Good news – Hurricane Arthur is a non-event in our neck of
the woods. Anchored in a bay off
Narragansett Sound, about 25 miles from the ocean, we see at best 20 knots of
wind, but that is augmented by torrential rain.
The next morning we pull anchor and head back to Newport. It is July 5th and
fortunately for us, the Newport
fireworks display has been postponed until tonight. We score an optimal anchoring spot as many of
the other anchored boats have left the harbor in anticipation of Arthur and
have not yet returned. All day we watch
the boat traffic come and go – mega yachts, small sailing dinghies, and
everything in between. The boating scene in Newport is one of contrasts. We see a fleet of 12 meter yachts with their
pedigree in America’s
Cup Racing. We see restored classic
yachts that can be traced back to the Golden Age of Sail.
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| A classic yawl sails past a large sailing yacht at anchor. |
And, when poking in the Newport Shipyard, we
discover Spindrift, a very exotic 90 foot long trimaran. Its French crew speaks very little
English, but we come to understand the boat is awaiting the right conditions to
make an attempt on a Trans-Atlantic speed record. They hope to make the passage from New York City to the coast of France in something like three
days. It baffles the mind, but upon further inspection, we realize this is a
boat that has been designed for this purpose alone. Its skinny hull and amas
will slice through the water; its foiling daggerboard in only the port ama,
will keep most of the boat’s surface out of the water. The downside is that it will obtain maximum
speed only on starboard tack. No wonder they are being so specific about
weather conditions.
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| Spindrift, one speedy sailboat, at Newport Shipyard |
Besides ogling
boats, we enjoy biking around the town and along spectacular Ocean Drive with its rocky shoreline and
mansions perched on the bluffs.
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| A scene along Ocean Drive |
We could spend weeks in Newport, but other lovely destinations
beckon. We have an outstanding sail through Vineyard Sound to Edgartown on the
east end of Martha’s Vineyard. We anchor in
the outer harbor amidst large sailboats and a number of mega-yachts. This is the week of the Edgartown Yacht
Club’s annual regatta, and the area is dotted with race courses for a variety
of fleets, including junior sailors in Optimist dinghies as far as the eye can
see.
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| One of several fleets of Optimist Dinghies along the shore of Chappaquiddick Island |
We love Edgartown with its many restored houses overlooking the
harbor. It is the height of summer
gardens, and the classic styled white homes make a perfect backdrop for the
colorful flowers.
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| When you live on a boat, you really treasure beautiful gardens |
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| The view over the inner harbor at Edgartown |
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| A placid sunset at the outer harbor with a Herreshoff 12 1/2 at anchor. |
While anchored in Edgartown, we take an opportunity to
explore nearby Chappaquiddick
Island. If you aren’t equipped with a handy dinghy,
you must take the “On Time Ferry” from Edgartown over to the island, a distance
of several hundred yards. The ferry gets its name as it is always on time since
it has no schedule. We land our dinghy
on a beach by the ferry, unload our bikes, and take off down the few paved and
rarely driven roads. In contrast to busy
Edgartown, Chappaquiddick is downright peaceful. There are a few farms along the way, sandy
side streets lead to what are probably lovely waterfront homes, and plenty of
conservancy land remains undeveloped.
Somehow we find ourselves at the Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge. At the
entrance is an attractive Japanese
Garden that was donated
to the refuge, but further out the road, the landscape becomes barren. Bikes
are not the recommended way to explore the area, so the next day we return to
take a tour in a vehicle designed for negotiating the beaches and roads of
sand. Our guide talks about the
geological forces that have formed this large scale sand spit, and the forces
that are continually eroding the landscape.
Salt ponds and barrier beaches form the perimeter while the interior is
dotted with fresh water ponds and dunes.
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| Interior pond at Chappaquiddick Island |
Unusual birds abound – we see our first Night Heron and Oystercatcher. At
the northern tip of the island we come to a lighthouse that is repositioned
further inland about every thirty years, due to the erosion of the shoreline.
