Sailing 2019 — O'Day Mariner #1922 "Orion"

June 5th: ORION finally emerged from her garage to be trailered up to Niantic. Over the winter, she received new bottom paint (which will last three years), new bootstripe paint, and two fresh coats of varnish on all the wood.

June 8th: The Niantic River tide was high enough to allow a beach launching from my parents’ place, saving a lot of time instead of going to the launch ramp in Waterford. She doesn’t have her mainsail bent on yet, but hopefully I’ll do that this coming week.

June 11th: The first official sail of the season. It was very blustery, so I only sailed with the main up, and I’m glad I did - it proved to be plenty of canvas for the conditions.

The mooring field up the Niantic River was pretty empty except for this powerboat and a few sailboats, but I’m sure it will fill in as the summer kicks into high gear pretty soon.

June 26th: my first time out in Niantic Bay. I sailed over to the Niantic Bay Yacht Club and got a late lunch from their restaurant. While there, I met up with my organ instructor and colleague Ezequiel Menendez who keeps his boat there!

He went sailing on ORION with me briefly before I dropped him off at his boat on a mooring. He invited me to go racing with him later that afternoon, and I accepted!

July 2nd: Took a short trip around Millstone Point to Jordan Cove. It was cloudy with a nice breeze; I got there very quickly.

The clouds broke up and the sun came out just as ORION got back to her own mooring. It was a great afternoon sail - just what the doctor ordered.

July 9th: I went sailing with my father today in the Niantic River. We don’t usually have the opportunity to sail together, so I’m glad we got the chance!

We rigged up the asymmetrical spinnaker and gybed back and forth all the way up the River until we ran out of room.

July 15th: Liz, Harry and I sailed to West Harbor at Fisher’s Island for the afternoon. We had a great breeze, and the current was with us, so we averaged about five knots all the way there from Niantic.

The transient moorings in West Harbor were all taken, so we went further out and anchored in the designated anchorage. It was a long row against the wind and current to the Fisher’s Island Yacht Club!

We got ice cream at Topper’s and explored the absolutely beautiful beach by the Hay Harbor Club before heading back to ORION.

We sailed as much as we could before the wind finally quit for the evening. With the running lights on, we motored home with the sun setting behind Millstone in the distance. Check out this new Google Photo Album of the trip to see many more pictures.

Saturday, July 20th: Took friends and family out to see fireworks in Niantic Bay. There are nine - yes, nine - aboard!

We anchored off of McCook’s Beach with front-row seats to a spectacular display. Although it was one of the hottest days of the year, the evening was absolutely perfect on the water.

July 28th: Took my friends Amanda and Stephen out sailing for an afternoon. We sailed around Millstone Point to Jordan’s Cove and anchored for a little while.

We went swimming for a while, and Stephen even tried his luck at fishing. Not a bad way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon in the summer!

August 2-4: The Mariner National Rendezvous took place once again at Mystic Seaport! Ten boats and twenty sailors took part - here is most of us just before leaving the Niantic River launch ramp.

We had light winds going there, but we did manage to get a little sailing in. Here is Dave Oatley with his sons sailing #2186 NANTUCKET in the foreground.

We arrived without incident and had a fantastic few days there. We went on several special “behind-the-scenes” tours and explored the Seaport and the entire Mystic downtown.

We had a perfect breeze for a lively sail back to Niantic, and the whole weekend was a great success. 148 pictures are now available at my Google photo album, and photos from other Rendezvous participants can be viewed here.

Friday, August 23rd: I went with my wife, son, sister-in-law, and her two daughters to Turkey Point in the Niantic River. I beached ORION since it was a nice high tide.

We went swimming for a while before heading back home. No sailing on this short trip since there was no wind, but it was good to spend time on the boat.

September 22nd: On this last official day of summer, I went for a wonderful sail around Black Point and anchored off the long bar on the west side. I put the anchor out and the awning up to relax a bit and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

There was nobody around except for a solitary fisherman and a persistent seagull. I made lunch - yes, I shared some with the seagull - and sailed home, although I had to motor some of the way back.

October 24th: I went sailing with my father on the Niantic River. The wind was a little gusty, and the air was chilly. The winter wind is just starting to make an appearance.

This would be the last sail for the year, and it was a perfect way to end a fantastic sailing season as we enjoyed the spectacular fall foliage. We sailed near Sandy Point and Keeney Cove before heading back to the mooring.

October 29th: I guess I need to face the inevitable and realize it is finally time to get ORION ready for the winter. I brought her to the beach, emptied her and took the mast down, and I plan on taking her out of the water this Friday.

November 1st: Hauled out ORION, finished cleaning out the cabin, and gave her a powerwash. She’ll be spending the winter in Niantic this year, shrink-wrapped and ready to begin the 2020 season hopefully in mid-April. Another great sailing season has officially ended!