Block Island
Leaving home port
At 5:45am, I left to head for Block Island. It’s only about a 35 mile journey end to end, which should take roughly 7 hours to complete, subject to the wind, tide and seas. The previous owner has showered the idea of Block Island with such praises that it has been the singular goal of my time in Rhode Island from a sailing perspective.
The fog the whole way out was as thick as peanut butter, which made it a bit scary and took some of the beauty out of the coastal views. On the other hand, I was blanketed in the sensation that I was entirely on my own once I was about 100 meters away from my dock. It’s empowering and a bit liberating to be in that moment, and I was in it for nearly 7 hours straight.
Beach along the entry into the Great Salt Pond
My dependence upon both my compass and my GPS was insane. With roughly 100 meters of visibility, these technologies are all that you can trust. When I got about 1NM from the entrance to the Great Salt Pond, the fog started clearing and I had a fair view of the shores as I headed in.
After landing, I called up the launch for a lift ashore. I grabbed a bite to eat at The Oar and rented a bike to tour the island.
The Oar
I rode around the island taking in the sites and getting a nice layer of funk and sunburn. Block is covered with small rolling hills so it’s pretty easy to get to sweating. I went south and walked along the Mohegan Bluffs. The sound of the waves pulling back to sea and dragging thousands of rocks back out with them was really neat and not something I can recall hearing before.
I visited the South-East Lighthouse and downtown. I must say that trying to eat a more healthy diet made having a cup of coffee at an ice-cream and pastry shop a bit hard, but I pulled through. I headed up north to the North Lighthouse. It was still closed for the season so I didn’t get to go up in it. There is a trail though, that extends to the beach. On it, I found the coolest gathering of driftwood ever assembled.
The Tiki Bar
Next time I’ll have to bring a few cold beverages and more snacks. Oh, also I’ll have to bring the kids because the place has two swings and a slide.
Eat your heart out McDonald’s
After a long day of exploring, I got back to the boat and had a cup of wine before slipping off to sleep. I awoke in the morning and decided to make haste toward home since the fog wasn’t very thick and the wind was blowing at about 10-12 knots.
I got out of the channel and hoisted sail. I got several good hours of sailing in before the wind died off and I motor-sailed the remainder of the trip back to Melville. All in all it was an amazing weekend and I cannot wait to do this every day with all of my family and none of the haste.