JULY 2009
New York Neighborhoods: Long Island and Connecticut
The Truran’s arrived by ferry, and after a bit of confusion finding each other and getting them moved into their spacious cabin - opening ceremonies commenced! We laid out the chart of Long Island with its many familiar names. We wanted to be realistic about this week long voyage using Wandering Star as home base, and bikes and our feet as transportation, and soon mapped out an itinerary that hopefully would give us the best taste of this storied island. There were a lot of marinas, but they were as expensive as any we’ve ever encountered…including Costa Rica and Atlantis! We’d pick marina time carefully and save for the great restaurants.
We would alternate dinners ashore with dinners on board, so a provisioning trip was in order. There was a pretty decent market, Jonnies, and shopping center near Newport Harbor and we were delighted to find a good selection of fresh produce, meats, cheeses and wines too. Wines are serious business with this crowd and we’d grown much too comfortable with our south of the border usual find, Concha y Toro and had yet to retrain our palette. We did that with flair and punished our livers in the process.
We left the comfort of Newport Marina in Jersey City and cruised down the Hudson, over to the East River and under the many bridges that crisscross Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx, and out onto Long Island Sound. It was a glorious city tour, but we decided that the UN needs a facelift, I wonder if we can get its privileged inhabitants to chip in?
Our first stop is at Port Washington and the city of Manhasset. The Brewers Capri marina is not right in town, so we dropped the dinghy and rode over to have a closer look. It’s a cute town, nice antique shops, restaurants and homes. We stopped for a beer at a local pub on the water, but didn’t really come away with a strong sense of this suburb of NYC. We dug into those wines and grilled beautiful steaks for dinner aboard.
The Huntington Yacht Club is a busy place; we were given what looked to be the last slip in the marina. We had a long, but nice walk to town, and I quite enjoyed it. Founded in the mid 1600’s, and the birthplace and home of Walt Whitman, it has a rich history in farming, shipping, the American Revolution and now as a bedroom community of NYC, but complete in its own right with a large year round population. On our walk, we discovered the restaurant Prime, about half way from the club to town, and made reservations for that evening. It was a rather pricey establishment and much to our surprise, it was packed, and everyone seemed to know each other. What recession? Food was excellent-as was the people watching, but the service was subpar, darn it.
In contrast to the well heeled, but not overtly friendly crowd at HYC, the Mt. Sinai Yacht Club went out of its way to make us feel welcome. Everyone from the members on the docks, to the people in the office and the service staff at the restaurant were extremely hospitable. And lunch on the deck was delicious. We so enjoyed the company that we didn’t venture very far from the club and just enjoyed the comings and goings of the boats in this lovely natural harbor.
We chose Greenport as the perfect place to stop for a few days. It is said to be one of the warmest spots on the East coast, and is home to its most renowned vineyards. It is literally at the end of the road, at the eastern end of Long Island. It’s a picturesque little seaside village with a rich maritime history. There are lots of opportunities for fine dining, many unique retail stores, quaint buildings and even a movie theatre. We had a prime location at Mitchells Marina, close, but not too close, to Claudio’s Clam Bar on the pier and the site of much afternoon frivolity and live music.
Claudio’s also has a highly regarded restaurant that the family opened in the mid 1800’s. It has a real old pub quality to it, and fantastic fish and crab. The servings were so generous, we got a second meal out of it. We thought we’d rent a car here, but were misinformed about far the rental offices were and how bad the traffic was on a summer weekend. We hopped on a ferry across to Shelter Island instead and rented bikes for a spin around the island. Well, part of the island. It was a bit more demanding than we counted on, but we got a good look around on foot and bike.
SHYC, in the fabled town of Sag Harbor was next on our agenda, and the first yacht we saw was Jimmy Buffet’s distinctive slate blue Continental Drifter III…we’ve seen this 124’ Delta in a few places now, and always know we like any town Jimmy likes. The club is small and friendly and well located, and $6 a foot a night…yikes. Better make the most of this stop. We wasted no time settling in, Jim was off making friends with the chef aboard Hi Banx, a NASCAR (Bill France family) yacht and we readied to take on the town. It is nice, touristy yes, but underpinning that you felt a real town. We stopped at the Dockhouse for a Long Island Iced Tea, since I’d never had one, and if not now on L.I.- when? Good thing Pam and I split it – whoa, it is almost all liquor… all the white ones with a splash of coke for the slight tea coloring. Sheesh. Looking for the perfect fit for our farewell dinner, we chose the candle lit, white table clothed, silver laden American Hotel Restaurant, said to be one of the best in the Hamptons. It was very nice all the way around and a lovely way to end this especially fun week.
Our guests took a taxi to the train for the trip back to New York City and we had to vacate our slip or face another day’s charges, so off went the lines and we found our way to the impossibly calm and quiet Three Mile Harbor. We ate and drank nothing for two days, just to detox. The weather was not great, so we didn’t even go ashore until our third day! How is that for relaxing?
