April 23rd: ORION is out of the boatshed and her mast is strapped down, ready to go up to Niantic the following morning.

With help from my sister, ORION is successfully launched, although it always seems to take longer than I think it will!

May 11th: My first official sail of the season. The sails were cleaned by SailCare over the winter, and they look great.

There are no boats in the Niantic River mooring field yet - ORION is the very first sailboat on the water.

June 1st: I had a nice sail in Niantic Bay. The winds were light, but there was enough to keep ORION moving at a healthy four knots.

I sailed by the Niantic Bay Yacht Club before passing by Wigwam Rock by McCook’s beach.

June 23rd: I sailed with my ten-year-old son, Harrison to Mystic Seaport for the WoodenBoat Show! We brought the TRUE LOVE with us as we stayed overnight in the anchorage.

It was rather soggy weekend, but we had a wonderful time nevertheless. He told me he wants to come back next year! Click here for a Google Photo Album of our trip.

August 4: After a number of daysails and swimming trips in July, 19 Mariners gathered to take part in the Mariner National Rendezvous to Mystic Seaport.

We had a nice sail to the Seaport, and it was great to have so many boats participate this year - 19 boats is a new record!

45 sailors attended, and the hospitality provided by the Seaport was excellent. They even let us use their pavillion for our Friday night pizza party!

All in all, it was another highly successful Rendezvous. Be sure to click here for the Google Photo Album with 236 pictures shared by many of the sailors.

September 16th: With predictions of high winds from Hurricane Lee passing offshore, my father and I hauled ORION at Mago Point Marina to be on the safe side.

The hurricane went farther east than expected, and there was hardly any wind at all! ORION went back in the water the next day.

September 21st: I had the opportunity to take my father out sailing for a little while, sailing east near Harkness Park before turning around.

Passing by the Niantic Bay Yacht Club, we saw this poor waterlogged sailboat at her mooring in need of a little attention!

October 12th: I spent a nice afternoon in the Niantic River sailing in light winds. Many of the boats in the mooring fields are gone for the winter.

I attached the old rudder to remind myself of its performance. I missed how solid it felt with the blade kicked up in shallow waters; the RudderCraft rudder seems like it will easily break or bend if raised horizontally.

However, I didn’t miss the clutter of stock blade control lines, and the ability to kick the RudderCraft blade all the way out of the water on the mooring or when motoring is a huge advantage over the stock rudder.

I reattached the RudderCraft rudder and noticed the increasing scum all along the waterline. It won’t be long until ORION comes out of the water for the winter, but I may try to sneak in a couple more sails during the most beautiful season of the year.

October 26th: After a few days of very cold temperatures, the weather warmed up and a beautiful, steady breeze greeted me on ORION’s last sailing day of the year.

I sailed to the horn at the end of Bartlett’s Reef before turning around, taking a pass by the vacant Niantic Bay Yacht Club, and returning to her mooring.

October 27th: The following day, with help from my father, ORION was hauled out of the water, de-rigged, and powerwashed before trailering home.

It was somewhat of a harrowing journey home as my car died on the highway, but with help from AAA and my father-in-law, ORION made it back to her boatshed for the winter. So ends the 2023 sailing season!