Through the Sounds

On Friday the 28th, the weather was perfect for a short run up the East River and into Long Island Sound to rendezvous with our friends Steve and Edie in the idyllic community of Centerport. Steve met us in his dingy, rowing out to help us find a suitable anchorage in a crowded mooring field. After a couple tries, we were hooked. Then what wonderful hospitality! Climbing the hill from their beach to their perfect cottage, delicious dinner and a night ashore. 

North port dock - 8ft tidal range

We were a bit nervous about our anchor holding in a predicted approaching storm front. So, we moved AQUAVIT to the town dock at Northport, the next cove north in Huntington Bay, passing the Vanderbilt Mansion, now a museum, along the way. Steve and Edie showed us the town. It's a nice village with a Saturday farmers market to replenish our stores with fresh vegetables and lots of fine eateries and perhaps the best homemade ice cream, ever.

Vanderbilt Mansion Museum, Centerport

Staying a bit longer than anticipated meant a little longer trip on Sunday than we had planned - all the way to New Bedford, Massachusetts. Leaving early in the morning, we made about 140 miles in seven hours in good weather. Our timing avoided some strong local thunderstorms. Along the way we had a close call and near collision with a new 40-foot cruiser that overtook us (they were the burdened vessel) turning 50 yards in front of us from the port (the red side) of AQUAVIT. Being twice in the wrong didn't make a "right". We disengaged the autopilot, swerved right, and slowed to a stop to let the oblivious and dangerous boater continue his joy ride. 

The thing is, he powered past us to turn to the starboard when the prudent (and rules of the road) thing would have been to cross our stern wake.





Navigation was easy, and when the seas got a bit dicey from wind opposing the current, we altered course to find a bit calmer water, closer to the Connecticut and Rhode Island shore. Then we turned past Mishuam Point into Buzzards Bay and New Bedford, through a hurricane gate that is a storm surge barrier, following a large fishing trawler. We made it to Pope's Island Marina which is located in the middle of the Acushnet River between New Bedford on the west shore and Fairhaven on the east shore. 

Hooking up our water hose proved impossible due to a defective water filter, so we hoofed it a mile or so to a West Marine in Fairhaven to return the defective part. Then, we were all set with a new filter. The boat has potable water when hooked up to the dock supply through the filter. When at anchor or not hooked to shore water (with the in-line filter) we only use our on-board tankage for washing dishes and showers. 

We enjoyed the walk on the main highway in Fairhaven, admiring the high school built in 1906 and, off in the distance, the Unitarian Church built in a Gothic Revival style by Henry H. Rogers, an American industrialist, financier, and philanthropist (and born in Fairhaven) who made his money with Standard Oil.


Marvin cooked dinner with the fresh asparagus, lettuce, and home grown tomatoes purchased at the farmers market and all was well as we were treated to a nice sunset off our stern.














Having a day to explore New Bedford, we took off to explore a place Marvin hadn't been in exactly 50 years. In the summer of 69 on his way to a research expedition in Nova Scotia, he spent a few weeks with his colorful Uncle Jimmy in Boston, known locally as the "Mayor of Scollay's Square".  Sully Square was a rough part of town, deeply Irish. Jimmy ran a bar in Scollay Station - visited by Tip O'Neal in his youth. Uncle Jimmy placed Marvin with a distant relation in Scituate for a week, who owned a bait supply business for lobster fishermen. That meant getting up at 4:00 a.m. traveling 45 minutes to New Bedford to the fish packing houses. Donning hip boots, he shoveled the waste from cleaned fish (heads and backbones) into oak barrels. Then another 45 minute ride back to the Scituate docks to lower the barrels down to the boats so the lobstermen could leave at dawn. This taught him a lesson to get a job that uses the brain, not the back. That's his memory of New Bedford, along with a brief visit to the whaling museum. 


A launch took us across the river from the marina to the public pier. In New Bedford, we didn't have the heart to visit the famous Whaling Museum about the town's whaling history, no matter how well known the museum is. So we spent the pleasant afternoon of July 1 (with a temperature of about 75º) walking through the old cobblestone streets of New Bedford which is now a national park service heritage district. We enjoyed looking in galleries and shops. The Black Whale restaurant overlooking Pier 3 served up clam chowder and lobster roll for lunch and our dinner was ice cream at the Acushnet Creamery next door.

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It was a nice surprise as we walked the town to find sculptures on the street and a beautiful mural on the side of a building. 

    

The most impressive sculpture was in Customs House Park. It whispered in the wind as the canopy of glittered tape strips undulated with the breeze. 

Made us think of the New 76ers song "What the Wind Said"

The town has a deep history in abolition and claims a a very successful African American hero, Paul Cuffe. 

One mural on a building wall depicts the Massachusetts 54th Voluntary Infantry Regiment, the first black regiment from the Union to mustered in New Bedford during the Civil War. They fought at the battle of Fort Wagner in South Carolina, losing many men in the battle, that was not successful for the Union.

In addition to its whaling history, New Bedford is known as the home of Frederick Douglas and Herman Melville. Today it is known for its seafood. The river is lined with fishing vessels of all sizes. Sailing hero, Joshua Slocum hailed from Fairhaven.

           

All in all, an interesting stop along our way to Boston to hopefully catch the Pop's 4th of July extravaganza. Weather permitting, we'll be steaming 45 nm tomorrow to get to our reservation at Charlestown Landing Marina in Boston Harbor. 

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07.01.2019