Where has the time gone? I think that’s the burning question asked by many– as I seemed to blink and the trip was now over. I still remember running back to the house one last time to make sure the door was locked the day we left, the heart pounding day we almost capsized on Lake Michigan and the awe of seeing the sun rise over the horizon out of the darkness during our overnight crossing of the Gulf of Mexico. I still haven’t grasped the concept of all we have seen and accomplished in the last 13 months…neither one of us have. A little over 72 hours left until we are home, I took a deep breath, hauled in the anchor and gave the thumbs up. Here we go…The last chapter –
With a wink the Captain started the engines and put her in gear. It was raining as we motored slowly along Narrow Bay. It was extremely shallow and, scouring the charts, we were nervous we were going to run aground before we made it to the Shinnecock Lock. Our last lock..so surreal. We touched bottom three times through Moriches Bay, once stalling us in place. The water barrier spray on the bimini cover seemed to wear off all at once and it was raining in the fly bridge most of the morning. The patchy fog did not help the situation as we pushed on under the three bridges leading us to the lock arriving around noon time. Radioing for permission to pass through on the next opening, I put on my life jacket, grabbed my lines and headed to the bow. It was sort of a letdown that we would only be dropping 18 inches, but it was a milestone nonetheless. The Captain joined me for the experience and commented on how I haven’t lost my touch in keeping her steady…I have to admit, this was an easy one.
The Great Peconic Bay was flat calm as we navigated to Shelter Island. Here on out, Bella Donna was in familiar waters as we had made this trip many times before. Anchoring in West Neck Harbor off Shelter Island, we relaxed for a bit before heading to shore. Standing in water all day, my feet were like prunes so I gave myself a much appreciated pedicure. First we rode over to the beach on Baby Belle with a bottle of wine to marvel at the sunset…one of the last we will see from this perspective for awhile. Sitting in the sand, I asked the Captain if we could extend the trip another week and hit some of our favorite spots. He shot my idea down as the weather was turning soon and he had a job scheduled which we had to be home for. Back to the real world.
Dinner on the outside deck of Salt that evening was delicious and very comforting. We still seemed to be on an adventure and walked the waterfront looking for shells. There was not much else to do on a September evening, so we toured the harbor on Baby Belle before returning home. It was significantly cooler all of a sudden and I pulled out an extra blanket as we settled in for bed. The Captain even slept in his socks which I had reluctantly moved to an easier location for him to access.
It was overcast and cool the next day and I grabbed a sweatshirt before firing up Baby Belle to take a little spin. The Captain was working on some things in the cabin and I thought he needed his alone time. Thinking is not always a good thing as I motored up and down the harbor and began to stress about my new life in Connecticut and getting a job. Putting the doubts out of my mind, I saw some boats heading into the harbor and I yelled for Duane to help me secure the dinghy back on the boat. Bob and Stephanie had showed up on their boat, Mischief, right as we were preparing to leave. They were originally supposed to be here yesterday, but were delayed by the awful conditions on the bay. After a quick Hello and Good-bye, we planned to call them in the next two days and meet up at the marina as we completed the Loop. Heading onto the Peconic River, it was a mere 45 minute ride for us to get to Sag Harbor Bay where we grabbed a mooring. Again, another last on the trip.
Shawn and Heather were waiting for us on shore. They had by far traveled the most to come see us taking three ferries and biking between the stops all the way from New London to Sag Harbor. That was definitely no small feat. Greeting us on the dock after we tied up the dinghy, we all walked to LT Burger for lunch. I was sure they had worked up a big appetite and we all ordered burgers with the works as we caught up. Duane kept in touch through text over the last year, but we had not seen them since our going away party last June. Unfortunately, they were not able to stay much passed lunch since they had a lot of ground to cover to get back home. It was refreshing to see them and we were thankful they made the trek over. Walking them to their bikes, we bid them safe travels and planned to get together in a few weeks once we were settled.
My very good friend Melissa ended up driving over from Montauk with her friend Kathy to also welcome us back. They came just in time for dessert as we sat back down and ordered fried oreos. Why not indulge a little? Laughing and catching them up on the latest and greatest of the tail end of our travels, the one big question was –Where do we go from here? Nothing would ever top this journey and right now we were just going through the motions for the next few miles before we arrived back at Harboredge in North Stonington. Walking through town before they left, Fall was definitely in the air as a crisp breeze blew. The village was long ago the first port of entry into the United States and now boasted the most expensive property values in New York. Before we knew it, we were alone again. It was us and Bella Donna the rest of the way.
