1. Mystic, to Block Island. 2. BI to Cutty Hunk. 3. CH to Martha's Vineyard. 4. MV to Nantucket. 5. Rest in Nantucket (or Martha's Vineyard). Nantucket to MV. (a different location). 6. Here to Newport. 7. Return to base.
Here are more descriptions... (See New England home page for stops closer to our base in Mystic.)
Block Island
This description is courtesy of Safe/Sea--a professional tow company we recommend if you need assistance.Safe/Sea, B.I. site and links to their other information.
Entering Great Salt Pond is a straight-in approach. The channel is well marked; however, none of the buoys are lighted if entering after sunset. This is another area of heavy traffic especially on weekends and holidays. Just remember to be patient and keep as close to the starboard side of the channel as possible. The narrow point of the channel is about 50 feet across. Once you pass abeam of the Coast Guard Station, you will have a little more breathing room.
There are four marinas that offer transient dockage within New Harbor. As you proceed down the main navigation channel
Payne's Dock will be dead ahead at the end of the channel. Off your starboard bow, next to Payne's is the Block Island Boat
Basin, Safe/Sea's home dock at Block Island. Off your starboard beam and next to the Boat Basin is Champlin's Marina.
The fourth marina, Smuggler's Cove, is in the area locally know as the Hogpen. It is located behind Payne's on the eastern
side. The Hogpen channel is very narrow and shallow, so you should speak with the Smuggler's dockmaster for instructions
before entering the Hogpen.
Payne's Dock does not accept reservations and rarely monitors the radio. Block Island Boat Basin, Champlin's Marina, and
Smuggler's Cove take reservations. The Boat Basin monitors VHF channel 09, while Champlin's and Smuggler's monitor 68.
A couple of quick phone calls can help you determine which marina suits your party.
Spending the night or afternoon at dockside is not the only alternative. The town of New Shoreham offers 85 rental moorings
available on a first come first served basis. These moorings are lime green in color and are located in the southwest corner of
the harbor.
The white moorings are privately owned and carry a stiff penalty for use without authorization from their owner. Information
on the moorings can be obtained by calling the Harbormaster on VHF channel 12. In the event that a mooring is not
available, anchorage is available east of the main channel. Pay out plenty of scope and pay close attention to the wind and any
shifts that may occur, as dragging anchor is common in Great Salt Pond.
Block Island has several services to offer to the boating community. The town provides a free waste pumpout to all vessels in
New Harbor. Keep in mind that New Harbor is a federal no discharge zone, so please utilize this free service. The pumpout
boat monitors channel 73 and operates from 7 - 11 am and again from 1 - 5 pm 7 days a week. Additional information on
the pumpout boat can be gained by calling the Harbormaster. All the marinas in the harbor also offer pumpout service.
Aldo's Bakery delivers a variety of tasty goods every morning and afternoon directly to your boat and can be contacted on
channel 68. (They'll come around and their goods are hard to resist if you're out in the cockpit early with a good book--take advantage while the late risers sleep!)
Launch service is available and information is available again by contacting the Harbormaster. In brief, the
Old Port Launch
operates out of the Block Island Boat Basin and monitors VHF 68. Champlin's Launch comes out of Champlin's Marina and
also monitors 68. B.I. Launch operates out of Smuggler's Cove and monitors channel 79. There are free dinghy docks at the
Block Island Boat Basin and Champlin's.
There are also mechanical services available on the island. The service will depend on your power plant. Block Island Marine
handles primarily outboards and is also capable of small vessel haul out. Edwards Marine handles primarily inboards and
Inboard/Outboard systems. Both services monitor the radio, Block Island Marine on 12 and Edwards Marine on 68.
Now that you are safely moored, it's time to go ashore! There are several modes of transportation available on the island for
rent. The most popular is the bicycle. In the vicinity of Great Salt Pond, there are rentals at all the marinas, plus at Block
Island Bike & Car Rental in the Hogpen. Block Island has thousands of beautiful sights that are best seen from a slow moving
bike. Be very cautious if you rent a moped, they account for the majority of accidents on the island. The taxis on the island
also offer island tours that are very informative.
