Club

An overnight single-shot approach from CYC to the Sound could find you as far east as Milford, CT the afternoon of the first day, but if you slam into an easterly as you emerge from the East River, pick up a mooring at one of the yacht clubs in Port Washington. Assuming you stick to the Connecticut shore, we frequent:

• Milford: The Milford Landing Marina is at the extreme end of the harbor. It's built on the site of the former waste treatment plant and provides the easiest walk to town. The Harbormaster at the Landing Marina can recommend where to eat and has discount coupons to some of the better spots, such as the Stone Bridge. The Yacht Club at the entrance to the harbor is fine and has a pool, but it's a hike to town.
• Clinton: Cedar Island Marina. The marina restaurant is usually staffed with CIA graduates. Big pool, but expensive. Not much in town.
• Connecticut River: As you approach from the west, be mindful of Long Sand Shoal, which runs parallel to the shore from off Duck Island to the river's mouth. It gets down to four feet at low water even though it's a good two miles offshore. The easiest approach is to stay between the shoal and the mainland. The Connecticut River is a tidal estuary like the Hudson, so it's another place you'll want to time your passage based on the current. Most of the facilities are on the west bank. Just south of the Rt. 95 bridge is the Between the Bridges Marina, a BOAT/US discount marina. The Saybrook Fish House is a pleasant walk. One of the many clubs at which CYC is welcome is the North Cove YC, which is in the cove itself. Further up the river is Essex. The Essex YC has moorings, and the little Chandlery Marina, which is adjacent to the Club, is reasonable. Essex Island Marina is expensive, as is Brewer's, but both have pools. The Griswold Inn is the primary restaurant, but book early on the weekends. If you're into geology, check out the little museum at the foot of the main street.
• Mystic: Before going into Fisher's Island Sound, spend a lot of time visualizing the chart because it's one of the 10 most hazardous cruising grounds in the country--full of clumps, grounds, hummocks, reefs, and rocks. They're named and marked, but they're still things that can go bump, even in the middle of the day if you're not paying attention to what red and green are red and green relative to. Mystic is up the harbor from Noank. Getting from the Sound into the harbor at Noank is a bit zig-zaggy; follow the buoys carefully and then proceed up the well-marked channel that meanders through the mooring area. A warm, fuzzy hangout in Mystic is Ft. Rachel Marina. It's real friendly, inexpensive, and it's mostly sailboats. "Dutcha" (so named because of her national origin) runs the office. Ft. Rachel is the first left you can make after clearing the railroad bridge, and it's only the one row of fingers built off the rip-rap that forms the rail bed. They use Ch. 10. (Yes, trains go by, but we're used to that.) Mystic is worth a couple of days so you can go to the Seaport Museum. Good tourist shopping downtown, along with two or three good eateries. Unfortunately, the A&P moved out east on Rt. 1 between Mystic and Stonington.
• Stonington: An alternative to Mystic. Dodson's Boatyard has moorings and some dock space and a Laundromat. Go to Noah's for dinner.

If you don't want to continue east, from the Connecticut River, Mystic, or Stonington, you can go to Block Island and/or over to the protected but breezy waters of Gardiners Bay, which, along with Shelter Island Sound, Noyac Bay, and the Peconic Bays, separates the north and south forks of Long Island. This area is an excellent choice if you want a change of scene from the Sound but don't want to press on to the Vineyard, the Cape, or Boston.