A recent article in Cruising World magazine about sailing around southern New England reminded me of a similar cruise that Lois and I made several years ago. Here is our take of that cruise that I wrote for our sailing club newsletter.
If you are stuck in the snow and cold of this miserable winter, maybe this will improve your mood. Hope you enjoy it.
CRUISE TO PLACES PAST BY
In past years we have cruised to Maine and New England with specific destinations. Because of time or weather, we by-passed many places that we would have liked to stop and see. Our summer cruise in 2008 was to go back and visit these anchorages and harbors that we had sailed by in the past. Of course the route included many places that we really enjoy, like New York City, Jamestown, RI, and Milford and Stonington, CT. In addition, we found even more that were as beautiful and fun as we had imagined, like Cuttyhunk Island, Hadley Harbor, and Edgartown. And of course, the sailing to get there and back was interesting and challenging.
Little Cuttyhunk Island turned out to be one of those story book places. Positioned at the western end of the Elizabeth Islands that separate Buzzards Bay, Vineyard Sound and the North Atlantic, it usually gets passed by as it is off the route to Block Island, Newport or New Bedford. A one hour walk from the islands small harbor, the one paved road leads to the highest point on the island where you look out over the eastward running archipelago and the surrounding waters, and the distinctive cliffs of Martha’s Vineyard. Along the road is the Cuttyhunk Fishing Club. Founded in 1894, the club is almost exactly as it was when William Howard Taft and President Teddy Roosevelt came here on a fishing trip. That was the last bit of excitement for the fifty or so residences of the island until Ariel arrived with Lois on board. Well, there could have been some other excitement, but no one mentioned it. The boat Raw Bar, begins its round of the boats moored in the harbor about 6:00 PM each day and the owner sells fresh oysters and clams from his local beds, along with great chowder and shrimp.
There is nothing like oysters harvested only an hour earlier and shucked in front of you for an easy, no mess dinner. That alone was worth the trip. We stopped at Cuttyhunk both going and returning it was so good.
Hadley Harbor is a beautiful cove in Naushon Island, at the eastern end of the Elizabeth Islands, and the last island in the chain before it ends at Cape Cod. The harbor is a totally protected natural refuge and to keep order among the anchored boats, the Naushon Trust (founded by the Forbes family, owners of the islands) has set moorings, available at no cost on a first-come first-served basis.The scenery is as beautiful as the coves of Maine, with a boat yard complete with beautiful Herreshoff sloops tied to the docks and a real marine railway to haul the wooden boats. Tied to a mooring and without any worries of dragging anchors or thunder storms that might arrive unexpectedly in the dark of night, it’s not hard to dream of the Victorian age and the wives awaiting the return of their men from the fishing grounds off Cape Cod and the George’s Banks. It is really a magical place and well worth a stopover.
Leaving Hadley Harbor, you have to transit Woods Hole to get to the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. The tidal currents in Woods Hole make the currents of Hell Gate in the East River feel like child’s play. A mistake in Woods Hole means you can easily be swept onto very hard rocks that lurk just under the water at mid tide. (The “Hole” in these parts refers to the passage between the islands. There are four holes that form passages between the Elizabeth Islands, Woods Hole being the busiest. Two of the holes are very dangerous to use unless the seas are benign and you have local knowledge. To further confuse the issue, there is also the town of Woods Hole, home of the famous marine research center.) We passed through the hole without problems, timing the tide correctly and, luckily, picking a morning without fog. The sail through Vineyard Sound was calm and very quick with a favorable tide. The distances between the ports on Martha’s Vineyard are very close and it’s only a short time before you pass Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs and Edgartown. Lining the Edgartown harbor are gracious homes of long ago sea captains and the unspoken tales of whale oil, mutinous crews and wooden ships lost in the cold waters while the wives paced the widow’s walks above the homes. Many of these houses are now the shops that cater to the islands elegant residents and affluent visitors. Edgartown turned out to be a good place to use as a base to see the island with easy bus service to any point. The little town of Oak Bluffs was a surprise. In the 19th century Oak Bluffs was known as the “Cottage City of America” when it attracted Methodists from all over the country for the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meetings. They came to pray and preach, setting up their tents at this seaside spot. Gradually tiny houses replaced the tents, all gaily painted and adorned with gingerbread and scrollwork.The annual camp meetings continue today. The huge tent was replaced in 1879 by a wood and wrought-iron “Tabernacle” that is still in use. A walk through this now historic area is well worth the stop.