Sight seeing on Block Island is like nowhere else. Beautiful nature areas such as Rodman's Hollow, Mohegan Bluffs, Fresh
Pond, the beaches, Sachem Pond, and Sandy Point should not be missed. While touring the Island, visit places such as the
Southeast Lighthouse and North Light. Be a little adventurous and venture through the greenway walking trails. These trails
offer views of the island that can never be seen from the roads. (You can also explore these with one of the excellent, rental
mountain bikes.)
Several shops and stores are located within walking distance of the Great Salt Pond. These shops offer all types of souvenirs
and local crafts. Restaurants are also in abundance in town. Menus range in content as well as price. The general attitude of
the island is casual, so few restaurants have dress codes. Many restaurants and bars have live entertainment as well as outdoor
eating areas.
The night life on Block Island is rather unique. The majority of the bars are located near town, however, there are a few
waterfront bars in New Harbor. Just remember to keep it in check so you can find your boat !
One thing that you'll notice about the island is how clean it is, and that is a result of hard work. Wherever you go, please
dispose of your trash in the proper areas. A good thing to keep in mind is that recycling is big on the island. If you keep all of
your recyclables separate, you will have a much easier time disposing of your rubbish. The island is very strict in this regard
and they will make you pick through your trash to separate glass and plastics. This is no fun if you've got a few in you
already!
While you're on the island take some time to explore remote beaches and walkways. After several visits, I feel that I have just touched on the possibilities. Someday, I'll write the great American novel, or paint the great American painting here! (Or maybe, simply be known for leaving a clean wake, and becoming a part of the ambiance that is--Block Island!
A great link for more information on and around the Cape Cod penninsula. Or, go to their main site for other information and/or to order their comprehensive guide book. Our descriptions include excerpts from their WEB site--their site offers much more on touring the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket as well as other Cape Cod Sites.
Martha's Vineyard
It sits in the Atlantic Ocean just 7 miles from the mainland, a 100-square-mile island that’s New England’s largest. Its name inspires curiosity.
About 14,000 people live here year round; in the summer the population swells to
90,000, forcing locals to joke that the Island sinks several inches every time the ferries
and planes unload their passengers.
It is home to Carly Simon, Walter Cronkite, Billy Joel, Beverly Sills, Dan
Akroyd,
Patricia Neal, William Styron, Mike Nichols, Diane Sawyer and Spike Lee; it is the
place Princess Di chose for her vacation in 1994, and it is where Ted Danson married
Mary Steenbergen in 1995, in a wedding attended by President Bill Clinton and the
First Family, close friends of the actress. Clinton, in fact, loves the Island so much he’s
visited two other times since he was first elected.
The island is Martha’s Vineyard, named by explorer Bartholomew Gosnold in 1602
for either the abundance of grapes he found here or for his daughter or mother-in-law
(or both). Gosnold’s sailing companion, the Rev. John Brereton, noted that the
first-time visitors were amazed by the “incredible store of vines” and “the huge bones
and ribs of whales,” as well as for the impressive array of wildlife and fruit bushes —
strawberries, raspberries, huckleberries and blueberries — they encountered. They
also encountered Native Americans, members of the Pokanocket Confederacy, who
also were known as Wampanoags. The Indians (who had named the island Noepe,
meaning “amid the waters”) were friendly, sharing food and tobacco with Gosnold and
his crew.
It wasn’t until 40 years later, in 1642, that Martha’s Vineyard was officially colonized
when Thomas Mayhew Jr. arrived with a shipload of English settlers. (Mayhew’s
father bought the island, along with Nantucket and the Elizabeth Islands, from two
English noblemen for the paltry sum of 40 pounds!) Mayhew settled in what is now
Edgartown, naming the white settlement Great Harbor. In 1671, Governor Lovelace
of New York renamed it Edgar Towne in honor of Edgar, the infant son of the Duke
of York and heir apparent to the throne.
The Wampanoags shared their fishing and farming skills with Mayhew and the other
settlers; in turn, he converted them to Christianity. When Mayhew was lost at sea, his
father (and three subsequent generations) continued the conversion, earning them the
nickname “Missionary Mayhews.” Today, the Wampanoags make up half the
population of Gay Head, and they own the colorful clay Gay Head Cliffs (see the
Martha’s Vineyard Attractions section). Little by little, the Island began to flourish as
settlements cropped up in places other than Edgartown. People became self-sufficient
on fishing and farming; mills along the north shore ground corn, and paint and brick
were made from clay. The Colonists evaporated sea water to get salt and harvested
wool from their sheep to weave into cloth. Crude blacksmith shops produced needed
farming tools and hunting weapons.
