The light in Cockenoe Harbor could barely be seen through the morning haze.
Tuesday, 2 September
Haze. Summer haze, hanging on Long Island Sound like a cheap drop cloth on the porch furniture. Hangs ‘cause there’s not a lick of wind, the Sound surface an oil slick calm.
In the immortal words of poet-philosopher Jed Clampett, “We-e-e-e daw-gies!” It is hot here on Long Island Sound. Yesterday, the last day of the summer season, summer finally arrived in the northeast. The crack team of meteorologists at Accu-guess put the “Real Feel” temperature at 101. They don’t expect much less today.
As Steadfast motored away from Cedar Point at 0900, her five knots or so westward created a cooling breeze through the cockpit, as long as one stayed in the shade of the bimini. (How does anyone sail in summer without one?)
While the season stopped on Labor Day, this day marks the start of the push back to the Chesapeake. For the next week, maybe more, the focus will be to make miles southward to Cape May. That’s a good place to wait for wind, weather and tide to team for the run up Delaware Bay.
The first leg of this stretch is just under 30 nautical across Long Island Sound to Port Washington. There are other places one could stop for a night before making the run through Hell Gate and New York City but “Port Wash” offers something the others don’t: the town has more than a dozen moorings available at no charge, first come, first served. That’s a big plus. And besides the main pier downtown, there’s Port North Pier, a municipal pier just across the street from a mall anchored by one supermarket and a couple of blocks from a second that includes grocery, package store, hardware and Worst West Marine.
Local legend has it that Execution Rocks are named for the British practice during the Revolutionary War of chaining rebels to the rocks to drown in the rising tide. Fact or no, it is true that the skyline of New Rochelle has changed somewhat since then.
Steadfast passes the foreboding Execution Rocks, rounds Barker Point and steams in the harbor just after 1400 for an average speed of 5.3 knots. Not bad considering the current was ebbing northeastward most of the day. Then, as a special greeting, the wind went from non-existent to a steady 15, gusting to 20-plus.
No complaints were heard aboard Steadfast. She rocked some and swung side-to-side but that breeze broke the heat.
Real Feel? Most refreshing. And free!
Steadfast out
At Sea with Steadfast 
You are making good time. Where do you think you will be Sept. 15 -16?