This chronicle would not be complete without telling of our meeting Theo Piper and his wife Maria Piperoglou in New York. Theo and Maria are Greek-Americans who live in Manhattan and have a boat that they are rebuilding, with plans to send it to their seaside home in Greece when they retire in several years. Imagine a modern sailboat with a distinct Greek look. It even has mink covered throw pillows. You will understand that when you read on. After several dinners together and lots of boat discussions, they took us to their favorite Greek restaurant in Astoria along with a tour of some of the more interesting parts of greater New York City. Now, a ride through Manhattan, with a Greek driver that is pointing out all the sights, is a treat in its self. An evening of Greek food was the main treat and was indescribable. As I can’t understand Greek, it really is indescribable, other than to say that it was one of the most enjoyable meals that we have ever had. We soon lost count of the courses as the food just continued to be set on the table. Theo and Maria are furriers and manufacture fur coats for the fashion designers. According to them they are one of the last fur manufacturers in the country, as all have now moved overseas. On a visit to their shop in the garment district, we got a course in fur 101, seeing how they sort the pelts to get uniform color for a coat and how to make a forty-two inch coat from a bunch of sixteen inch long minks. When they retire, they know of no one left to perform this work in the US. There is a story here for somebody and we would not be surprised to see them in the news someday. We will always remember our fun time with them.
If Sam Llewellyn, my favorite Scottish author of nautical mystery stories, were to describe our return trip, he would write that “the sky was high and blue, the barometer was up, the breeze a brisk northerly and the air had a peculiar sparkle as Ariel rolled steadily through the blue swells”. Now, for the reality. The return trip was not as pleasant, with much less wind and a long ocean swell from hurricane Bertha that was over a thousand miles to the east, then a run up Delaware Bay with a tide that was opposing the strong wind and swell blowing in from the sea. You cannot always have fair winds and calm seas.
Dave & Lois
S/V ARIEL
If you are stuck in the snow and cold of this miserable winter, maybe this will improve your mood. Hope you enjoy it.
CRUISE TO PLACES PAST BY
In past years we have cruised to Maine and New England with specific destinations. Because of time or weather, we by-passed many places that we would have liked to stop and see. Our summer cruise in 2008 was to go back and visit these anchorages and harbors that we had sailed by in the past. Of course the route included many places that we really enjoy, like New York City, Jamestown, RI, and Milford and Stonington, CT. In addition, we found even more that were as beautiful and fun as we had imagined, like Cuttyhunk Island, Hadley Harbor, and Edgartown. And of course, the sailing to get there and back was interesting and challenging.
Little Cuttyhunk Island turned out to be one of those story book places. Positioned at the western end of the Elizabeth Islands that separate Buzzards Bay, Vineyard Sound and the North Atlantic, it usually gets passed by as it is off the route to Block Island, Newport or New Bedford. A one hour walk from the islands small harbor, the one paved road leads to the highest point on the island where you look out over the eastward running archipelago and the surrounding waters, and the distinctive cliffs of Martha’s Vineyard. Along the road is the Cuttyhunk Fishing Club. Founded in 1894, the club is almost exactly as it was when William Howard Taft and President Teddy Roosevelt came here on a fishing trip. That was the last bit of excitement for the fifty or so residences of the island until Ariel arrived with Lois on board. Well, there could have been some other excitement, but no one mentioned it. The boat Raw Bar, begins its round of the boats moored in the harbor about 6:00 PM each day and the owner sells fresh oysters and clams from his local beds, along with great chowder and shrimp.
There is nothing like oysters harvested only an hour earlier and shucked in front of you for an easy, no mess dinner. That alone was worth the trip. We stopped at Cuttyhunk both going and returning it was so good.
