Greetings from the shaded salon of Let’s Dance, as we prepare to spend another night just offshore from the quiet village of Vineyard Haven, MA. We’re anchored here for a few days before moving on to a Nantucket reunion with Dallas friends from years past.
Last summer, on the maiden voyage of Let‘s Dance, we almost ignored little Rhode Island altogether, stopping only for minor repairs and maintenance near Newport. We have righted that omission this summer by more thoughtfully exploring the rivers and bays of this tiny gem of a state. Our first stop was at Watch Hill which sits almost on the border of Connecticut. From the water, huge, stately, shingled homes dot the hillside, along with a stunningly yellow Victorian hotel. One could imagine ladies with parasols and gents with canes strolling the verandahs on a summer evening. A tranquil piece of real estate, indeed.
Opting to not enter the fairly shallow harbor, we decided to anchor in about 20 feet of water off the beach, on the ocean side of the peninsula. It was a gorgeous night, flat water, starry skies and excellent company. We watched the news, Jeopardy and an episode of Boston Legal before bedtime, as has become our custom. Next thing we know, our world is being rocked…literally. Let’s Dance is shaking and shimmying and rolling side to side. Looking out the stateroom porthole, the water appears calm…not totally flat, of course, but not crashing waves either. We have become the victim of fetch!
Fetch, or fetch length, plays a role in determining the size of a wave based on the length of water over which it travels and the wind speed that propels it along. For us, that meant that all the open water that was between us (snuggled up to the Rhode Island coastline) and the eastern tip of Long Island, was, under cover of darkness, making its way towards us, gaining strength along the way. Long, long swells of ocean kept us from enjoying a good night’s rest. There is not a single thing fetching about fetch.
We journeyed on the next morning up the western side of Narragansett Bay, ending a short day on the water in a wonderfully calm and protected harbor called Dutch Island Harbor. The anchorage was on the west side of Conanicut Island, a short walk across the island from Jamestown. This village was named after the Duke of York, who later became King James, in 1678 (1678!) After a few days here, we continued north and west, to the charming town of Wickford. Another anchorage for us and several short trips in the Love Me Tender to explore the town. We’d hoped to attend a shore side concert one night, but a late afternoon squall kept us on board, dry and safe.
Just north of Wickford there is Quonset Point, origin possibly of the Quonset hut, and home to a fleet of military C-130 cargo planes. Captain Bill reminisced about his days as a reluctant jumper -- “Stand up! Hook up! Ready! Jump!”
Next stop: East Greenwich, RI. We don’t know anything for certain, but there is a definite ‘matrimonial’ air about this little town. Per block there were more wedding dress boutiques, jewelry stores, beauty salons and bakeries than would seem to be the norm for a town this size. That, and an abundance of barber shops, most with red, white and blue poles turning out front, had our curiosity aroused. My old (long-time?) friend, Chris Born, came aboard here, bringing us a much appreciated array of cheeses, crackers, cornichons, chutney, champagne and chocolate. That’s a lot of “c’s”. Thanks, Chris! After dinner in town, Chris returned to doctoring in Providence and Bill and I motored back to Let’s Dance.
Bristol caught our fancy next and we spent a delightful afternoon touring the town. The 4th of July is really big here, and a permanent red, white and blue stripe is painted down the center of the main street. A fascinating museum is dedicated to the Herreshoff family’s history of boat building. From the 1850’s until 1945, this company was at the forefront of ship building - designing the first US Navy torpedo boat in 1876 and continuing on to the first catamaran and a series of racing yachts that led to America’s Cup wins through the 1930’s. Quite a talented family of sailors and inventors.
Our tour of Rhode Island concluded with a lazy glide down the Sakonnet River through pastoral farm lands dotted with hillside cottages, barns and the occasional large estate. It is a beautiful area, surprisingly rural to be located so close to Newport. Along the route we were hailed by “Summer Skis”, a Nordhavn 43 whose owner watched us from shore. We chatted and were invited to make use of his mooring at Block Island on our return trip south. Very thoughtful of him.
Since arriving at the Vineyard, Bill has changed from tourist mode to Captain mode once more. He has donned wet suit and hookah to clean Let’s Dance’s hull, checked her propellers and zincs, tightened the davit seals and otherwise assured that she is ship shape and finely tuned for the next leg of the journey. Fully rested, Captain and crew weigh anchor tomorrow for the 30 mile jaunt to Nantucket.
Stay safe, friends, and enjoy the rest of the summer!
Let’s Dance…..Carol and Bill
