Three Mile Harbor - July 12 & 13, 2008

(Revised 6/7/08 - date change per HvO)

Here is the latest on the Bastille Day 2008 Cruise.  The Three Mile Harbor show by Grucci will be held on July 12 this year, in celebration of the anniversary of the taking of the infamous Bastille Prison in France, 1789.  The New London SailFest is being held this year on July 12, so there will be a conflict again. 

CRUISE DESCRIPTION:

The Grucci’s, world renowned firework artists from Long Island with heritage dating back to 1850 in Bari, Italy will be displaying their talents for the Fundacion Amistad Benefit event at Three Mile Harbor on July 12th.  The start time for the show has not been set, but has historically been 2100 hrs. 

This is our fourth try at this event, hard as it may be to believe, and we’re trying to get to a .500 batting average.  2005 provided zero visibility, both during the show and on the trip home and in 2006 it blew stink (nobody showed up, and the show was postponed to the next Sunday).  However, 2007 was great with a large turnout of both “experienced” and new members despite the conflict with SailFest in New London.  This is a great destination with good holding ground and the locals always provide entertainment when they come in on Saturday afternoon.  We will have a cocktail party from 1700-1830 on Saturday, hopefully on some vessel larger than the Twilight Zone.  Check with us when you get in.

Once in Three Mile Harbor you can find us easily as we will be flying a giant Duck Flag.  The fleet will be anchored in the north end of the harbor.  When you get settled in the anchorage please drop by (we’re a blue hulled SabreLine 36 flybridge sedan power boat) and we’ll let you know if anyone has come up with any fun things to do, otherwise it’s just the cocktail party and then fireworks. 

There are several transient moorings run by the Three Mile Harbor Trustees, marked with a prominent “T” (for $75 per night in 2007).  The Trustee boat monitors CH 73 and also provides pumpouts. The harbormaster monitors VHF 16 or can be reached at 631.329.3078.  We will monitor channel “68” and our cell phone is 203-641-4343, but I sometimes forget to turn it on.  On VHF our MMSI number is 367015720.

Approaching the Harbor....

The entrance to Three Mile Harbor is 7.5nm on 180 degrees magnetic from Plum Gut.  As you approach the channel, the depth drops off significantly outside the channel.  There is a Red and White mid channel marker approximately half a mile from the entrance to harbor indicating the channel.  Outside the channel near the beaches, the water is approximately 4-5 feet deep.  There is a public beach and jetty located on the eastern side of the channel.

As you enter the harbor you will pass through two jetties to access the inner harbor.  The channel is extremely narrow with a strong current that will either help or hinder your entrance to the harbor.

Inside The Harbor...

Once inside the jetties you will find that the narrow channel is well marked with red and green buoys.  The channel is dredged every few years and can accommodate large vessels.  These channel markers are privately maintained from April through November.  There is usually a small marked channel bearing due west out of the normal channel that is reserved for the fireworks barge, so that gives you an additional path to follow.

To access the anchorage you will have to follow the channel deep into the anchorage. There is a large sandbar along the western side of the channel.  The sandbar begins approximately half a mile inside the entrance.  You will not be able to pass over this sandbar.  At the northern point of the sandbar the depth is only a few inches at low tide. In order to access the anchorage area you will need to pass the red "22" marker prior to turning gradually into the western section of the harbor.

We don’t know much about the sponsoring organization (Fundacion Amistad) but we’re assuming they will be raising money!  Please bring cash and donate generously if they come around.

Hope to see you there.  This is a rather laid back cruise and it makes for a good time to sit around and catch up on things with other duckies, plus a great fireworks show is included in the price of admission.
 

Steve and Rosalie Blunden

stephen.blunden@comcast.net
www.blunden-family.com