Block Island
August 22, 2013
With something less than good planning, we left Martha's Vineyard yesterday at 0615 for the long sail to Block Island, RI. The idea was to get there to wait for the upcoming rain event. Seemed like it was good timing except for one thing: tides. Vineyard sound is fairly open at both ends so I did not even consider the possibilities of adverse current. Unlike the narrow passage at Wood's Hole where current is definitely a factor, the open sound should not be so strong. That is partially right. It was not the five knots of the Hole. It was a flat three knots opposing. At times we were seeing a whopping three knots of speed over ground even with the iron genny tacking high numbers. We were in foul current until noon which made the 8 hour passage considerably longer.
Block Island is just off the Rhode Island coast about thirteen miles. Our course, once out of Vineyard Sound (past Cuttyhunk Island) ran parallel the coast. The famous Block Island swell was comfortable and tame so the day went well. We crossed two major shipping lanes, one of which is used by US subs returning to Groton. I kept a lookout for one but we did not see any. We did see a couple of large turtles. Block Island has a reputation for fog but yesterday we first saw it twelve miles out.
Upon arrival at BI we learned all the moorings were taken. That's a lot of moorings. The fall back was the anchorage and my guess is that at least two hundred boats are "hook down" outside the mooring field.
An enterprising bakery chef motors in the anchoring and moorings early morning with literally a boat load of fresh baked goods to include hot breakfast sandwiches. When near, you will hear "Adiamooo". Aldo and his dad before him made a living selling very delicious pastries to boaters from his open launch (Aldo's Bakery). He arrives along side with the good displayed in the boat. The variety is amazing. I am thinking that such an enterprise might work in large mainland harbors as well.
Picture is of downtown Edgertown, the largest town on Martha's Vineyard

PS: The generator through hull fitting upchucked the rest of the jelly fish that was restricting the flow so we have a happy generator now.