Newport to Block Island

Dwayne woke up early, took the dinghy ashore and walked to Stop and Shop to get milk and other provisions. He also picked up some 30W oil to top off our transfer since we were a little short of full after changing the engine and transfer oil yesterday. So, we left Newport with full fuel and water tanks and a stocked food pantry. The sun was shining as we cast off our mooring ball.

Private Tug at Great Salt Pond

The crossing to Block Island went well. We motored almost all of the 4 1/2 hours it took to get there. We just don't seem to have much luck with wind being in our favor. Mooring balls at the Great Salt Pond are first come, first served. Several were open when we arrived. There were none available two hours later. The atmosphere in the harbor was "party". Music was playing and people were swimming off their boats. The variety of boats in the harbor was amazing. The most unexpected was a battleship gray tugboat which was anchored just inside the breakwater.

We took the water taxi ashore and made a 5 mile walk exploring the island. The island is only about 5 miles long and 2 miles wide. Ferries from Newport, Point Judith, New London and Montauk come and go throughout the day landing at the small harbor serving New Shoreham's commercial district. Block Island has been a summer vacation spot since the later decades of the 19th Century. The island has 17 miles of beaches which make it a big draw. The two light houses are also destinations for visitors. Just short of half of the island is in conservation. There is one airport for small planes serving the island. There is also one gas station. The year-round population of the island is just under 1,000; however, in the summer months as many as 10,000 people are on the island enjoying its beauty.

Ferries and Day Trippers

We stopped at the Spring House Hotel for some drinks and appetizers toward the end of our walk about the island. This hotel is the oldest of several large resort hotels dating back to the 19th Century. The Spring House opened in 1852 is the most elegant of the old hotels. We sat on the wraparound veranda with its breathtaking view of the ocean. (Except for the windmill farm under construction a few miles out in the ocean.) Notable guests at the hotel include Ulysses S. Grant and Mark Twain. We shared a wonderful watermelon and feta salad which was very refreshing.

Spring House Hotel

After our rest at the Spring House, we walked the remaining mile back to the Great Salt Pond to catch the water taxi back to Foreign Affair. The party was really getting ramped up at The Oar which is a large bar next to the water taxi dock. Hundreds of people (mostly boaters) were singing and dancing (for most of the night). We were too tired to join them. Perhaps tomorrow we will.