Thanks. I've heard that from others. The Company's routes are "there and back" through the Vineyard and Nantucket sounds.
KG
New England Sailing Venues?
- Thread starter Kings Gambit
- Start date
KG
THE BEST TIME??? Interesting that this escaped me the first time... Anyway, I've always thought September has the best weather. Cobalt skies, not too hot and very reliable breezes...
Definitely the way to go. FYI the current rips through Vineyard Sound also, so current timing can make a big difference in your trip times. Use an app that overlays currents on the charts (I use Navionics) to help you plan. Try to avoid the steep chop that kicks up in wind-against-current situations.
Thinking further about this, with 6 nights as a limiting factor I’d skip Nantucket. As the saying goes; the juice isn’t worth the squeeze, considering the immediate area is destination-rich. Slow down and focus on closer destination points, and enjoy each without feeling pressure to hit them all. Let the winds and weather decide which direction you go, where you stop, and how long you stay. No marina/mooring reservations more than 24 hours in advance.
Consider the Herreshoff museum in Bristol (walk the town, its beautiful antique homes and buildings are an architectural treasure and there are nice shops/restaurants), Cuttyhunk, Martha’s Vineyard (rent a car for a day and tour the island; there’s a completely different vibe in each town, and include Menemsha), Block Island, Mystic/Stonington/Noank.
The prevailing summer winds are SW. If you get a (rare) NW wind, take advantage of it and head SW to eastern Long Island NY (Sag Harbor, Greenport - go to Dering Harbor on Shelter Island take the little ferry to Greenport or vice-verse). From there you can work your way back with favorable NW or SW winds to Block Island, Cuttyhunk and Narragansett Bay (Newport area).
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See if you can read The Coast of Summer by Anthony Bailey. He is a very good writer and describes that cruising area beautifully. The book will wet your appetite for a cruise there. We always liked to combine the touristy destinations like Block Island with quiet anchorages like Coecle's Harbor midweek. The contrast made each more attractive. If you're cruising in Summer be aware that anchorages can be crowded and moorings non-existent in the major destinations. Reservations are sort of helpful in getting docking space but for Block Island they are basically a loose plan. You may have to wait hours for the dockmaster to bring you in. And cruising from marina to marina is too restrictive and can be dangerous. People hunt for moorings in the Great Salt pond in their dingy's early in the AM. It's a PITA and takes a lot of fun out of that place. You can anchor but it can be crowded and you may have to anchor in 30' so have lots of chain. We ended up avoiding BI. Newport is busy (And fun) but after a day or two there you might enjoy the peace of Jamestown where I could always get a mooring. If you end up in the area between BI and the east end of LI LMK. I know some special places. Bailey covers many of them.
Thanks, Shemandr. I’ve been, perhaps naively, thinking that the NE cruising grounds might be less congested this summer than is typical! I’ve also been thinking that 6 nights only might be too short of a trip. I’ll get the book.
Here's the scoop on BI moorings and anchoring (understood this year will probably be different and I hope we are allowed to land there). The bottom in Great Salt Pond is mostly loose silt over hard-packed sand with shells and scattered weed patches, so holding is poor, but good enough in fair weather and winds. Collisions from dragging are common if the wind direction does a 180, or there is a T-storm with high winds. The anchorage is east of the main channel, deeper north, and shoal (6' or less) to the south. The SE has an area known as the "dinghy beach" (you'll know it when you see it) where you can go ashore and walk across the road to Crescent Beach - one of the best beaches in the region, and very dog friendly (all of BI is dog friendly).
The harbormaster watches for people scouting moorings in dinghies, and will kick someone off a mooring if they're caught trying to reserve one with that method. The town moorings are green or orange in the SW end of the harbor. Orange is for bigger boats (45'+). They're first-come-first-served, and the new "day" starts at 11:00 AM, so most boats that are leaving will be gone by then so they don't have to pay another day. The harbormaster will come by to collect and you can pay multiple days at a time. The moorings last year were $45/night and you can pay with plastic. Boats seeking moorings cruise slowly around the mooring field and watch for people prepping to leave, then they hover nearby. Sometimes it gets competitive and boats go too fast, like kids playing "musical chairs". If you don't get a mooring the best option is to either anchor, or (if T-storms are in the forecast) it's better to call the harbormaster on the VHF and ask if they can put you on a private mooring. (Private mooring owners are required to let the town know if they will be away so the town can rent them.)
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How far Down East do you think you'll go?
There's great sailing and touring in the Mount Desert Island area. There are bird sanctuaries, great restaurants, hiking and biking, historical places and, of course, that Down East nautical ambiance everywhere you go.
Still crowded at the hight of the season, but much better than Massachusetts destinations.
