Sailing through the Cape Cod Canal, and on to Rhode Island, there is plenty to see
On the other side of the canal, we tried a few times to raise the spinnaker, but each time, after just a few minutes, it ended up laying limp on the front of our mast. After the wind died even more, I finally conceded that we were going to need to use an engine for the rest of the day. At least the water was glassy smooth and the temperature was just perfect.
Based on our present speed and tomorrow's forecast (also for very light winds), my plan was to stop for the night in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and then continue the next day into Newport, Rhode Island. Our real immediate goal was to reunite with our friends Robin and Andy there.
As we were droning along, Robin texted Maryanne and asked about our progress. Maryanne asked me for an estimate and I told her we expected to be in Newport tomorrow. Then we had a bit of a communication breakdown. Robin's response was "Great! You can come with us on Sotito to Bristol for the Blessing of the Fleet!"
Uh, no we can't. By 'tomorrow', I was thinking we'd be lucky to be there before nightfall. Maryanne clarified things, but we were still several hours from meeting in the middle. Grumbling, because I just hate motoring, I looked at everything again and worked out that we would likely have to motor most of the way tomorrow as well on our way from New Bedford to Newport. Since it was basically the same number of engine hours, we might as well just keep motoring to Newport so we can get there today. Then all we will have to do to make sure we are at Sotito in time will be to not oversleep.
With the help of a favorable current, we actually made it to Newport before dark.
Newport Harbor is enormous (and full!). Technically, there is a space set aside, away from the hundreds of moorings, where it is permissible to anchor. We had a look at it, but it was so crowded that we both decided we wouldn't be comfortable letting the boat out of our sight for fear she would swing into something. We decided to suck it up and pay for a mooring for our stay. That plan also had the benefit of putting us way closer to Sotito, which should allow us to get through the whole week on one charge for the dinghy motor.
First thing the next morning, we took the dinghy over to reunite with our friends. As always, Robin was beyond welcoming. A whole elaborate breakfast spread was fanned out before us, including a bunch of stuff we knew she got just for us.
Even though it is much bigger than Begonia, Sotito is much more straightforward to prepare for a trip - no faffing with sail hardware required. Five minutes after Andy said he was going to warm up the engines, we disconnected the shore power and we were off. Within minutes, the giant, now-warm engines were out of the harbour and steaming us upwind to Bristol at fourteen knots.
A trip aboard the beautiful boat Sotito (with new friends and old) to see the Blessing of the Fleet in Bristol - where Andy and Robin throughly spoiled us - we loved it
The Blessing of the Fleet is a Bristol tradition, primarily for the Portuguese/American fishing community. We were front row as several boats in the parade passed under the Fire Department Boat's water cannons.
In reality, the event itself was rather anticlimactic, spread out over a few boats and lasting over an hour. Still, it was nice to see that the water cannons work and the main point was to hang out with our friends (plus others also visiting Sotito). Andy tells us that they are wondering if it is time to finally sell Sotito, so this trip with them to Bristol may very well end up being the last outing for all of us on a boat that holds so many fond memories for us.
With our Newport mooring being so close to Sotito's dock there, our best option for getting ashore in Newport was to tie the dinghy up under the flare of Sotito's bow and use their marina as a base. That was perfect for us, because even if we were busy doing non-socializey stuff, we always had an excuse to stop by and spend a few minutes, before getting on with the real business of our day.
Newport is famed for its luxury "cottages", which any normal person would call a mansion; this time we visited the summer "cottage" of Rough Point
And walked the scenic Cliff Walk
And other attractions of Newport
We spent most of our time with Andy and Robin, but we also managed to do the Cliff Walk, which Maryanne did once while I was away at work, but I have never done. On another day, Robin lent us her car, a beautiful powder-blue Thunderbird convertible, so we could run far-flung errands, as well as get in a lap of Ocean Drive. {Maryanne:We did so much, but mostly it was quality time hanging out with Andy and Robin. Robin had encouraged us to see the exhibit of the Great Elephant Migration which we manged to see multiple times, we were able to see their new home (and their next home) in Newport, and visit farmers markets, etc.}
During the week or so we were there, Andy and Robin had lots of other visitors besides just us. They know a lot of interesting people and we had great fun staying up too late telling and listening to stories over too many bottles of wine.
While we were there, I also got a very special visitor of my own. Ben, the First Officer I chose for my retirement flight back in 2016; he lives not-so-nearby in central Connecticut now. When I told him we were coming to Newport, he generously offered to bridge the gap by making the drive to see us for the day. He brought his friend, Sam with him and with the help of his car, and Robin and Andy's dinghy we all had a great day of Newport tourism together. Ben and I did have a few initial minutes of pilotey shop talk, but mostly it was good to catch up on what we have each been up to since.
Along the way, we of course stopped by Sotito to visit Andy, Robin and other friends they had visiting for the weekend to make introductions. All of us, old and new friends alike, sat around Sotito's big table talking and laughing. It was like we had all known each other from way back. Everyone gets the most amazing welcome from Andy and Robin.
Afterwards, several of them remarked to me that they really like Ben and Sam. Me, too. One of the downsides to Maryanne's and my lifestyle is that we are often on the other side of the world from the people we care about. Had we not lived on a boat, Ben is one of those friends that I would love living down the street from, so we could pop in and see each other all of the time. Of course, Connecticut can have some pretty rough winters. Perhaps we need to start lobbying our friends to all relocate to a village in Hawaii.
The night before we left Newport, we had one more big evening aboard Sotito, with yet more new friends added in. Luckily, we didn't need to leave our mooring until noon the next day, so there was no pressure to get to bed too early. We even had time in the morning to borrow Robin's car again for one last run to the market for fresh produce.
Enjoying great food and quality time with old and new friends in Newport
Our goodbyes understandably took a little bit longer when it finally came time for us to make the last trip to Begonia in the dinghy. Who knows how long and how many miles will pass under our keels before we can meet up again. We fudged our mooring depart time a little, but it was basically still midday-ish. Fortunately, we were only going a few miles to anchor for the night in a nearby bay closer to Long Island Sound, so we could get an early start. After all the recent activity, it seemed a bit lonely spending the afternoon with no exciting new people to meet.
[Maryanne]Newport is famed the world over in sailing communities (mostly for its racing sailors), but it is a beautiful desitnation for anyone and we were so glad to get to visit again (we'd previously visited in 2008 and in 2013). But primarily we were visiting to spend some time with Andy and Robin. Our sailing plans are likely to take us away from the USA for many years so this was our last chance for a while. They have been amazing friends to us since we met them back in the winter of 2012/2013, in Weehawken, where we shared a marina when Hurricane Sandy hit; we could not pass by without seeing them. It was an extra (and special) bonus that we were also able to meet up with Ben while we were there.
Newport Harbour Moorings location >> On google maps
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