Onset to Newport

It was a long, uneventful day of 51 nautical miles with the wind against us at less than 10 knots. As we approached Newport harbor we came across six 12 Metre yachts engaged in a race. We diverted course so as not to interfere but remained close enough to get a good look at these beautiful racing machines. There was quite a distance between the two leading yachts and the rest of the fleet. The two leaders were less than a boat length apart. The tail-enders were also evenly matched and the lead changed among them several times while we watched. I doubt you could see such a spectacle anywhere other then Newport.

12 Metres Racing Off Newport

Our first stop was to refuel and take on water. Newport harbor is always very busy and congested. Eventually, we got onto the fuel dock. All went well with the exception of the pump-out. Their pump wasn't working. Fortunately, our tank was nearly empty and we could wait a couple of days before the tank was full. We moved from the fuel dock to the Newport Naval Station harbor to take a mooring ball. Because we were staying several days and returning in the future, we joined the Coasters Harbor Navy Yacht Club and used a yacht club mooring since it was less expensive than taking a MWR mooring .

12 Metre

Our day ended with the best fireworks display we have seen in years. The Naval Station was celebrating the "End of Summer" with activities on the lawn in front of the Naval War College. The fireworks were part of the celebration. We had a perfect vantage point on the water. The display went on for at least 30 minutes. Barges in the water were used to set off several displays at water level. These were quite impressive and something you don't normally see with ground based fireworks. On a scale of 1 to 10, these were a 10.