August 4-5 -- Two Days In Nappatree/Watch Hill

Well we did not leave Stonington until 11. Before that we met up with Huck and Cindi, took breakfast at Noah's and the walking tour of Stonington, including the southernmost point (shown from the sea)

and the Portuguese-American Club,

a tribute to the Portuguese contributions. mostly in fishing, to our entire coastal New England region.
The 60 minute, five mile, all motor passage from Stonington to Watch Hill was easy, mostly through a narrow but well marked channel, to a good spot for our well placed snubbed anchor.



After lunch, Lene wanted some alone time aboard and I met up with Huck & Cindi for the afternoon's activities: We dinked to the beach, its bay side, as seen here from ILENE,

crossed the barrier island and walked its entire length (as seen from the lighthouse). My phone recorded six miles of walking that day.

The water was not cold but none of us took the plunge into the Atlantic. Funny thing: I distinctly remember that the beach surface was of pebbles, like in Nice and Cannes, but I was mistaken -- it is beautiful yellow sand. It being Sunday, a lot of folks were out.  Walking back to the dink we drove it to the seaside town of Watch Hill, tried to dock the dink and learned that the dinghy dock had been moved slightly, to north of the Yacht Club rather than south of it. We toured the town, its ancient carousel which uses centrifugal force to swing the horses out, and the big new yellow luxury hotel overlooking the sea.

I got the best views I've ever had from there -- due to lack of hazy fog. We saw Block Island, Point Judith (at the right end of the land)

and Long Island. We saw many examples of the unusual Watch Hill Stone Fences.

Returning to our boats we separated for the night, before a light brief rain fell, leaving this peace sign over the town of Watch Hill.

Cruiser's progress toward acclimating to the sea has been quite slow; he is so timid. And this has caused a reemergence and reinforcement of Lene's mourning for our beloved easygoing Witty, whose ashes we will disperse soon.
Next day the four of us met at 10:30 aboard ILENE for brunch of mango-blueberry sweet potato pancakes with maple syrup, bacon, fruit and coffee and conversation -- which morphed into wine and cheese and fruit until about 3 pm. Lots of discussion about where to go tomorrow and when to go to get favorable tide both out of Fisher's Island Sound and in over a shallow spot in Coecles Harbor on Shelter Island.
Then we went in to town again, visited some shops, the lighthouse (from which we viewed the three buoys marking Watch Hill Passage -- but the photo couldn't catch them -- just off the end of the wall)

and finally the big yellow hotel for dinner on its big shaded breeze cooled veranda.

Truly a lay around lay day.
The NY Times was here too; see www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/05/travel/south-coumtry-rhode-island-beaches.html.  They got it right except in saying that the only way to get to the beach is by car and then paying for parking and admission. If you come by boat, anchor and take your dink to the beach, ITS FREE!  Also, the pictures of Cindi and Huck were taken at the big new hotel. No champagne for me, I had my oysters with local beer.




















































































































































































































































































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