BLOCK ISLAND, AND A BOAT RENAMING IN MILFORD

We left Newport, Rhode Island with a rather loose plan.  Essentially, we are now heading west to intersect with the Hudson River.  Our loose plan will take us back across Block Island Sound, Fishers Sound, and Long Island Sound where we will again pick up the East River.  However, this time, when we get to Hell Gate, we will turn right and take the Harlem River over the top of Manhattan to its intersection with the Hudson River, just north of the George Washington Bridge.  In the meantime, however, we visited Block Island.

Block Island from a couple miles away.

Entering the narrow channel into the Great Salt Pond.

Block Island is a little bit of paradise twelve miles south of Point Judith, Rhode Island and 12 miles east of Montauk, New York.  Block Island is technically Rhode Island, but folks from all the nearby states go there for R&R.  It is a smallish island that has essentially two harbors/anchorage areas.  The first is Old Harbor where most of the ferry boats go.  There is some room in the breakwaters for boats to anchor, but it is otherwise very limited.  Then there is the water spot known as the Great Salt Pond where literally thousands of boats have room to anchor.  There are also a couple marinas in there. 

We were not alone in this anchorage.

The dinghy dock.

I have to say that Block Island is the closest example of the west coast’s Catalina Island I could possibly imagine.  We walked all over the island and it is really cool how you feel like you are walking through a New England countryside, when you are actually on an island well off shore.  The buildings are all traditional.  There are great restaurants that mix good drinks; there is every service imaginable for boats of all sizes; the harbor master keeps a tight leash on things so everyone has a good time; and, the water is blue and clean.

What is with these cows sitting exactly in the middle of the field?  Not off to any side.  Right smack in the middle.

Although this is “way off” the loop, I’m glad we went all the way out here.  Neither of us had any experience in New England before and surprisingly, we both really like it here.  Unfortunately, the boating season is limited.  In California, we boat all year round.  Even during the dead of winter.  You just have to pick your days rather carefully.  In New England, however, “dead of winter” takes on a whole different meaning.  Hear, at the end of the season, which is about early to mid November, many boats get hauled out, shrink wrapped, and stored on the hard for the winter, only to touch water again in April.  In the marinas they use “bubblers”, devices to keep the water moving around the boats and pilings so the water doesn’t have a chance to freeze.  The problem is not so much boats getting crushed in the ice.  The problem is that ice sticks to the pier pilings/bollards of the docks and, when the tide changes, can pull them clean out of the bottom, or snap them like twigs.  So, it’s important, if you are going to leave your boat in the water during the winter, that you go check on the boat every day when there is a chance the water will freeze.  Oh, and bring your chainsaw.  You might need it.

So, we spent a couple days relaxing and playing at Block Island before we continued west.  Our first stop was for a night at a place called West Harbor on Fishers Island.  Fishers Island is just off the coast of Connecticut but it is technically New York.  We just stopped there for the night.  Nice anchorage. 

Then, we headed back to Milford, Connecticut to see John and Sue and their son Colby, our friends we met in Alabama.  Their boat just came out of the yard with a new name, so of course, I dusted off the boat renaming ceremony I have done many times, and we renamed the boat. 

You know, in the world of boating, there is so much wide open space that there is room for the observance of some of the more mundane rituals and superstitions.  Some of these include no bananas on boats.  Another is that you don’t leave on a Friday.  There are others, but few as important as the ritual that accompanies the renaming of a boat.  Not everyone believes this stuff, but I say, it can’t hurt.  I think John and Sue are now believers.  Apparently, when they took delivery of their boat in Texas last year, it had a different name.  They changed it WITHOUT the appropriate ceremony.  Unfortunately, their passage aboard this vessel back to Connecticut was fraught with challenges.  Then, when they got her home, they changed the name again, AGAIN WITHOUT the appropriate ceremony.  Unfortunately, again, their recent trip to Boston for the July 4^th festivities there, ended badly. 

Insofar as most things tend to happen for a reason, we just so happened to be passing through on our way to Rhode Island when we learned their beautiful boat was in the yard after their July 4^th trip for some issues which, in my opinion, might just have been avoided had the proper name change ceremony been attended to earlier.  (We can laugh and joke about this now, but there was nothing funny about it at the time).  So, we offered to stop back on our way west, and, before the boat went out again, we could do a little name changing ceremony amongst friends and family.  As I said, things happen for a reason.  So, very shortly after we arrived at their guest slip in Milford, they arrived in their boat from the yard.  This time, the new name was properly covered, and formalities were being adhered to.

Several guests also attended.  Some very, very nice people.  Sue outdid herself with food and drinks.  She is a great host.  So, with all in attendance, and a thunderstorm making all kinds of noise in the background, we completed the name change ceremony.  Champagne flowed, bells rang, and the thunderstorm passed us completely.  It did rain a little, but not until after the renaming ceremony, and nothing as serious as it could have been.  However, the lightning show over Long Island, New York was spectacular and lasted for a couple hours.  Neptune and the four brother Gods of the winds must have been pleased as the lightning storm we oooooed and awwwwwwed over for a couple hours was reminiscent of them playing atmospheric volleyball in celebration and in appreciation.

So, we’re going to stay here in Milford for one more night.  Our plan today is to hop a train to New York City for the day.  We have both been there before.  So, we don’t need a whole lot of time.  It will be nice to get a taste of Manhattan for several hours, and of course, a taste of a dirty water dog down at the battery is something I can’t resist.  That will really be the last of the big cities until we get to Chicago.

NEW YORK CITY:

Hop a train we did.

 John was kind enough to drop us off at the Milford station early in the morning and we headed off for the Big Apple for a day of absorbing energy.  We have both been to NYC on several occasions, so we were not going there to really experience anything new.  However, whenever you have a chance to dive into NYC, you sort of have to.  If nothing else, you get to experience a sort of energy you do not get to experience every day.  NYC is clearly one of the greatest cities on earth.  In spite of it all, things manage to work there.  We had a great time.

We got off the train in Grand Central Station and made our way to mid town and the Empire State Building.  We wanted to go to the observation floors, but when they wanted $45 for the two of us to go up there, we decided to go to lunch instead.  We have both been up there.  After a great lunch, we dug in and headed back uptown via Times Square, Broadway, Tiffany's and Central Park. 

Then, we headed for the subway and headed down to the Battery where we enjoyed one of life's finest pleasures - the dirty water dog at Battery Park. 

Then, we walked up through the financial district to the world trade center to see what was going on.  It would seem that quite a but of progress had been made and a new WTC is in progress, complete with five huge glass towers and a serious memorial.  It's going to be quite a site.  Check it out at http://www.wtcprogress.com/. 

From there, we walked up Broadway through Tribeca and then through Soho at which point we were tired and hungry.  So, we hoped on the subway back to Grand Central Station where we found some dinner before hopping the train back to Milford.  Overall, we had a great day in NYC.  It's always good to go back.

We left Milford in the morning and headed west, stopping for the night again at Manhassat Bay.  The following morning, we would hit the East River and make our way to the Hudson via the Harlem River.

That’s all for now.