With Tropical Storm Elsa moving its way northward to Connecticut, and not wanting to repeat last year’s fiasco with Isaias, I decided to take ORION out of the water yesterday. I took my son with me for a short sail in the Niantic River beforehand to check out a number of unfamiliar boats that had taken refuge in the mooring field.
Harry clowning around for the camera.
An enormous ketch named SEA ANGEL with two anchors deployed.
Another highly unusual cruising ketch with a windvane and aft-mounted solar panels.
A large cruising sloop also with aft-mounted solar panels and a swim platform.
We dropped the sails and motored into Smith Cove to haul ORION at Three Belles Marina, and we passed Spencer Clapp’s Mariner ALUNA on her mooring. Smith Cove is such a protected spot; boats on moorings there usually ride out tropical storms with absolutely no problem at all. From there, we motored over to the launch ramp where my father met us with the trailer. We plucked her out, parked her across the parking lot at my grandmother’s house, and called it a day. It was quite a difference hauling ORION out when it was calm as opposed to last year right in the middle of the storm! Even though Niantic has not been hit very hard at all by this storm, I’m glad we took advance precautions - it’s better to be safe than sorry, and I’ll look forward to relaunching ORION early next week.
Passing ALUNA.
Hauling ORION out at Three Belles’ narrow launch ramp.
It’s nice to do this in calm weather!
Safely parked for the storm.