Closing out Week 2 – Exploring the “Other” Sounds

Block Island Sound, Rhode Island Sound, Vineyard Sound

It was now Friday, July 25th, and we were just shy of 500 nautical miles into our summer cruise. So far, we had cruised past the coasts of Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut with each place feeling more beautiful than the last. Our goal was to make it into the Bay of Fundy between Northeastern Maine and Nova Scotia before summers end, so even though we were extremely impressed by the beauty of Long Island Sound, it was time to push on!

Up next was the 25 nautical mile passage to the picturesque Block Island, Rhode Island. Block Island is located a little under 10 miles off the coast of Rhode Island and it has been a destination for sailors since it was first settled in the late seventeenth century due to protection offered by the natural Great Salt Pond harbor. Abby and I went back and forth several times on what the passage to Block Island would look like. There was a forecasted thunderstorm around 1700 that afternoon, but the tidal current would be against us until about 1230. As the passage from New London, Connecticut to Block Island was a little less than 25 nautical miles, we would normally plan for this sail to take about 5 hours. However, if we left before 1230, we knew the passage would take longer as the first portion of the journey would be going directly into the tidal current (this can reduce your speed over ground by up to 3 knots in this part of the world). We ended up settling on leaving at 1030 and adjusted our route to go between Fishers Island and the coast of Connecticut where the tidal current going against us would be a little less than 1 knot. While the current was more favorable, the navigation would be a little trickier and the wind more fickle as it would have to swirl around Fishers Island before reaching us.

With our route mapped out, we cast our lines and headed out into the Block Island Sound. As expected, the wind was very intermittent between Fishers Island and the Connecticut coast, so after trying to sail for 30 minutes and making almost no progress, we reluctantly furled our sails, turned on the motor, and pushed on. The navigational hazards I was initially concerned about ended up being well marked and we passed by them with ease. As soon as we cleared Fishers Island, the wind picked up nicely and we were able to unfurl our sails and point directly towards the Great Salt Pond harbor entrance. As we continued sailing across Block Island Sound, there was a noticeable increase in wind speed, and the dark clouds of the impending thunderstorm began to show themselves on the horizon. Soon after the thunderstorm clouds first appeared, the Coast Guard sent out a weather alert on VHF Radio about impending severe thunderstorms. With the increase in wind speed, we reefed our sails but we were still traveling around 7 knots! It truly felt as if we were flying towards our destination.

With the storm bearing down on us, we made it to the entrance of Great Salt Pond harbor. We were immediately overwhelmed by the sheer number of boats both anchored out and on mooring balls. We knew we were coming in on a Friday afternoon, and thus expected it to be busy, but hoped the forecasted storms would minimize the number of boats anchored. Boy, were we wrong. By my rough estimation, there were probably 750 to 1000 boats in the harbor. When we read up on Block Island and Great Salt Pond, we had heard it would be busy, but there would always be a place to anchor and that you should generally try and avoid the center where the depths were 30-40 feet. Well, with it being as busy as it was, there was only 1 true open space between 3 power boats, 2 catamarans, and 2 monohulls - and of course it was in 35 feet of water.

Normally in tight harbors, you try to drop anchor only near similar style boats. By being next to similar style boats, you will all swing the same way during wind and tidal shifts, therefore minimizing the chances of bumping into one another in the middle of the night. At this point we had no choice, so we dropped our anchor and hoped. As the storm was fast approaching, we let out all 150 feet of anchor chain, which still only gave us a 4 to 1 scope, and backed up hard to set the anchor deep in the mud. The whole time we were setting the anchor, we could feel the nervous eyes of the boaters around us who were worried that our anchor wouldn’t set and that we would be blown into them during the storm. At first, I felt judged by this extra attention, but almost immediately after we had our anchor set, a boat came up and anchored right in front of us and we were watching them like a hawk with that same nervousness that the other people had watched us.

