Martha's Vineyard (Tisbury) to Martha's Vineyard (Edgartown)

We left Vineyard Haven- Tisbury at 1100 thinking we would arrive at Edgartown in time to get a mooring before the weekend crowd showed up. We were very much surprised to find all of the town mooring balls full when we arrived at shortly after 1300. The harbormaster was able to put us on a vacant private mooring for our stay. It was farther from the town docks but it didn't matter much to us as we were going to use the launch service instead of our dinghy to get into town.

A True Patriot

It didn't take us long to get ashore and start exploring this quaint village. The atmosphere is much more relaxed than Sag Harbor or Newport. People were not running around anxious to get to the next bar, restaurant or tourist site. Here people strolled through the streets rather than scurry around. Of course, tourism drives the economy. The upscale, designer clothing stores, art galleries, high end restaurants, coffee and ice creams shops line the streets in Edgartown just as they do in Sag Harbor or Newport but the pace of activity is much slower.  Also, the harbor isn't filled with dozens of mega-yachts and high performance racing sailboats. There are a few to be sure but not in overwhelming numbers. People come here to relax, not show off their boat.

Old Whaling Chapel 1843 - Methodist

We wandered through the older part of town admiring the well kept houses and manicured gardens. Numerous structures date back to the 19th Century when whaling was a major industry and Edgartown was home to many whaling captains. Newer structures for the most part are built in an architectural style and of materials that blend well with the older buildings.

Fog Rolling In

After a few hours of walking about, we headed to the Atlantic Restaurant for happy hour. A couple we met riding the launch into town with us have been coming to Edgartown for decades and recommended the Atlantic to us. We sat on the veranda overlooking the harbor drinking beer while sharing our guacamole and chips as we watched the activity in the harbor. Shortly after our arrival, a fog bank began to roll in off the Atlantic Ocean. Nearly all the boats moored in the harbor disappeared from view in less than an hour. This was not what we were expecting on what was up to that point a bright sunny day.

We went to the movie theater after happy hour and saw Sully. After the movie, we stopped for some ice cream before heading back to Foreign Affair. The fog had cleared some and the launch operator had no trouble finding our boat in the dark. It was another fun and interesting day.