We arrived in New Rochelle NY at Huguenot Yacht Club. We were very lucky to be able to borrow a friends slip (Thanks Adam). We stayed here for 10 days due to some ugly weather over Memorial Day. We were so lucky to have power and could run the heat. We had fun visits with our friends from UK Sailmakers NE, Emmet & Susie, Adam & Jenny, and Ryan, with fun dinners and a cookout at the club. Katie and Mike even got a chance to race.
We all got our second Covid shots. We split up getting the shots this time just in case any of us had bad symptoms. We didn’t all want to be out of commission at once. Someone needs to walk the dog. Mikey and I went first, walking a mile to the nearest CVS. Katie and Mike went three days later. Luckily none of us had any bad symptoms.
We left New Rochelle on June 5th slowly making our way to Rhode Island. Our first night was Port Jefferson. We didn’t stay long but the harbor was beautiful. The next night we anchored off Fishers Island, NY (although its much closer to CT). The island looked beautiful and very exclusive. Long Island Sound was full of mylar balloons. We captured and disposed of as many as we could.
Seriously, stop buying mylar balloons!
On the 7th we headed for Bristol, RI. As we approached Newport we saw many of the boats finishing the Annapolis to Newport Race, including our friends on Kenai. So what else would we do but pop a kite to beat them in. We said hello as they finished and then headed off to Bristol. Unfortunately, we had a bad gybe and Mike caught the runner in the side of the head. He has a nasty rope burn behind his ear.
Sailing Under the Newport Jamestown Bridge Headed to Bristol
We hung out in Bristol for three nights visiting out with Houston friends, Marc and Simon. We even got to borrow a truck and hit some stores. I finally got to try Plant City X, a new vegan fast food restaurant in Middletown created by Chef Matthew Kenney. I’d been wanting to try it since it first opened. So good! For Mike’s birthday, we had breakfast at the Beehive Café, our favorite place in Bristol. That night we had a cookout with Ben, Kate and their boys, more sailing friends. The best part of our east coast adventure was definitely catching up with friends and family.
Texas Invasion of Bristol Yacht Club
We headed to Newport on June 10th so Mike and Katie could race in the NYYC Annual Regatta on Summer Storm. I loved getting to walk around Newport and window shop while they were racing. It’s such a fun town. Summer Storm always has an amazing dock party after racing with drinks and appetizers. Its fun to finally meet all the people Mike races with. Sunday after racing we had an amazing crew dinner at the Cooke House Restaurant. Mike and I had veggie sushi and a great Indian meal. The food was fabulous. Katie got to try raw oysters and lobster for the first time.
Newport Harbor
Ida Lewis Yacht Club with New York Yacht Club Harbor Court in the Background
After racing was over we got to visit with more friends and even got to catch up with our Bahamas friends, JC and Susu, aboard SV Epique.
View of Block Island Harbor from The Oar
Next up was Block Island Race Week. With as many races as Mike has done here, surprisingly it was my first time. What a fun race and island. It’s quaint and New England and I loved it. We were here for 10 days. The anchorage can be a bit of a mess, I think some were anchoring for the first time ever?! Anchoring took a few tries for many and we saw quite a few dragging boats during a nasty thunderstorm. I highly recommend happy hour at the Oar and sitting in their Adirondack chairs with a nice glass of rose or a Narragansett beer. The racing in Block went well and we had great dinners at the crew house. Mike’s original boat had to cancel and he was lucky to find a new boat. All but one on the crew were new friends and everyone was wonderful and welcoming. The crew house was an old farm house with a huge barn and lots of land. Everything was green and in bloom and the air smelled rich of flowers. Katie spent her week working on Summer Storm. Although they couldn’t race they enjoyed a nice family vacation and some beautiful sails around the island. Unfortunately no Jimmy Buffet sightings at the regatta party this year.
Sunset by the Old Barn at the Block Island Crew House
Sunset over the Garden at the Block Island Crew House
On June 29th, we headed back to Bristol to hang out with some more with friends. We love Narragansett Bay and could spend the whole summer here. Bristol is well known for their 4th of July celebration. We were excited to experience it for the first time. We watch the fireworks over the harbor from Bristol yacht Club on the 4th and then the huge 3-hour parade on the 5th.
Bristol 4th of July Parade
Bristol 4th of July Parade
Bristol 4th of July Parade, Best Float, 9/11 Remembrance
We had to head over to East Greenwich on the 8th to wait out Tropical Storm, Elsa. We were well protected and barely noticed the storm, although we heard it was pretty bad further south in Newport. Once everything was clear we headed to Dutch Harbor to find SV Mer du Jour. Way back in Calabash Bay, Long Island Bahamas we ran out of propane. Wonderful cruising friends, Marc and Nancy, offered us their tank and said we could catch up with them on Cat Island and return it. Fortunately, we gave them one of our empty tanks and money to fill it just in case we didn’t meet up again. Due to weather and a delaminating headsail we never made it to Cat. We just did a quick swap in the harbor and headed to Newport Harbor for the night. We are always so grateful for all the amazing friends we’ve met along our journey. Everyone is so willing to help each other out, which is especially necessary in the Bahamas were supplies can be very limited.
Back in Bristol, Katie finally got to tour Roger Williams University and met the sailing coach, Amanda Callahan. Katie was accepted to RWU but has deferred a year to finish cruising and will start in the fall of 2022. We all loved the campus. Its small but it seems perfect for Katie. We enjoyed our visit with the coach and Katie is very excited for school and sailing. I’m so glad we’ll get to spend more time in Bristol. Katie has informed us though that we are not allowed to move here until after she graduates.
Katie with RWU Campus in the Background
I’ve fallen in love with Narragansett Bay and want to spend my summers sailing here forever. New England wasn’t part of our original plans for cruising but we knew with COVID and the fact that our trip was last minute, that we would have to be flexible. The time we got with friends and family made this adventure all the more special.
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