As the storm bore down us, every boat had someone sitting in the cockpit, ready to fire up the engine if their anchor started to drag. Even though there was an air of anxiety around, there was also a level of comradery felt as everyone was having to do the same thing. 45 minutes after we dropped anchor, the rolling cloud on the front edge of the storm hit us bringing 30 to 40 knot gusts of wind. Within 5 minutes, the rolling cloud passed us over and was replaced by a ferocious thunder and lightning storm. Just as we had off the coast of New Jersey, we put our precious electronics in the stove while we sat and watched. After 20 minutes of intense wind, rain, lightning, and thunder, the skies lightened, and the storm passed. Remarkably, it appeared as though everyone had weathered the storm well with no obvious signs of damage. As this was the end of the forecasted strong weather, we lowered our dinghy, Saltine, in the water and took off for shore.

The rolling cloud as it approached Great Salt Pond in Block Island.

Unfortunately, in the excitement of having gotten through the storm unscathed and to be exploring a new place, Abby and I both managed to forget our wallets on Salty Foxx and thus this would only be a quick shore excursion. We took Tots on a speedy walk around town and learned of a local farmers market the following morning. With this information in hand, we deemed our shore excursion a success and headed back to Salty Foxx to enjoy a nice Old Fashioned cocktail at sunset.

As we sat enjoying the bourbon, we reflected on the day’s journey. That had been the most wind we had sailed in since we left the Chesapeake Bay, this was the most crowded anchorage we had stopped in, this was the least amount of scope we had out on the anchor chain, and this was the biggest storm we had weathered while on anchor to date. It felt like a lot of firsts to check off in one day. Overall, everything had worked out great! Abby made good calls on when to reef the sails such that we kept our speed near hull speed but never felt overpowered or out of control. We navigated the crowded anchorage well and found a spot to set our anchor with just barely enough swing room to feel safe. We got a good bite on the anchor on the first try and it held perfectly throughout the storm even with the reduced scope. For such a big day, it really felt as if it could not have gone any better and we felt like we belonged in this community that surrounded us.

The next morning, we got up early and excitedly called Aldo’s Pastry boat that serviced Great Salt Pond. Aldo’s is a local bakery that started up a boat service where you could call them over to your anchored boat and they would bring fresh warm pastries, coffee, and breakfast sandwiches. Unfortunately for us, everyone else in the anchorage had the same idea and the wait was over 2 hours. We quickly decided the wait was not worth it and made our way to the farmer’s market. Surprise, surprise, there were pastries at the farmer’s market that satisfied our sweet tooth. Much like Sag Harbor, we realized we were shopping outside our price point when the cheapest piece of jewelry being sold was still $95. After admiring the local artists’ work, we left with our bellies full but our bags still empty and decided to walk through the local shops and galleries to see what else the island had to offer. The local shops and galleries were the same story as the farmer’s market, full of beautiful hand-crafted items that were sadly way too expensive (and too breakable for sailboat life) for us.

After a full day of exploring the town, we headed back to the dock and found ourselves at Mahogany Shoals, a cash only bar on Payne’s Dock where we got to enjoy one of their famous Chocolate Mudslides. It was a treat to sit on the top deck of the bar, overlooking the harbor filled with more boats than I could count, and just relax. After a few rounds, our bar tab was looking hefty, so we got back to Saltine and headed through the maze of boats to find Salty Foxx. Back on Salty Foxx, we tidied up and prepared for an early morning cast off towards Newport, Rhode Island. Although we wanted to spend more time in Block Island, the weather had different plans for us. If we wanted to do any sailing the following day on the way to Newport, we had to be off anchor by 0600. Additionally, we had some friends we had met at the Annapolis Boat Show the previous year who would be in Newport through the early afternoon.