Vineyarders turned to the sea for their livelihood, exporting cranberries, whale oil, cod,
candles and rum. Men also earned their income as merchant seamen, captains, whalers
or fishermen. Whaling became Edgartown’s principal industry; so huge were the
profits that sea captain’s built huge Federal and Greek Revival homes all over the
Island. You can still spot the best of them, now private homes, restaurants or inns,
lining William Street in Vineyard Haven and North Water Street in Edgartown; many
of them are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Business boomed so much that Vineyard Sound became one of the world’s two
busiest seaports, second only to the English Channel. The decline of the whaling
industry began in 1859 with the discovery of petroleum; in 1914, the completion of the
Cape Cod Canal brought an end to the industry. Its replacement: tourism.
Getting here... By boat.
Menemsha offers slips with electricity; the harbormaster, 645-2846, can provide
details.
Edgartown Harbor has moorings available by the day, week or season. None have
plug-in facilities; two pump-out stations are available. You can reach the harbormaster
at 627-4746.
Vineyard Haven offers moorings, launch service and dockage with plug-ins. The
harbormaster’s number is 693-4200.
Oak Bluffs has plug-in slips for sail and motorboats; a small number of moorings are
available in the harbor. The harbormaster’s number is 693-4355.
Nantucket...
Nantucket is unlike any other place you will visit in New
England. Red roses and pale yellow hollyhocks bloom in November
on this fabled island 30 miles off the coast of Massachusetts, and
the brisk click of businesswomen in heels sounds on cobblestones
that were once ballast for sailing ships.
The words “quaint” and “historic” become overused within minutes
of a visitor’s arrival on this island where fishing cottages with quaint
names and historic sea captains’ houses are commonplace. See
what we mean? The Lear jet at the airport is more likely to belong
to a CEO than the “glitterati” from the Vineyard, but then,
Nantucket exudes both practicality and creativity. And romance.
Unlike Martha’s Vineyard, which sprawls in full view of Cape Cod,
Nantucket is out of sight of land — the “faraway island,” which is
what its name means. Undoubtedly, this lack of visual and physical
connection accounts for the Nantucketer’s frame of reference,
which is essentially that the world is comprised of two types of
people: Nantucketers and off-islanders. It is not uncommon to hear
residents mention that they are “going to America” to get a brake
job or do Christmas shopping.
Ever heard of an entire island being declared a historic district, or a
community with a year-round population of roughly 6,500
maintaining more than a dozen museums? Have you been to a place
that seems like home even though you’ve never been there before?
It’s called Nantucket.
Thanks to visionary conservation measures that have both limited
modern intrusions and preserved a priceless collection of public
buildings and homes that represent four centuries of architectural
theory and workmanship, Nantucket Town has a museum-quality
atmosphere of historical purity punctuated by picket fences, flower
beds and nautical reminders. But this is no artificial or sterile
community, no whalers’ Brigadoon. In fact, real life is perhaps a
little too real on Nantucket where winds, weather and the Atlantic
Ocean have a constant impact on everyday life.
Nantucketers are generally friendly and good-humored, but if you
sense that your car is distinctly unwelcome on Nantucket, you are
right. When you prudently decide it is too expensive to bring a
vehicle to the Island, you might go through a slight withdrawal
before you perceive how freeing it is to walk from Point A to Point
B without worrying about parking, tickets, gas and unfamiliar street
signs. Nantucket forces you to forsake some aspects of modern life:
You find that you grow more and more comfortable with that fact.
Despite its sterling silver door knockers and the look of high-end
prosperity, Nantucket’s people have ridden out rough economic
times throughout history. These are people who know how to make
tough choices, and for much of this century, they have had to fight
that fatal human urge to kill the goose that lays golden eggs by
exploiting what makes money. More than 100 years ago, folks
discovered that what made money on Nantucket was not whaling or
sheep herding or farming but tourism. That meant services and
property were at a premium; residents wisely made provisions for
the future by preserving open space and historic structures.