I can’t remember how many books I’ve read that have the “Hampton’s” as a backdrop, starting with the Great Gatsby, but I wanted the real story, so I picked up a book, “In the Hamptons” by Dan Rattiner, founder and editor of the popular local newspaper, “Dan’s Paper” which he’s published since the early 1960’s. The book is a series of short stories about local people, rich and famous to farmers and fishermen. It was fun to read while there and made me want to see a little bit of them. We arranged for a car rental and tied up the dink at the local boat yard and our always reliable Enterprise rep was there as planned. We spent the day cruising through the moneyed Hampton neighborhoods: Bridgehampton, East Hampton and Montauk. We found Montauk the most modest, but they were all lovely and now a bit more familiar and with a casual elegance we appreciated.
After resting our bodies, it was time to tool up again and go meet the rellies in Mystic Seaport. It really is Spring Break for Seniors out here! This branch of the Munsch clan are legendary partiers, and keen boaters. Cousin Bobby and Paula are sailors we last saw on St. John, and sister Audrey and Don have joined us all over the world. Add that to the charm of Mystic and we knew we’d have a remarkable time.
We stayed in town at Seaport Marina and had a nice slip, easy to get into and right in town mid afternoon. We hadn’t been in this town for 25+ years, so we were anxious to have a look around. It does cater to visitors so it’s easy to walk around, and has fun shops to poke through. We were told that S&P Oysters at the Bridge was under new management and doing a great job, so we stopped by for a delicious meal and view of the harbor. We missed seeing the gang on Copperline as they sailed by, Bobby at the helm with no engine, sailing under the bridges and to the rivers navigable end… much to Paula’s apprehension and Audrey’s delight.
Mystic has good little shops for provisioning, but a great supermarket about a mile or two up the road. I was ready to walk it when we learned that the Walkers had dropped one of their cars off for us at the marina – so very thoughtful. So I was able to do all my chores, including getting my hair taken care of at Paula’s salon - Antonio’s. For us high maintenance girls, finding a good stylist is never easy, and the search begins anew every 5 or 6 weeks. The boys just find a barber pole and walk in. $15 later, they look fresh and tidy…and sometimes, military!
The boys were off to the Captain Daniel Packer Pub, the oldest one in town having been built in the mid 1700’s. We girls shopped and then joined the boys in this historic establishment for a late lunch. It is charming with low beamed ceilings, lots of stone and dark wood - with my imagination I was transported back in time and could see myself in saucy wench’s dress, carrying heavy mugs of ale to thirsty sailors!
Bob and Paula live on nearby Mason Island, but they were all staying in the bay, moored out at MIYC aboard Copperline. We joined them there for Friday night dinner at the club. It is a catered event with well turned out club kids as wait staff, and is served out on the huge wraparound, covered deck. Catering-in is a wonderful solution for clubs without professional kitchens. Everybody brings their own drinks and wine. It is very “casual elegant”, the men were in jackets, the ladies in dresses and we felt very welcome. Michael who we’d met in St John and his wife Kathy were there and we met lots of people with questions for us about our voyage. Ade loves swapping sea stories and telling our tales.
We ventured over to historic Mystic Seaport to see the Classic Antique Boat Show. We adore seeing and going on the old beauties. We found a 1965 Pearson Alberg 35 like our first boat, “Jo-Hata”, named after me and our partners wife…come to think of it, it is the only boat we named after me! Hmmm. No Lady Jo, GoGoJoJo, C YA Jo, or other banal name arrangements – should I feel crushed? Nah! Anyway, we had such a good time going aboard, with owner Joy’s permission, and on deck for a nostalgic trip down memory lane. There were some really amazing classic yachts of all sizes- all incredibly well maintained or restored. We spent hours looking them over. As insanely difficult as they are to maintain, nothing is quite as beautiful as a classic wooden boat.
The afternoon was glorious and we decided to have a clam bake at MIYC. Copperline, was now tied alongside the long pier. We were joined on board by Paula’s good friends Marti and Gaye, really nice gals who live on the Island. Bobby and Don prepared steamers (mussels) in broth for us that we enjoyed on board with Bermudan Rum Swizzles – a first for us. Picnic tables were set, the BBQ fired up for a mixed grill – the fresh corn had been soaked in sea water for a wonderful salty taste. Members and neighbors gather on the lawn, the flag is lowered at sunset with ceremony and we all stand at attention with our hands over our hearts. There are so many interesting people, each one with fun stories to share. It was a real New England clambake.
Sunday was lovely, we took a mini road trip in the borrowed car, went to Stonington for breakfast at a local institution – Noah’s. It was also Blessing of the Fleet day, so all the boats were gaily decorated and the food stands and crafts all set up. It’s a charming town, a bit less touristy than Mystic, with little shops and restaurants in old buildings. It seemed to us that many of the people we talked to were part time locals, city folks who have weekend or summer cottages here. We got back to WS in time for the parade of classic boats. One of the boats on our dock had foot long brass cannon and would salute each boat as she passed…. Ade said these cannons just use blank shotgun shells – big noise, big smoke, and big fun… once I stopped jumping every time it went off.
The Hazen’s had to go home, but Bob, Paula met us at the marina for snacks on WS, and then dinner out at S&P Oysters again, because Marti had just taken a summer job there. It was fun, lots of friends, lots of stories. It’s a great small town; we’ve seen several people a few times now. In fact, as I walked the next day, I encountered two people I’d met – feels like home. I hope we get back here next year!
