During a day of heavy rain we decided to spend time in the Edgartown library and get some computer work done. They have excellent WiFi and a dry environment!
After a library day we still had a couple of days left to enjoy the town, but it turned out that these days were filled with very high winds. One plan was to motor to Oak Bluffs so that Sharon could do laundry. From Edgartown this is usually an easy five mile sail. But, when we awoke to thirty knot winds from the west, our intended direction, we chose another path. Piling the laundry into bags, then into the dinghy, we carried them to the bus terminal, then took the island commuter bus to Oak Bluffs. The bus system serves all of Martha's Vineyard and is a huge gift for cruisers and other tourists. You can hop a ride and get anywhere on the island on an $8.00 day pass. What a deal!
Oak Bluffs was quite busy, especially in comparison to Edgartown for some reason. There were few folks at the "Wash Ashore" laundry so we loaded up two machines (at $7.50 a wash!) then strolled up the main drag to visit shops and see the sites before going back to move the clothes into driers.
Our path took us through the old Methodist Camp Meeting where we enjoyed seeing the many unique gingerbread cottages; each one special with its own personality. This camp was developed in the 1800's exclusively for and by African Americans, while white wealthy people vacationed in Edgartown and Vineyard Haven. Nowadays the camp is integrated and every owner takes pride in maintaining their little vacation homes. There is a central, covered meeting area that accommodates nearly a thousand people. Even now there are weekly gospel singing nights where anyone can join in.
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| A small sampling of the dozens of cottages |
After finishing the laundry we found a spot for lunch on the harbor. Oysters were again on our menu and we settled in at the Shuck Shack. Oysters, beer, fried clams and fries. Not exactly health food, but a treat!
We headed back to Edgartown on the bus and stowed the laundry. As we planned an early morning departure we motored to the harbor's water dock, filled the tank, returned to our mooring and then raised the dingy. We were ready to go when the sun came up.
Coincidentally, this was the same day that Gov Ron DeSantis decided to fly a plane full of legal immigrants to Martha's Vineyard. We did not witness this happening, but as we read about it, we were heartened to see how these people were treated by the island residents. Martha's Vineyard would not be a vibrant tourist destination without immigrants. They are the people who make your bed in a B&B or hotel, serve your drinks at the bar, serve your meals at the restaurants, cut your grass, check you out at the food market, and even supervise the public laundry, and, of course, the Jamaican BBQ take out restaurant next door! We are so grateful for these people who really just want to be free from oppression and have a decent paying job to feed their families.
The next morning dawned bright and sunny. The wind, still on our nose, had diminished enough to make our passage tolerable. We headed out of the harbor around 7am, motoring West into Nantucket Sound. We passed Oak Bluffs, then Vineyard Haven, turned south around West Chop (thankfully no longer west into the breeze) and headed happily down Vineyard Sound. Finally able to raise sail with the wind closer to our beam, we enjoyed a nice meander south. This was a relatively short 25 mile day, and we cherished the sail most of the way to Quick's Hole. Quick's Hole is the narrow waterway (cut) between two of the Elizabeth Islands below Cape Cod: Nashawena Island and Pasque Island. Southwest of these two is the island of Cuttyhunk. Click the link above for a little map. Once through the cut we continued south into Cuttyhunk Harbor.
This is a common stop along the way between Martha's Vineyard and Newport or Block Island. We usually anchor in the outer harbor, but since the wind was blowing directly into the anchorage creating rough waves this was not a good option. Planning on grabbing a mooring inside we felt a bit of concern that it may be crowded given the time of year. So many boats moving south! No worries though, there were plenty of moorings available!
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| The empty mooring field in Cuttyhunk Harbor |
It was a beautiful afternoon and evening. A tad windy, we were grateful to have a quiet harbor to rest in. Before we hunkered down for the evening inside our cockpit enclosure that shields us from the cold wind, we called on the radio for the "Raw Bar Boat". This little boat is managed by a handful of high school and college aged kids who have been selling their own Cuttyhunk Oysters in the harbor from their boat every evening in the season for several years now - cocktail hour! They have even developed their own oyster farm, similar to the Katama Bay folks in Edgartown Harbor. Cudos and much success to them! And such a treat for us!
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| The Raw Bar Boat |
After a quiet, restful night we again headed out early, fortunately enjoying a North wind while heading Southwest. This doesn't happen very often in Buzzard's Bay and we planned to take full advantage. It turned out to be another beautiful sailing day and we made great time. We passed the Sakonnet River to our north, then Narragansett Bay (entrance to Newport Harbor) and made our way into the northeast entrance to Point Judith Harbor of Refuge. The Harbor of Refuge is a two mile wide protected area surrounded on all sides by a high rock breakwater. It was built to protect the fishermen's fleet, starting in 1905, and the improvements continued until 1950.
