Summer Cruise to Block Island

"Shanghai'd again" I screamed as I was pushed into the van for the drive to Stonington, Ct. The inglorious mode of travel, on land, rather on water, was but the first punishment for your loyal galley slave. "Catch up with the boat!" screamed the winch wench. It seemed that the good ship Paradox III had been taken from her home port by an as yet unknown captain and brought to Connecticut for a possible run at Block Island.

The vehicle arrived and galley slave and winch wench were thrown to the ground. "Out, out, grab the gear and get to the boat..." screamed the little captains! "Don't forget the bottles and the gear! Bring plenty of food and grog for the crew! Bring the freshies! Lots of freshies!"

Galley slave and winch wench struggled under the weight of the supplies for the little captains. Eventually, all was safely stored below. Lo and behold, the good ship did not sink under the weight of the additional supplies!

The little Captains directed us to meet with the crews of Whitecaps, Breathless and Joint Venture for our sail to the ends of the earth!

The first night was spent at the gas dock in Stongington, Ct. A glorious place to sail and reside!

No single picture could describe the land-side glory! A tasty respite was found at the Dog Watch Cafe, shared with fellow cruisers.

The next day, a sloop arrived with sad tidings. Block Isle was full, no moorings or slips to be had! 6 foot swells were found that day. Quickly, our travel plans were changed and we moved down-river to the Stonington Ct Yacht Club. Another glorious destination, again in Ct.

Dockmaster John was quick to assist with line and lore! The crew was fed at a nearby restaurant. A tour of the Yacht club proved it to be seaworthy and worthy of a return trip!

Another night at dock, and the little captains declared: "Enough of this Stonington! Off to Westbrook Ct we go!" And with that order, galley slave and winch wench worked the lines and brought the stout vessel into Fisher's Island sound and on to the next port. As the ship passed the light, a cry was let out! "Hazzah, to be on the move again!"

At Westbrook, at a dock, the most amazing light show could be seen among the heavens! Lightning here and thunder there. It seemed a cannon battle was blazing around us!

From Westbrook, the little flotilla made for Port Jefferson in NY. Most of the boats in the flotilla left early, but the little captains demanded a rest. "Why shove off so early? why not stay and enjoy a bottle and nap? A freshie or two would not be bad!"

Atleast the little captains permitted the galley slave and the winch wench to put out the sails and air them out! An hour spent at sail was like a week on vacation!

The little captains did not know the weather. Lo and behold, it fell upon the galley slave to dodge one thunder storm and another on the way to Port Jefferson! We hugged the CT coast for safety before darting into the sound and trying out luck against the storms headed for Port Jefferson.

We had a glorious gun battle with the Pt. Jeff ferry, but retired as the ferry brought more guns to bear than the little Paradox III. The little captains did not want to give up the fight, but galley slave slinked away during nap time!

"To the steam room, to the steam room" cried the little captains! Alas, there was to be no steam for galley slave and winch wench! The little captains craved steamed lobster and fried fish. Mere fried fish was saved for the lowly winch wench! A walk around the port showed the sceevy nature of such a port! Fisticuffs and knife fights abounded among the slovenly denizens of the port! A night on the mooring was uneventful.....

In the early morn, the whole flotilla, with the addition Cat's Paw and crew, made way for achorage in Cold Spring Harbor. The sail to the Harbor was pleasant and calm. Few scattered winds paved the way for the little flotilla. Only when the boats reached the mouth of the harbor did the wind arrive, but too late for sails!

Paradox rafted up to Cats Paw for victuals and grog! The little captains demanded grog and feed! Bottles all around they cried! After returning to the Paradox, Cats Paw let go and Paradox took up position on the hook in the midst of the fleet. The galley slave was left to mind the anchor as the crew went to sleep.

Early morning proved to be a glorious day!

The trip back to Home port was a slow passage. We beat the storm into port. We managed to dock the boat and unload the little captains before the great storm hit.

And so ends another chapter of our cruising days......................................

Mutiny's Afoot

"Mutiny!" they cried. "Mutiny!" "No more beatings, the grog is too weak and there be no wenches for the crew!"
That's what the rest of the crew screamed as they left the decks and the bridge and ran below!
They left me, lowly galley slave, at the helm to man the ship. The crew cornered the winch wench in the galley and demanded bottles of milk! Milk? on a long voyage?
Well, the winch wench fooled them into taking powdered formula instead.
Drunk with the formula, the crew screamed and yelled a bit more, then quickly fell to sleep.
I, lowly galley slave, managed to get the boat back to port, before they awoke and disembarked!
Pics and more to follow.

Additions to Crew

The merry winch wench and the galley slave announce the arrival of two new crew members. Evan Michael and Shaun Louis have arrived. Disembarcation date was November 26, 2007. Both crew arrived healthy and happy! Crew is growing and maturing. Both are willling and able to serve as rail-meat for considerate captains. Must serve together. Bottle and Binky at the ready!

Shanghai'd again

Galley Slave had come to shore to pickup victuals, supplies and other bits demanded by the Winch Wench. While nibbling at a bid of smoked fish at the eatery, Galley Slave was Shanghai'd by none other than the Captain of the s/v Cat's Paw!

A sneak attack it was, and in broad daylight. The Captain took Galley Slave with his arm behind his back and marched him out to Cat's Paw to assist him with his guests and to be his crew.

Also taken in this sneak attack was the Captain of Breathless, made to do a poor man's work at the behest of the Cat's Paw.

You see, Cat's Paw had special cargo this day!

