Independence Day! We sailed over and anchored 200 meters from the barge that launches the fireworks in Oyster Bay, to windward of course (I had a vision of our sails burning). By nightfall there were 200 odd boats circling around, jostling for position, but we were safely anchored in pole position with a wonderful, LOUD, view of the crackers. Great fun with Heidi and Greg, as always. Naturally we cooked hamburgers and hot dogs (my favourite New York word for which is 'tube steaks'! HA). Greg's photos really sum it up.
Lots of novelty diving off the bow, music, and Greg laughingly telling me that I should take in the NZ ensign: in his view, should the locals see the Union Jack in the flag's corner, they'll probably think it's a British boat, and after a few Budweisers and full of Independence Day revelry, would likely call in an air strike from Homeland Security! I complied, I think he may well be right.
Tonight we're floating gently on anchor and Greg has slapped some crab cakes on the barbie. Tomorrow Dan Pasette joins us via the Long Island Rail Road and Oyster Bay station, and we'll start off up the East Coast. The first step toward 'Down East' Maine, and our trip for real!
Maine could be the most famous US cruising ground, perhaps even ahead of the Pacific Northwest and, maybe, even the US Virgin Islands. Although Maine is only a few hundred miles long, in a straight line, it has more than 2,500 miles of coast line, more islands than the Caribbean, and, truly, more islands than even Polynesia! But, quite apart from its striking beauty, there is a remote, straightforward directness, we hear, from its small population, many of whom work the coastline as lobstermen and fishermen, plying the cold (this is the domain of the Labrador current) and foggy coastline almost no matter the weather. It'll be a good test for us too: in addition to navigating in fog, Maine is rocky, barren, has hugely strong tides, and the further east you get, becomes quite genuinely remote. So tomorrow we'll hoist the anchor, catch the tide, and get swept back up Long Island Sound towards the Atlantic, and off to a new adventure...
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