Our preferred anchorage is past the inner harbor, then two miles further into a very shallow "pond". Here the wind is usually greatly diminished and there are few other boats. When anchoring here, one must be careful to avoid the oyster farms that are bordered by markers. If you are lucky, you might be able to hale the farmer and buy some oysters from him!
One reason we were there was to meet good friends Bob and Siham at Matunuck Oyster Bar, a dingy ride and short walk away from our anchorage. More oysters! Yum! This was a new place for us and we had heard great things. We learned that the owner had started as an oyster farmer just outside of where the restaurant now sits, then opened the oyster bar later. Now he even has an oyster hatchery, selling spat (baby oysters or oyster seed) to other oyster farmers. Click the link above to learn more.
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| Bob, Sharon, Greg and Siham |
The channel to get in and out of Point Judith Pond is skinny and shallow. On our departure, we did not want to take it at low tide, fearing a grounding. Low tide was at 9am and the next high tide would have been at 3pm. So, we left as dawn was breaking at mid tide.
After raising the anchor Greg shown the spotlight on each navigation mark while Sharon managed the helm, steering from one to the next. It worked out great, and the shallowest water we saw was 3.2 feet below our keel - better than expected. We exited out the same Northeast opening we came in and turned north for Newport. It was a short two hour trip to Newport Harbor. Since we arrived the day after the annual boat show, there was lots of room for anchoring.
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| Morning sky |
Our Newport destination and timing were based on our haul out plan. We were here to haul Dream Catcher for the winter. But, we had a few days to enjoy first!
Newport was our second to last stop and we had a few "must do's". The Ann Street Pier and Newport Maritime Center is a gift to cruisers. Free wifi, TV's, hot showers and spacious bathrooms and laundry, all just a short walk from the dingy dock. We took advantage!
When living on a boat, it is a welcome change to come to shore and be able to get some physical exercise, especially cardio. On our first day, we strolled around the dock area and hit a few of our favorite shops. On our second day, we walked up Memorial Boulevard and made our way to the northernmost end of the Cliff Walk. This is a famous and beautiful path that follows the circumference of the Newport peninsula. With crashing waves below and the old mansions above it is quite beautiful and exciting. This time though, we found that the walk was much longer than it was in the past. The town and the historical society have been busy!
We walked the entire path, about 4 miles. Most people stop halfway along because it turns into a boulder walking event and gets a bit dicey in the new section. We enjoyed the entire length and were rewarded by gorgeous views on a beautiful day.
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| Forty Steps |
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| Looking back toward the Breakers |
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| Coming out of the tunnel |
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| Looking back into the tunnel |
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| Looking down from the walk |
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| Looking out to sea |
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| Greg taking a break |
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| Looking down to the sea |
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| Rough Point |
Later we had an excellent meal at one of our favorites - The Clarke-Cooke House - an iconic sailor's hangout. Always so good!
The forecast for our last day in Newport was another very windy and rainy day. We buttoned everything up on the boat, took the launch into town, and made our way to a cool new hotel, The Brenton. We've gotten pretty good at finding hospitable hotels with comfortable social spaces and WiFi where we can spend a bad-weather day - and have a decent lunch!
We hung out with our computers, caught up on email, business and more in a warm, dry environment. It was a good idea and we got a lot accomplished and stayed very comfy.
Overnight on the hook, however, was challenging. Wind was thirty plus all night, driving straight into the harbor. We were pitching up and down all night. Sharon was up every couple of hours climbing into the cockpit to check our position against our anchored neighbors. We stayed put, thankfully. And so did our neighbors. But, she didn't have a very restful night. In the morning we hightailed it out of there as quickly as possible. But, leaving wasn't simple; there was a boat directly over our anchor.
The harbormaster helped by alerting the boat forward of us that we were preparing to leave. The only way we could retrieve our anchor was to have them motor to one side as we motored to the other as we pulled our anchor and chain in as quickly as possible, before the wind forced them back into the middle of the wind's path. Greg placed several fenders along our starboard side to protect against a slight bump between boats. It was interesting! The German owner did a great job and was very gracious. Fortunately, no bumps! We motored out of the harbor and turned north to head up the bay, then west around Conanicut Island and into Wickford Harbor. The wind was howling out of the Northwest, right on our nose again.
Our morning plan had been to leave the exposed Newport Harbor for the protected Wickford Harbor. We just had to deal with a ten mile slog to get there! All went well. Wickford is on the Western side of the bay with a north shore - perfect for a Northwest wind. It was delightfully quiet there!
We picked up a mooring at the Wickford Yacht Club, took the dinghy in for a shower, and were swept up by our friends John and Grace who live in town. We spent a delightful afternoon with them, lunching at their golf club, hitting a few balls for the first time since June, and visiting their beautiful boat, Sweet P's - looking proud with a new paint job.
