Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and Block Island

Sunday, August 20, 2017

We are on the island of Martha's Vineyard for 3 nights.  The island is about 4 miles from the mainland on Cape Cod and is a very popular summer tourist destination.  We are moored in the Vineyard Haven Harbor, on the north side of Martha's Vineyard.

Great Salt Lake, Vineyard Haven MA

Numerous large ferries bring visitors from the mainland, so we must endure constant wakes from the ferries and other boats coming and going.

Ferries arriving in Vineyard Haven

This is a very busy harbor with an interesting variety of boats docked, anchored and moored.

Vineyard Haven megayachts

Vineyard Haven Harbor

Vineyard Haven Harbor

Several small towns dot the island, each with it's own character.  Today we plan to explore the town of Vineyard Haven, where our boat is moored.

Downtown Vineyard Haven MA

We find some pricey downtown shops and a few nice restaurants.  Surprisingly, there is a major Caribbean influence here with dishes such as jerk chicken readily available.

Vineyard Haven historic homes

We are back on our boat for the evening.  An annual fireworks show in nearby Oak Bluffs, delayed by bad weather last weekend, is on schedule for tonight.  We enjoy the show from our back deck; gorgeous with the display reflected in the water.

Oak Bluffs fireworks

Monday, August 21, 2017

Today we are expecting neighbors from Kemah to visit us for a late breakfast in town.  They have a summer home nearby and are arriving by boat.

Jim & Andrea arrive by boat

What a thrill to see more neighbors from home!  Jim grew up in this area and has lots of interesting stories to share.  We enjoy breakfast at a trendy cafe before saying farewell.  Winds are expected to increase this afternoon with a small craft advisory posted, so they need to get home before that happens.

With Jim & Andrea, Vineyard Haven MA

Martha's Vineyard has an excellent public bus system.  For $10, we can buy a 3-day pass to ride anywhere on the island.  It takes no more than 30 minutes to go to the ends of the island, so we head out to see the westernmost end and it's lighthouse.  En route, we change to a different bus in the town of West Tisbury.  With a half hour to kill before our connecting bus, we walk around town.

First Congregational Church, West Tisbury MA - 1673

This is the day of the solar eclipse.  Although we will only see a partial eclipse at this latitude, we discover an eclipse party at the West Tisbury Free Public Library.  Gotta love that name!

Eclipse Party at the West Tisbury Free Public Library

Not really much to see, but everyone is having a good time!

Eclipse Party

We soon ride on to Aquinnah and this lighthouse with panoramic views of Block Island Sound and Vineyard Sound.

Gay Head Lighthouse

The Gay Head Cliffs lie at this westernmost tip of Martha's Vineyard with views of Vineyard Sound and the mainland in the distance.

Gay Head Cliffs, Martha's Vineyard MA

Soon we head back to Vineyard Haven.  We see lots of private homes along the way and traffic is fairly heavy on the narrow, winding roads.  Martha's Vineyard encourages tourists to use the bus system and we are relieved to let someone else drive!

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Today we will explore the eastern side of the island.  As we prepare to take our dinghy to the town dock, we discover a squid has jumped into the boat overnight!  Robert secures it in the fridge - bait!  He has been dragging a lure on our cruising days but hasn't had so much as a nibble so far.  Maybe some bait will do the trick.

Squid in Cork

Soon we arrive in Edgartown on the eastern side of the island.  We pass the Town Hall as we walk a few blocks to the waterfront.

Edgartown Town Hall

Edgartown was founded in 1642; many historic homes have been preserved in this upscale community.  The infamous Chappaquiddick Island can be reached by a small ferry from Edgartown, but we have no way to get around once there, so we don't cross for a visit.

Edgartown shops

We have lunch at a waterfront restaurant, then wander through some of the shops.  This appears to be the most affluent town on Martha's Vineyard, replete with pricey shops and trendy restaurants.  We didn't consider staying here but, in retrospect, perhaps we should have as there are far more facilities here than in Vineyard Haven.  Well, maybe next time!

