New England Summer - submitted by Pamela Mormino, Owner of 37.5 Hunter Legend
Our first stop is one of my all-time favorites, Block Island RI. We are just a day-sail away and go there every year but this time we started our season at Block. We’ve been there in just about every weather condition but this year the weather was in the high 60’s-low 70’s and sunny with moderate winds from the south and southwest. Also having the outgoing tide, the sail over was perfect, and for a change the wind was not on our nose. We didn’t even have to tack. Although it was Race Week, it was the “even-year” meaning a smaller crowd so getting a mooring was a piece of cake and we didn’t mind paying the $40.00 a night. Since we’ve gotten so used to the anchorage, we were more than pleasantly surprised. Did I mention it was mid June and mid week? Thunderstorms during the night made us glad to be on a mooring and we woke to glorious sunshine. In all of the years we have been coming to block, we’ve never had breakfast ala Aldo, but being our 43rd wedding anniversary, we decided to splurge. When we heard “Andiamo”, Aldo motored up to our boat with an array of breakfast goodies. Hot pastry was the choice of the day. Later on shore, Block was a perfect spot to celebrate our 43rd wedding anniversary with champagne at the National Hotel. We also were rewarded with a beautiful sunset.
We continued on to Cuttyhunk MA for the next leg of our trip. We had good winds for half of the trip and then were able to sail in gentle winds. After our ICW trip, being the slowest “powerboat” in the waterway, it was great to be able to sail. Getting there in time to place our order for lobster was a top priority. We shared the mooring field with about a dozen other boats; again $40.00 per night. A quick tour of the island brought us up to date on changes made in the past few years – none. Even the raw-bar boat still makes its rounds of the boats each evening. There is the Cuttyhunk Fishing Club which is a B&B that serves breakfast to everyone, but we didn’t try it. The island remains the quaint, unspoiled island we hoped it would be. And the lobster was steamed to perfection.
The winds were not as cooperative for our 22 mile trip up Buzzards Bay to Kingman Yacht Marina in Red Brook Harbor. So we motored all the way. The harbor itself is pretty tricky and shallow if you stray, so attention to the channel markers was really important (hug the green markers at low tide). The harbor was busy on this beautiful sunny Saturday in June and it was great to see so many boats being used. It appears that the cost of fuel was not stopping the locals from enjoying their day. As we fueled up ($35.00 for diesel), the boat next to us on the fuel dock, an Albin 28, had a fill- up price of over $300.00. Ain’t sailing great! In the evening we started up the engine for a while and suddenly heard this loud flapping noise. We quickly killed the engine and found a shredded alternator belt. The handy Yanmar spare parts kit that takes up the room of a small child was welcomed as we changed the belt. My husband reminds me all the time that “we” doesn’t really describe who is actually doing the work, but I have to at least think I’m contributing.
We were well positioned to go through the Cape Cod Canal the next morning, catching the flood tide on our way to Plymouth. Although power boaters can’t appreciate the thrill, it’s always fun to go 9-10 knots. It also crossed our minds that we were happy to have the belt break at the mooring instead of as we were going through the canal. This time the “we” was accurate. Sails went up outside the canal and a great sail became challenging as we turned slightly toward Plymouth as the winds turned up a few notches to about 15-20 knots. We reefed the main and took down the headsail but still cruised along at about 6.5 knots as we faced another tricky harbor. After reading all of the “don’ts” in the cruising guide (there never seems to be any “do’s), we paid strict attention to the markers, eager to spend a few days drinking in American History and a good choice of libations too.
Plymouth is a great walk-around town, and walk we did! The sight-seeing trolley was not running and the other tour was off for a few days, so we really didn’t have a choice. A tour of the Mayflower was in order as was Pilgrim Hall, Jenney Grist Mill and of course, Plymouth Rock. We actually couldn’t see Plymouth Rock due to construction but took it on faith that it was really there. We skipped Plymouth Plantation since we’ve been there before but a great choice for first time visitors. We worked off some serious calories that assisted in managing the great seafood dinner at the Weathervane.
We were prepared to stay two nights at Brewers Plymouth Marina, but Mother Nature had other ideas. So with forecasts of rain, thunderstorms hail and winds up to 30 knots, we stayed for another day. We felt silly changing our plans as we woke to sunny skies although foggy, but our decision to stay was validated starting about 11 a.m. as the storms started rolling through. It turned out to be a relaxing day filled with good books, wine and homemade bread. The bread is another of those “we” things; Mat bakes and I eat!
The weather was better in the morning, with light winds that slowly brought us up the coast to Boston. There is a special feeling being out on the water alone without other boats, but there is also a special feeling coming into a busy harbor. Going from solitude to hustle-bustle is invigorating. We traveled up the harbor arriving at Constitution Marina early in the afternoon with enough time to check in and start exploring the immediate area anyway. Visiting the Constitution was fun as well as going up to Bunker Hill and feeling the history as well as seeing it. Lunch was at the Warren Street Tavern where both Washington and Paul Revere have been reported to have eaten. We followed the Freedom Trail through Historic Boston from the Constitution to Faneuil Hall, ending the sightseeing at Quincy Market for some shopping. We headed back to the boat to rest a bit and change for dinner at Fiore’s in Little Italy. What great food and ambiance! Spending a few days in the city was fun and exciting for us suburbanites.
Weather was not on our side as we left Boston, and Provincetown was not in the cards. Continued threats of thunderstorms, high winds and hail caused us to change our plans and head for Sandwich, MA right at the entrance to the Cape Cod Canal. Slip fees were $2.00 a night with fuel available and some reprovisioning opportunities just 1/3 mile away. A great spot for a bit of fishing or just watching the boats go through the canal.
We woke up to a morning haze, but after it cleared, had a beautiful sunny day with gentle breezes out of the southwest. (Where are those storms anyway??) We decided to return to Cuttyhunk for the day to decide where to head off to next in light of the continued dire weather predictions. Let me add here that we are a bit cautious since we learned from past experience being out on the water for 2 weeks with almost 2 weeks of rain does not make for a grand vacation; memorable maybe, but not great. Since Provincetown was out, we decided to take a mooring in Jamestown, RI with easy access to Newport, one of our favorite haunts.
We always enjoy a mix of moorings, anchoring and marinas when we travel. They all have something different to offer from watching the sun rise and set, enjoying the solitude to making new friends in the marinas. So a mooring at Conanicut Marina in Jamestown was in order ($51.50 per night), right along the Newport Bridge. We always enjoy walking around in Jamestown and take the main street across to Dutch Harbor. It looks like our aim is to wear out those walking shoes! As we took the ferry to Newport, we stopped off at the America’s Cup museum and Fort Adams. Our timing was off to be able to get off at Rose Island as the nesting birds could not be disturbed. Lunch in Newport is always an adventure and this time we chose The Red Parrot. Great choice! As we walked along America’s Cup Boulevard, my cell phone rang. It was my son from San Antonio announcing the birth of our newest grandson. Great news to end a perfect day! We were able to meet friends there that we met on our trip south on the ICW and ended the day watching the sailing races – Tuesday night is Race Night in Jamestown – with the finish line not far from our boat.
Our time was growing short as we approached the 4th of July weekend so we decided to head home after a couple of days in Jamestown. So what happened; we awoke to thick fog; even had trouble seeing the Newport Bridge. Our proposed early start was delayed until the fog lifted enough to be able to see and sail safely. Coming out of Narragansett Bay around to Point Judith was rough sailing as always as we made our way back to Long Island Sound and our homeport of Mystic. Traveling in one of my greatest pleasures; coming home is another.
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Great writing, thanks for sharing.
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