As beguiling as Newport
is, we are heading out to explore some surrounding destinations. First stop is Block
Island. We have been here
before via the ferry, but this is our initial experience bringing our boat
through the narrow channel into Salt Pond, the major harbor and anchorage for Block Island. It
seems full to us although locals say this is nothing compared to a holiday
weekend. We find a little acreage to
drop our anchor and settle in for several days.
We are surprised to discover some friends we made last fall on the way
south tied to a mooring and make plans to have them over for Happy Hour in
order to exchange stories of our winter adventures. We also transport our folding bikes to shore
for some touring. Block
Island great biking if you don’t mind steep hills. They’re not a favorite here, but the
countryside and vistas are worth the pain.
Towards the north of the island, sand beaches, inland ponds, and rolling
hills lead to a lighthouse on a spur of beach.
 |
| The view north towards the Rhode Island mainland |
Inland, rock walls, sloping pasture land, cedar shingled homes, and more
ponds dominate a landscape that is reminiscent of rural southern England. And,
at the south end of the island sheer cliffs sprout another lighthouse.
 |
| Southern coast of Block Island facing out on to the Atlantic |
Our son
Bryan and his fiancée, Beth, join us for the sail back to the mainland. We have a decent breeze, something that has
been lacking lately, and we make our way back to Point Judith via a detour
almost to the eastern reaches of Long Island.
The next day we take off for the Elizabeth
Islands, a chain which separates Buzzards Bay from Vineyard Sound. Composed of five main islands, only one,
Cuddyhunk, is readily accessible to the general public. The remainder are owned or controlled by the
Forbes family and have been put into a land trust to ensure they are never
developed. And, little Cuddyhunk isn’t
exactly a beehive of activity either. We head into the small harbor in a dense
fog for which the area is famous. As the
fog lifts, we find ourselves in tight quarters in one of the most compact mooring
fields we have ever seen. Geometry would
say that we should be swinging into our neighbors as the light breezes shift,
but miraculously we never touch through a somewhat sleepless night. A hike to the peak of the island reveals a vista
with Martha’s Vineyard to the south and the
island chain, dappled with wind blown green pasture land and sandy perimeters,
trailing off to the northeast.
 |
| We're down there somewhere |
At the point where the Elizabeth
Islands reach towards southern Cape
Cod we find the harbor
of Woods Hole, our next
destination. The cruising guide
indicates anchoring in the harbor is allowed, but when we get there we find it
packed with private mooring balls. A call to the harbormaster confirms our fear
that there are no transient moorings, but it is suggested that we contact the
local yacht club, and, fortunately, they kindly allow us to use an unoccupied
mooring.
 |
| The harbor at Woods Hole with funky floating cottages reminiscent of Key West |
We head ashore to investigate
Woods Hole and its famous oceanographic research facilities, but are
disappointed to find that most of the buildings are not open to the
public. We attempt to satisfy our
curiosity with a visit to a small aquarium and museum. We must have a disappointed look on our faces
as a gentleman who is just passing through the museum engages us in a
conversation. It turns out that he is a
retired engineer from the facility, and he captivates us with stories from his
career, especially the two voyages he made on Alvin, the well known deep sea research
submarine that discovered sea floor thermal vents and mapped the remains of the
Titanic. Had we planned our visit to Woods Hole at least a week in advance, it
would have been possible to arrange an in depth, personal tour of the otherwise
closed laboratories.
Next we head out into the reef strewn Vineyard Sound with
its confusing array of currents. At
times we are going over 9 knots and then our speed abruptly drops to around 4
knots, compliments of the swirling tidal currents. We make our way into the protected and
picturesque harbor at Nantucket. It is here
that we encounter our first pirates in the form of the smiling mooring field
staff that happily collects $75 a night for a mooring ball, an outrageous
amount compared to just about anywhere else.
There is no good option to anchor as the huge harbor is full of several
thousand transient and private moorings.
We head to shore to find a rickety, overpacked dinghy dock, less than
pristine cold water showers, and streets crowded with tourists. We are not getting off to a good start. The stores and restaurants are very New
Yorkish and very expensive. The docks are full of mega yachts with their
uniformed crews milling about. We escape via our trusty folding bikes, through
dense traffic, to a paved bike path that takes us to the southern shore and an
endless beach pounded by relentless ocean surf.
 |
| Surfside Beach on Nantucket's south shore |
Another bike trail and less traveled roads guide us to the outskirts of
town where the crowds haven’t ventured.
