Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Fort Rachel Marina and the American Dream

Is This Your American Dream?

Owning a boat means, every spring, you scrape the hull, give it two coats of marine paint, and then a coat of wax (ideally two). For some people, it's an American Dream come true. Here at the Fort Rachel Marina in Mystic, CT, the scraping and sanding is accompanied by the toot of Amtrak trains that barrel through on their way from Washington, DC, to Boston.


The tracks on the right lead to a bridge with a square bridgehouse on top (center). The bridgekeeper will turn the length of track that his house is sitting on closed, to connect the tracks, a few minutes before the train goes through. Then he turns the bridge open (the position the bridge is in now) so boats can motor through.

Take a break from scraping and sanding your hull at this picnic table, a few feet from the Amtrak tracks.


A lovely Boston Whaler.

The curve of the hull of Rally Point, a sailboat.

A shot of the keel, propeller (center), and rudder of the Rally Point. 

A rack of masts waiting to be stepped on their boats.


A sweet skiff. It's for sale! It does not come with a tree sprouting out of it.


Boatowners take one of these wheelbarrows to their car, unload provisions and weatherproof jackets into it, and wheel it down the pier to their boat.


A boat that reminds me of many happy (and sometimes terrifying) hours knocking around on the water.







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