Newport

The picture is taken from the stern of NH. Leaving Watch Hill in the background is the narrow passage into the channel marked by the green can at Sandy Point. The depth gauge read 1.8 ft at one point. Look forward to returning and exploring the Pawcatuck River . 

It’s a perfect day to cruise the 40 miles to Newport at an average of 10 knots which will take us a little over three hours.

Here is a picture of Taylor Swifts house which as you can see is perched high on top of the cliff and well protected. 
The  property beside her is the Ocean House Inn.

Watch Hill Lighthouse which we were able to walk up to yesterday but not permitted to enter. A beautiful calm passage finds us in Newport by lunchtime. A quick trip to the Newport Yacht Club dock to wash the boat down to get rid of the salt then  back on our mooring for lunch. Tomorrow Saturday we will bring the boat back in to stay at the NYC where we will entertain Aideen Chris and the boys Cillian and Liam.

Watch Hill Point and Napatree Beach

The Nebo track gives the route NH took to cruise into Little Narragansett Bay where we picked up a mooring curtsey of the Watch Hill Yacht Club. Cruising The Race is always challenging due to currents, tides and lots of areas on the chart to watch out for eg. reefs, rocks, and shallow areas. Nana and Nandad have been to Watch Hill by auto however this is a first for boating. The channel around the north end of Sandy Point which takes you into Watch Hill and the Pawcatuck River is quite narrow and a little intimidating however the markers are easily visible and a nice slow approach took us into the bay which is simply beautiful. Very few boats are in the water at this time so once again we have the bay very much to ourselves. 

Here is a picture of NH ( in the distance ) from Ocean House where we had a very light lunch. It is a very beautiful place and watching the surf while listening to the ocean is so therapeutic. The strong scent from the Rosa Rugosa is just magic. Once again the sunset was picture perfect while we took the opportunity to dine Al fresco ( although briefly) even if it meant Nana wrapped a blanket around her , dinner was perfect. A wonderful clear sky to view the moon, the Big Dipper, Cassiopeia, Mars and Polaris.

NH drops anchor in Coecles Harbor Shelter Island

Dinner is ready! Nana and Nandad are the only boat in the anchorage area at Coecles Harbor. Five minutes later dinner was taken inside due to a sudden wind gust - always the unexpected when boating. A lovely cruise into Gardiners  Bay from Montauk. The entrance is quite narrow but well marked.

Ram Island is to your starboard connected to Shelter by a short causeway. 

Nana was looking forward to a star gazing night however Mother Nature decided otherwise and brought clouds and rain. 

Montauk Yacht Club at Safe Harbor Star Island

NH has a very pleasant cruise across Block Island Sound to spend the night on a slip at Montauk Yacht Club ( which was Guerneys ). The map above is from Embassy Cruising Guide 14 edition. Number 3 is where the yacht club is positioned .

The facility is simply picture perfect with the most beautiful landscape, potted and boxed plants , all ready for a busy Memorial Day weekend. Attention to detail is very obvious here and customer service top notch. One gets the feeling that anything is possible here and the sports fishing vessels are simply magnificent. Tennis and pickle ball courts, outdoor and indoor pools, private beach area, two restaurant’s, gym, bicycles, golf, etc

Nana and Nandad had a wonderful dinner at the Snowfish. In the morning we will treat ourselves to breakfast at IL Forno. Not a bad life - I guess somebody needs to support the system ! We will have to return to tour the area and visit its many attractions. 

Although not a great picture of the moon with Venus - you can see the area where you can gut fish before cooking. Doesn’t get much fresher than the days catch! 


Lots of very pretty flower boxes on the dock. Nandad in the background on the way to breakfast. 

Block Island before the craze of the summer

You know you have arrived early to BI when there is not a single boat at Champlin’s Marina. Nana and Nandad cruised over to Block and dropped anchor - the orange mooring balls were not yet in place. There was a total of 12 boats in the harbor. We had a wonderful lunch at Surf at BI Beach House. A long walk to the airport to find that the diner Bethany’s is no longer open ( so sad ). A long dingy ride with our new electric engine and as always the perfect sunset with the planet Venus the brightest dot near the moon. 

Looking out the protected porch at the Beach House ( windy and cold ) on a deserted baby’s beach - however it will be a very different picture in a few weeks. 

The Sullivan House from our anchorage and as you can see there is no tent yet! 

2023 New Horizon’s Adventures Begin with The Ocean Race at Fort Adams

Nana and Nandad are ready to start the 2023 cruising season with a bang. The Ocean Race is a yacht race around the world held every three or four years ( formally the Whitbread Round the World Race and the Volvo Ocean Race ) which had one of its stops at Fort Adams Newport. The IMOCA 60 class yachts are very complex, light, fragile, fast boats that have foils that lift the boat out of the water so they appear to be flying.

Julie and Marcus await our pickup at the mooring ball so NH can join the other boats in watching the IMOC 60’s race the bay and leave for Leg 5 of the race, which takes them to Denmark. This is the only stopover in North America.

Not a very clear picture however it captures Malama the boat skippered by RI Charlie Enright. Despite very light winds the boats were able to fly along - literally. Lots of spectator boats so our skipper Nandad did a great job of keeping NH steady so we could capture some pictures and enjoy the excitement. 

The Ocean Live Park provided family entertainment all week long with many educational programs onsite including the Exploration Zone, exhibition’s ,free sailing, music, and much more. The boats are participating in research along their journey and there is a very clear message to inform and inspire ocean health.