I Get the Urge for Going

Leaving home on August 29 while sailing past
the Conimicut Point Lighthouse

     It's noon on Labor Day weekend and I can't seem to shake singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell's iconic tune Urge For Going from my thoughts. With autumn fast approaching and cooling temperatures on the horizon our upcoming southern migration is beginning to ramp up. Subtle signs of autumn's approach are everywhere. Along the upper reaches of Narragansett Bay one sure harbinger of fall debuts with the arrival of male blue crabs in search of a suitable place to over winter in the upper bay's warm brackish waters.

Plum Point Lighthouse, Narragansett Bay, RI

     An additional upper bay arrival of pesky terns is another omen of summer's waning days. The terns have a penchant for perching on deck while dining on bits of bait fish left behind during the annual late summer blue fish feeding frenzy. Along the shoreline male crickets chirp nonstop during daylight hours risking their lives by notifying their whereabouts to predators in hopes of one final liaison with a female. They seemingly sense the long silence of deadly cool weather that's fast approaching and perhaps put their lives in peril before the onset of a certain killing frost that will hasten their final demise. I have been a witness to these and similar signals that the time to head south is upon us. The first northers have already blown through leaving behind a few daytime teasers that summertime might reveal herself once again. Though, we cruising sailors who migrate south at the first hint of chilly temps are rarely fooled by a few warm days.

Passing south under the Jamestown Bridge, Narragansett Bay

   Our loose plan for sailing south this fall is to make a few stops along the Connecticut shoreline then head across Long Island Sound toward Port Jefferson and Port Washington, NY for a few days before heading down NYC's East River toward the New Jersey coastline. We hope to stage for a sail up the Delaware River to Chesapeake Bay around September 11. We have a plan and have chosen the most optimum time for transiting LI Sound's currents. Who knows if this will come together. We have the will and the urge for going but, ultimately weather is always the deciding factor. Please stay tuned for another year of adventures while sailing aboard the Simple Life.

Bound for sea while passing the Dutch Harbor Lighthouse
Narragansett Bay, RI

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Pawtuxet Cove, Rhode Island