Four visiting guests from far away Universe of Columbia! Surely a grand place, but located in the dirty, nasty city. So unlike the grander Universe of Llenroc, located in pristine countrysides with its hills and dales and rivers and waterfalls....but I digress......

There they were, the four dignitaries from the Universe of Columbia! Great and Majestic were the Ladies. And surely a Knight was the man.

Galley Slave and Captain Breathless worked tirelessly for the Tyrant Captain of Cat's Paw. T'is a grand vessel, but much work she requires to be made ready for sea! Pull the canvas, reveal the winches and eisenglass. Yank upon the lines to hoist the sails, main and jib! Away the pin and be ye damned if you don't remember to pull it back upon the starboard bow!

A glorious sail, it was! Winds came from the north and then the east! A fast, stable passage was made to Big Tom Rock. A quick trip to City Island, then beating a return to Great Neck Point! When the winds died, the Kind Captain of Cat's Paw allowed the use of the Iron Main. He threatened to have Galley Slave take the stern of the boat and kick with his might to drive the boat to the moor, and he threatened to have Captain Breathless take the tow rope in his teeth to swim and pull Cat's Paw to the moor, but these were mere idle threats

Again, fast passage was made on the Iron Main.

To the moor without haste was the cry from the bridge!

And Captain Breathless, fearful of the lash, remembered to take the moor upon the starboard side! And both he and Galley Slave worked tirelessly to refit Cat's Paw to ship shape and ready for journey's end as canvas was laid to the glass, sails were tied and all made fast.

And Tyrant Captain of Cat's Paw kept his reputation, as not a bit of grog was passed among the crew! Water and soda were drinks of the day!

Yet me thinks the Tyrant Captain is no such Tyrant, as nary a yell or a holler was heard that day!

At the end of journey, all shanghai'd crew were allowed to leave and take respite upon the land.

The Captain's Guest made their way back to the city and Universe of Columbia. Hopefully, all will fare well and return to sail again upon s/v Cat's Paw!

And that is the end of this tale....

May 26, 2007 - a little time away

Both Winch Wench and Galley Slave put in a good days work on this day! As a bit of a reward, Admiral Roxie permitted them a dip in the pool, usually reserved for visiting dignitaries. Oh, what a feeling! Cool water...... The kiddie side of the pool was much warmer (hmmmm?).

When Winch Wench and Galley Slave had completed their time in the pool, they were permitted victuals at the shoreside eatery prior to returning to the Paradox III.

Galley Slave fell to the usual routine, while Winch Wench busied herself in the Admiral's Cabin. When work was done, they hailed the launch to make for home. Unfortunately, the KYC launch was assisting the crew of a neighboring launch. It seems the neighboring launch neglected to secure their propellor when the boat was put to the water! ;)

T'was nearly a full watch before the Winch Wench and Galley Slave were permitted to return to the good dry earth.

No pictures today, t'was a working day!

May 20, 2007 Family Sail

The Winch Wench and the Galley Slave spent a good morning out in the local town. They shanghai'd a scurvy crew for the Paradox III's afternoon sail!

The day started with a bite to eat at the shack on land before the new crew was brought beore the mast.

T'was a glorious day on the water for Honarary First Mate Rachel and Assistant First Mate Becky! They took turns staring out onto the water, yet retired early to test out the crews quarters. Asst First Mate Becky was not happy with one bunk, but tried them all! She rolled from bunk to bunk to make sure that not one was untouched! First Mate Rachel offered to steer, but later agreed to a well deserved nap after her watch was over!

Whilst the mates were asleep, crewmembers Holly and David assisted the usual crew with lookout positions in the mast. Crewman David even volunteer to bring in the lines at the end of the sail when the Winch Wench went forward with the gaff.

Crewman Margie was aboard and did her share to make certain that proper nautical terms were used through the day. Port and starboard were the cries from Margie! You have to learn the nautical terms if you hope to be a true seaman. Margie showed her prowess as she scampered up and down the companionway after her formal tour of the crews quarters.

Crew Nat and Linda were also aboard. Nat took charge of photographing the voyage for posterity. Crewman Linda was truely a joy to have aboard. She requested nourishment and water for the crew. She did not even request her portion of grog until she reached land at the end of day! Not a cry was heard from crew Linda when the boat heeled to 20degrees, nor any threat upon the person of the Galley Slave who was at the helm at the time! Oh, the good old days when the crew knew from a good lashing at the helm if the boat left level!!!

The crew was released from service and surrendered to the launch in time for crewman Margie to make her shuttle back to Boston! First Mate Rachel and Assistance First Mate Becky were assisted to the launch by crew Holly and David. They were held aloft on the launch so they could bid farewell to the good ship Paradox III as they rode away!

Shoreside, the scurvy crew chowed down on graham crackers, pretzels and leftover food unfit for the scurvy bunch they were. Rations of grog were consumed and a good time was had by all!

Fair weather and fair winds were had. 15kts gusting to 25kts out of the southeast, with hardly a cloud in the sky. At end of day, storm clouds moved in a a hint of rain was seen

Book One, Chapter One, Page One

This is the first entry into a sea-going Blog of the sailing vessel Paradox III, humbly submitted by none other than the ships own Galley Slave.
Paradox III was launched April 1, 2007 in Huntington, New York at the southern end of Huntington Harbor.
Maiden voyage included the shakedown crew of Galley Slave, Winch Wench and Kevin Coneys. It was a glorious day! Cold and damp, but plenty of wind to fill the sails!