Oyster Bay

We slept well as the anchor dug deep upon set and we laid out most of our chain. The bluff protecting the anchorage cut down the wind and there was barely a ripple on the water. We were awaken around 0600 when the oyster dredgers began their work. This was the first time we saw oyster men working their trade. Three smaller dredgers were making loops around their beds marked with stakes. One large dredger was working further back in the bay and we were amazed at how many oysters she was hauling on board using her conveyor belt system. About a dozen small boats with one or two men aboard were hand tonging. It was amazing as the tongers would bring up a bushel at a time and the large dredger appeared to bring up the equivalent of a tonger's boatload in a matter of minutes. It is no wonder the oyster beds were depleted so quickly with the advent of mechanized dredging. The beds are now assigned to individuals or corporations and managed to maintain a sustainable supply of oysters.

Hand Tonging for Oysters

Oyster Dredge

Oyster Dredge

The schooner, Christine, was heading out of Oyster Bay and we passed close by. She is a beautiful vessel and had a large contingent of young people aboard for an outing. She is the first schooner we have seen on the Sound. Hopefully, we will see more of these beautiful ships as we head toward Mystic and beyond.

Schooner Christine - Oyster bay

We set sail with main only for the Connecticut River. We arrived in a few hours before sunset and anchored off Nott Island across from Essex, Connecticut. Several power boats were also anchored there with some smaller runabouts which were backed up to the island. The crews anchored there were setting up tents for the weekend. We were the only sailboat in the anchorage and settled in for a quiet night.