Block Island

This has been a trip down memory lane, and of course it would not be complete without a visit to Block Island.

We left Newport about 9 in the morning and had an uneventful crossing. The wind was moderate, the air was cool and visibility was excellent. We could see Block Island clearly from Beavertail light, which Peter says is unusual at this time of year. We arrived less than 2 hours later in Great Salt Pond, and we motored around looking for a place to stop. The last time we were here in our own boat was 1986, and it has changed significantly.

There is only a small anchoring field, most of the pond is filled with moorings. Peter called the harbormaster on VHF, to be told that town moorings were all filled. The harbormaster wasn't particularly talkative or informative, but after we anchored and listened to all the boats calling the harbormaster, we felt a bit sorry for him. The same questions over and over; "can we get a mooring?� "No, they're all taken� "Then can we pick up a mooring until you know if any mooring will be free?� It may be his job, but after the nth iteration it must get very old.

Peter decided after lunch to check out the restaurants because he had his heart set on a lobster dinner. He came back to the boat about 3 pm and started to put the dinghy on the davits. ??? What? No lobster?

No lobster. We were getting out of there. Peter drove around, and around, and around, and he said that everything seemed so � unfriendly. Signs saying "if you tie up your dinghy here it will be gone when you get back� or "no dinghies, $xx.00 fine.� Or words to that effect, anyway. The few places he found where dinghies were allowed were so packed with short painter dinghies you couldn't get another dinghy in the pack.

As we headed towards Pt. Judith for the night, Peter reminisced about trips to Block Island in the past. "It used to be fun.� We enjoyed Provincetown and Plymouth, figured out Boston, and felt comfortable in East Providence. I'm sorry that Block Island wasn't another happy reunion for us. For us, at least, its success has spoiled it.

Peter was determined to get his lobster dinner, but anchoring outside was clearly not going to be comfortable with a freshening wind, so we went far back, up to the very end of the channel into a small town called Wakefield, RI. Not much room to anchor, but we were okay. What a pleasant change only having to worry about 2-1/2 foot draft, and a stable platform if we do misjudge the tide and depth. Peter again went scouting around but could find no restaurant, so we made do with boat provisions for another night.

In the morning we listened to the marine weather and decided that we would stay at least another day rather than try to slog into a 15 to 20 knot breeze on the nose. Since we have been at anchor or on a mooring since we put the boat in the water in June, it really needed a good freshwater washdown and some serious cleaning inside as well. We are on an outside tie up at Pt. Judith Marina, and here we sit as comfortable as can be with a shore tie and lots and lots of fresh water. A nice friendly marina and a couple of good restaurants within walking distance. Peter will get his lobster yet

The weather reports are a bit iffy for Friday so we are considering staying another day. We'll see.

Peter set to cleaning and scouring the boat. It looks good. I vacuumed and cleaned the inside. If we stay another day I'll scrub the rugs so they can dry before we leave here.

We cleaned the windows very carefully and put Rain-x on them, which has made a fantastic improvement in visibility. Well worth the extra effort.

Friends of ours thought they were doing us a favor by putting Rain-x on our dodger windows on the sailboat. Because they didn't clean the glass carefully before applying the stuff, all the water spots and hazy dirt spots that were on the glass when the rain-x was applied were thereafter permanently on the glass, since the rain-x protected the dirt as well as the glass from water. I was not going to make that mistake twice.

Now to see what the weather is going to be like. Peter is not in any hurry to return to land, and will use any excuse to postpone the inevitable.