We also had a nice walk around the neighborhood woods and were treated to a yummy home-cooked meal in their cozy home. John made beer can chicken on the grill, and Grace made the accompaniments. It's always so great sharing time with these two!
The next day Greg had plans to have lunch with Tom Reilly, an old friend from the Foxboro Company. After getting together with other friends from his Foxboro days a few weeks ago, this was another treat. They had not seen each other in over twenty years. Sharing a great lunch at Wickford on the Water, they promised to do it again next Spring.
It was finally time to focus on our preparations for haul-out.
John was kind enough to pick Greg up after lunch and drive him to a supplier to get thirty gallons of antifreeze for the boat winterization process! John helped us load the jugs from his car to the dinghy, then we were off to stow them onboard.
Next morning, while still on the Yacht Club mooring, we removed the 130 genoa. This is our largest sail, almost 600 square feet and 100 pounds of heavy Dacron. It is a bear to manage! But the wind was quiet and the boat was head into the wind, making it easier to get the sail down onto the deck. The trouble is trying to fold the darn thing on the tiny side deck or cabin top. We usually do this in a marina and fold the sail on a wide dock next to the boat. But, we knew the wind was going to be high for a few more days, so we used this quiet time to get the big sail down. It wasn't pretty, but we managed to get the final bundle small enough to fit in the sail bag and wrestled it below for storage.
Then, it was off to the other side of the Bay to New England Boatworks (now Safe Harbor New England Boatworks) where we would finish the winterization prep to haul. The motor over was uneventful. After a stop at the fuel dock, we headed to our assigned dock and got to work. Next came the small staysail - easy in comparison to the genoa - and finally the main. We have a Dutchman's system on the main which helps it flake nicely onto the boom when lowered. Over the years we have figured a reasonably uncomplicated way to get the sail off the boom without unfolding it. Worked like a charm, and we finished the sail removal by early afternoon.
Our daughter Courtney has a childhood friend who lives nearby in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. We arranged for them to join us for cocktail hour onboard Dream Catcher that afternoon. What a treat to have Lizzy, husband Bo, and baby Claire (17 months old) hang out with us in the cockpit. Baby Claire was fascinated with the boat and the fact that the water was right there. Her Mom had a hand on her clothes almost the entire time to keep her from wandering too far. We neglected to take photos - darn! It was really nice to share time with them all!
The next two days we were all work. We were up early and busy all day - five loads of laundry, oil, fuel and filter changes, engine antifreeze flush; all water systems antifreezed - two heads, air-conditioning, reefer water pump, two wash down pumps, fresh water tank including three sinks, three showers - Whew! Those thirty gallons of antifreeze were all used up! The dingy motor was also winterized and put on the rail; then the dingy was hauled and moved 150 yards to a storage rack. Every locker was cleaned, all clothes, linens, bedding and pillows were bagged.
Our next big job was canvas. We carefully dismantled the dodger and bimini (including three flexible solar panels) and stored them in the aft berth on top of the sails. The reefer emptied and defrosted, we felt we were almost ready to close the boat.
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| A few of the 30 gallons of antifreeze |
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| Winterizing the engine and AC lines |
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| Sails off |
Anyone who knows Greg knows he's got a spreadsheet! His Boat Winterization list has been maturing for almost twenty years! This one lists each task by category, plus a time estimate to accomplish each and materials needed. So, before starting we knew we would need three days, at least, and only if we had all the material we needed and nothing went too wrong. Not only did we finish it all in three days, but each evening we got to share time with friends. Lizzy, Bo and Claire one night. Then John and Grace were so nice to pick us up again and share a meal at their favorite Thai place in Newport, Thai Cuisine on Thames (super excellent!). On our final night in Newport we picked up a rental car. We were beat, but we showered and drove to another old favorite, The Boathouse in Tiverton, for our last dinner in New England. It was yummy, too, and we felt satisfied that our work was done and we were ready to head to Fenwick Island.
We were up early on our last morning on Dream Catcher (for awhile). After deploying Damp-rid canisters throughout the cabin, off loading a zillion things into the rental car, we headed off by 9am. The NEB team assured us they would stay in touch, let us know when the boat was out of the water, and promised to open all the thru-hulls letting any remaining water out of the valves. We were in touch with the shrink-wrap guys so they could get to work. Two days later, the boat was out, the thru-hulls open, and the shrink-wrap guys are aware it is ready. We are hoping this winter will be a better one for our sweet Dream Catcher than the last. And we are looking forward to seeing her bright and clean in the spring.
While all of the above work was being done by us, Florida was being pummeled by Hurricane Ian. Hurricane season is one of the reasons we have never left our boat in Florida for the summer. Those storms are not to be taken lightly. And we all know, they are getting worse - so tragic for everyone affected. Our hearts go out to all of the people who have lost so much. We feel so very grateful that our tiny home on the east coast was spared.
'Til next time -
