Date: 17 June, 2001
Port of Call: Onset, Massachusetts
Subject: Way Cool
We are enjoying being back in New England after nearly two years away. We knew we were getting close when, on our passage from Hampton, Virginia to Block Island, Rhode Island, we had to put on jackets to keep warm on the night watches. In fact, on the last day of our passage the weather was cool enough that I was able to wear blue jeans and socks and shoes instead of my usual attire of shorts and bare feet!
Our passage was characterized by light winds and was uneventful. We motored most of the way. The winds were those tempting kind where there is a little rustle of breeze on the water which, combined with the apparent wind from the boat's motion under power, makes one think "gee we should be sailing". Then, when we cut off the engine and try to sail, we only go about 1.8 knots. So we motored. As we arrived off of Block Island after a little over two days at sea, we could smell the scent of wild roses drifting on the light breeze. It was unforgettable.
As it turns out, it's a good thing we motored, because a big frontal line came through about 5 hours after we anchored in Block Island. It was nasty, rainy weather with strong gusty winds and lightning that lasted about 4 or 5 hours. Despite being tired from the passage, I got up a number of times that night to keep an eye on things.
Wild roses and view of lighthouse from Settler’s Rock
While at Block Island we rented a tandem bicycle and rode all around the
island. We pedaled past lily ponds and farms separated by piled stone walls.
Wild roses were in bloom all over the island, and our ride was perfumed with
the same scent that greeted our arrival here. We went to the southeast
lighthouse where we had a picnic on a lawn of grass and clover. As
we ate we looked out on the foggy waters of Block Island Sound and listened
to the moan of the nearby foghorn. After lunch we rode up to the north
end of the island, where the road ends at Settler's Rock Beach. We
sat at the ocean's edge and admired the gentle curve where sand meets water;
where grassy dunes undulate into the sand and pebble beach, and where the
island terminates like a punctuation mark at the northern lighthouse.Foggy trip from Block Island to Newport
After three days in Block Island we headed on to Newport. The relatively
good visibility in Great Salt Pond quickly gave way to thick, dripping fog,
and we felt our way under radar into the boating capitol of Rhode Island.
Coming up Narragansett Bay in 30-yard visibility while dodging buoys, shipping
traffic, lobster boats and other pleasure vessels is about as intense as
boating gets. Just as we reached Fort Adams at the mouth of Newport
Harbor, the fog lifted and we had an easy time finding a place to anchor.We spent the afternoon and the next morning acquiring parts and charts for the boat, and around noon we headed out of Newport and up Buzzards Bay trying to beat an incoming cold front. Once again the fog socked in as soon as we left the harbor, and we motored about 45 miles in light winds to the entrance of the Cape Cod Canal. The fog lifted by late afternoon, and we dropped anchor in Onset only 20 minutes before sunset. It turns out we beat the cold front by nearly a day, and we are sitting here waiting for the weather to hit.
Aside from the few squalls, we have really been enjoying New England's fine summer weather. Ever since we arrived, the TV meteorologists have been describing the weather as hot and muggy, and saying how uncomfortable it is. They describe the nights as "sheet stickers". I guess while we were in the Caribbean we must have adapted to warm weather more than we thought, because we are finding it absolutely delightful here. While the high temperatures have climbed into the 90's lately, the breeze is cooled by water with a temperature in the 50's. It is instant natural air-conditioning. We love it. We think New England is cool.
Smooth sailing,
Jim and Cathy