Welcomed Laura Sminkey and her family aboard today. The Sminkeys were back in the States from their home in France to celebrate Laura’s parents’ 50th anniversary. They decided that a brief outing on the water for all would be an excellent way to honor that milestone, and sure enough it was—we even managed to sneak in hooking up to a harbor bluefish, much to the delight of the Sminkey’s young daughter who was on the rod. Enjoy the rest of your stay, folks, and we hope to see you all back at the docks for the 60th jubilee!
Big weekend coming up, with OpSail gracing our coast and a terrific fireworks display in New London harbor this Saturday evening–not to mention a great stretch of weather for the next several days. Call us today, and let's get out there while the gettin' is (this) good!
Lots going on in the area right now! The Wooden Boat Show at the Mystic Seaport this weekend, the America’s Cup teams in Newport, the area waterfront restaurants are in full swing and fine weather is finally starting to settle in; there’s no better time to get a taste of all this summertime flavor than right now! Call us today, mention this post, and receive a 5% discount!
We‘re having company! Returning customer Casey Carle and his wife will be the first guine--, I mean, the first guests aboard what we‘re now lightly referring to as “Hard Tail Key”. The Carles were excited to learn about our Boat Camping option, and booked an overnight stay at our new mooring for July 10th as part of their anniversary celebration. That should give me enough time to polish and scrub the old girl prior to their arrival! June 8, 2012: Our first charter of the season, a return engagement of Mr. Donn Dolce and group for their annual golf outing on Fishers Island. While not a picture-perfect day, it seemed to be quite amenable to golf, or so the boys said. The trips over and back were very smooth, with fair winds and carrying tides in each direction. A great start to the season. Thanks, Donn!
It would appear that keeping the site updated is a chore we were willing to let slide. Well, no more slacking off, especially not now, at the end of this very fine season. September’s weather added some considerable sand to the grease of commerce, the very iffy forecasts scuttling several planned trips. But if one last sweet weekend can make up for those lost days, this one looks to be the one—classic Indian Summer weather, clear through (pun intended) to Monday’s holiday. The Marcia Mongelluzzo party of six was wise to this fact, hopping aboard this evening to enjoy a spectacular Fall sunset cruise and birthday celebration. Thanks, Marcia!
We’re back up and running! Hosted David Spira and his elegant wife, Shirleyan, who were celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary today. A run down to the Noank Shipyard to welcome the happy couple on-board, then a scoot back up to Watch Hill, where they planned to toast each others’ good sense in choosing a spouse during a memorable dinner at the Ocean House. And the weather? Perfect!
Whew! We feel very fortunate to have ducked that haymaker Irene had aimed right at our chins. Our best hopes for speedy repair and recovery to those locales further west that weren't so fortunate. The sheer magnitude of nature’s forces are incredible to behold, aren’t they?
Welcomed Wendy Brown, esteemed president of the Watch Hill Merchants Association, on-board today, accompanied by her visiting sister, niece and daughter-in-law. Bit of a puff out there, but the sun was bright and the temperatures balmy. A tour of Watch Hill and Stonington harbors played scenic backdrop to the ladies’ conversation and catching-up. Nice day!
A semi-custom ferry trip to Fishers Island for Bill Sloneker, who kicked some serious butt (putt?) on the the Fishers Island Club links, followed later in the afternoon by the Sloan family of six, whooping it up in the spray out in front of Watch Hill light. Busy day!
Hollywood apparently is headed for Stonington at the end of September; see the Stonington-Mystic Patch report! We'd welcome aboard all celeb-hounds and would-be paparazzi, or for that matter, anyone simply trying to catch a glimpse of the "Action!"
Something different for Hard Tail Charters later today: A memorial laying of the wreath and scattering of the ashes on the seas, to mark the passing of Eugene Berkley, 88, a true waterman who knew, loved and appreciated our local waters. From what his family shared, Eugene would have greatly appreciated being on the reefsin front of Watch Hill light once again on a fine summer afternoon. We were honored to be part of the ceremonies.
Welcomed Anna Claros and her husband at the docks this morning. They were hoping to celebrate their third anniversary on the water, but the weather wasn't looking promising: dense fog and uncomfortably high temps. But wouldn't you know, within twenty minutes, the fog dissipated, the skies lifted, and the happy couple was treated to a fine summer morning—perfect for that champagne toast to their happiness!
The Debra Daniel party of three finally made it aboard today, on what has to be considered one of those post card, picture-perfect summer days: A light breeze out of the sou'west, air temperatures in the mid-80s, and gentle seas parting way without protest as we motored along. As one of her party exclaimed at the end of the outing, “An hour and a half has never passed so quickly or enjoyably!” Our sentiments exactly…
We hosted our first repeat customers today! The multi-generational, far-flung Al Gates family, ensconced for the weekend at the Shelter Harbor Inn, boarded in two groups of six, each enjoying an hour-long afternoon cruise covering the local waters. The sun wasn't too cooperative, but after the blistering week of heat we just endured, its absence was something of a welcome relief. Thanks again for choosing Hard Tail Charters, Mr. Gates, and we do hope to see y’all ambling down the docks again next season!
