0500 hours

Current Position: Docked at King Marine in Verplanck, NY.
Latitude: 41˚ 15.2' N
Longitude: 073˚ 58.0' W

Just a short log entry today — and epilogue to the EpiLog, if you will.

0630 hours

Once again, the crew rises long before sunrise to meet the slack tide. Our mission today is to move the Half Moon inside the dock at King Marine. In this protected berth, it will spend the winter in safety, just as it's done for over a decade.

0800 hours

The process is complex, requiring many hands both on board and on the dock. The seasonably pleasant weather we enjoyed during the transit voyage has run out; today, our stalwart crew is bundled up against a cold morning and misty rain that's predicted to last into tomorrow.

By using the engine and transferring the dock lines from one piling to the next, we "walk" the ship down the dock, around the entrance, and into the protected cove.

0815 hours

We're also taking our time in order to use the Half Moon itself to push out the silt deposits that continously build up at the dock's entrance over the course of the year.

1100 hours

After hours of careful pacing, however, we catch the ebb tide and use it to help guide the Half Moon along the inside of the dock to its winter berth.

Mouse over to walk the ship.

Just a few more pilings to go!

This sturdy dock protects the Half Moon from any ice floes that may float downriver over the course of the winter. Once the ship reaches the corner of the dock, we secure the dock lines for the season.

The Half Moon is snug in its winter bed.

1130 hours

There's much more to do to completely winterize the ship, but with it inside the dock, we can now afford to tackle those tasks at our own pace. For the current crew, the voyage is over, and we award all of our new sailors with their official orange crew shirts. Mouse over their portraits on the Crew page to see them receive "the orange!"

We pause the shirt ceremony momentarily when Diane Carey announces that a new baby girl has just been born into her family. Congratulations!

1145 hours

And with that, both our voyage home from Connecticut and the Half Moon's 21st year of operation come to a close. From here, the crew will gradually filter out and return to their homes, be they in New York, Connecticut, Germany, or the Netherlands.

The Half Moon will remain here at King Marine until the start of the 2011 operational season. Come join us then!

Lastly, thanks and congratulations are due to our crew, as well as to everyone who lent a hand on ship or shore throughout the year.