Lunch at the Spring House Hotel, Block Island

The weather continued with hot days and light winds. We set out from Barnegat Light with the outgoing current squirting us out the entrance at 9 knots.
Out on the ocean we raised the sails and set our course for Block Island, a distance of 150 miles or about 24 hours sailing on a course of 067.
There are three shipping lanes leading in to New York harbor, each with ingoing and outgoing lanes. So crossing these can be a challenge. But not today. Fortunately we were able to cross all three in daylight and saw only four ships, all well clear of us.
So the day was quiet, and during the night watch, we passed a few tugs pushing barges, mostly oil barges, and a few fishing boats, but all was quiet. As dawn approached, Block Island rose out of the morning mist and by 0800 hrs, we were safely tied to a mooring ball.
We were glad to be in as the forecast was for two heavy wind days ahead. With a huge boating population within a short day's sail, Block Island is a popular spot. There are 90 moorings for rent and the Harbormaster told us they are completely rented every night in July and August. So we were fortunate to arrive early on a Friday morning to catch a few boats departing, vacating a spot for us.
Competition is intense, with people prowling in dinghies, waiting for one to free up, grabbing it and calling their boat on the VHF to come in. No reservations accepted. The Harbormaster told me a story. He had just started, and was out in the anchorage when he was flagged down by a dinghy containing a man and his wife. They were clinging to an empty mooring and explained that they wanted to get their boat, but didn't have anything to put on the mooring to save it. The Harbormaster said, sorry but those are the rules... no reservation. After a few minutes pleading, to no avail, the man looked at his wife and said "Honey, put your life jacket on, you're going swimming." and she did!
In addition to the rental moorings, there are about two hundred private ones. And on a holiday weekend, there are up to 1500 boats anchored! But this weekend was relatively quiet with just a couple of hundred anchored.
Ashore we rented bikes and toured the island for the day. Lunch at a small take-out, excellent fish burgers. The heat wave continued with Humidex readings in excess of 100F, so we drank water continuously. By evening the wind had piped up as forecast, and the mooring competition continued unabated. Plans were to head for Cuttyhunk on Saturday, but we were told it would be impossible to get a mooring, so we stayed put, and rented bikes again.
Lunch was in the Island's oldest hotel, the Spring House Hotel. Sitting on the shady veranda looking out over the harbor, we enjoyed an excellent lunch of lobster roll, tuna salad and cold drinks. An excellent way to pass a hot windy day.
This morning we dropped the mooring early, and watched it snatched up before we were out of the mooring field. Out the harbor and into Block Island Sound, we headed north-east towards the mouth of the Cape Cod Canal, about 60 miles away. Plans are to pass through tomorrow morning early so we can catch the tide. The tidal currents in the canal are fierce, and it is next to impossible to fight them, so timing is important.
We were headed for an anchorage at Onset, just at the canal mouth. The winds were still brisk, and by days end were a steady 25 knots with gusts to 30. Seas in the shallow waters of Buzzards Bay had built up to an impressive 5' chop, and when we considered the entry to Onset, we called the Yacht Club and were told not to try it. So we ducked on to Pocasset Harbor, a well-protected anchorage we have used before, and just three miles from the canal.
We picked up a vacant mooring and settled in, sheltered from the gale. Dinner was smoked salmon appetizers followed by BBQ steak with roast potatoes and stir-fried vegs, and a nice Merlot. Dessert, fruit, cheese and chocolate.
We have a wine problem... too much. We had stored quite a stock for our trip when we left Panama, and won't get through it. So we need some ideas about how to dispose of surplus. In the mean time, we're going through it, making sure that we drink the best first.
Tomorrow, through the canal, then we'll look at the wind and decide on our destination. The forecast isn't the greatest for us, so its one day at a time.