Had to make a judgment call today, postponing the Debra Daniel party because of a very unpromising forecast of strong thunderstorms this afternoon. We always hope to avoid canceling, but as the old saying goes, you can't go boating by the calendar. And it’s always better to err on the side of caution—it can whip up pretty nasty out there in short order when a summer squall moves in. Debra, we do invite you back at your earliest convenience, and thanks for understanding!
Back up and running this weekend! Hosted the Casey Carle party of four, two terrific couples each celebrating their anniversaries. Cobbled up a semi-custom trip that allowed the group to enjoy an hour on the water before stepping off in Stonington Borough to enjoy a leisurely and tasty lunch at the Dog Watch, a lively bistro situated at Dodson’s Boat Yard. A few hours later we collected the group and motored back to the docks. Happy Anniversary, folks, and we hope to see you all again soon!
At present, we’re conducting a little maintenance on the old girl; hopeto be making turns again by the weekend! Please call to inquire.
Today saw the Carol and Arthur Lathrop party of 6 enjoy a spectacular summer afternoon cruise up the Pawcatuck River, then back down through Watch Hill harbor before disembarking in Stonington for dinner at Skipper’s Dock and transportation home. A fun and appreciative crew--exactly the kind of guests we welcome having aboard!
The ongoing Whofish promotion (www.whofish.com) is really taking off! Many inquiring calls and decent sales so far, with three charters and possibly a fourth for, well, the weekend of the 4th, of course! We’re very much looking forward to hosting the Lathrop, Daniel and Ruth parties. C'mon, Weather, baby needs no shoes!
Another opportunity to take advantage of a terrific summer special with Hard Tail Charters, courtesy of Whofish! Grab three friends and two six-packs and thenhead on down. Makes for a great summer afternoon! Just go to www.whofish.com andscroll the sidebar. See you at the docks!
Enjoyed a nice afternoon on the water with Suzanne Reed, founderof Spa Mosaic in South Kingston, RI, and her good friend Jeff, marine electronics expert extraordinaire. The sun did its level best for a few hours to convince us that summer was here to stay, but eventually proved too weak to defend itself against a roiling thick fog that obscured both it and the remainder of an otherwise fine late afternoon (though of course, once we tied off at the docks the fog then lifted almost as quickly as it had appeared!). But despite the intrusion, both Suzanne and Jeff assured us that it had been a great afternoon. Thanks for coming down, you guys!
Today is World Ocean Day! To celebrate, we’re offering 10% off any trip booked in the next week. (We’ve always thought that every holiday should last longer than one measly day…) Come on down and see why they gave the sea it’s very own day of honor!
Many terrific area events are coming up—check them out via our Links page, then make plans to head on down. It would be great if you could set aside a little time to get out on the water with Hard Tail Charters!
Our first charter of the season! The Scot Bane party of five, from Stonington, CT, enjoyed a leisurely passage from the Stonington Yacht Club over to Watch Hill, where they treated themselves to a late-afternoon lunch at the grand yellow lady on the hill, The Ocean House. The weather, near-socked-in foggy at the start of the excursion, had cleared out enough by 5p to afford the group a fine, warm, late afternoon cruise back to their home port. Thanks again, Scot, for choosing Hard Tail Charters, and hope to see you all again soon!
We're officially afloat! Spent the past few days hauling all the odds n’ends that come off the boat in November—tools, housewares, books and charts, lines, fenders, spare parts, and very etc.—down to the yard and back on board, to be squirreled and stuffed into their assigned nooks and cubbies. We also solved a minor and mildly aggravating mechanical puzzle while the HT fidgeted impatiently in her slip. Next up isthe first real shake down cruise, just as soon as the weather brightens a bit (speaking of the weather, c’mon, cooperate, willya??). Story short: We're t-h-i-s close to ready!
Today's the day--we’re getting splashed! See y’all on the water!
Will it ever warm up enough to redeem what’s left of Spring? Doing what we can to hasten thoughts and anticipation of hazy, lazy sunny afternoons on the water, please check out: https://tippr.com/offer/hard-tail-charters, our new promotion via Tippr! Any trip purchased is redeemable at any time, right through to the end of the season—or until your tolerance for cooler weather maxes out, which ever comes first! (This offer is valid only until midnight, May 19th. Such a deal! Only one day left to take advantage of it!)
Let's face it, the economy is still quite rocky for most of us, which these days makes indulging in leisure pursuits a guilty pleasure—with most of the emphasis on guilt and too little left over for pleasure. On the other hand, we feel that spending time onthe water is not only fun and relaxing, but it’s also good—perhaps even necessary—for the soul. That’s why we're pleased to offer our new, more affordable rates this season (see our Rates & Policies page for further details). We hope this will make it a little easier for you and your family and friends to come enjoy a charter with us this season, while also helping to return the emphasis back where it belongs, on pleasure!