Of course, after getting up at 0530, there was less wind than was forecasted and we ended up motoring almost the entire way to Newport. Oh well, that’s just life onboard. After an uneventful trip across Rhode Island Sound, we were greeted by a flurry of activity right at the mouth of the Newport Harbor. We quickly discovered that it was Folk Fest weekend and tons of people were anchoring right next to the venue so they could listen to the music from the comfort of their own boat. We played with the idea of joining the madness, but with the exhaustion of the early morning start and the boats already filling the majority of the close anchorage spots, we continued to the mooring ball we had reserved at the Ida Lewis Yacht Club. Almost immediately after we were secured to the mooring ball, our friends Kelsey and Nic from Sailing Fernweh joined us onboard to take a tour of Salty Foxx. After we showed them around Salty Foxx, we hopped in their dinghy and took a ride over to Fernweh to get a tour. Kelsey and Nic had recently traded in their 30-foot steel sailboat for a 47-foot Jeanneau they named Fernweh, and we were excited to take a look. Fernweh was absolutely stunning! She had more storage space than most apartments and she was in great shape.  After getting the full tour, we took off for shore in search of pizza. After gorging ourselves on some of the most delicious pizzas of our entire lives, we walked down to the mega yacht marina where we could walk the docks between the 100-million-dollar vessels. This was the closest I had ever been to mega yachts of this size. The boats in this marina ranged from 150-300 feet long and were a mix of power and sailboats. To put it in perspective, the yachts here made the yachts on ‘Below Deck’ look tiny. My personal favorite was a teak sailboat cutter rig whose steering wheel was wider than the entirety of Salty Foxx. The teak work on this boat was absolutely immaculate, and she looked like she would just glide through the water. After admiring the mega yachts for a good while, we said our goodbyes and headed back to Salty Foxx. After an afternoon nap to recover from the early morning departure, we headed back to shore to enjoy a sunset walk on the beach and an evening cocktail at Ida Lewis Yacht Club. Another amazing day done and dusted as part of the cruising lifestyle.

The next morning, we headed back to shore to hike the famous cliff walk around the mansions along the water on the southeast side of Newport. As we had to be off our mooring ball by noon, we set out at a brisk pace along the 3.5-mile trail. Even though we were slightly rushed, the mansions we passed were so awe-inspiring that they made us stop in our tracks and stare. Normally, I am not one who enjoys manmade beauty over natural beauty, but the architectural genius behind some the mansions was jaw-dropping. With only a few minutes to spare, we made it back to Salty Foxx where we moved her only ¼ mile to a nearby anchorage and set off again to explore more of downtown Newport. Abby was born in Newport and had visited on several occasions, so she was our de facto tour guide. After an afternoon of exploring, we started to feel famished, and Abby recommended a hot dog/espresso martini restaurant named Wally’s Wieners. Skeptical, but trusting, we chose there to meet up with Lee, one Abby’s college sailing teammates from Old Dominion University. Wally’s Wieners had no less than 12 flavored espresso martinis and 15 gourmet hot dogs on their menu. I chose a Raspberry White Mocha Espresso Martini and the Balsamic and Brie hot dog and they were honestly life changing. I am normally not one for sweet drinks as I usually go for a hoppy IPA, straight bourbon, or a boozy old fashioned, so a Raspberry White Mocha Espresso Martini was about as far away from my normal as I could go but it was deliciously sweet and hit the spot perfectly. I also have only really had hot dogs at baseball games, so a gourmet hot dog was also new for me, but the combination of balsamic vinegar, brie cheese, and hot dog was incredible. If I am ever lucky enough to go back to Newport, I think Wally’s Wieners will have to be the first stop. While we sipped our delicious espresso martinis and chowed on our hot dogs, we filled Lee in on the journey thus far. Abby and Lee hadn’t seen each other since college, so we started way back at the beginning with my 23-foot day sailer in Virginia and the incredible sailing we did during our time out in Hawaii. After another round of espresso martini’s (Oceans Ember this time with local cinnamon whiskey), we said our goodbyes and headed back to the boat.

