Our Cruising Program
See Below for 2025 CRUISING SCHEDULE:
Our cruises are relaxing, fun voyages with great people for an experience you will not forget!
As more information becomes available, new updates will be posted.
Planning to attend a cruise? Have questions? Need more information?
Please contact us by clicking here!
SUMMER SOLSTICE CRUISE –
Friday JUNE 20 thru Friday JUNE 27
Shelter Island – Coecles Harbor – Greenport
We will depart TYC on the Solstice, Friday June 20th and sail via Plum Gut to Shelter Island Yacht Club. We will be at SIYC Friday and Saturday night and are welcome to dine at the club. Please review the SIYC website for dress code restrictions and plan accordingly if you would like to dine at the restaurant. It is a 10 minute walk from SIYC to the Greenport ferry. Spend Saturday visiting the shops, the Camera Obscura, or the carousel at Mitchell Park for some great people watching and ice cream. Or take an Uber out to one of the wineries or cider mills. Whatever you decide to do, Shelter Island and Greenport are always fun destinations!
Shelter Island Yacht Club is not on Dockwa. You must contact Fleet Captain Marsha Couture if you plan to join us at SIYC so I can make arrangements with their staff.
We will set sail on Sunday June 22 for Coecles Harbor, planning our departure to arrive at the harbor entrance at High Tide. Once there, you are in for a treat! Coecles is a beautiful, quiet, protected harbor with a designated anchorage area. This is a wonderful place to chill out, read a book, or take a nap. For those who need a little more action, it is possible to rent an EV from Coecles Harbor Marina to tour Shelter Island, or you can purchase a day pass and hang out at their pool. If you feel really ambitious, you can taxi or Uber to the ferry to enjoy another day in Greenport. Nature lovers may want to take a dinghy ride around the harbor to look for the marine life and shore birds.
Coecles Harbor Marine Water Trail: https://www.taylorsisland.org/documents/20060500Trail.pdf
On Sunday or Monday night (weather permitting) we will have a potluck picnic on Taylor Island. Sadly, boaters can only anchor two nights in a row at Coecles, so we will take our leave at high tide on Tuesday to continue on to Block Island.
BLOCK ISLAND. NEED I SAY MORE?
We will arrive on Tuesday, June 24 and return to TYC on Friday, June 27. Those who plan to participate in the Cal Brouwer race will be home in time.
If you plan to attend this cruise, please email me at Cruising@thamesyc.org so that I can be sure you have a reservation at Shelter Island Yacht Club and send you any additional details or changes.
INTRODUCTION TO CRUISING CRUISE – JULY 25 THRU JULY 27
Stonington and Fisher’s Island
This cruise is an opportunity for those who are new to sailing, new to cruising, or who simply don’t have time for a longer cruise to get away close to home and to get a feel for a TYC Fleet Cruise.
We will depart TYC on Friday, July 25th for the short sail to Stonington, planning to arrive about noon. At Stonington, you have your choice of Stonington Yacht Club (available on Dockwa, check in at 11:30 am) or Dodsons. However please note that Dodson’s website states that there are limited transient facilities this year, which are available on a first come first serve basis the day of arrival… You may be better off reserving at SYC on Dockwa.
We can spend the afternoon exploring this iconic Connecticut shoreline town and then dine at one of their fine restaurants or onboard. Your choice.
On Saturday we will sail over to Fisher’s Island/Flat Hammock. At Flat Hammock we will drop anchor and go to the beach, enjoy a snack, or look for sea glass or shells… you never know what you may find in the surf at Flat Hammock! After sun and sand, we will hop over to the anchorage at West Harbor to settle in for the evening. There are no restaurants on Fisher’s so plan accordingly!
No TYC cruise is complete without a group get-together of some sort, so we will do that on Saturday night. Perhaps we’ll have a dinghy party if seas are calm.
On Sunday, you can dinghy over to visit Fisher’s Island and check out their excellent museum, ice cream parlor, and gift shop, or feel free to head off for a day sail.
If you plan to attend this cruise, please email me at cruising@thamesyc.org so I can have a headcount, boat names, and ensure everyone makes it safely to the destination. Please don’t hesitate to contact me regarding this cruise or any upcoming cruises if you have any questions.
BUZZARDS BAY & CAPE COD LONG DISTANCE CRUISE
September 9 – September 28
Last year we explored the North Shore of Long Island with visits to Port Jefferson, Northport, Oyster Bay and Huntington.
This year, we sail east to explore Cape Cod and the north shore of Buzzards Bay, setting a new record for nautical miles traveled on a TYC Fleet Cruise!
Not everyone will be able to go away for such a long period of time, so this cruise is planned in two parts to try to give everyone a chance to enjoy the sites without the crowds in September. See https://bsccruisingguide.com/ for links to more detailed information on the destinations currently included in this cruise.