Whether you like or dislike the solutions, Nantucket has dealt with
problems of vehicular congestion, transportation and open space
head on. In 1970 the entire island was established as a historic
district, which means that all construction must be accepted by the
Historic District Commission, the Nantucket Building Department
and the Planning Board. Permits can take six months to acquire, and
stringent restrictions dictate exterior dimensions, color and materials.
There is a saying on Nantucket that you can paint your house any
color — as long as it’s gray or white. As a result, it is very difficult
to tell the old buildings from the new, which gives the Island a
harmonious appearance.
An Island of Contrasts
Nantucket is a complex place. Despite an emphasis on structural
conformity, it has always been characterized by individuality and the
wild, natural beauty of its moors, stretches of beach and bogs. And
yet it also has enough sophisticated shops and great restaurants to
please the most demanding urbanite.
“You have to be a little adventurous to come here,” observes Tracy
Bakalar of the Chamber of Commerce. “There are no neon signs,
no stop lights, no flashing yellow lights and no McDonald’s.”
Don’t mistake being physically remote for being culturally isolated
or provincial, however. Travelers from around the world come here;
the Nantucket Chamber’s book has a greeting in six languages. In
1993 the Nantucket Elementary School was selected from 177
schools nationwide to receive an award for overall excellence. With
graduating classes that average 50 to 60 students, the school has
teams in football, swimming and soccer.
The Lay of the Land
Nantucket Town, the most concentrated part of the Island, is
situated around the harbor. The village of Madaket consists of
residences and a few businesses. The village of Siasconset, or
Sconset, as it is commonly called, is a bustling summertime resort
known for its excellent restaurants and rose-covered cottages with
sweet names such as Little House and Auld Ange Syne, the oldest
cottage on the Island. Look for the image of spouting whales cut
into the privet hedges. The old schoolhouse, now a fire station, was
used until 1957.
If you’re an artist, bring your sketch pad. Nantucket’s air is full of
moisture, and it is warmer in winter and cooler in summer than the
rest of the area, which results in achingly beautiful flowers and
gardens. “Landscapers make a good living here,” dryly observed
one resident. Save your camera film and just buy Taylor Lewis and
Virginia Heard’s book, Nantucket: Gardens and Houses.
Wildlife on Nantucket consists of deer, pheasant, rabbits and
squirrels. Forty years ago, squirrels were nonexistent on the Island
because they, like the deer, had been hunted out; their recent
reappearance has been attributed to stowaways on logging trucks.
The Island abounds with wild blueberries, blackberries, beach plum
and elderberries. The 260-acre Milestone cranberry bog is one of
the largest in the United States. The highest point of land is Folger
Hill, which at 109 feet is a foot higher than Altar Rock.
It’s true that much of Nantucket shuts down in the off-season, but
down by the marina, dogs sleep in the sun while boat riggings clatter
noisily, and a wet suit draped over a mast looks like Peter Pan’s
shadow. The salt air is invigorating, and the sweep and hue of the
sea and sky fill you with happiness year round. Every Christmas, the
Roger Schmidt family, who operates the Eighteen Gardner Street
Inn, bakes chocolate chip cookies for The Steamship Authority, the
Board of Health, the Police Department, the Fire Department and
the kids’ teachers; in case you’re wondering, they whip out about
250 dozen cookies.
“People find it amazing that there is some place left in the world
where they can let their guard down and be themselves,” says Lilly
Krajevic at the Jared Coffin House inn. “People ask, ‘Is it safe to
walk here at night?,’ and we laugh.”
Someone — we’d love to find out who — wrote: “Nantucket
constantly pulls at my heart, and everyone I know who lives here or
visits here is touched by this miniature world of open space and
devoted people. Her boundaries simultaneously challenge our lives
and add comfort to our souls.”
Amen.
Boating facilities...
The boating crowd will find superb facilities within Nantucket
harbor, which has moorings, tieups, fuel and food service. Most of
the island’s restaurants, accommodations and attractions are within
easy walking distance. For more information, call the Town Pier at
228-7260 or the Nantucket Boat Basin at 228-1333 or (800)
NAN-BOAT. For information about moorings, call 228-4472.
Marine supplies are available at Island Marine Service,
228-9095; Madaket Marine, 228-9086; and Nantucket Ship
Chandlery, 228-2300, at the harbor.
