BLOCK ISLAND, RI

Sunset at Block Island




We have spent the afternoon and night in the New Harbor at Block Island, RI. It was a wonderful/strange experience. A channel was cut through from Block Island Sound to Great Salt Pond in 1895. For the next 100 plus years the boats have flocked here from all over the world......and now from Michigan. The water is deep (with very few rocks) and the Pond is well protected from the winds.


All that's good, right? I have no idea how many boats can dock at the 4 marinas - maybe 100. Then, there are an unknown number of private moorings. Then, there are 100 town moorings that sometimes have 2 boats rafted together. We arrived at 1 pm and all the public moorings were gone. So, we anchored in the large anchorage area with 300 (give or take) other boats. The web site says that there is space for 1,000 boats to anchor. It was the most unusual anchorage we've ever been in!


Now for the wonderful part. We sat on the deck and watched a beautiful sunset (almost as good as Beaver Island's sunsets), ate homemade chicken noodle soup, and watched the lights on the masts come on. It was like being in a star field with the stars almost close enough to touch. It was magical.


I love the feeling that Lou and I are sailing in the same waters Matt and Brian sailed when they were on Trader. I first noticed this feeling as we came down the Erie Canal and again when we were around the Statue of Liberty. As we head toward Newport, it's a strong feeling again.


The trip from Block Island to Newport is like being on a freeway with so many boats heading in both directions. We have a beautiful blue sailboat off our starboard that Lou is having an unofficial race with. The other boat has a main and head sail up, and we are sailing with just a head sail. So far we're winning.



NEWPORT HARBOR 9-4-09

Sometimes (despite the recent stories otherwise) I think we live under an umbrella of good luck. For example, if you want a campsite at White River Campground for the Labor Day Weekend, you would need to make a reservation in June or early July. I called Carl, the owner/manager or moorings in a section of Newport harbor, this morning and he saved us a spot on a floating dock. When we arrived, he said he'd have several calls after mine and this was the last mooring he had. So, for $45 a night we have a safe location away from the craziness of Center Harbor just off a State Park beach. One of the marinas charges $300 per night plus $20 for electricity. Ouch!!!!

Now we go exploring.