August 30 thriugh Sept. 1 -- Standish Boatyard And Fogland Anchorage, Tiverton, RI

We're back in Rhode Island. Tiverton is on the eastern bank of the Sakonnet River, toward its northern end. The Sakonnet runs from Mount Hope Bay to the Atlantic and forms the east side of Aquidneck Island, home of Newport.  We have been on the east side. Actually, it is analogous to New York City's East River -- running both ways with the tide and at the east side of the biggest town in the area.
It was only six miles from Battleship Cove to Standish Boatyard and only four more to Fogland. Both are spots I have never been to before. We had more wind on the first short  passage, to Standish, than on any other passage during this cruise, 20 knots with gusts to 25. Great wind for a reefed main and small jib. But -- it was right in our faces so we motored, with no sails, with spray coming over our bow during the 75 minute passage. We could have tacked back and forth outside of the channel through Mount Hope Bay because there is ample water, but we did not. And for the second, even shorter passage from Standish to Fogland the course was south and the wind was directly in front again but very light, two or three knots, not worth raising sails and tacking for -- until the last ten minutes of the 75 minute  trip when it came up to fifteen knots. We passed a lot of recently built packed housing. on the way to Standish. Maybe this is actually in Fall River rather than Tiverton; they don't post town signposts along at the shoreline.

This bridge, shot from ILENE after she was on her mooring, is only 65 feet high, at high tide, giving us 18 inches of room above our mast, but we crossed under at about three feet below high tide so no worry. Grabbing the mooring with our boat hook was a challenge with all the current pushing us around, but no problem for Lene to bring our bow to the mooring so i could grab it.. She is quite good at this stuff.

Standish Boatyard provides showers, heads, moorings and all for $25 per night. Its proprietor, Ken, is extremely friendly and helpful. He let us use his car, twice, for a grocery run one day and for a tour of the local highlights. He asked for nothing but we put some gas in the tank. In the morning we put ILENE on his dock and filled both of the fuel tanks and both of the water tanks. A discount on fuel for the holiday weekend!

And I finally found out why we were running out of water. Whenever we had the electric fresh water pump on, a lot of water rushed out through a loosely fitted charcoal filter housing for the water maker into the bilge. An easy fix. I should have done it long ago.
Lene told me: "This is my favorite place on this cruise" You mean Tiverton?, I asked. "No; the boat- yard: old, busy, competent, friendly and clean.  And I would add, very reasonably priced. And, by the way, I never tell any business that we use that I write a blog until after the services are provided. No abuses of the power of the press for personal advantage on ILENE!
Lots of deep water: this 84 foot Swan was closer to shore than ILENE.

We visited The Fort Barton and Highland Woods on a sunny afternoon.

A walk from the Boatyard and then a hike in the woodlands after a climb up the viewing tower. They call the area the Sin and Flesh Brook. A corruption of "Sinful Flesh", which is the name given  to the brook after a massacre there during The King Phillips War of 1675. Tiverton is also the site of an incident during our revolution. A group rowed across the river to British-occupied Newport and kidnapped the British commander.
We visited the historic "Four Corners" area which is now the site of about twenty artists shops, galleries and boutiques lining both sides of two roads that cross there.

I have been reporting periodically during this cruise on our progress in the domestication of Cruiser. Mine is the first lap he has deigned to sit on. His face shows that he is not really comfortable with this yet, but he's not running away. Progress!

But the highlight of our time here in Tiverton was dinner with Hadley and Sue, retired Harlemites who I have known longer than I have known Lene.

In the morning a couple came over by dink; Bart and Darcy. They said  they were interested in a Saga 43 and we invited them aboard. He has just gotten back from two years in the Caribbean on a J-32, during which she flew down to visit him for a few weeks once a quarter, Bart is the person who told me about the Fogland Anchorage from which this post is being posted. It is not listed in any cruising guide and is not safe if the winds are from the NW. But it is a large area with twelve feet of water behind an Island, very roomy and very sheltered in the light southwesterlies forecast for our third night in Tiverton. So from old sailing friends to new ones.