Sunday - Tuesday June 12-14: Great Salt Pond, Block Island

     We were awakened before dawn by the fishing boats pulling out of Orient Point Marina.  It was flat calm out there; we thought we’d leave too.  The NOAA forecast called for a gale warning to begin around eleven am.  If we left now, we could be all tucked in at Block Island before anything happened out on the Sound.  

Sunrise over Block Island Sound

     We had a very nice, uneventful crossing from Orient Point over to Block Island.  The tide and current was with us.  The sea was calm until we got beyond Long Island, then it had a large swell running from the South, but it wasn’t anything to be worried about.  It was thirty miles, about four hours to our destination.  As we got nearer to the island, the winds started picking up and a chop was starting to develop.  We timed this right, we thought.

     To our surprise, we saw a steady stream of sailboats heading out the Great Salt Pond Inlet.  Out of the shelter of Block Island, right into the coming weather.  Six, seven, twelve, eighteen boats and counting.  We were flabbergasted.  Already it was starting to get a little rough; we couldn’t imagine the pounding these boats were going to take as they headed across the Sound back to home ports in Connecticut or Rhode Island.  “Really?”  Dan kept saying as we watched them come out and raise sails.  

The boats out and coming out.  See the front building.

     Well, more room for us then.  Block Island is known for its crowded harbor.  We were surprised to find out just how large this Pond truly is, it's hard to imagine it being really crowded.  We’ve read stories about boats vying for the first-come, first-serve town moorings ($45/night, no showers, no laundry, launch service and “landing fee” extra) and ending up on one of the hundreds of ‘private’ moorings for $50 rather than trying to find space in the crowded anchorage with its reputed poor holding ground.  We had no such troubles, but it's early in the season.  There was plenty of space in the anchorage, and more than three-quarters of the moorings available.  As the gale force winds began to whip the Pond into whitecaps, we entertained ourselves watching yet more sail boats leave.  

     NOAA predicted this weather would remain gusty for several more days.  We spent the rest of Sunday snug in our cabin, reading, napping, and cooking.  We had baked trout and fresh asparagus for supper, with hollandaise sauce.  There was even leftovers for Monday morning’s feast of eggs Benedict.

     Monday was spent in quiet puttering.  I baked banana bread.  Dan changed the oil.  Tommie shifted her bed to take best advantage of the sun.  Outside the wind howled, calmed, howled again.  We had thought about going ashore for a walk but the wind thwarted us until late afternoon when it died down enough to make the dinghy ride across the Pond not such a wet adventure.  We had an early supper, launched the dinghy and went ashore.

Ocean Ave, New Shoreham.

     It’s about a fifteen minute walk to town, which is mostly hotels, bars, and t-shirt shops.  Many of them were not yet open for the summer.  This place must be bustling in the summer.  It reminded me a little of Bar Harbor.  Block Island also sports several miles of hiking trails and a historical society building, but the trails weren’t near us and the historical society building doesn’t open until the end of the month.  We visited the little grocery store for a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and sat down on a bench to people watch and share the ice cream before returning to the boat to watch the beautiful sunset.  

Sunset in Great Salt Pond

     Tuesday and we’re still here, now going a little stir crazy.  NOAA still says gusts up to 25 knots, and tomorrow’s forecast sounds a lot nicer, so we’re here for another day.  Dan made himself a large omelet with the last of last night’s sirloin.  (We always eat fancier when we’re at anchor for a few days.)

     More mundane projects - I did laundry, Dan organized the cockpit storage and dug out some supplies we’ll be needing soon.  He also did some minor sewing repairs to the sail cover.  Tommie found it exhausting supervising us and took a long nap.  Another trip to town to hang out in the town library, making use of the free wifi to browse, take care of business, and update the blog.  Ham & beans for supper, but we're stopping at the grocery store to pick out something for the grill for tomorrow.