Block, Newport, RI and the South Fork of Long Island Sound

It's been a week and a half since our last installment and we have been on the move!  After a great night's rest on the hook in Block Island we decided to check out the island a bit and rented bicycles.   It was a very hazy and humid day, so you couldn't see much of the ocean.  We biked around the perimeter of the island and saw a great deal of natural and architectural beauty. It reminded us of the country roads throughout Martha's Vineyard; grey cedar shake cottages, farms, ponds and occasional ocean views.  The terrain is very hilly, so we had to earn our gliding time.  The heat and humidity was a bit daunting, but worth every minute.  Here are some photos of the view along the way.

The famous bluffs 

Resident cows trying to stay cool

That night, it rained and rained, and coupled with thunder and lightning, it washed away all that humidity (and assured us that the leak that has been haunting us all year is now fixed) and dawned a sunny, dry, beautiful day.  That day, we walked to the beach, strolled the sand, went into town for lunch and shopping, and generally enjoyed being outside.  

Finally rested, and happy with the wind and wave direction, Friday morning, we headed for Newport.  It was a happy sight to see the Beaver Tail Lighthouse blinking strongly, from five miles away. We watched a sailboat race from a few miles away - they were "12 meter" boats from the early America's Cup days. They carry a great deal of sail for their size and are always a pleasure to see.  We found out later that good friends of ours were on one of these boats the following day, racing against another old America's Cup yacht. Very cool! 

After filling the fuel and water tanks, we snagged a great anchor spot right off Ida Lewis Yacht Club, near the channel where we could watch all the action coming and going.  Nothing like watching the boats go by in Newport Harbor.  Sail and power yachts from all over the world spend time in Newport in the Summer.  From this special anchorage we can watch them come and go all day.  It's a very special place for sailors.  We feel so lucky! 

That night, we shared our favorite heirloom tomato salad and fresh sushi at The Clarke-Cooke House. What fun it was to tell our neighboring bar patrons that we "live on our sailboat".  The thing is, in Newport, sailing is so common that nearly everyone "gets it" immediately!  One young guy next to us was leaving soon for a stint on a large private yacht in Croatia.  No matter who's there, the chances are pretty good they are also hard core sailors.

Greg's favorite morning photo - Ida Lewis in background, Corinthian sailboat, fog, early morning Newport - click to enlarge

Saturday, we walked all over town, checked out the local bike shop for rentals and had a late lunch at another favorite, The Moorings.  So fun to catch up with the bartenders who always make it a pleasant experience.  Sunday, we rented bicycles and rode out to Castle Hill and all around Ocean Drive, down Bellevue and lunched at La Forge at the Tennis Hall of Fame.  Very cool to sit and watch the "vintage" style match on the grass court.  The next day, we sailed over to Dutch Harbor on the West Passage of the Narragansett Bay and dropped the hook again.  We were invited to Roger and Chrisy's house - folks we met on "Sanderling" in Cape May, on our travels south last fall.  We have seen them on and off all year as we have traveled similar routes to Florida and the Bahamas and back.  They have a home in Jamestown, Rhode Island, and they were treating us to dinner and an opportunity to do laundry (something no cruiser ever turns down!).  We had a great night catching up on all the doings in each other's lives and sharing a lovely meal in their very special home overlooking the ocean.  Thanks Roger and Chrisy - such a treat!  BTW, Roger and Chrisy are the couple who were racing on the America's Cup yacht....a 30th anniversary gift to each other! Very cool, indeed!

Tuesday, we took off for Long Island.  Greg had several days of light work commitments and he was happy to have some free time.  First stop, Coecles Harbor on Shelter Island.  A lovely spot.  It's a pond in the middle of an island surrounded by the two north forks of Long Island!  It turned out to be a quiet, beautiful and protected anchorage.  Our friend Renee's family has property here and she spent many of her childhood summers here.  Sharon texted her and got a quick reply that this, too, is a very special place.  Next time, we will go ashore, rent bikes, and see the island.  Maybe September?

Coecles Harbor, Shelter Island

Next stop, Three Mile Harbor near the tip of the south fork of Long Island. This is a very large harbor with a long channel and several marinas leading into the town of East Hampton.  We walked three miles to town (whew!) after we got the dingy to shore.  Greg said he hasn't seen such a concentration of high end women's clothing stores anywhere other than NYC (there had to be over twenty within a few blocks).  We did find a really nice gourmet grocery where we drooled our way through the isles and treated ourselves to a few items.  

Osprey Nest on the mark entering Three Mile Harbor

Seagulls having a fish fest - fishingboat heading into the harbor

Then on to Montauk - the very end of LI.  As you enter the harbor, there is one marina after another, a very large Coast Guard Station and lots and lots of fishing boats - both commercial and sport.  We skirted all that and made our way into Lake Montauk where we could anchor off and away from the buzz.  Gosman's has it locked up in Montauk harbor with a large fish market, three restaurants, clothing and trinket stores and a couple of take out cafe's and ice cream stands.  There are souvenir shops, t-shirt shops and all kinds of spots to drop money.  We treated ourselves to their version of Tuna Tartare in tiny cones.  Yum!!

Campers lining the beach as you enter Lake Montauk

Another gorgeous day on Friday.  Three in a row!  Those crystal clear, dry, sunny summer days that we experience in New England on a fairly regular basis.  We have sorely missed these days as we wallowed in heat and humidity in the Chesapeake.  We hauled anchor and headed across the sound to Watch Hill, Rhode Island.  This is a little village within the town of Westerly, Rhode Island.  Pretty famous for wealth, large homes, the Ocean House and Taylor Swift's house.  (we didn't see her, although we did sail by her house).  We made our way through the long channel and joined the crowds of anchored boats off Napatree Beach.  A lovely spot, albeit a bit more dense than we have enjoyed these last few days.  The tiny village boasts lots of little shops, ice cream stands and the oldest continuously operating "flying horses merry-go-round".  We watched the little girls ride round and round and grab the brass ring each time they went by.  

Early that evening we experienced a violent thunder, lightning and rain storm.  We watched it come at us and watched it go by, bringing heavy wind and rain for about an hour.  The wind was so strong that a couple of boats dragged (their anchors didn't hold them in place) but we held fast. Everyone was in their cockpit at the ready, should it be necessary to start the engine and hold the boat in place - or move to open water.  Comforting to see we weren't the only ones staying secure.  Here are some photos to try to show the clouds, the rain and the beautiful aftermath.  

Ocean House at Watch Hill

This morning we left Watch Hill early so we could beat low tide in the two mile, shallow channel out of the anchorage.  We headed to Point Judith, RI (a 25 mile run), where we are presently anchored in "the pond", another quiet and safe body of very shallow water surrounded by beautiful cottages, small islands and nature.  Our favorite spot to anchor is adjacent to an oyster farm.  Have you ever seen an oyster farm?  Well, all you see are a few buoys marking the area (which you must avoid).  But, under ten feet of water those wonderful oysters are growing to the right size for a future, delicious appetizer or stew!  A few years ago we met the fisherman/farmer and bought 30 of his oysters for $10!  Greg hopes he'll show up tomorrow morning!  We haven't been here for awhile and it is as nice as ever.

Tomorrow we head back to Newport and prepare to leave the boat for a week while we visit family and fit in all our annual doctor appointments.  After that, we plan to head to the Vineyard for a few weeks.  'Til then -