September 14, 2017 – Tony comes back for the run up to Newport by way of Montauk and Block Island. Thach’s loosely thought out plans to anchor off Montauk’s Fort Pond Bay is rearranged on the way when we realize that there is no dinghy dock there. We opt for an anchorage in Lake Montauk just South of Montauk Yacht Club where Emmanou in her former guise as Dealership spent her last three Summers.
Trying to maneuver around the boats in the mooring field opposite the Montauk Yacht Club and reticent to use his thrusters to steer (considered by purists as un-seamanlike) Thach does not make it around on a tight turn and runs aground in plain sight of the Yacht Club Commodore. We run through all sorts of cockamamie schemes to use the anchor winch to pull ourselves off the shallows and finally settle for just dropping the anchor and calling for a tow from BoatUS. Word of our yet again embarrassing situation (see the Ghost of Comey Past) quickly gets around the ether and we get texts from James Knight and Lou Roberti (Emmanou’s former owner) with good advice (like don’t panic per Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy). With a rising tide, the BoatUS rescue goes very smoothly and we are escorted to our anchorage (this time Thach uses his thrusters).
Still time for Karin, Tony and Thach take the tender ashore with golf clubs and play nine-holes on Montauk Downs, before joining Elliot and Barb Cooperstone and friends for a nice meal at Dave’s Gone Fishing. More food the next evening at Elliot and Barb’s place in East Hampton and the crew readies for the short hop to Block Island…