day eleven - art for breakfast

Morning comes clear and calm, and with a bit of art.  I check my email to find a note with a beautiful image of SPARTINA attached.  It is from Larry.  I pause and wonder who Larry might be.  A sailing friend?  Someone I met at the small craft festival?  It is only when I look closer, see "Galley Point Cove, 7/28/23" that I realize it is Larry from BLUE STAR anchored nearby.  How very nice.

Sail off anchor 6:45 in catspaw winds that carry me around BLUE STAR.  I call out a thank you to Larry, he pokes his head out the companionway, laughs and he wishes me a good trip.  

Cool day with a north wind, 3.1 once outside of the cove.  7:45 off Black Island, 4.5 in a gust.  8:20 shifting winds on Western Bay.  Blue skies, some white puffy clouds.  9:10 I can see the eastern end of the Bay, turn back west.  

Making 3.6 at 9:30, wind aft of the starboard beam.  Near High Head at 10:20, light wind and the tide is against us.  Turn south.  Then no wind.  Drifting on a pretty morning.  11:00 can see a dark blue line on the water.  Wind arrives in minutes.  

Working my way back to the north end of Long Island.  Wind falters and can't get over the top.  12:30 1.1, no wind, moving with the tide.  Humid and overcast. 12:35 under power, thinking about anchoring in Sawyer Cove.  1:15 wind fills in, 4.4.  Turn to sail south of Tinker Island.  Looking at the charts I see the south end of Tinker Island is connected by shallows to Bar Island.  2:00 making 4.7 approaching Bar Island.  Shallows extend out the south end of Bar Island, it is approaching low tide and I can see the exposed beach and rocks.  Make several tacks to round the shallows.  

3:00 round the shallows in light winds, 2.2.  3:30 making 3.6 and decide on the anchorage behind Opechee Island for the night.  Forecast calls for gusts into the 30s.  The anchorage is surrounded by Opechee, Pond, Sheep and Black Islands with heavy mud for good holding according to the reviews on Navionics.  

Lower the sails off of tiny Eagle Island and motor into the anchorage.  Four larger sailboats already anchored there, a ketch, a yawl and two sloops including Larry on BLUE STAR.

Anchor down at 4:10.

27.23 NM