We are enjoying the cool summer breezes along the New England Coastline. Here is the track of this part of our journey. So far we have visited Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Stay tuned.

Connecticut

Gary Smith kindly invited us to stay at the Niantic River Dockominium where Wind Runner is kept. The other slip owners welcomed us with open arms and hearts. They taught us the fine art of claming and Striped Bass fishing. They even chipped in an bought us a new crock pot when EA dropped and broke ours at the end of our Open Boat Party. What Great Folks.

We had a grand time in Connecticut. We spent some time on boat chores. A new main halyard was installed and the reef lines replaced. The Dingy had some plastic surgery.  The grime from New York was scrubbed off and Shearwater was mighty proud.

The weekend after the Fourth of July we sailed over to New London to see the fireworks display put on by the Pequot Indian Tribes. They have a huge gambling operation in the area. It's their way of saying thank you to the area. It was a bit smaller than New York. But, not by much.  The choreography and music were exceptional.

On Sunday we took a ride up the Thames River to see the Submarine base. We were not allowed to take pictures because of security. it would have been difficult to film the awesomeness of these Subs lined up one after the other.

It was hard to pull away from Niantic. We promised a quick stop on our way south. Block Island called.

Block Island

It's just a little over thirty miles from Niantic Bay to Block Island. We sailed out into Long Island Sound where the Ocean rushes into the Sound. We learned from locals that it is best to time the passage through the race for slack tide. The currents are treacherous here as the water rushes between the tip Long Island and Fishers Island  over a submerged reef.

The day Elizabeth Anne went Bass fishing the water here was churning and there was a line of white caps and rips drawn across the sea. We made our passage a slack tide. There were lots of charter fishing boats headed for this area that day. When the tide changes the fish begin to move.

From there on to Block Island the seas were glass calm and the breeze was light. We cruised along at 6 to 7 knots on a beam reach. We arrive in Great Salt Pond, Block Island, Rhode island by late afternoon. Just enough time to settle before sundown cocktails.

Block Island is a popular weekend destination for many New England Boaters. The harbor at Great Salt Pond is vast but crowded. Most of the boats are on mooring balls. The harbor is very busy with launches, dinghy's and water taxi's. The Island is very hospitable to boaters. There are a number of dingy docks provided by the Island. They ask boaters to pay $.50 per landing, done on the honor system with a collection box nearby.

We anchored on the perimeter of this busy harbor.  We remarked that we haven't seen so many boats in one place since Marathon or Chaguaramas. In the morning we woke to eerie fog. Not another single boat could be seen. The fog hung in for the following day when it lifted enough for us to venture to shore.

We walked to the far side of the Island where the ferries come in. Old Harbor is a busy place. Lots of shops and eateries. We found a place that made salt water taffy in the shop window. It was buttery and tasty. Some followed us home.

On our way back to the boat we discovered a lobster fishing boat selling its catch of the day and treated ourselves to a lobster dinner. Domino had fun checking these fellows out. She kept poking her paw into the bucket they waited in. When they were out of the water she was less interested since they moved around less.

On a beautiful Sunday Morning we sailed out of Great Salt Pond bound for Martha's Vineyard.

Martha's Vineyard

Martha's Vineyard is east  of Block Island. The harbor we departed from was on the western side of the Island. We had to come out and around the Island before  setting course for Gay Head on the Southwestern corner of Martha's Vineyard. The body of water we transited here is called Block Island Sound. There were lots of sailboats going every which way. We had a grand sail with the Spinnaker flying proudly. We covered the 40 mile trip in less than 5 hours.

Our first port of call on Martha's Vineyard was Menemsha, a former lobster fishing village just past the cliffs at Gay Head. We anchored outside the busy little harbor we discovered the inner channel into Menemsha Pond where we intended to spend the night was shoaled in and could only be passed at high tide. The little village was quaint and friendly.

The following day we sailed along the western coast of the island to the port of Vineyard Haven where we spent several nights. This is the commercial port for the island with lots of ferries  coming and going all during the day and evening. Again there was a pleasant dingy dock at the town pier. We did some reprovisioning at the local A & P and took walks and bike rides to see this pretty little town and it's neighbor town of Victorian  Oak Bluffs. There are great little theaters on the island. Many of the shows were sold out but we were able to get tickets for an outdoor presentation of the Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged). We were literally rolling in the isles.

We bade a fond farewell to Vineyard Haven and set off for Edgartown on the southeastern corner of the island. This is a lovely village once a whaling town. Lots of history and beautiful restored homes and artsy little shops. The harbor is awesome. Filled with thousands of sailboats each one larger and sleeker than the next. We saw the largest contingent of Hinckley's  we have ever seen in one place. We anchored in Katama Bay behind Edgartown. It was a lovely serene and protected anchorage.

We hoped to head next for Nantucket but on the advice of other boaters who told us not to plan on an overnight stay there unless we had reservations for mooring ball. They told us the harbor was so popular on the weekends that people made reservations weeks in advance. We don't normally use a mooring ball because "Big Bruce" does such a trustworthy job. We were told that anchoring out was very limited and discourage by the harbor patrol. So, we decided to turn west towards Woods Hole and a lovely spot called Hadley Harbor where we are now anchored for the night.