Stormy Hammonasset

The worst of the storm was over, but there were still lingering signs as I approached the Meigs Point section of Hammonasset State Park. Sand spilled out into the roadway, and low-lying stretches were flooded by tide and rain. Every so often the car would shake as it was broadsided by a leftover gust of wind.

Crowded in the summer months, I visit Hammonasset mostly during the spring and fall - occasionally in stormy weather. With few, or no others around, it's like having the amusement park all to yourself.

I walked the high-tide line of East Beach, eventually climbing the short bluff at Meigs Point, and its large glacial erratics. I thought back to my visit last fall when I stood atop these rocks and could see Falkner Island to the west, and Plum Island to the east. Looking across the Sound at Long Island, I wondered which towns it was I was viewing. Mattituck perhaps?

Today it didn't matter as I was lucky enough to see beyond the western edge of the park. 

The rain began falling again, so I pulled up my hood. The air was raw - far too cold for the month of May. After such a mild winter, this was perhaps a bit of payback for those summer days we received in March. 

Mother Nature has a way of evening the score.

CT Coastal Access Guide: Hammonasset State Park

Friends Of Hammonasset

Beached Sailboat

Beached Sailboat; Early Street, City Island

The Summer House At City Island Yacht Club

Much of the destruction from Tropical Storm Irene has been well documented this week, but some damage  has gone largely unreported. The pier at the City Island Yacht Club is one such example.

Extending out over the waters of this century-old club, the pier, or Summer House, was more than just a launch-dock for boat owners; it served as a focal point for socializing too. On hot summer evenings, the benches here were a popular spot to relax while enjoying the breezes off of Eastchester Bay. The racing team from Columbia University kept their sailboats here, as well.

Back in my City Island days, I spent many evenings on this dock, gazing out at the mooring field with the East River bridges and Manhattan skyline twinkling in the distance. Good times!    

 Fortunately, plans for rebuilding are already underway.

City Island Yacht Club
City Island Sailing: More Photos

Map
                                             

Ashore On Fire Island III

Unless television has lied to me, the surest way to make something disappear is to hire an excavator from Ronkonkoma. Yesterday, almost a month after she ran aground, bulldozers and backhoes used brute force to move Le Papillion down the beach and north across the island through a pathway known as the cut.  The hull suffered damage in the process.

I'm not sure what happens next, or how she will be transported off the island.

Thanks to RK8776 at Noreast.com for the photo.

Saltaire38: Holmes Was Right

Tugster: Ashore 6

Frank Markus: Removal Gallery

Soundbounder: Ashore On Fire Island I

Soundbounder: Ashore On Fire Island II

Map

Fire Island Schooner Update

I've been unable to make a return visit to Fire Island for an update on the schooner Le Papillon, which has been beached at Saltaire for over three weeks now.

Thanks to the wonders of the internet, Tugster, Saltaire38, and Frank Markus have provided some photos of her from last weekend. With each passing day, she looks less like a beached schooner, and more like a shipwreck.

Tugster: Ashore 4
Saltaire 38: After An April Storm
Frank Markus: Photo Gallery

Soundbounder: Ashore On Fire Island

photo credit: Frank Markus, copyrighted (top); Tugster (bottom)

Le Papillon in better days. I received an email last week from Shirley who knows the boat well. She wrote: "I sailed with her in Moorea some years ago & wondered where in the world the schooner was now. I attached one of the photos I took that year."



Ashore On Fire Island

Tuesday morning, Will from Tugster and I ventured out to Fire Island to get a close-up view of Le Papillion, beached upon the sands of Saltaire. The 48' LOD Colvin "Pinky" schooner had run aground last Thursday while sailing from Baltimore to Harrington, Maine. We had hoped to witness an attempt to pull her free, but the high winds, rough seas, and poor visibility had other plans.

We parked at Robert Moses Beach and made the one-mile hike, east of the lighthouse to where she was beached. Fire Island is an interesting place: the 30-odd mile, barrier beach includes a national seashore, and many stretches are car-free from May through September. A handful of park rangers and off-season contractors were our only interruptions along the sandy service road.

Reaching the hamlet of Kismet, we cut over to the surf and continued east. Even without a grounded schooner, the beach had an inhospitable feel about it. Aside from the cold, windy, and wet conditions, visibility was poor, and Le Papillon did not come into view until we were nearly upon her. High tide and heavy seas kept us far back from the water; her green steel hull shrouded in fog and sea foam, was getting pounded by the surf.

As a teenager, did you ever take your parents' car while they were out of town? Me neither, but I've seen plenty of John Hughes movies. If you replace sports car with schooner, that seems to be what happened in this case. There is a lot of rumor and misinformation floating around, but it appears that while the owner of the vessel was in South America, his 19 year-old son and two friends decided to sail the boat north to Maine.   They narrowly avoided disaster from a light grounding at Absecon Inlet, New Jersey, before landing hard on Fire Island days later. There was no one keeping watch!

Le Papillon has sailed over 80,000 nautical miles, including a circumnavigation, and three passages to Europe.

There is no insurance coverage for this incident*.

As each day passes, her chances of being saved  grow dimmer.

