Newport Shore Leave
June 28, 2013
We needed to provision yesterday so we rented a car for the day. After getting the grub needs satisfied, we drove over to Newport to see the place. Aside from the boating activities, Newport is a place where the ultra wealthy of yesteryear chose to build American castles. Many of those very opulent dwellings are open to the public and are no longer privately owned, at least by the families of those who built them originally. It was a place to escape the heat of summer for the giants of industry and finance of the era.
As to the sailing part, I would agree that Newport might well best Fort Lauderdale for the title of yachting capital. The downtown area is loaded with chandleries of all sorts to support movement by sail. The harbor is a mile or so across and moorings fill the spaces. We did not see any vacancy. Naturally, I was attracted to Fort Adams that guards the bay and is most prominent across from Newport Harbor. It was designed by Simon Bernard, former aide-de-camp to Napoleon. The fort is now in the care of a foundation that will have great difficulties caring for it. Time has taken its toll and unlike the other such forts we have visited, this is in very sad shape to have been built so well in the first place. One can actually enter one or two small areas and access to the outer defenses and internal spaces is prohibited.
The town of Wickford is most impressive though very small. Its history is evident since most of the housing is original. There are a few fine spots to dine and that is where we tried Quahog for the first time. What’s a Quahog you ask? Well it is not s four-footed furry rodent. It does not squeal so far as we know. Pronounced coe-hog, a golf ball sized clam that is very tasty. So, we had our very first Quahogs yesterday. Bear purchased a live lobster that now resides in our refrigerator but will meet his match tonight.
It is raining now but that should end soon. Our new friends, the Brits aboard SY Ruffian are at Block Island, a dozen miles or so off the RI coast. They are socked in a heavy fog and may not be able to escape today. That is normal for BI this time of year. We thought we would hand around until the 4th at Bristol, known for it’s 4th celebrations but we now think we will continue east to celebrate wherever we are on that day. I hope to repair our anchor windlass today if the rain stops. Fortunately, it is stuck on raise but will not lower. That is done by releasing the hook and letting it free fall- not good form and it’s noisy.