Stonington, CT to Newport, RI

We spent a very rolly night despite the fact the winds were low in the evening. The breakwater did little to dampen the effect of the ocean swells We felt like we were experiencing a Nor'easter in St. Augustine. We haven't been rocked so badly in months. We agreed we would pass on anchoring in Stonington harbor again in the future.

The day was dreary and overcast; however, our spirits were up as we were finally leaving Long Island Sound and headed to a great sailing city - Newport.  Our passage went well. We made good time. The harbor was somewhat familiar to us since we were there for the Volvo Ocean Race last year. There is always a lot of traffic in the harbor and it was a challenge to work our way through the hundreds of boats moored and the dozens of kids sailing in Optis and 420s taking lessons. We ended up on a mooring ball just off Fort Adams which was fine with us as it put us out of the major traffic patterns.

Construction in Newport Harbor - Wind Generators (Ruin the View)

We didn't want to go through the hassle of mounting the outboard on the dinghy. So, we took the water taxi into town. Newport is definitely a tourist destination. They have done much to make the harbor appealing. All the buildings are well maintained and the new construction blends well enough with the old so as to make you feel like you are in an old seafaring city. Of course, there are the usual boutique, ice cream, fudge and souvenir shops catering to the summer vacationer.

Fort Adams

A walk along the waterfront will remind you Newport  has long been the playground of the wealthy as there are probably more mega-yachts crammed into slips here than any other town of its size (with the exception of Monaco). A couple of old 12 Metre yachts were heading out to race and they weren't filled with tourists. The crews all had matching attire and went about their tacks with precision. Both boats tacked back and forth as they dodged boats in the mooring field during their sail out of the harbor. They might have been amateurs but they sailed like pros. We were quite impressed.

12 Metre Racing Yacht