Wikipedia: Fire Island

Tugster: Ashore

Tugster: Ashore 2

Saltaire38: Wreck of Le Papillon

Fire Island Lighthouse Society

* I am not sure whether the boat is uninsured, or if the policy did not cover this particular voyage.

Waiting For The Storm

Recollections of my September visits to Block Island are mostly rose-colored, but in 2008 I spent several days there fearing the force and path of Hurricane Kyle.  I am not in Block Island presently, but I have been thinking about that  trip quite a bit today.

Much like this week, there were several days of spectacular, late summer weather. In the forecasts however, were the rumblings of a storm one thousand miles to the south. The weather remained golden, but by the fourth day, the forecast grew dimmer and there were slight signs of the approaching storm.

Walking around in Old Harbor, the roar of the surf  could be heard smashing ashore. There was still sunshine and mild breezes, but the seas were building. I walked out on the breakwater admiring the surf, but in typical Soundbounder fashion, I went too far. Somewhere beyond the halfway point, I was hit hard by the spray and drenched  thoroughly. Is it any wonder my camera has condensation issues?

By evening, the winds arrived and  blew for two straight days, reaching a high of 62 mph at 4 AM on the second night. Kyle passed Block Island several hundred miles to the east, eventually reaching landfall in Nova Scotia. Funny, I still regard that vacation as one of my best ever.

I've been thinking about that trip today as Hurricane Earl approaches, and this time it doesn't seem so fun. I have removed Carina's dodger, along with her mainsail to reduce windage. I also added some chafing protection to her mooring lines. Hurricanes can obviously change direction, but at this moment, the path appears to be further east. That means the strongest winds will be from the east and north, which gives Carina better  protection in her mooring field. I am off the boat, and will not return until Saturday. Still, I can't help but worry and wonder what else I should have done.

Yes, I  look back at Hurricane Kyle with rose-colored glasses, but Hurricane Earle remains an open book. 

The Battle Of Point Judith

It was May 5, 1945. Adolph Hitler was dead, and the European campaign of the second World War was drawing to a close.  The Nazi government had issued a cease-fire for all U-boats patrolling the North Atlantic. German submarine U-853 never received the order.

Twelve days earlier, U-853 had fatally torpedoed PE-56, a patrol boat working off Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Only 13 of the 67 crewmembers survived*. To avoid detection, U-853 moved south and remained submerged as often as possible, with no communication. 

Meanwhile, the U.S. collier Black Point was transporting 7500 tons of coal from Norfolk to Boston. Built in 1918, the 369 foot ship had left her convoy in New York Harbor, and proceeded eastward through Long Island and Block Island Sound.  At approximately 5:40 pm, 3 miles south of Point Judith, a torpedo ripped into her stern, sending her to the bottom within minutes. Twelve crewman lost their lives.

An SOS signal was immediately sent out by the Pt Judith lightkeeper, and the Yugoslavian freighter Kamen, which had witnessed the explosion. The anti-submarine warships USS Ericsson, Amick, Atherton, and Moberly had just left New York, bound for Charleston, and were redirected to Pt Judith. On the morning of May 6, two blimps arrived from Lakehurst, New Jersey to assist in the pursuit.

After a 16 hour attack of hedgehogs and depth charges, a liferaft, chart table and officers cap floated to the surface, seven miles east of Block Island.

The wreck sits in 130 feet of water, with its periscope still extended, and the remains of the 55 crewmembers  aboard.

On May 7, less than 48 hours after the sinking of the Black Point, Germany surrendered. 

Ralph DiCarpio: Battle Of Pt Judith (well researched)

USMM.org: Black Point; The Last U-Boat Victim

Providence Journal: Nazi Sub Sunk Off Block Island

Providence Journal: Vets Honor Merchant Ship Crew

BNET: The Last U-Boat Battle

Wreckhunter (go to Wrecks Of Rhode Island)

AquaExplorers: U-853 & Black Point

Wikipedia: Battle of the Atlantic 1939-1945

* The sinking of PE-56 is an entire story unto itself. For decades, the US Navy denied that she had been torpedoed. Only in 2001 were the crewmembers awarded Purple Hearts.

Boston Globe: The Truth About PE-56

photo credits: USS Moberly launching hedgehogs (top) Wikipedia

U-Boat 853 (middle) AquaExplorers

USS Black Point (bottom) Ahoy-Mac's Weblog

Nor'easter

It seems like many years since we have had a storm of this magnitude.While nor'easters are certainly common here between October and April, this weekend's storm appeared to carry an extra punch. Wind gusts as high as 74 MPH, combined with 5-plus inches of rain, knocked down trees and power lines across the northeast. Many low lying coastal areas are flooded, with the hardest hit regions being Fairfield and Nassau Counties.

The nor'easter I measure all others by, was one I did not witness personally. The 1992 storm combined severe wind and rain with high tides that flooded entire neighborhoods. Many harborside bars still display photos of one of their regulars rowing down the street or wading through water up to their waist. The high-water mark at the City Island Yacht Club remains visible on the clubhouse exterior. I have met numerous people who lost boats or had their homes damaged from that storm.

