Cruising
Long ISLAND’s South Fork
Finally
leaving Block Island, we hopped over to Lake Montauk at the tip of Long
Island’s South Fork. Apparently after one hurricane in the past, the Mon
tauk
area was in fact an island for a period of time. We made three stops on our
tour of the south fork and were amazed at what we found. First, two of the three anchorages were
pleasantly spacious and virtually empty during this peak August vacation time. Second,
it was not only the playground of rich people.
There was a deep appreciation for the history of the area which was
easily accessible in museums and exhibits.
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| Coast Guard Station at entrance to Lake Montauk |
Lake
Montauk is expansive but easy to navigate and well-marked. We dropped the hook at the extreme
southwestern corner just beyond a small mooring field. The balls were widely spaced and most
occupied by local boats but that seemed to be rarely used. Only a few other boats anchored around us
during our four-day stay. We had shore
access via a beach a short ride away where we could leave our bikes for
excursions. (note – bikes were landed on the beach and carried up to the path
and back – THANKS Steve!) The only real
negative to this anchorage is the remoteness to towns. However, this was a nice change from our
previous stops so we are not complaining.
It was about a 3 mile ride to anything – 3 miles to Montauk village with
all needed amenities, 3 miles to the beautiful lighthouse at Montauk Point, and
3 miles to Montauk Harbor and its shops and eateries. Besides biking the hills we also walked over
to Ditch Plains a famous beach on the south shore – facing the mighty Atlantic
Ocean. Since we sat out another front while here we can also attest to the secure
holding provided by the muddy bottom.
On
one of our bike rides we passed the tiny Montauk train station – miles and
miles from the beach, so in the end we were glad that our fine crew Rob, did
not have to navigate a transfer here. As
it turned out – the trip from Jamestown was much easier and more convenient
than the trip from Montauk would have been.
The
ride out to the point was well worth the effort. In addition to the lighthouse
climb and view, we enjoyed the museum which educated us on the history of the
area from earliest settlements. Thanks to the work of a local environmentalist,
Giorgina Reid, the cliff has been stabilized and the sturdy well-constructed
structure stands today much as it has since it was built in 1796. We were also
interested to learn that the slave ship Amistad came ashore in this
neighborhood and Roosevelt’s Rough Riders had a training camp in the area.
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| date for the additional 14 feet |
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| caught the fisherman's eye |
For
much of the early colonial era, Montauk was grazing land and was mostly
inhabited by the livestock. The village of Montauk, therefore, is more modern
than historic. It kind of reminds me of
the 50s and a beach town devoted to summer fun of that simpler time. We had
breakfast in a café that looked unchanged from that era. The harbor at the mouth of the lake also has
a bounty of what look to be mom and pop low rise motels overlooking the inside
of the fork. The cute Gosman’s complex of shops and restaurants was clearly a
more recent addition. Built to blend
with the beachy surroundings, it was also tempting with the delicious treats
and food items in their market.
The
highlight of our stop, however, was a visit with Irene and Steve – friends from
our Saudi days who were making their annual visit to Montauk. They have been
coming to this laid back town for years so we enjoyed a long visit and an
insiders tour plus a delicious Italian dinner topped with ice cream! They told
us “stars” frequent this tiny hamlet although we didn’t see anyone we
recognized – there was a full moon to light our way back to the boat.
The
next stop was Three Mile Harbor – so called because it a 3-miles into East
Hampton. Again, traffic on the major highway 27 clogged this town of contrasts.
After schlepping our bikes on the dink to the blessedly empty dinghy dock next
to the boat ramp, we had a flat ride into town on a mostly well paved bike
path. (Oh, yes, almost all our trips up in Montauk were on designated bike
paths – clearly well used and in spite of traffic, reasonably safe.)
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| empty! of course OUR dink had to take a tour of the harbor on her own - thankfully rescued before we returned - do our dink woes never end??? |
Arriving
on Main St in East Hampton we discovered a major shopping destination for the
rich and beautiful who must prefer store hopping to beach combing. After a tour
of the Hook Windmill and marveling at the ingenuity and craftsmanship of 19th
century builders, we braved the shops. Actually, window shopping and people
watching was enough for us until we arrived at the Ladies Village Improvement
Society shop. This precisely organized
used book store was a delight to browse in its historic setting. The prices
were excellent, the cause a good one and the books strictly fixed in ABC order.
After a tasty lunch of Greek food at John Papas, we moved back in time to the
earliest days of East Hampton.
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| good eyes will note this is Ralph Lauren's shop |
We
strolled the historic district where if the cars had been banned we would have
returned to the 18th and 19th centuries. Lovely and
beautifully restored homes and businesses lined the shaded street offering
several museums and historic tours. We
opted to see the Home Sweet Home museum which is in a traditional Salt Box home
and honors Mr. John Howard Payne who wrote the lyrics to the famous song. The museum houses the collection of the Bueks
who saved the home from demolition and eventually gave it and their extensive
collections to the village. The home, gardens and even another windmill made a
charming contrast to the glitz and chic of the shopping down the street.
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| frog warned the cup was almost empty |
A
final stop was the gourmet market, Citarella, where we snagged some salmon
steak and bakery treats…. Such a tough life.
Before
pulling the hook, we had to retrieve our bikes from shore so stopped for
breakfast at the Damark’s Market and Deli. This well stocked deli is a short
walk from the dinghy dock and seemed to be the hit of the district – everyone
from landscape crews to the summer tourists were crowding in for early morning
eats – we joined them and had no regrets.
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| dinking in to shore at Sag Harbor - among the big boys |
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| not the most crowded dock we have seen |
A
short run put us off Sag Harbor – not a deserted anchorage by any means – in
fact, it felt more like Big Major in the Bahamas with much less water
clarity. However, we managed to tuck in
between the mooring field and the breakwater – an easy dinghy ride to the
spacious town dock behind Long Wharf. We were even entertained one morning by
the Paddle for the Pink event that was held to raise money for breast cancer
research in spite of the inclement weather.
Most
of our fun was had on shore, however. We
enjoyed a free concert in Marine Park – over-looking the harbor and a jazz
quartet on the lawn in front of the whaling museum. Previously we had toured the museum in the
impressive Masonic Temple building just across from the library where we have
been rooted to get this blog up to date! Sag Harbor also has its share of historic
homes, fancy shops and fragrant eateries, but all is a short block or two off
the dock – including a launderette whose services we needed. Surprisingly
prices and the machines were the same as we had seen out in Oak Bluffs – and no
less than we paid in Black Point Settlement, BAH. (Those who complain about
prices in the Bahamas have never traveled in this area!)
An
IGA, True Value Hardware and several variety stores can also be found on Main
St in Sag Harbor making this a nearly perfect stop for cruisers - lots of fun
and entertainment but all the essentials as well. Even the traffic did not
concern us – unless we wanted to cross a street! Sag Harbor just might be a
regular place to visit on trips north. (We didn’t even manage to get to all the
tours, homes and museums on this trip!)
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| thanks for the super WIFI |
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| great area - all our stops include FREE pump out! |
RIP Princess Annie 8/7/17 - 19 years is a good life and we will miss you!
