The mooring field of Old Lyme Marina is nestled between the northern shore of the Connecticut River and Calves Island. The width of the channel is less than a hundred feet (30 m) with two rows of moorings. Because the channel is narrow and the boats swing in unison, we opted not to fly our anchor riding sail. This way, Rosalind would lay similarly to the other boats in the mooring field.
Looking South (from Rosalind's Starboard)
Old Lyme Marina on Left Side and One of Our Three Close Neighbors
Looking Southeast
Old Lyme Marina on Right Side and Our Second Close Neighbor
Looking East
Bank of the Connecticut River
Looking Northeast (from Rosalind's Port)
Mooring Field and Our Third Close Neighbor
What we noticed shortly after catching the mooring, however, is that with wind over current the boats do not line up with either. This had been on my mind as I knew that we would not have two chances to get Rosalind off the mooring without damage. The current ran at 2 knots (3.7 km/h), the mooring field was packed, and we were very close to the marina dock where a very expensive motor yacht was laying less that two boat lengths from us. With such a strong current, we had to choreograph that departure very precisely. This was necessary as you do not get steerage until water is flowing past the rudder and it takes time for that to happen even after you engage the transmission. So we had to make the current work to our advantage. When the tide was flowing out towards the sound and the wind was coming from the south, Rosalind, tied to the mooring, was facing upriver but was resting at almost 45 degrees to the current because of the wind.
The morning of our departure Cheryl asked, "What is our plan?" and I said, "I have been thinking about it since yesterday...". So this is what we did. We got Rosalind ready, turned on the instruments, got out the charts, and started the engine. I then took the mooring line off the bollard on the bow and walked it aft on the starboard side, the strong current making it hard work to hold on to the mooring pennant. Once I reached the stern, Cheryl put the engine in reverse and revved up the engine while turning the wheel all the way to port. Rosalind took the strain off the mooring pennant that I was still holding and, almost magically with the help of the current, rotated to starboard through 135 degrees and pointed downriver. I released the pennant and with Cheryl at the helm, we were off. We never got close to any of the other moored boats or the expensive motor yacht.
It was an exciting maneuver and we were very pleased with the whole thing! We then got stuck for over half an hour waiting for the railroad bridge to open so we could get out of the river. The bridge was supposed to be normally open but we found it closed and we could not get the bridge operator to answer our requests so we had to hold station in the current. We called on the radio and sounded the horn but nothing. A little over thirty minutes later the bridge opened. We followed a powerboat out and before long we were past the breakwaters and in Long Island Sound. We avoided the overfills near the breakwaters, and after getting into deeper water, turned to starboard and headed for New Haven.
Approaching New Haven
Looking Forward from Rosalind's Cockpit
Looking Forward from Rosalind's Cockpit
The 35 nautical mile (65 km) trip to New Haven was pleasant with light shipping traffic and fair current. The wind was light and on the nose so we motored all the way. As we approached New Haven, we turned to port and followed the West Haven Channel and in half a mile (1 km) we reached the Pequonnock Yacht Club. We called the club and were told to pick up any of the open moorings outside of the marina. All but one of the moorings were free, so we selected one in deeper water and picked up a mooring pennant. Once we got Rosalind organized, we assembled and inflated the dinghy and went to shore to check in with the club's manager. We had arrived in New Haven.
Sunset, New Haven, Connecticut
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