On Sunday during a break from the winds, I visited a boatyard in Old Saybrook. I had hoped to go out to some of the beach areas, but flooded streets and downed trees prevented me from doing so.The few boats  in the water were now tied to docks that were submerged. The hauled boats meanwhile, sat in a flooded yard. Hopefully that is the extent of the damage.  

While this weekend's storm was not as destructive as the 1992 nor'easter,  the effects of it will be visible for years. I am sure along many stretches of Long Island Sound,  there are  beaches that have been altered, homes damaged, piers destroyed,and lives lost.

Beaufort Wind Scale

Wreck Of The Celtic

Twenty-five years ago this week, the tugboat Celtic sank  about a mile-and-a-half south of Sheffield Island. Towing 1400 tons of scrap metal from Bridgeport to Newark, she sank in 75 feet of water, taking along with her the seven crewmembers. An investigation later revealed that the barge she was towing, the Cape Race, had recently undergone repairs to fix several leaks. They concluded that the repairs failed, the barge filled with water, then sank, pulling the Celtic down on the evening of November 17, 1984.

Built in 1958 at the Jakobson Shipyard in Oyster Bay, the tug was named Russell 10 (above), then the Judith McAllister, and eventually the Celtic.

I have never been scuba-diving, but a few years ago I bought a book at a yard sale entitled Shipwrecks of  Long Island Sound (or something to that effect). There are many more wrecks on the bottom of the Sound than I imagined. This past year I discovered the Wreckhunters website, and Dave Clancy was kind enough to provide me with some background information on the Celtic.

Wreckhunter: Hunting New England Shipwrecks
Jakobson Shipyard: Shipbuilding Registry
CT Harbor Management: Salvage 2008 (page 4)
AquaExplorers: Celtic Shipwreck
Map
photo credit: Tugster

September 21, 1938

Today marks the 71st anniversary of the Great Hurricane of 1938. Flooding and 100 mph-plus winds extended from New York to Cape Cod, with the storm's worst destruction striking Rhode Island, and the eastern portions of Connecticut and Long Island. Occurring years before hurricanes were given names by the National Weather Service, the storm is sometimes called the Long Island Express or the Great New England Hurricane.

New London suffered extensively as a large portion of the flooded downtown caught fire and burned. The lighthouse tender USS Tulip (top photo) broke free and came to rest along the twisted tracks of the New Haven Railroad. In Watch Hill, all the homes along Napatree Point were washed away by the storm. Landmark buildings in Greenport were leveled. Depending on sources, between 700 and 800 lives were lost.

Throughout Long Island Sound, there are still visible reminders of the 1938 Hurricane. Stone foundations of waterfront buildings that perished, can be seen partially exposed in the sand. There are islands, peninsulas, and inlets that were altered (and even created) by the force and surge of the storm. It remains the most destructive storm (in lives lost & damage) ever in New England and Long Island history.

Rogers Library Southhampton: photo gallery

SUNY Suffolk: Long Island Express

PBS: The Hurricane Of '38 Railroad Extra: 1938 Hurricane (photos & map)

SOUNDBOUNDER: Napatree Point

New London Day: New England's Katrina

YouTube: WPA 1938 Hurricane Film

*

photo credit (top): Railroad Extra

sources: Sudden Sea by R.A. Scotti; The Great Hurricane by Cherie Burns

Napatree Point

It is hard to walk this shore without thinking of the Hurricane of 1938. Seventy years ago, the full force of that September storm hit Napatree Point, altering it's landscape severely. Thirty-nine summer homes, as well as several beach clubs were washed away, with fifteen lives lost on this narrow stretch alone. The land itself was transformed too, as Sandy Point was separated by water from Napatree and became (and remains) an island.
Napatree Point also represents the northeastern border to Long Island Sound. The glacial moraine that forms the North Fork of Long Island continues across the Sound, rising above sea level on several islands, before reaching the mainland in Watch Hill. From here I watched the open sea roll through the narrow stretch of water between Fishers Island and Napatree. The currents run strong here, although not as much as they do in the Race and Plum Gut. In the distance, several early season fisherman worked the tides of Sugar Reef Passage.
Napatree Point is managed by the Watch Hill Conservancy, and there are signs posted reminding visitors to avoid the sand dunes and nesting areas. I have read somewhere that this is a popular spot for viewing owls in the winter. I did not see any owls, but I did spot a seal sunning himself in the morning sun. In the past, I had only witnessed seals from a far distance, so it really made my morning to be able to view one close-up.
I walked the full length of the point, eventually reaching the ruins of Fort Mansfield (this will be a separate post). From here, I crossed over to the north side of the peninsula and worked my way back. North of me was the shallow waters of Little Narragansett Bay, a popular anchorage in the summer season. I took one last look at the island of Sandy Point, and tried to imagine what it looked like before 1938.
In the end, nature always wins.

Map Community Walk
YouTube: Kayak Surfing Off Napatree
Providence Journal: Napatree Point
Napatree 1938: Before & After Photo (scroll down)
New York Times: Remembering The Great Hurricane
SOUNDBOUNDER: September 21,1938