Cuttyhunk Island, Massachusetts

Brrrr!  It is time to head south but we are still going north.  There are no photos today because it is just too bleak.

On Saturday morning, we woke up to dreary weather, and the wind was blowing 20-25 knots, but in the right direction for a close reach sail from Shelter Island to Block Island, so we set off.  Even with layers of clothing and foul weather gear, I was cold.  My teeth were chattering as I steered into the channel to Great Salt Pond.  I had only been up on deck between departure at 11 a.m. and when we anchored at 6 p.m. (for the sunset!) to raise the anchor, set and trim the sails (2 reefs in the main from the outset) and arrive at Block Island.  Luckily, I had bought additional hot chocolate at the IGA in Greenport.  We may run out before we reach another provisioning location!

The clouds cover the skies

Peter remembered that there was a small space heater in one of the lockers.  We had to run the generator for a couple of hours to use it, but it made a big difference.  I threw beach towels and a quilted mattress cover on top of the thin duvet on our bed, and we were comfy enough.

Sherri frigid at the helm

On Sunday morning, the sun was shining, but it was still 50 degrees F, and the clouds darkened the skies within an hour of our departure at 10:30 a.m.  The wind was less boisterous and excellent for a beam reach sail to Newport, Rhode Island.  We averaged between 6 and 7 knots of speed over ground in calm waters, anchoring in Brenton Cove on the southern end of Newport Harbor just after 3 p.m., having passed the enormous 19-deck cruise ship the Regal Princess at anchor.  On the top deck, on a screen bigger than a billboard, passengers who were addicted to sports could watch Sunday afternoon football instead of getting on a shuttle boat to explore the town of Newport.

Why explore historic Newport when you can watch TV like you would at home?

As we settled in, I did some searching on the Internet and realized that we just had time to make it to Bowen's Wharf for the annual Seafood Festival.  As quick as we could, we got the dinghy in the water and hauled the bigger and more reliable outboard engine out of the forepeak to mount on it.  We made it!  There was still plenty of food, and there were three different bands playing throughout the venue.  After we bought something to eat, we went back to the dock to greet a couple on an Oyster 46 who had hailed us as they sailed by us at anchor an hour before.  They invited us on board. We shared our food, and they provided refreshments.

Peter on the dinghy dock at Bowen's Wharf 

They were docked next to the the S/V Oliver Hazard Perry, a steel-hauled, square-rigged, 200-foot giant.  She looks like an old ship or a reproduction, but in fact she was built in this century and is not a copy of any particular historic ship.  She began sailing in 2015.

Oliver Hazard Perry at Bowen's Wharf at sunset

Steve and Cindy on S/V Willow not only welcomed us on board but invited the boatswain from the Perry to join them.  We traded sailing and family stories and watched the sunset together.  As the oranges and purples were being overtaken by the darkness of night, we left them to walk along the waterfront and find some dinner.  The band closest to the docks was still playing, and we danced to their last number, Shout.

Trinity Church from Bowen's Wharf at sunset

There are many shops and restaurants along the waterfront and some interesting and historic buildings.  We found a little Thai place to eat.  Sated, we walked away from the waterfront one block and then headed north toward Bowen's Wharf, while we had tied up the dinghy, along Spring Street, which is a quiet residential street where most of the buildings date from the days of shipbuilding and whaling.  Our last site was the lovely old Trinity Church.  In the park in front of it, facing the water, the congregation has created an artistically displayed pumpkin patch, with tiny little gourds or pumpkins lining the pathways.

The plan was to get up this morning and dinghy back to Bowen's Wharf in order to read signs everywhere about the history of Newport, stroll along the Cliff Walk to admire the over-the-top mansions ("summer cottages") of the rich elite of New York City (the Vanderbilts and the Astors and others among the 400) from the Gilded Age, and take tours of at least a couple of them.  But we unfortunately had to change our minds when we listened to Chris Parker (our weather guru) and got weather updates online.  Gale force winds are predicted, mostly from the northwest, off and on over the next couple of days.  The southern part of Newport harbor is not protected from winds from the north, and we deemed it inadvisable to stay there when gusts up to 45 knots were predicted.  At 9 a.m., we had the anchor up and were heading east (because we still hope to reach Boston by Friday) to Buzzards Bay in Massachusetts where we could shelter from northerly winds.  We didn't even try to use the whole mainsail; we started off with two reefs.  After we were out in the sound, we hauled the jib partially out, turned the engine off and sailed along at eight to nine knots to with reduced sail.  I would think that a wind out of the south would be warmer, but, NO!  I stayed in the pilot house most of the time, but I steered her into the channel to the Cuttyhunk Pond, teeth chattering all the way.

We dropped anchor at 1 p.m. and have been huddled inside since then.  We ran the generator for a couple of hours in order to use the space heater, so the temperature is tolerable.  Peter and I had a nice game of Scrabble.  (I won, 406-351.)  Sometimes, the wind in the rigging is melodious and pleasant.  When it gets over 20 knots, as it is now, it just sounds ominous.  I will be snuggling into bed early with a book this evening!