Following our brief stay in Long Island Sound, we headed up to New England for the summer (and fall), stopping at Newport Rhode Island, various locations throughout Massachusetts and ultimately exploring the beautiful coastline of Maine. Though each of these locales are steeped in maritime heritage, they all had a unique flavor that made our adventures that much more interesting.
First a New Port in Newport
Departing late at night from the protected harbor at Montauk, NY we set sail into the fog of Long Island Sound, headed for Rhode Island. Newport, with it’s rich maritime history was the natural place to stop and we began to see signs of a vibrant, albeit very posh sailing community before we entered the harbor. Huge, modern sailing yachts were motoring too and fro, some sporting extravagant deck toys and upwards of 4 sets of spreaders. Giant yacht-carrying ships came and went, distributing huge catamarans from all over the globe. The moorings in the harbor were crammed with fancy racing boats, historic reconstructions of tall ships, top-of-the-line bluewater cruisers and a bit of everything in between. We managed to tuck in among the other transient boats at anchor and began exploring the town.
Once on shore, signs of supreme wealth were evident all around; in the extravagant mansions, sprawling country clubs, meticulously maintained automobiles and generally gentrified storefronts of downtown. Yet our humble crew felt welcome everywhere we went, especially with Kiwi in tow. Newport was incredibly dog-friendly town, with beaches, stores and restaurants all open to dog visitors. And we made lots of new dog friends each morning and evening as we walked with Kiwi through the parks and neighborhoods near our anchorage.
Massachusetts
Though not part of our original plan, we ended up spending over a month lingering in Massachusetts as we worked our way northward. From Newport, we sailed to Buzzards Bay, then motored up through the Cape Cod Canal, visited Plymouth Harbor, then Provincetown, before settling in among the islands in the southern portion of Boston Harbor. Massachusetts primarily served as a logistical convenience, but we still managed to see a lot of unique sights throughout the state.
Plymouth was unfortunately dreary during our visit. The clouds, fog, rain and brief periods of wind cycled with the tides, and the long, shallow bay caused some wild currents to rip through the one small deep spot off the channel where we anchored. Besides the gloominess, we explored the remnants of some of America’s first European settlers. Plymouth rock was on display, along with a restored rendition of the famous Mayflower. Again, we felt small parking the dinghy next to such a large and elegant ship.
Next up, we sailed to the tip of Cape Cod to enjoy some beautiful summer weather in Provincetown. The anchorage was over a mile from the town proper, but provided us with easy access to the long, curling sand spit that protects the inside of the cape. This spit depletes that harbor of any shoals, and at roughly 20 meters deep, it took all of our anchor chain to stay put! Unfortunately, those depths swallowed up Janine’s phone during one of our daily trips to the beach…. No chance of swimming down to retrieve anything in those depths.
But we had a schedule to keep, and a few days of calm winds carried us towards Boston. We had our sights set on the Boston Harbor Islands which occupy a wide area of protected, shallows just southeast of the city. For the next month, we loitered between Grape Island near Hingham, Rainsford Island out in the middle of the bay and the cove near South Boston. Janine took the opportunity to fly to Europe for 2 weeks while I stayed onboard to keep the pets happy and work on boat projects.
The Maine Attraction
After Janine returned from Europe, we set off for Maine to soak up the last bit of warm weather before the fall colors set in. We stopped in Portland to refuel and resupply then headed for the numerous channels and inlets that make up central Maine’s coastline. We found pristine islands, some complete with well maintained trails just about everywhere we went. Despite the shallow waters and often strong currents, we day-sailed with ease between anchorages, exploring between Rockland Harbor and Southwest Harbor.
But as fall rolled along, the temperatures began to drop and the leaves all around us began to turn from green to gold, orange and red. Amidst all of the swirling colors of fall, we were treated to a spectacular light show when the aurora made its way down to splash more color across the night sky. Our time in Maine was spectacular, but with winter rapidly approaching, we made the tough decision to head south in search of warmer temperatures.