Edgartown restaurant

We catch our bus back toward Vineyard Haven, stopping en route in Oak Bluffs to check out this unusual town which hosted the fireworks a couple of nights ago.  A small harbor has space for some moorings and a few boat slips.

Oak Bluffs Harbor

This large park fronts on Vineyard Sound near the town ferry landing.

Ocean Park, Oak Bluffs MA

The park is lined with historic homes; many appeared to be rentals, accommodating hoards of tourists who come here from the mainland.

Historic home, Oak Bluffs MA

Town was absolutely packed with tourists; the shops tended to be more "tacky t-shirt" than upscale, as were the restaurants we saw.  This area has a very different feel from the rest of the island.

Oak Bluffs shops

One unique aspect of Oak Bluffs is the Camp Meeting Association settlement, a National Historic Landmark just off the main drag.  This area was used for religious retreats ("campmeetings") beginning in the early 1800s by Methodist parishioners.  By the late 1800s, permanent cottages and a central open-air meeting space were built.  Today, the small cottages have been restored as rentals catering to tourists.

Camp Meeting cottage, Oak Bluffs MA

Colorful paint contrasts with the wood shingle wall coverings typical of New England.  The architectural style is considered unique to Martha's Vineyard.

Camp Meeting cottage, Oak Bluffs MA

Cottage gardens are a riot of color.  Today more than 300 cottages remain from the peak of 500 in 1880.

Camp Meeting cottage, Oak Bluffs MA

The cottages are arranged in a circle around the central meeting area, which is still used for a variety of cultural and religious events.  This church, founded in 1878, is housed in a more recent building near the central meeting area.

Trinity Methodist Church, 1878

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Our time on Martha's Vineyard has come to an end for now and we cruise 33 miles to Nantucket.  This is another busy harbor with very expensive slips (lots of mega-yachts here) and a large mooring field.

Nantucket Harbor

Since this is the only town on Nantucket island, all the ferries arrive here.  Despite their busy schedule, our mooring is peaceful and calm.

Ferries arriving in Nantucket MA

At twenty-five miles, Nantucket is further from the mainland than Martha's Vineyard so has much less development.  Settled thousands of years ago by native Americans, whalers arrived in the 1600s, followed by fishermen then tourists, similar to the other waterfront New England communities.

Nantucket from the Harbor

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Today Nantucket is a very upscale destination.  Expensive shops line quaint, cobblestone streets.  Fine dining is everywhere!

Main St., Nantucket MA

Many grand historic homes have been restored and house shops, restaurants and B&B's.

Historic home, Nantucket MA

Friday, August 25, 2017

In honor of the local whaling history, a Whaling Museum opened here in 1930!  It is still housed in an 1847 candle factory, one of the by-products of whale oil.  The museum was well done, explaining the process of harpooning a whale, processing the blubber to extract oil and wax, and shipping to all parts of the world.

46-foot Sperm Whale Skeleton, Whaling Museum

The museum houses a collection of treasures from all over the world, brought back during the heyday of whaling from the late 1600s to the early 1800s.

Aside from touring the Whaling Museum, there's really not much to do here except shop and eat, or should I say "dine".  There are a few historic homes to tour, but we've had our fill of quaint and charming New England.  (There is a downside to traveling full time!)  While it's a lovely place, Nantucket is not our favorite stop by a long shot.

Nantucket Harbor from roof of Whaling Museum

Of course we are anxiously watching Hurricane Harvey go ashore on the Texas coast in our former home, Port Aransas.  Our boat is not equipped with a satellite TV antenna, so we rely on broadcast TV and internet for news and weather.  Unfortunately, we have had very poor access to both this summer. We found cell service to be spotty to non-existent in areas along the Maine coast.  Internet connections at marinas have been very poor if available at all.  Over the air TV programming has been available in a few areas, with as many as 40 channels and none, in most other locations.  Here we have no news or weather channels, a very frustrating experience!  We are keeping in touch with friends and family via text, email and phone.  May have to add satellite TV this winter, not a trivial procedure!

