The Circus, Screams from Mt. Misery, and Chocolate Cake Dreams

P.T. Barnum in Long Island?

At daybreak, the sun peaks out above Mount Misery.  Chef Casper whips up two of his famous omelettes and we plot a course to Glen Cove.  Cars are already waiting for the Port Jefferson ferry service to start running, but most of the town is still asleep.  I notice the name of the ferry boat docked now is P.T. Barnum.  Like Barnum and Bailey, I wonder?   Yes!  Mr. Barnum owned land here and intended to make Port Jefferson the home base for his circus.  He helped found the ferry service because it was an easy way to get here from his home across Long Island Sound in Bridgeport, CT.  The residents put the kibosh on his plans, though, and he eventually sold his land.

Red Phone Booth in Port Jefferson

Shipbuilding used to be the main revenue here, but now the economy relies on tourism.  Hence the the Thomas Kinkade Gallery, the GAP, of course a Starbuck’s – and a Dunkin Donuts, a couple of nail boutiques, several restaurants, and an ice cream parlor…all within a few short blocks.  There’s a performing arts theatre, as well as a masonic lodge, and a red telephone booth of all things.  I thought they were only in England.   They have everything but a boating supply store.  Curious, since this is such a busy port.

Priscilla Alden’s Grave

Casper sailed these waters a lot growing up, and he always has a story or two to tell.  This morning he’s talking about the shipwreck in Pirate’s Cove.  The cove is tucked in to the east, at the mouth of Port Jefferson.  A lot of digging in the archives reveals only one reference to this shipwreck, though.  It’s an earlier wooden ferry, the Priscilla Alden, decommissioned in 1946.  He plans to stop there on our way out so I can see it.

The Professor and Mary Ann save the ship

Now we’re ready to go, and Casper fires the engine.  He backs out of the slip, and the transmission won’t shift again, it’s stuck in reverse.  He tries in vain to slow the boat, and manages to back diagonally into the slip on the next dock.  We come perilously close to the bow of another yacht in the process.  Now the Professor is back, and he jumps onto the dock.  Meanwhile, I can only watch as now a mere 12 inch buffer remains between us and the yacht.  The Professor yells and the spell is broken – Mary Ann to the rescue!  I throw the lines to the Professor and we manage to secure the boat just as it kisses the bumper of the yacht.  Whew – close call.

Ferry wreckage in Pirate’s Cove (a.k.a. Mt. Misery Cove)

Now we’re standing on the dock and the Professor is scratching his head.  He should invest in polarized sunglasses, because I can clearly see the rope wrapped around the propeller.  But the Professor can’t see past the glare on the surface.  In he goes, and five knife slashes later the propeller is free.  The resident swans of Port Jefferson bid us farewell as we leave the slip, and Casper motors over to Pirate’s Cove.  It’s anticlimactic for me because there isn’t much left of the Priscilla Alden to see now.  As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t have noticed it at all if he didn’t point it out.  A couple of wooden planks protruding from the surface is all that remains.

Screams from Mount Misery

Dunes in Pirate’s Cove next to Mount Misery

The dunes that surround the cove are the end point of Mount Misery, which is why this is also called Mt. Misery Cove.  Mount Misery is the highest peak of Long Island, standing at 400 feet.  It got its name from early settlers, who soon realized the land was no good for growing crops, and made it a trade route instead.   But wagons struggled with the rough terrain and the steep hill, and the name Mount Misery was born.

Apparently, Mount Misery is also the scene for paranormal activity.  In 1840, they built an insane asylum here.  Not long after it was completed, a fire destroyed it and many of the patients died.  Fast forward about 15 years, and they decide to rebuild the hospital. Reports of the smell of a burning building flooded in, and some people claimed to hear the screams of the victims during the night. (I thought it was wild sex in the boat next door.)  The new hospital also burned down – only 5 months after they rebuilt it!  Coincidence?   I’m not overly superstitious, but I’m not in a hurry to find the hospital ruins, either.  Weird U.S. even featured Mount Misery in a story (click here to read it), so there must be something to it.

Ding, Ding!

The forecast today is also for scattered afternoon thunderstorms, and as we head toward the East River, we catch up to the rest of the Rendezvous Clan.  I guess after their ordeal yesterday, they made sure to get an early start this morning.   We can hear them bantering back and forth over the radio.  When the key words “Lobster Dinner” come over the airwaves, we snap to attention and both our heads spin in unison.  We’re practically salivating like someone rang Pavlov’s bell!  Huntington Yacht Club has a lobster dinner tonight…sold!  We alter our course to join them there.

Huntington Harbor view

Huntington Harbor shoreline

I liked Huntington Harbor, and the view on the shoreline.  It stretches inland quite a ways, and the Yacht Club is about half-way down.  The building is two stories and a grand split staircase leads to the second level offering panoramic views of the harbor…and the ominous clouds in the not-too-far distance.  There is a nice little bar in one room, a lot of polished woodwork everywhere, and plenty of dining tables throughout.  They also have a pool on the premises!  But there was only time for a quick, refreshing dip before the lightning and thunder started, and everyone got out of the water.  After cleaning up, we go for a warm-up drink or two at the bar and put our lobster orders in.

Lobster with a chocolate cake pay-off

The lobster arrived steaming, and I enjoyed every last morsel, as did everyone else.  Turns out the Rendezvous crew is a “drinking club with a sailing problem,” to quote one of the captains.  Over dinner we heard everyone’s war stories from the day before, and they were visibly disappointed we passed through the thunderstorms unscathed.  The more alcohol that flowed, the more exaggerated the ordeals became.  They are definitely an interesting bunch.  Listening was well worth it for the entertainment value…and for the follow-up chocolate cake!   We need plenty of fuel for tomorrow, when we brave the converging currents in Hell Gate and the East River…