A new regional affiliate group, the West Long Island Sound Nonsuch Association, is being started.
Its geographical range dovetails with the East Long Island Sound Nonsuch Association in seeking participation from those located in or cruising to Port Jefferson, and extends west, north and south to NY Harbor ( including Long Island and Connecticut shorelines) and its entrances.
Initial plans include organizing informal raft-ups in various harbors that encompass the Western Sound and possible monthly workshops in the winter.
If interested in participating, send email to Gary Forster GPF_200@yahoo.com.
Hi Bob,
I have my Nonsuch in I guess what would be EASTERN Long Island sound ,although it may be Central Long Island sound on the Connecticut shore. Near the Connecticut River is the a group there? I thought it was Mark Ellis in Essex Ct.
I’m on the opposite coast in Los Angeles, so I’m not the local expert. However, it looks like Pt Jefferson, Long Island is roughly due south of Bridgeport, CT, about 45 miles west of you.
Mark Ellis, our boats’ designer, does business out of Essex, Connecticut, but is not the point of contact for any of the regional associations.
You fall squarely in the region from which the East Long Island Nonsuch Association draws membership. That group’s led by Travis and Donna Epes.
If you cruise toward Bridgeport and points west, or simply want to get to know Nonsuchers west of there, that’s where West Long Island Nonsuch and Gary Forster come in.
There are no restrictions on how many local associations a Nonsucher may join, so nothing stops anyone from joining both if they so desire.
The Eastern Long Island Sound Nonsuch Association membership comprises boats at least as far west as Branford.
Our gatherings are two times a year in conjunction with the Off Soundings Club Spring and Fall Series.
The 2024 Spring series was sailed last weekend. The schedule called for a Friday 10:00 AM start east of Watch Hill Passage with a race to outside the Great Salt Pond on Block Island. Saturday’s race was a start outside the Great Salt Pond, and racing around Block Island counterclockwise, finishing in the vicinity of the start.
The Nonsuchers had a group dinner at Dead Eye Dick’s on Friday night.
The 2024 Off Soundings Fall Series starts on Friday September 13. The race is typically from New London to Gardiner’s Bay. Saturday’s race is within Gardiner’s Bay.
Friday evening we will have a group dinner at a Greenport restaurant.
The are many PHRF boats from the Duck Island Yacht Club in Westbrook who participate in the Off Soundings Club series. We have one Nonsuch 33 from Branford who regularly participates.
Ward,
Thanks for the invitation, it shows the camaraderie of our boats for sure. I am just feeling my way thru this new adventure with what I, We have decided to peruse. I’m still trying to figure out how to get out of the boatyard without bumping into something. My whole heart is looking forward to catching the wind and following it. I have heard that when more than one sailboat is going in the same direction it’s a race. Look forward to seeing you out in the wind.
Brian
This is a great idea ! I’ve sent and email to Gary.
We’re loving out first season with Soave.
Lots of good locations for raft-ups on both CT and NY shores.
Cockenoe Island is near our club ( Cedar Point ) is a nice spot.
We usually head East toward Bridgeport for daysails… one of these days we’ll go west to looks spots convenient for boats coming from the “far east” like Oyster Bay.
I’d love to also participate in the Off-Soundings NonSuch races… but it’s kinda far till we gain confidence ( both in ourselves and Soave ). We brought Soave east from West Brook in the spring. With a favorable tide it took about 6 hours.
I could probably convince our club to add a start for NonSuch boats on a few Sundays this summer if there is any interest in practicing some basic racing skills. We could bill it as a inter-club casual racing event and maybe get a break on dock fees. Regular rate is $4/ft.
We have not raced Soave, on daysails we’ve paced with other boats and enjoyed experimenting with trim. Lots of fun !
Looking forward to meeting some other NS owners !
Linda & Rob Cohen
s/v SOAVE
NS33 #009
Westport, CT