October 16-21                   Mystic, Connecticut

We were delighted to be greeted by Andrew and Maribel Coulson when we returned to our boat in Seaport Marina at Mystic, Connecticut.  We had misplaced their information and had not been able to inform them of our impending arrival.  We quickly made plans to have drinks together on the following evening.  Our boat looked exactly as it did when we left more than a month ago.  We were pleased to be onboard and spent our first evening enjoying the scene from our aft deck.  Boats were still cruising the river but the large replicas of early ships were stored for the winter.  Autumn foliage was evident on the hills rising above Mystic River.

As we had several errands to complete and a desire to see more of the area near Mystic, we arranged to keep the car for another day.  This gave us an opportunity to buy winterizing supplies from West Marine and drive to the scenic town of Noank.  This small community, with its lovely Colonial homes, greets boaters entering the Mystic River.  A magnificent white clapboard church topped with a commanding steeple, is an architectural triumph from the nineteenth century.  We had to return the car to the agency in Groton and decided to take a leisurely trip through the countryside.  We wanted to enjoy the autumn foliage highlighted by colors of rust, gold, yellow, and red.  Many homes were decorated with pots and plantings of blooming chrysanthemums.  Hydrangea blossoms, once bright pink, blue, or white, had now turned brown but remained in abundant display and gave an extra touch of autumn to the setting.

Andrew and Maribel joined us on the aft deck for a brief happy hour.  Andrew is an avid Republican and was eager to watch the Republican debates on television.  He is supporting Herman Cain and was touting his credentials as we enjoyed our cocktails.  The next day was predicted to be rainy and for once that forecast proved to be more than accurate.  Rain was consistent throughout the day and rose to a torrential climax that evening.   The Coulsons reciprocated our invitation and we joined them for cocktails on their boat.  We were saddened to learn they had decided to winter their vessel at Mystic and return to their New Jersey home rather than making the journey back to the Bahamas as had been their habit for many years.  Health issues were now a consideration.  The following morning, we bade them farewell and promised to stay in touch. The weather on the next day was sunny but extremely windy and we wisely decided to remain in the marina.  We noticed the piers adjacent to our boat were rocking to and fro in the strong wind and were startled to see that two of them had blown into the aft deck of the Coulson’s boat.  The marina staff quickly removed them and noted that little damage had resulted from the impact.

We met with Abby and Dan to obtain more information about the winterizing process and made our decision final to remain at Seaport for the winter season.  We were still apprehensive about the extreme cold of the winters in this area.  We tried to anticipate and prepare for the worst.