Bristol, Wickford, Woods Hole

While we were walking around Bristol, Lisa brought my attention to these 2 boats. Me thinks they are owned by the same person.

Next on our list was a visit to Wickford, RI which is only a two hour sail from Bristol. The winds were very light, but we were able to sail wing and wing (front sail on the opposite side of the mainsail) and still manage to dodge the lobster pots on the east side of Prudence Island. Sojourner left for Wickford the previous day, so Rick and Linda were waiting for us when we arrived. We ate lunch together, walked the town, and did some grocery shopping. Then Sojourner had us over for Rick's special spicy spaghetti. Very good.

Wickford is another very charming RI town with lots of pretty trees and old houses. The town is very small and it doesn't take too long to exhaust the shops and eateries.


Pretty house in Wickford.


This house stands guard over the main mooring field as you enter the harbor.

While in Bristol, Claire and Paul inspired us to get into the spirit of New England. The seafood they served us was so good that we knew we needed to try our hand at it. So we stopped at the fresh seafood place that Claire recommended (in Wickford) and got a couple of lobsters and a couple pounds of mussels.


The lobster is giving us the L sign for "Luke warm water please".

Note to PETA. Some mean person had put him on ice. We were only trying to help.

The meal was great. I think boaters should get a discount on lobster considering the constant stress their traps put on us. Maybe I could be the Lobster Czar. We need more Czars.

It was time to move on. Our goal was sail to Buzzards Bay and check out Woods Hole, Mass., then go to Martha's Vineyard and possibly Nantucket. The Kinder and Gentler One (man, Bush was a meanie) was taking his freak show and campaign to Martha's Vineyard at the same time we had planned to be there (he did the same thing last year). This was not good, but we decided to go ahead anyway.

On the way out, we decided to stop at Dutch Harbor for a day to do laundry, and I was able to do a good scrubbing of the topsides of the boat as well.


Dutch Harbor the night before heading to Woods Hole. Sometimes I can't believe we have to suffer in these kind of surroundings. To make it worse, the temperature was perfect.

The following day we had a wonderful sail to Hadley Harbor, near Woods Hole. This is a very busy destination for pleasure boaters, and we knew Friday was not the best day to show up. But we couldn't name it Tuesday because it was Friday. No new math involved.

Hadley Harbor is beautiful, but like most of the northeast, the main harbor is filled with mooring balls. There is room to anchor, just not with good all round protection. Forbes owns the main island, and a lot of well known politicians frequent these harbors.

On Saturday we took the mile or so dinghy ride to Woods Hole and enjoyed the day exploring the town and it's surrounding area. We were glad we were able to visit Woods Hole, because weather was on it's way. The forecast was now calling for a Nor'easter with gale force winds to arrive Sunday night and linger on through Wednesday.

With the Kinder and Gentler One disrupting the normal flow of Marthas Vineyard and some extended bad weather, with limited bad weather anchorage, we decided to high tail it back to Dutch Harbor. So we took a left on Buzzards Bay and headed back to the little state.

It was another spectacular sail with some light rain in the mix. When we got to the mouth of Narragansett, things got a bit dicey. The winds were mostly in the mid twenties gusting over 30 knots, then a squall hit us. The tidal currents of Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound sort of collide near the mouth of Narragansett Bay--then the currents join together in harmony and shoot north or south depending on the tide cycle. All of this made the seas quite large and square and close together. The large square waves assisted us as we tangled up the genoa around the forestay while we tried to roll it in. But we were able to untangle it all by ourselves without any help from the waves. Once we entered the bay everything laid down in an orderly fashion.

We were anchored by early afternoon with good protection and the knowledge that we would get a lot of reading done in the next few days.

Bristol

A visit to Bristol, RI was next on our agenda. By sail, Bristol is only a couple of hours north of Dutch Harbor but Lisa and I decided to take the long way. We headed south and tacked down the West Passage, went about 3 miles offshore, then sailed back north on a broad reach up the East Passage past Newport, Jamestown, Prudence Island and on to Bristol. It was another day with perfect weather.

In the Chesapeake, the crab pots are not normally in the deep water, but here the lobster pots are often placed in water 90--100 feet deep. Any kind of pots are a constant worry. Rope and props don't go well together.

When we arrived in Bristol, Sojourner was already there, with Our Turn due to arrive the following day. When Our Turn showed up, they brought with them some wonderful fresh seafood--lobster, mussels, clams. Paul and Claire were kind enough to invite Sojourner and Nicki May over for a most excellent seafood feast. It was a fun evening with good people.

The following day we strolled the town soaking in the sites and in general, admiring old buildings. Bristol is a really pretty town with lots of well kept old buildings. After lunch, Claire and the boys went to the Herroshoff Museum, where we admired many of the boats designed and built by John and Nathaniel Herroshoff from days gone by. Lisa and Linda passed on the museum and went for a long walk.


Nice view from someone's yard.


The ladies.


An old, very cool stone building.


Bristol is known for their 4th of July celebrations. Apparently it's a very big deal and they put a lot of effort into it. One street even has the centerline painted red, white and blue (if you're Japanese it's blue, white and red).


