DESTINATION: THE OYSTER BAY OYSTER FESTIVAL; Part Two

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On the Friday before the Oyster Bay Oyster Festival was to begin I had a day to wander around Oyster Bay. After doing the laundry I spent the day meandering. Beside Oysters one thing becomes clear this is Teddy Roosevelt's town:

His name and image are everywhere and rightly so being as Oyster Bay was the place where he settled down. His home Sagamore Hill is part of the National Park system which was one of the things he created while he was President. I did not go visit the site not because it was closed because of the Government shutdown. I am saving that for another cruise sometime in the future. I read the biography of Roosevelt called Theodore Rex  by Edmund Morris and he was a fascinating individual who did some amazing things in his lifetime. My girlfriend has also recommended I read The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey about Roosevelt's exploration of that river. I plan to read it before I return to visit Sagamore Hill sometime in the future. In the meantime I'm content sit and enjoy the harborside park named in his honor in all it's autumnal beauty:

There are still many buildings to admire in Oyster  Bay that were built when Roosevelt was still living here. Like this former drugstore:

Then there are some specialty shops springing up. Like 20th Century Cycles a motorcycle shop owned by Billy Joel:

Which has some beautiful vintage looking motorcycles on display:

After wandering around most of the day around five o'clock  I started to head head back toward the marina but, sat for a while and watched one of the first booth's being set up for the next day's Oyster Festival with many more to come:

I also passed some of the all important portable toilets that would have to handle the needs of the crowd that will be filling the streets:

So it looked like things were all in place for the Oyster Festival and I was looking to returning to these same streets in the morning to partake of the festivities. In the meantime I headed back to the BIANKA and got there in time to enjoy a beautiful full Harvest Moon rising over the harbor:

And as if that wasn't enough to enjoy that evening the Tall Ship MYSTIC worked it's way through the channel to a dock on the western side of the harbor to be part Oyster Festival event:

Then to top things off the retired New York City Fireboat John J. Harvey entered Oyster Bay a little bit later entering the channel with it's rear deck lights on and pumping a just a fraction of it's capabilities:

What an impressive show one that many on land probably missed. I felt lucky to be among the few to enjoy the show. More on the John J. Harvey in a future post on the Oyster Festival. After the entertaining evening harbor show it was time to head to bed and get ready for the Oyster Festival that would begin in the morning.
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For part three of the Oyster Bay Oyster Festival click here.

For part one of the Oyster Bay Oyster Festival click here.

DESTINATION: THE OYSTER BAY OYSTER FESTIVAL; Part One

The reason for my Columbus Day voyage was to have one last cruise for the season and attend the 30th annual Oyster Bay Oyster festival. It was an event I wanted to attend for years but, for one reason or another never got to. So this year I made it a priority. I don't think I ever ate a raw Oyster though I have had it cooked in fried Oyster Po Boy sandwiches and in Oyster Stew. So I was gearing up to definitely try some as the Oysters for this event come fresh  right of the local Oyster Bay waters. To add to the adventure I downloaded the book The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell by Mark Kurlansky and started reading it a few weeks before heading to the event.

I arrived in Oyster Bay on the Monday before the weekend festival. Electro sailing past the markers that staked out the areas of  the Oyster beds worked by a commercial Oyster harvesting company:

 I also cruised  passed houses of some of the rich and famous on Centre Island like Billy Joel's:

 After I motored past  the moored boats in the harbor and anchored over on the other side of Centre Island in an area called West Harbor. I was alone in the anchorage and spent several days enjoying the beautiful autumn foliage around some of the houses on the shore:

The only other people I saw were the Bayman who were out early on their work boats scratching the bottom of the harbor with rakes digging for Mussels and Clams.

Some no doubt would be offered on the following weekend at the Oyster Festival. I had reserved a mooring at the Oyster Bay Marine Center for the weekend of the festival so I would have the convenience of a launch service and be closer to the festival. The weather called for some gusty winds starting late Thursday. So I decided to get on the mooring a few days earlier than planned  in order to not try be raising the anchor in the gusty winds by myself. Plus it would give me a chance to explore the town before the crowds of festival goers arrived.

 CLICK HERE FOR DESTINATION OYSTER BAY OYSTER FESTIVAL PART TWO