Nantucket Harbor sunset

Saturday, August 26, 2017

Time to move again.  Our next stop is back to Block Island, where we spent 1 night in June.  En route we will need to make a 1-night stop on Martha's Vineyard as Block Island is too far to cruise in a day.  We decide to stop on the northwest end of the island in Menemsha Harbor to be closer to our destination the next day.

Menemsha Harbor, Chilmark MA

Menemsha is a very small, working harbor, full of fishing boats and a Coast Guard station.  We tie up at a dock on the opposite side of the harbor from the marina office and get a tour of the waterfront when we walk to check in.

Chilmark, Martha's Vineyard MA

Menemsha Harbor is in the quirky, laid-back village of Chilmark.  Would you eat sushi from this shack?  We opted not to, even though a commercial fish market was next door.

Chilmark MA

A few surprisingly upscale shops were next to the fish markets.  Not much here!

Chilmark shops

This is a very picturesque harbor, surrounded by hillside cottages and a modest but colorful fishing fleet.

Menemsha Harbor

We were tied up next to a boat we had seen recently in Sandwich MA and had a nice visit with the owners, who spend their summers here in Menemsha.

Menemsha Harbor

Sunday, August 27, 2017

We get an early start, heading to Block Island for a 3-night stay. 

Block Island RI

Our 50 mile cruise brings us back to the same mooring field we used last June.  This is the first time we have duplicated a prior stop when Boka was with us - a sad day full of memories!

New Harbor, Block Island RI

Monday, August 28, 2017

Today we bike 2 miles to see New Shoreham, the only town on the island.  Lots of shops and restaurants line the main street.  We have lunch, then walk around the small downtown area.

New Shoreham RI

Ferries arrive here from the mainland, 14 miles away, bringing lots of tourists.

New Shoreham RI

Once-spectacular old hotels line the waterfront.  These buildings are in less than stellar condition but are still being used and appear to be very popular.

Historic hotels, New Shoreham RI

We buy some wonderful fresh swordfish here.  Prices are much more reasonable than in Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard.  We also stop at the local grocery store but find another small, overpriced store that's the only game in town.  We seem to be out of sync with the farmer's markets and haven't been to a major grocery store since Portland, almost 2 weeks ago.  Would love to find some quality produce!

Finn's Fish Market, New Shoreham RI

This Baptist church dates to 1765, one hundred years after the island was originally settled.

Harbor Church, 1765

Of all the places we have visited in the past year plus, New Shoreham reminded me most of Port Aransas about 20 years ago.  A small, quirky fishing village, a few residents stay year round, but it is mostly a summer tourist destination.  Of course, there's no "snowbird" season here.

New Shoreham (Block Island) RI

Tuesday - Wednesday, August 29-30, 2017

There's not much to do on Block Island except enjoy the beaches and hike or bike the many nature trails.  We have great plans to explore the island but stormy weather brings a day and a half of rain and high wind, so we stay aboard and also stay an extra day.

Whitecaps in Great Salt Pond, Block Island RI

Once the wind lays down, local restaurant Aldo's heads out with their daily delivery of coffee and breakfast goodies.  They circle the mooring field, calling out "Andiamo, andiamo!!"  Alas, no blueberry muffins!

Aldo's breakfast delivery

We have spent this down time working on boat projects and trying to get news of the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and subsequent flooding in Houston.  For those who have asked, our home had no flooding problems, so we are very thankful!  Unfortunately many of our friends in both Port Aransas and Houston were not so lucky.  Our hearts go out to them as they begin the onerous cleanup needed to reclaim their homes and businesses!

Sunset, Great Salt Pond, Block Island RI