If it looks like a drug deal...

Jamestown, RI

Our time was up in Newport, so the following morning we slowly sailed around the north side of Conanicut Island and then made our way back down to Dutch Harbor. From our anchorage the town of Jamestown is a short, pleasant walk.


Rather expensive condos overlooking the harbor in Jamestown.


Rather beautiful lady overlooking the harbor in Jamestown.

We spent a couple of days walking through the beautiful neighborhoods. The town boasts a grocery store, Laundromat, hardware store and a good marine store.


Circle driveway with view of the bridge.


We hiked to a cove where we saw many fisherman/women and a good shot of our potential future home. There's something like a 100 year warranty on the roof.

One morning we woke up to find the S/V Sojourner anchored right behind us. We met Rick and Linda last fall while we were in St. Marys, Georgia. In a prior life, Rick was a police officer in Mesquite, Texas--where Lisa and I bought our first house.

Later that morning Rick and Linda introduced us to Paul and Claire who were also anchored nearby on their Island Packet 445. After their laundry was done, we joined them for lunch.


Lisa's arm, Claire, Rick, me, Paul and Linda. It was good to see Rick and Linda again, and to meet Paul and Claire for the first time.

Newport II

The Americas Cup 12 Meter Columbia docked close to our mooring.

After putting many miles on Lisa's Keens and my flip flops, we began our search for the town park that was to play host to the band "Forever Young".

Stone house on Bellevue Avenue.


After asking directions, we finally found the park and the concert for that night. Forever Young's gig is all about the anti establishment music of Neil Young (Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young). They are very good. There's no doubt the lead singer can carry a tune better than his hero.


Concert by the bay. Finally got to sit down.


After the concert was over, we got directions back to our boat from an American General with a French name.

Newport

As you might imagine, Newport is an active town. The summers are pleasant and the sidewalks are filled with both locals and non locals looking for new ways to spend their money.

Our first evening in town we chanced upon the Navy band "Rhode Island Sound" which was giving a free concert in one of the city parks. They were actually quite good.

This is a way cool swing--modeled by a way lovely lady. If our yard had grass on it we would own this swing by now--I should have checked the price before I said that.

The seat is carved out of a tree trunk and branches make up the rest of the parts. Daniel Boone would be proud.

This had us looking for the perfect tree to make our own swing from.

Our second day in town we walked to "the other side" and walked a large portion of the Cliff Walk trail. This trail meanders around the shoreline offering spectacular views of the Sakonnet River and Rhode Island Sound. Turn your head 180 degrees and you see some quite impressive homes.

I think this guy had a good job.
 

At this point we are getting nervous about what that bird ate for lunch.

We kept thinking of our jogging days, and how awesome it would have been to have a trail like this to jog on.

Note to editor: I am aware that this segment has 2 sentences that end with a preposition. If Americans can take the u out of colour and harbour, can we not change the preposition rule as well. It would fit my speech pattern better. Or we could do a tea party or something.

Sag Harbor, NY to Newport, RI

Sag Harbor is not difficult to maneuver in, but there are some hazards that demand the skipper's attention. We were witness to a 40 something foot sailboat that went aground on a submerged rockpile near the entrance to the mooring field. He picked a bad day to go aground because the winds were strong the entire day and evening. As the tide continued to fall he kept going more horizontal. High tide was in the wee hours of the following morning, and by the time we got up he was gone. I don't know how his boat survived the rocks with that wind, but I guess he made it out OK.


Lisa talking to one of her many fans.


Our last evening in Sag Harbor before departing for Narragansett Bay in RI.

Narragansett Bay has an East Passage and a West Passage, with Conanicut Island and Prudence Island acting as the dividing line.

Newport lies in the East Passage and is the major (along with Fort Lauderdale) yachting center of the East Coast. Boats of all sizes, both power and sail ply these waters in large numbers--you gots to have your head up.

We didn't like our chances of finding a place to anchor on a weekend in Newport, so instead we decided to head for the less traveled West Passage and Dutch Harbor.

At 5:15 am the anchor was up and we were on our way. It was a beautiful day but the morning forgot to bring some wind with it. We motored until Block Island was to our starboard, then hung a left, pulled out the sails, cut the engine and had a spectacular sail the rest of the way to Dutch Harbor. Our introduction to Narragansett Bay was picture perfect.

The following day we took the southerly route around Conanicut Island and then on to Newport. There is only one tiny pie shaped area in the harbor where you are permitted to anchor--all the "designated" anchorages are filled up with moorings. We motored around the anchorage but we didn't like what we saw, so we paid the $45 mooring fee (no showers, bathrooms, lounge etc.--just the mooring) and were relieved we wouldn't have to worry about poorly anchored boats crashing into us.


Lighthouse on Beavertail Point--south side of Conanicut Island.


Where do they walk the dog?


Pretty steeple in Newport.

The 12 meter Columbia from America's Cup fame was berthed right across from our mooring. The harbor is home to several of America's Cup 12 meter racers from days gone by. You can now hitch a 2 hour ride on one for $68 per person. Let's take the family for a half a day.