First trip to Oyster Bay

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This past weekend we did our first trip since the Maiden Voyage. With our official crew on board (Patrice and Dan) we left the Marina just after seven and thanks to the current and Can Drac's great "iron jib" we reached Throgs Neck in just over 90 minutes. After that it was all "smooth sailing" because we decided to stop the engine and set the sails. We slowly ghosted along until the entrance of Manhasset bay enjoying the sunset and the silence at sea. It was a memorable way to enter the Sound for the first time on Can Drac.

Our first night on the hook (well, on a mooring, actually) was very relaxing. The only exception was the thunderstorm that hit us right about midnight but some of us slept through it like babies.

The next morning we motored for two hours. Andrea took the time to figure out the chart plotter and start building routes. Once we reached Oyster Bay where we set the sails again to make a proper entrance to our "home away from home". With Andrea at the helm and Dan and I working the sheets, we entered the harbor.

We spent Saturday celebrating Sharyn's graduation from college with the family in Long Island, lounging by the pool and playing with the kids. And then we went back to the boat in Oyster Bay, this time without crew for the first time. As we sat in the cockpit, both of us reflected on the night just about a year ago when we arrived in Oyster Bay from Block Island. That was the day we decided to move up to a bigger boat and there we were, on Can Drac: a dream come true.

The return trip was one of the best sails we've had in a long time. The forecast called for showers and thunderstorms and strong winds from the South. We also wanted to be back home to pack for our trip to Turkey next week so I figured this would be a boring 4 hour trip motoring home in the rain. So we thought we could at least sail downwind out of Oyster Bay until the wind was on our nose. Well, turns out that Can Drac can REALLY point to the wind! We were able to sail all the way to Manhasset in just two tacks. The wind stayed between 50-60 degrees on our port side and below 20 knots most of the time allowing us to make excellent progress and have a good time all the way. We motored the rest of the way but we didn't have a single drop of rain and had quite a bit of sunshine at times. So much for showers and thunderstorms!

The weekend ended with the stickering of the name on the stern back at the marina. Of course, attempting such a project on a Sunday night at our marina brought all our neighbors to our dock and turned into a group project. Thanks to all who contributed! Can Drac now finally has a name!