…Over in Huntington Bay was just held this past weekend.  Only three of us turned up Friday nite for the kickoff ‘Go to Bed With The Dead’ themed evening.  With a live Grateful Dead cover band taking the stage on the lighthouse after a DJ set the sun down for us, it was a real treat. (that was actual video btw, no soundtrack added/enhanced) An amazingly perfect summer nite. With neither hide nor hair of Hermine to be found we were awed by an unbelievably spectacular sunset & an incredibly tranquil & relaxing scene to kick off the 3 day holiday weekend.

Power boats were mostly all safe & secured at anchor & the only boat ‘traffic’ was the official lighthouse launch boat ferrying people back & forth from the dock back at Goldstar Beach. With a good amount of stars out over our heads & a cool lightshow illuminating the entire lighthouse, this was a once a year opportunity.  So all I can say is don’t miss out next year! This one was truly a beautiful calm-before-the-storm evening that we enjoyed ‘til like 10pm

So after all the hype & weekend storm-tastropy warnings, what passed for ‘a storm’actually did show up 12 hours later as we combined forces with the LIKE Meetup group with high hopes of a full day of music, bbq-ing & just general agenda-free paddling around on the bay.

Unfortunately the trip was pretty short lived & our BBQ plans were scuttled & eventually shuttled over to a Western Suffolk cul-de-sac inland.

Strong & steady winds out of the East had created conditions out in the bay that were beyond the skills of some in the group. There were even good sized sailboats & powerboats coming back in cautioning us about the 2foot+ swell out at the lighthouse.

So, between the nonstop boat traffic in & out of the harbor and the string of rocks we would have had to navigate around to get to the old lighthouse ruins (only to then have to paddle back straight into the wind, waves & powerboat gauntlet to return back later), the trip pretty much came to an abrupt halt as we tried to figure on a plan ‘B’

We ended up paddling to the end of the channel inlet, just past the osprey pair living atop the day marker.  Took a look around & tried to hear some little bit of music just to say we were there & then doubled back & headed west to the harbor end at Puppy Cove & the millpond beyond.

As we had an incoming tide it was interesting to see the water overfalling into the pond. As every time I’ve ever been here it’s always been flowing out the other way

We didn’t really do too much here besides introduce some of the new folks to this end of the harbor. Chris tried a few rolls and then just as we were about to leave I ended up temporarily surrendering my all-important point & shoot camera to the murky 10 foot depths!  (lanyard on camera end had come loose & as I was pulling it out of my PFD I felt myself holding onto an empty ended camera strap just as I heard a distinctive ‘plunk’ from the water to my right. Ugh.

 

 

 

 

 

With water completely over my head there was no way to even attempt a retrieval. So we all headed back to our respective launches at Goldstar or Mill Dam & regrouped for that private suburban BBQ. I’m pretty sure the marshmallows we toasted over the propane grill turned out way better than any we might have made in the wind & sand had we stayed & tried to charcoal a hibachi in a 20mph crosswind!

Was sure nice sitting around & socializing like civilized folk around a real table for a change instead of the usual makeshift driftwood seating we invariably end up on while paddling. I’m looking forward to our picnic on the 25^th for more of that actual sit-down dining!

Oh. & PS:  I slept through Sunday’s low tide but an early morning Labor Day low tide salvage mission turned out to be a great success. With swim fins & goggles & a sit on top Hobie anchored nearby I came up big, -miraculously finding that camera in the black muddy bottom of Puppy Cove. So a thank you here to Chris for the moral support in that effort!