-Will (Dragonfly)
There's great sailing and touring in the Mount Desert Island area. There are bird sanctuaries, great restaurants, hiking and biking, historical places and, of course, that Down East nautical ambiance everywhere you go.
Still crowded at the hight of the season, but much better than Massachusetts destinations.
-Will (Dragonfly)
Covid could change the situation. I was speaking of my past experiences.
One of the problems for sailboats is that we tend to arrive at destinations late in the day. So harbors can be filled by then. So in planning if you plan a shorter trip and leave early, you can arrive by late morning and beat the power boats there. Say three hours or under 20 miles. You also get to spend the PM hanging out, swimming or visiting shore. The down side is that the wind is typically in the PM. Having a broad list of anchorages is an asset when the main sites are full. i.e. boats anchor on the East side of BI which is generally the lee side. Fisher's Island has a anchorage outside the mooring area. Even Mystic Seaport, Stonington, Watch Hill, of course Newport and so on.
One of the problems for sailboats is that we tend to arrive at destinations late in the day. So harbors can be filled by then. So in planning if you plan a shorter trip and leave early, you can arrive by late morning and beat the power boats there. Say three hours or under 20 miles. You also get to spend the PM hanging out, swimming or visiting shore. The down side is that the wind is typically in the PM. Having a broad list of anchorages is an asset when the main sites are full. i.e. boats anchor on the East side of BI which is generally the lee side. Fisher's Island has a anchorage outside the mooring area. Even Mystic Seaport, Stonington, Watch Hill, of course Newport and so on.
I'm realizing that it's been 5 or 6 years since we stopped there. I'm glad they are trying to address that problem. I'm not sure that full size boats competing for moorings is more comforting but ....
We sail out of Pt Judith and are very, very familiar with Block Island, New Harbor. We never sail to BI between the week of July 4 and the week of Labor Day. Twenty years ago things were better from a mooring perspective, but since the Great Recession and the subsequent economic boom the boats, especially powerboats, have multiplied and mooring or anchoring is extremely difficult, especially on weekends. There are some good holding ground spots but they are mostly in the NW and NE corners of the allowable anchorage and there is a long fetch for the prevailing SW breeze and what we call the "5 o'clock hurricane", making for a bouncy anchorage. On top of that the anchorage will be very, very crowded and famous for the arrival of powerboats in force, anchoring on top your anchor rode, rafting up 3 or 4 boats, and immediately head into town on the launch. Then we have watched the raft slowly dragging down on us. Then we call the harbormaster and he dispatches Sea Tow to come and tow the offenders over to the "penalty box" just east of the CG station. Not fun.
However, things are very different before July 4 and after Labor Day. Town moorings are generally available, restaurants and shopping still open, and moorings at half price. Much better.
Good luck !
More room for me. I avoid the weeks before and after July 4 and the week before Labor Day. The week after Labor Day it's like a ghost town, comparatively. I also try to avoid July/August weekends, but midweek is generally within tolerable crowding levels. This year, if RI doesn't lift its current sanctions for out of state boats we will not be going, unfortunately.
Thanks! We also get the strong afternoon W-SW wind here in summer. But, we’re typically anchored, or moored, close in the lee of an island feature. So, no real fetch. Swing around excessively sometimes; but little lumpiness, bounciness, from churned-up water.
I usually aim for a 1400 arrival if on the move. A little “habit” we developed after our first Caribbean (Windwards) charter, years ago. I like to relax in the afternoon; don’t much like trying to pick up a mooring in 15 kt, etc. It’s more fun to watch others doing it with a G&T in me hand
!
This, of course, means that I’m acting like a power boat skipper. Getting into destination before the wind gets up good. Anathema to the sailor’s usual wishes. If it is far to destination, and the wind stays down until 1300, you don’t arrive until, say, 1900. The last time we went to Isthmus Cove, Catalina Island, August of last year on the weekend, arriving 30 or so minutes ahead of sunset after a nice 20-22 n.mi. sail in modest, but fair, wind, we were hunting for a mooring; and zip. All of the few anchoring spots were also filled up at even more than 2 mi away. We could not raise Harbor Patrol for quite a while due the on going trafficI usually aim for a 1400 arrival if on the move. A little “habit” we developed after our first Caribbean (Windwards) charter, years ago. I like to relax in the afternoon; don’t much like trying to pick up a mooring in 15 kt, etc. It’s more fun to watch others doing it with a G&T in me hand
. We were finally advised to “go find” an empty mooring on Delta row at Emerald Bay, a few miles away, which we picked up at twilight. Lucky there was a vacant one. I don’t like that too much either.A retired couple (or multi-week vacationers) probably would not have that problem; stay hooked up where you are over the weekend. Make your destinations during the week.
Maybe get a nice sail in a fair wind.