We find extravagant newer houses with lush landscaping
 |
| A beautiful Nantucket home with the bluest hydrangeas imaginable |
and the historic
homes of successful whaling ship captains. Obviously, whaling was a profitable
occupation back in the early 1800’s.
 |
| Restored federal style homes of the wealthy whale ship captains |
We
learn more about this capital of whaling and inspiration for Moby Dick at
a museum underwritten by Theresa Heinz Kerry. Much of the interior of Nantucket
is protected public land, and the next day we head out again on our bikes to
the eastern shore of the island, pedaling along a paved bike path through
rolling countryside that seems a bit barren and wind blown. After all, the
Atlantic, with all its wild energy, laps unconstrained at the shores of Nantucket; winters must be brutal here. Our destination
is Sconset Beach, a historic cottage community with
narrow, oyster shell paths/lanes on bluffs above another endless beach. The
restored cottages, many over one hundred years old, and their colorful gardens
are nothing short of charming.
 |
| Typical Sconset cottage and gardens overlooking the ocean |
We head
north out of town on a road along the ocean bluffs to the Sankaty Lighthouse
that has been recently moved inshore due to the eroding coastline. Along the way, we see newer, larger seaside
homes, each with manicured gardens. The
style here is to surround the gardens with high pivot hedges interrupted by
trellis gates featuring a round opening in the top half, reminiscent of a
porthole, which allows a glimpse into the colorful interior. Late in the day,
once the day trip tourists have departed for the mainland, we walk along the
brick sidewalks and cobblestone streets, through the historic district. We have to admit, despite the pirates, the
ambiance of Nantucket has gotten to us, and we
are reluctant to leave. We depart the next morning after a spectacular sunrise
over the harbor.
 |
| Sunrise on a still morning at Nantucket Harbor |
Our last stop on this circuit is Martha’s
Vineyard. We will forego the more popular harbors to join our
friends from Block Island in Lake
Tashimo. Just outside of Vineyard Haven, this inland
pond has been linked to the Sound by a man-made breechway. We have been in here before, eight years ago,
when we visited these waters with our trimaran.
We remember the entrance as being tricky and shallow in places, but our
friends convince us that we can get in on a high tide. We assume the tide table we have for Vineyard
Haven will also be accurate for Tashimo, but when we run aground several times,
we discover that is a mistaken assumption.
Fortunately, the soft bottom allows us to free ourselves and make our
way into the deeper interior waters. We
will certainly have more accurate tidal data for the trip out! Once anchored
near our friends, we gaze out at our lush and isolated surroundings. The shoreline
is wooded and dotted with widely spaced cedar shingled homes, ospreys noisily
circle above our heads, and swans drift along in the distance. It is an idyllic setting. The community
dinghy dock provides access to the rest of the island. We head into Vineyard Haven with our friends
for a lobster roll dinner at the local Episcopal Church, a Friday night
tradition here. For $15 you get a roll
absolutely overflowing with lobster, along with all the trimmings.
The next day is Saturday, and we gird ourselves for a long
bike ride. One town over is Oak Bluffs,
and it is the biggest weekend of the year for this community. They are
sponsoring a Monster Shark fishing tournament.
With a name like that, you just have to take a peek. Now, Oak Bluffs
started out as a Methodist Revival Camp with gaily painted gingerbread cottages,
but there does not seem to be much of a Methodist presence today, if the
quantity of alcohol being consumed is any indication.
 |
| The quieter side of Oak Bluffs |
While the sport fishing boats are out on the
hunt, the harbor is packed with celebrators on boats rafted four to a mooring
ball. You can just about walk across the
harbor on all the boats.
 |
| The packed harbor of Oak Bluffs - maybe Put-in-Bay needs a Monster Shark Tournament |
A paved bike path links Oak Bluffs to its neighbor
Edgartown, and we pedal south along a six mile crescent beach. The waters
beyond are dotted with sailboats. Edgartown was another haven for successful
whaling ship captains and their Greek revival, white clapboard homes surrounded
by picket fences are distinctly different from the other island communities.
It’s another charming island village, albeit, one ripe with tourists.
 |
| Edgartown's rendition of captains' houses |
We head
back to Oak Bluffs and by this time the crowd has reached a critical mass; the
streets and sidewalks are gridlocked.
Through the crowd we glimpse the body of one shark in a cockpit,
awaiting the weigh-in, and see another boat with a shark’s tale displayed above
the rail. Meanwhile, a group of
protesters demonstrate disapproval of this “slaughter” of innocent sharks. With
aching muscles, we head back to a relatively quiet Vineyard Haven and dinner at
the well known Black Dog Café. The sun sets over the harbor, known for its collection
of classic wooden boats including the restaurant owner’s two large wooden
schooners. It also sets on several huge mega-yachts, including one replete with
a helicopter, and a fleet of Corsair trimarans, like our previous boat, in town
for a regatta.
The next morning, at a certified high tide, we easily exit Lake Tashimo. After clearing the western tip of Martha’s
Vineyard, the wind picks up, and we have a spirited sail back to Newport. We anchor back
at our favorite spot, and shortly thereafter, a huge (over 150 ft. long)
sailboat passes by our stern.
 |
| Just another sailing mega yacht cruising Newport Harbor |
That night, for some unexplained reason, there is
a fireworks display off Fort Adams; we imagine it is in celebration of our return
to Newport. Meanwhile,
we need to deal with a recalcitrant dinghy motor first thing in the morning.
During this last week, it stalls out continuously, and we are getting darn
tired of rowing our inflatable dinghy, a real feat if you have ever tried to do
so. Burt attempts every known remedy to
correct the problem, but it seems it is now time to call in the experts. Also,
we will rent a car to visit Bryan for an evening
at his home, investigate rehearsal dinner venues and accommodations for his
wedding next year, and seriously reprovision for our upcoming cruise to Maine.