I was excited when the Captain yelled from Baby Belle the next morning to hop in and take a ride to shore with him. I was even more excited when he suggested we get some breakfast sandwiches to enjoy as we strolled around the quaint little town. Back on the boat, I had prepared our last lunch and placed it carefully on the engine. We will both surely miss my now infamous engine paninis. Releasing us from the mooring, I lingered on the bow as we left the cove taking it all in. The sun was out but the wind was blowing at 20 knots as we hit Gardiner’s Bay and were being tossed by 3-4 foot seas. 5 miles out of Three Mile Harbor was excruciating as we seemed to be getting swallowed up by the water churning around us in every direction. Without hesitation, the Captain fired up both engines, pushed her to 10 mph and motored us out of the situation. Conditions calmed as soon as we were in the protection of the land and the Captain throttled back. Our 35 year old boat had pulled us through yet again. It was now Day 400 and she had run 186 of those days with only a few major in-house repairs. There was one casualty that day-a glass fell from the cabinet and broke. Hopefully that was good luck.
First we took care of business-filling the water tanks so I could shower that evening, getting a pump out and then washing all the salt water off so Bella Donna looked refreshed upon our arrival tomorrow. Tomorrow…the idea of being back home was still unbelievable. Then, we anchored at the south end of the Harbor and I straightened up the cabin which had been severely tossed in the short 7 mile trip. Duane’s mom and sister, Lisa, had sent me some money to take Duane out for a birthday dinner and tonight we were headed to The Blend. Having amazing reviews, we took Baby Belle to shore and walked over to the restaurant. The reviews were spot on and we couldn’t have asked for a better last dinner to close out the trip and toast to the Captain’s birthday. I was hesitant to get back to the boat as I knew that signified the end of the most amazing time of our lives. We planned to be home at 1pm tomorrow and leave Bella Donna at the dock. We decided to linger a bit and take a long dinghy ride through the harbor embracing the beautiful evening and let reality sink in.
It was overcast and chilly the following morning as I hoisted the anchor one last time. Of course, it wasn’t going to be that easy as we were stuck in mud and it was a struggle. Not only was it a battle to get the chain in and washed off, there was mud everywhere including all over myself once I was done. So much for cleaning us both up before our arrival…Both referring to Bella Donna and I as the Captain sat in his chair on the fly bridge far from the messy situation. It was a short 25 miles to port, but we still had to cross the dreaded Gardiner’s Bay. Duane said I went through a huge range of emotions that day beginning with cursing at the anchor to almost crying when the waves started crashing over the bow as we made our way through the Block Island Sound. Around Plum Island things suddenly calmed and a smile took over my face the rest of the trip. Passing the ruins of Fort Tyler, I was not sure how I never noticed this obstruction off Gardiner’s Point Island before. One final history lesson…The fort was finished after the Spanish American War and was used for a wide array of purposes none having to do with an armament due to the shifting sand— It was a park in the 2o’s, a bombing range in the 30’s and after WWII, and a bird preserve then and now. Dubbed “The Ruins” due to the erosion from the sea only a small obstruction juts out of the water of the once 14 acre land mass. The sun was now shining and we were closing in on crossing our wake.
Lighthouses guided us the rest of the way home. First the Little Gull Island Lighthouse off the reef half way across the bay, next we passed Race Rock Lighthouse off Fisher’s Island and finally North Dumpling Island Lighthouse located near the border crossing from New York into Connecticut. Rounding Stonington Point, we were in the home stretch and about 45 minutes early. Bob and Stephanie were a few minutes behind us and we pulled over in the harbor grabbing a mooring to collect ourselves. I was actually fighting back tears as we saw the Welcome Home sign at the end of the dock with family and friends frantically waving as we came into full view. The Captain backed her into the slip perfectly as he had done many times before and I tossed the lines to Bob who had docked his boat and was waiting to help tie us up. Stepping off the boat we had come full circle and were now Gold Loopers. Duane popped open champagne as I greeted everyone who had arrived. His mom and sister had food set up at the picnic table at the end of the dock and we all went to sit down and spent the afternoon talking and laughing as though we had just left yesterday.
I think it really hit me that night when we arrived at the house. It was dark and quiet and not yet home to me. I had only left the New York City 5 weeks before the trip began and never got a feel for living here since most of that time we were bombarded with preparations for our travels. I don’t know about the Captain, but I hardly slept at all that night. I think I had become way too accustomed to the water slapping against the hull and the incessant rocking of the boat. Maybe there’s an app for that? Or maybe we just have to go for Platinum!
Below is our official statement upon crossing our wake and receiving our Gold burgee–
Traveling almost 7000 miles over 401 days through 18 states, Canada, the Bahamas and 109 locks was an adventure we will never forget. It was a true learning experience every day as one of us needed to be a full-time Captain, part-time mechanic with unlimited overtime and novice meteorologist while the other became an expert navigator, proficient line handler and professional organizer. We will forever cherish the friends we were so fortunate to make along the way and look forward to crossing paths in the future on and off the water. From Hell’s Gate to conquering Lake Michigan and the Mighty Mississippi and from the fjords of Canada to crossing the Gulf of Mexico and swimming with the pigs, the memories we’ve amassed will be treasured for the rest of our lives. We can count the harrowing experiences on one hand…plus a few toes…but a beautiful sunset and a bottle of wine was enough to turn the worst day around and we were always excited to see what possibilities a new day would bring our way.