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Cuttyhunk (aka town of Gosnold, Ma.), is closed to boaters until June 15. It's anybody's guess if it will open then.
I'm watching similar islands on my coast as they set regulations to protect these smaller enclosed societies. We know the more rural and isolated areas in the pandemic will be the last to see infection rates rise.
Last I knew, there were only a dozen or two year-round residents living on Cuttyhunk. Typical of small islands, many of the Cuttyhunk residents are older and facilities are marginal. An infection could mean moving to the mainland for care.
The view of Vineyard Sound on Cuttyhunk.
I'm watching similar islands on my coast as they set regulations to protect these smaller enclosed societies. We know the more rural and isolated areas in the pandemic will be the last to see infection rates rise.
Last I knew, there were only a dozen or two year-round residents living on Cuttyhunk. Typical of small islands, many of the Cuttyhunk residents are older and facilities are marginal. An infection could mean moving to the mainland for care.
The view of Vineyard Sound on Cuttyhunk.
We anchored overnight in the Salt Pond on BI in late July, 18. It was a weekday. We found a spot to anchor but it's always crowded in season. Sure enough, a mobo popped out of the water at low tide:
We've spent a few nights there over the years, mostly at anchor. It's a circus but we've had a great time exploring ashore and swimming off the boat.
Early mornings on the water are the best, even on BI.
We've spent a few nights there over the years, mostly at anchor. It's a circus but we've had a great time exploring ashore and swimming off the boat.
Early mornings on the water are the best, even on BI.
Speaking of Block Island
Category:
News
A sign at Coast Guard Beach informing all boaters they must quarantine on the water for 14 days after arriving at the island. Photo by Capt. Kate McConville
Block Island Harbormaster Kate McConville has told The Block Island Times that she is informing all boaters that come into the Great Salt Pond or into Old Harbor that they will have to quarantine on the water for 14 days, no matter where they have traveled from. These are guidelines set by the state, said McConville.
Boaters who have a home out here can quarantine at their own home, which they must go straight to. However, McConville said since all the marinas are closed, and there are no moorings, unattended boats show poor seamanship.
McConville erected a sign at Coast Guard Beach on Tuesday, April 14 announcing the quarantine mandate. She said she planned on putting up a similar sign in Old Harbor. It applies to all boats whether they have come over from Newport or out of state, McConville said.
“I’ve had about five boats come into the harbor since we had a shelter in place and advised them of the quarantine,” said McConville. “I have their contact info. Most of them have come in to shelter from weather, and they have all been solo sailors.”
McConville said, “I can’t stop them from coming, but I can discourage them. There is no fuel, no water, no electricity” for boaters at this time. The Pump out boat is also not ready, but it might be in about a week. McConville said she is using a shellfish skiff to go out to meet the boaters. If the boat is in quarantine, it is required to fly a quarantine flag.
She said the quarantine requirement “has been in place and will stay in place until the town says otherwise.” McConville said she does not expect any increase in boat traffic until the end of the month. She said if someone breaks quarantine, it may become a law enforcement matter.
“We’ve all been working well together,” McConville said of the local police department.
Lars Trodson, at ltrodson@blockislandtimes.com
Category:
News
A sign at Coast Guard Beach informing all boaters they must quarantine on the water for 14 days after arriving at the island. Photo by Capt. Kate McConville
Block Island Harbormaster Kate McConville has told The Block Island Times that she is informing all boaters that come into the Great Salt Pond or into Old Harbor that they will have to quarantine on the water for 14 days, no matter where they have traveled from. These are guidelines set by the state, said McConville.
Boaters who have a home out here can quarantine at their own home, which they must go straight to. However, McConville said since all the marinas are closed, and there are no moorings, unattended boats show poor seamanship.
McConville erected a sign at Coast Guard Beach on Tuesday, April 14 announcing the quarantine mandate. She said she planned on putting up a similar sign in Old Harbor. It applies to all boats whether they have come over from Newport or out of state, McConville said.
“I’ve had about five boats come into the harbor since we had a shelter in place and advised them of the quarantine,” said McConville. “I have their contact info. Most of them have come in to shelter from weather, and they have all been solo sailors.”
McConville said, “I can’t stop them from coming, but I can discourage them. There is no fuel, no water, no electricity” for boaters at this time. The Pump out boat is also not ready, but it might be in about a week. McConville said she is using a shellfish skiff to go out to meet the boaters. If the boat is in quarantine, it is required to fly a quarantine flag.
She said the quarantine requirement “has been in place and will stay in place until the town says otherwise.” McConville said she does not expect any increase in boat traffic until the end of the month. She said if someone breaks quarantine, it may become a law enforcement matter.
“We’ve all been working well together,” McConville said of the local police department.
Lars Trodson, at ltrodson@blockislandtimes.com