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| The Cape Poge lighthouse |
Fortunately, the builders of this lighthouse
constructed it from wood, making the moving process a bit easier. We enter the
interior of the building to find it beautifully finished, with a simple but
elegant circular staircase.
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| The graceful staircase inside the lighthouse |
The view
from the top is spectacular. Now, if the name Chappaquiddick Island
rings familiar, it is because it was here that Ted Kennedy had his unfortunate
accident. It is still a topic of interest to outsiders, but the locals seem
reluctant to talk of it. On our tour, we
are accompanied by three women who have lived on the island for many
years. We don’t bring up the subject of
the accident which actually happened here on Cape Poge,
but by the end of the tour, one of the women mentions that she is plagued by
bicycle tours which stop in front of her home.
Why? Because she now lives in the
house where the party Ted attended was held, and curiosity seekers want to see
all the locales involved in the tragedy.
We take an eight mile bicycle trip north from Edgartown,
along a scenic beachside bicycle path, to the town of Oak Bluffs. If everything in Edgartown seems
pristine white, Oak Bluff is a kaleidoscope of color. In the 1860’s the town became the site of a
Methodist revival camp. People would
travel here from all over the country for several weeks of revival meetings.
Housing originally was in simple platform tents that encircled the large
revival tent. But, as more people came,
the accommodations became more extensive.
First, the large tent was replaced by a steel tabernacle that replicated
the tent.
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| The Tabernacle,a large open air church |
Then the individual platform
tents traded canvas sides for tongue and groove wooden walls. Next the canvas
roofs were replaced with steep pitched permanents roofs. Finally, porches and
gingerbread woodwork were added to adorn these simple cottages. Now, some of the smaller cottages still hark
back to their roots while others have added many additional wings.
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| These smaller cottages still have a resemblance to the original canvas tents |
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| Add a few extra gables and porches and you have a fine example of Carpenter Gothic architecture |
It seems
like a contest to see who can come up with the most elaborate gingerbread trim
and most unusual color combinations.
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| Just one of the over 300 distinctive cottages in the Methodist Camp |
Today the camp functions as a non-denominational
Christian community with religious services and studies held in the tabernacle
along with concerts and speakers on more secular issues.
We could easily spend more time at Martha’s Vineyard, but we
have friends who want us to come visit them at Block
Island. The strong
southwest winds that have been plaguing us since the hurricane passed will make
this an unpleasant passage. Fortunately,
one day the winds swing to the south, and we take off at first light for a 70
mile sail to Block Island. We need all the daylight we can find, so we
ignore the adverse currents that will be flowing in the channel between
Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. Be advised, a
four knot opposing current can really slow you down! Once we get into the open ocean things
improve, and we have a pleasant trip, approaching Block
Island’s spectacular bluffs from the south.
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| The south bluffs on Block Island with the lighthouse and stairs down to the beach in the distance |
The harbor becomes a very social place. We
shared dinners, happy hours, and excursions on the island with our friends and
fellow cruisers on five other boats.
Like so many other places, Block Island
is a place of contrasts. Huge ferries
bring in hoards of tourists, and the harbor can accommodate hundreds of boats
on moorings and at anchor.
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| When the sun finally comes out, the beach at Block can get pretty busy |
The downtown
area is wall to wall people. Yet, bike into the surrounding countryside and you
will find rock wall rimmed farms, reminiscent of the English country side, and
lonely wind swept bluffs overlooking the expansive ocean.
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| A rural scene in the interior of block Island |
And, even with all
the overflowing humanity, sunset at anchor can truly be a peaceful experience.
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| Sunset at Salt Pond, Block Island |
We’ve been cruising this area for about two weeks, but now
the refrigerator is getting empty and the laundry is beginning to
overflow. So, back we sail to Newport to take care of
all the necessities. We also rendezvous with our son and daughter-in-law, Bryan
and Beth, for a gourmet dinner out on the town.
You see, in a bit less than a month, their first child will be born and
evenings out like this will be few and far between. We plan to leave for the
passage to Maine, cruise those waters for
about a month, and then return to Rhode
Island to greet our newest grandchild. Yes, life is good!
