Thursday - Mystic, CT
2018 Currently checking weather and blogging from the Holiday Inn in Mystic, CT after a most wonderful holiday dinner! Thank you Karin!!!! A work day for Team Audax with assorted tasks to include jib furl block replacement, SSB radio halyard attachment, see me high in the sky :), cup holder installation with Jordi, dinghy engine mount, too bad our water cooling system did not work today for our much anticipated first buzz around town… you kind of get used to things not working on this sort of trip though, flag pole installation, more continued work on the “Shlong” (see below) and thus all in all a relaxing, productive, restful day that started with a sweet 6 mile run around the Mystic River.

So where does this leave us now…off to NYC tomorrow, cruising down Long Island Sound, through Hell’s Gate (nasty tides), down the East River and up to North Cove Marina in the financial district, (high time I went to see the stock markets in live action)
Wednesday - Newport to Mystic - 35 NM

0826 – Steaming out of Newport, a superb Italian sausage/tomato/mozzeralla omlete at Gary’s, past BeaverTail light, misc tasks around the boat to include rigging proper jacklines that arrived via the Rodgy/Jillian Express last night, taping tethers to eliminate chaffing, squaring up expenses, creating our kitty, meow meow.

1214 – Straight up awesome!! Navigation work all around, dead reckoning, sextant calabaration, software configuration. Motor cruising down Block Island Sound knock on wood our Yanmar 44 diesel (already having logged 20 plus hours) continues to hum along smoothly, the fuel gauge is broken but we are pretty confident that we shall make it to Mystic!

2055 – At the docks of Mystic Seaport, Jordi brushing his teeth, Steve reading a book, I tinkering with wireless networks and our 15 DBi antenna know around the Audax as “The Shlong”
Pizza pizza and more pizza at the warm and welcoming home of Karin Soderberg, Jordi’s Aunt literally a stones throw across the Mystic River from the Audax’s current resting ground . An expensive but fun trip to West Marine for new charts, winch handle, cruising guide,boat tackle, CO2 monitor, stove holder and more…kind of felt like being a kid at Toys R Us except for the paying part at the end! Stormy weather and unfavorable winds coupled with the prospect of Thanksgiving dinner at Aunt Kay’s will keep Team Audax busy this Turkey day.

The three of us hard at work if the GPS Fails!

A tour of the lighthouses from Newport to Mystic, a freaking lot of them (note: good to have around though!)

Amtrak that many know I hold a special place for if any remember JohnsTrainTrip.com (domain has expired alas so don’t trip clicking
We wait, train crosses, bridge opens, we go through, sweet!!