Hadley Harbor is a beautiful cove in Naushon Island, at the eastern end of the Elizabeth Islands, and the last island in the chain before it ends at Cape Cod. The harbor is a totally protected natural refuge and to keep order among the anchored boats, the Naushon Trust (founded by the Forbes family, owners of the islands) has set moorings, available at no cost on a first-come first-served basis.The scenery is as beautiful as the coves of Maine, with a boat yard complete with beautiful Herreshoff sloops tied to the docks and a real marine railway to haul the wooden boats. Tied to a mooring and without any worries of dragging anchors or thunder storms that might arrive unexpectedly in the dark of night, it’s not hard to dream of the Victorian age and the wives awaiting the return of their men from the fishing grounds off Cape Cod and the George’s Banks. It is really a magical place and well worth a stopover.
Leaving Hadley Harbor, you have to transit Woods Hole to get to the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. The tidal currents in Woods Hole make the currents of Hell Gate in the East River feel like child’s play. A mistake in Woods Hole means you can easily be swept onto very hard rocks that lurk just under the water at mid tide. (The “Hole” in these parts refers to the passage between the islands. There are four holes that form passages between the Elizabeth Islands, Woods Hole being the busiest. Two of the holes are very dangerous to use unless the seas are benign and you have local knowledge. To further confuse the issue, there is also the town of Woods Hole, home of the famous marine research center.) We passed through the hole without problems, timing the tide correctly and, luckily, picking a morning without fog. The sail through Vineyard Sound was calm and very quick with a favorable tide. The distances between the ports on Martha’s Vineyard are very close and it’s only a short time before you pass Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs and Edgartown. Lining the Edgartown harbor are gracious homes of long ago sea captains and the unspoken tales of whale oil, mutinous crews and wooden ships lost in the cold waters while the wives paced the widow’s walks above the homes. Many of these houses are now the shops that cater to the islands elegant residents and affluent visitors. Edgartown turned out to be a good place to use as a base to see the island with easy bus service to any point. The little town of Oak Bluffs was a surprise. In the 19th century Oak Bluffs was known as the “Cottage City of America” when it attracted Methodists from all over the country for the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meetings. They came to pray and preach, setting up their tents at this seaside spot. Gradually tiny houses replaced the tents, all gaily painted and adorned with gingerbread and scrollwork.The annual camp meetings continue today. The huge tent was replaced in 1879 by a wood and wrought-iron “Tabernacle” that is still in use. A walk through this now historic area is well worth the stop.
This chronicle would not be complete without telling of our meeting Theo Piper and his wife Maria Piperoglou in New York. Theo and Maria are Greek-Americans who live in Manhattan and have a boat that they are rebuilding, with plans to send it to their seaside home in Greece when they retire in several years. Imagine a modern sailboat with a distinct Greek look. It even has mink covered throw pillows. You will understand that when you read on. After several dinners together and lots of boat discussions, they took us to their favorite Greek restaurant in Astoria along with a tour of some of the more interesting parts of greater New York City. Now, a ride through Manhattan, with a Greek driver that is pointing out all the sights, is a treat in its self. An evening of Greek food was the main treat and was indescribable. As I can’t understand Greek, it really is indescribable, other than to say that it was one of the most enjoyable meals that we have ever had. We soon lost count of the courses as the food just continued to be set on the table. Theo and Maria are furriers and manufacture fur coats for the fashion designers. According to them they are one of the last fur manufacturers in the country, as all have now moved overseas. On a visit to their shop in the garment district, we got a course in fur 101, seeing how they sort the pelts to get uniform color for a coat and how to make a forty-two inch coat from a bunch of sixteen inch long minks. When they retire, they know of no one left to perform this work in the US. There is a story here for somebody and we would not be surprised to see them in the news someday. We will always remember our fun time with them.
If Sam Llewellyn, my favorite Scottish author of nautical mystery stories, were to describe our return trip, he would write that “the sky was high and blue, the barometer was up, the breeze a brisk northerly and the air had a peculiar sparkle as Ariel rolled steadily through the blue swells”. Now, for the reality. The return trip was not as pleasant, with much less wind and a long ocean swell from hurricane Bertha that was over a thousand miles to the east, then a run up Delaware Bay with a tide that was opposing the strong wind and swell blowing in from the sea. You cannot always have fair winds and calm seas.
Dave & Lois
S/V ARIEL