The next day we woke up and pointed our bow eastward again - this time headed for Cutty Hunk, MA which is a small island in Vineyard Sound at the mouth of Buzzards Bay. Our friends had recently sailed through there and had raved about how it was a must-stop cute little summer island town that didn’t have the craziness of Block Island. The sail was uneventful as we had the wind and waves at our backs, so we made exceptional time. It was one of those perfect sailing days that you just dream about. Soon we were approaching the harbor entrance which was less than 75 feet across at its narrowest point. We studied the guidebook and consulted the charts before making a run through and ended up safely on the inside of the harbor. This harbor was full of first come first serve mooring balls that were a little pricy for our taste when anchoring was free, so we aimed for a small anchorage area at the back of harbor. There were already 4 boats anchored, which made it a little close for comfort. After dropping the anchor the first time, we were unhappy with how close we ended up to one of the previously anchored boats, so we picked it up and tried again. This time we felt good about where the anchor hooked, so we turned off the engine and prepared to go ashore.  The island is very small, with a year-round population of only 10 residents, but the population swells to around 400 for the summer months. We could immediately tell that this island had a much more relaxed vibe than where we’d been the previous week (Sag Harbor, Block Island, and Newport). We immediately embraced the island’s unique life and went shell hunting on the beach. Soon, the sun had gone down, and it was time to turn in for the night.

The next day, I decided that the best way to see the whole island would be to go for a run. The island is roughly rectangular in shape, with the long sides being about 2 miles and the short sides being about ½ a mile in length. There was a mix of dirt and paved roads with undulating hills throughout the middle of the island. No more than 10 minutes into the run, I realized just how out of shape I was. I persevered and ran on (with a few walking breaks) to the southside of the island to take in the old lighthouse and then lightly jogged back right along the cliff side. This was definitely the prettiest place we had a sailed to so far in the journey. Back on the dock, Abby and I had another weather decision to make for the next few days. We had initially planned to wake up the following morning and sail to the mouth of the Cape Cod Canal and anchor for a night (Thursday) before crossing the canal and making the trip to Provincetown the following day (Friday). The initial forecast was for a small craft advisory with winds greater than 30 knots all of Friday and we were hesitant to make the canal crossing in those conditions. That meant we could either make the 20 nautical mile trek to the mouth of the Cape Cod Canal today (Wednesday) and transit the canal on Thursday morning, or we could do the 50 nautical mile trek through the Cape Cod Canal and all the way to Provincetown on Thursday. The only problem with going straight to Provincetown was that based on the currents in the Cape Cod Canal, we needed to be entering the canal mouth at 0915. This meant we’d need to be off anchor by 0515 and be ready for a 10+ hour day. After going back and forth, we decided to wake up at 0500 and check the most updated forecast to see if Friday’s weather forecast improved. If the weather on Friday looked better, we would sail just to the canal mouth as originally planned and cross Friday. If the weather still looked rough, we would sail all the way to Provincetown on Thursday.

With the decision made, we now had another afternoon to enjoy Cuttyhunk. We went back to town and soon found ourselves chatting with a local lobsterman. Before we knew it, he had sold us a 1 ½ pound lobster and taught us how to cook it for dinner. Cooking the lobster was surprisingly easy - use a pot with a lid, fill 1/3rd with water, bring to a rolling boil, drop the lobster in (note: the lobster doesn’t all need to be in the water as the steam cooks it), wait for it to get back to a rolling boil, and then wait exactly 4 minutes. Once it is fully cooked, break off the claws and the tail, serve with melted butter and lemon, and enjoy! The lobster was absolutely delicious and reinforced that it was the right decision to spend another night at Cuttyhunk. I felt especially lucky, as between the ages of 14 and 26, I was allergic to eating all crustaceans (Shrimp/Crab/Lobster) and my tongue would swell to the point where I struggled to talk each time I ate a crustacean. Recently though, my allergy has subsided, and the crustaceans no longer have any impact on me. This was my first lobster since getting over my allergy and I could not stop smiling. We went to bed that night with bellies full and minds happy, ready for the days ahead!

Lobster dinner on Salty Foxx in Cuttyhunk, MA

It was a surreal feeling knowing that this was likely our last night in Southern New England. Soon we would be sailing through the Cape Cod Canal and only a stone’s throw from making it to Maine. While we were excited to keep pushing to our destination, we did end up deciding to skip the rest of Vineyard Sound and the Elizabeth Islands. The plan is to stop by and explore the rest of Vineyard Sound on our way back south in September as we couldn’t wait to make it up to Maine for the warmest part of the Summer. August would start on Friday, and it was time to keep pushing north!