We will depart TYC on Tuesday, Sept 9. This will give cruisers who also participate in the Commodore’s Trophy Race on Sunday Sept 7 a little recovery time. We will spend two nights at Block (Sept 9 & 10) and some of you may see the Great Salt Pond without the crowds for the first time.
From Block, we will sail to Cuttyhunk to spend one night on Thursday, Sept 11. (approx 26 NM) There is not much to do at Cutty, but it is a lovely spot and a convenient waypoint to Quisset Harbor. At this time of year we want to be sure to arrive at our destinations before dark, so the cruise is planned to avoid overly long sails whenever possible. Cutty to Quisset is approx 15 NM)
We will stay at Quisset three nights. (Sept 12, 13 & 14). While Quisset itself is quiet, there is a lot to do with that as a base. It is convenient to Woods Hole and the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard. It is also happens to be convenient to the Cape Cod Canal entrance. Upon leaving Quisset, some cruisers may head back to TYC after fun on the Vineyard and Wood’s Hole while the rest of us head up to Cape Cod Bay via the canal.
We will depart Quisset to catch the tide going east through the canal at midafternoon on Monday, Sept 15 and spend the night at Sandwich Marina (available on Dockwa). Pump out, fuel and laundry are available here. Quisset to the canal entrance is approximately 5 NM.
From Sandwich, we will sail up to Provincetown (22 NM) on Tuesday, Sept 16. Provincetown will be our base for a Cape Cod vacation without the summertime crowds. The Flex bus/shuttle operates between Provincetown and towns along the cape, so we can visit all the sites. You can also head out for a whale watch from Provincetown. I have 4 nights planned for Provincetown and am looking for input from those who will be participating.
Possible itinerary for Provincetown?:
Arrive early Midday on Tuesday. Wander, take care of chores/ Stop and Shop/ Laundry etc.
Wednesday Sept 17: Explore Ptown
Thursday Sept 18: Whale Watch
Friday Sept 19: Bus to other Cape locations (Turo lighthouse, Marconi beach etc.)
On Saturday, September 20, we will begin our trip westward by sailing from Provincetown to Scituate. (29 NM). Reserve a mooring at TPG Scituate Harbor (available on Dockwa) Sept 20 and 21.
We will return to Sandwich on Monday Sept 22 and overnight again at Sandwich Marina (reserve on Dockwa) to await the tide for the return trip through the canal. (Scituate to Sandwich is 29 NM)
On Tuesday Sept 23, we will leave Sandwich about 12:30pm for the 20 mile trip to Beverly Yacht Club in Sippican Harbor. (reserve on Dockwa). Stay at BYC Sept 23 and Sept 24.
On Thursday, Sept 25th we will sail approximately 30NM from Beverly Yacht Club to Jamestown/Newport. Safe Harbor Jamestown and TPG Conanicut are available on Dockwa. Jamestown Boat Yard is a bit more protected, but TPG is closer to the ferry to Newport and downtown Jamestown.
Sail home to New London on Saturday Sept 27, or break up the trip with another stopover in Block for those who choose to do so.
Please email Fleet Captain Marsha Couture if you plan to attend this cruise, if you have questions or any input about the destinations! I have not been to these locations by water so if you have local knowledge about a particular destination that you think would be helpful to your fellow TYC members, please let me know! Thank you.
Connecticut River Cruise
This cruise is always held during Columbus Day weekend and marks the end of the season as many TYC members go up the Connecticut river for winter storage. On prior trips, whales have been spotted in Long Island Sound, and eagles soar along the river. This is a pleasant long weekend with your TYC friends as many like to break up the trip overnight in Essex for a little pre-holiday shopping and a delicious meal at one of Essex’s well known restaurants.
If you plan to attend this cruise, please let me know if you would like to stay overnight in Essex so I can get a ballpark number for a group dinner reservation. Many TYC members have changed their winter storage location to Haddam recently, and therefore may not wish to stay overnight in Essex. Please contact me at cruising@thamesyc.org
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SEE BELOW FOR INFORMATION REGARDING OTHER YACHT CLUBS IF YOU PLAN TO BE OUT OF THE AREA
Yachting Club of America – THE 2024 YACHTING CLUB OF AMERICA CARDS ARE NOW AVAILABLE.
How to use YCA Website – The YCA website is pretty old school and not pretty to look at, but it is functional. First enter the website www.ycaol.com. Check out the Member Directory for our username and password.
If planning a cruise or road trip look in the “Geographical Index” section to see if there are clubs in the town or city you are visiting. The index section will list the clubs in that location. Go back to the page showing the booklet and click on “YCA Registered Yacht & Sailing Clubs.” This will give you access to the pages of the guide. It may take a few tries to find the page for the club you are seeking. When you find the club you are looking for the guide lists mailing and location addresses. It also list if the club has a clubhouse, if the club has reciprocity, courtesy dockage and if the club has a restaurant and/or lounge. Please note if the club listed is blue and underscored you can click on it or right click and open in a new window the club’s website for more information.
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