled by on his SUP, carefully studying our rafted boats. We chatted and he told me that he has a Kadey-Krogen, too, and pointed to the sailboat.

And then, another Kadey Krogen arrived at Watch Hill – Sea Dweller with Jeff and Ellen aboard.

Jeff and Ellen joined us on Kindred Spirit with Cindy and Don for a KK happy hour. After chatting and nibbling, we went up to Limerick’s flybridge so that Jeff could fly his drone over Napatree and Watch Hill. A drone!! This would be our first up close view of a drone in action.

The video from the drone’s flight over Watch Hill and the Napatree anchorage is really cool to watch, especially if you know the area well. And to see the boats from above was a whole new perspective! Thank you so much, Jeff and Ellen!

Jeff’s drone flight can be seen on YouTube – “Watch Hill Rhode Island 2022.” Here are some still photos from Jeff’s drone flight over —

With the heat, humidity, and flies, we all decided to head back to Shennecossett on Friday morning.

The WD-70 fun wasn’t over yet. We decided to spend our last evening together at the DogWatch Cafe in Stonginton for dinner. Sometimes things that might appear to be chance or a coincidence are closer to kismet. Back in June we ate dinner at Dead Eye Dick’s on Block island to celebrate Don and Cindy’s 49th wedding anniversary, one day early. Here we were, at the end of our cruising time together, and we were celebrating our 28th wedding anniversary, one day early.

It was still early so we drove to Mystic for………….wait for it.………….ICE CREAM!!!