DIYC Three Mile Harbor Fireworks Cruise 2007

This year’s cruise to the Grucci show was, for the first time in 3 years, a success!  We departed around midday Friday from Pilots Point, passing the Hayes/Littell/DeBernardo Joint Expeditionary Force, and the Schlott’s Mother Ship as well (actually, the Grandmother ship since young Jack was aboard).  All arrived and anchored safely early afternoon so in the best Duck Island YC tradition, an impromptu cocktail party was scheduled for 1700 hours on the Twilight Zone.

Joined by the aforementioned, shiny new club members the Vaitses’s, and guest visitors the Schrauf’s, we on at least one occasion managed to submerge the swim platform on the Twilight Zone, but all emerged with wet feet but intact.  For obvious reasons, your Cruise Directors had previously arranged for the (Grand) Mother Ship to host the Saturday night get-together.  Thanks, again to B&D!

All this time, it is blowing 14-16 knots with gusts to 22 but remarkably the anchorage is well behaved, no rafts drag and overnight the wind suddenly stops.  A little late for the Ballou’s, Mason’s and DeBernardo’s, but everyone is a critic when you’re safely anchored and watching someone else.  All rafts are secure and we are all settled in at 2000 hours and anticipating a great show on Saturday.

Saturday dawns, all Duckies still secure.  As Cruise Directors, this is great for us as we don’t have anything scheduled, what children and grandkids on KittyHawk and Til keeping everyone entertained until the party at 1700, so your Cruise Directors tramp into East Hampton for lunch on the now complete concrete sidewalk! 

At 1700 hours a total of 28 members plus 5 future members (they don’t know what they have in store for them when they grow up) converge on KittyHawk, but dinghy space is found for all.  The drawing somehow results in all the youngsters winning a prize (let’s keep them coming back) and when the dust settles, we all clean up our dishes and go back to our yachts to wait for the 2130 show.  For some reason, the little boat that was selling stuff for the Fundacion Amistad never made it to the Duck Fleet.  In any event, we can’t say enough in praise of our gracious hosts on KittyHawk.  Thanks again for your hospitality.

The Saturday night fireworks show was up to the usual Grucci standards and a breezy but quiet night capped off the evening.   Hoping for a repeat performance next year!