Newport, Rhode Island

Newport
Wednesday, August 21 - We left the mooring ball in Hadley Cove at 7:49, 19 minutes later than Kevin wanted to and I appreciated the extra sleep. Winds were stronger today staying around 15 knots coming 289 degrees from the west. We were heading 311 degrees NE, so we were tight to the wind. We had the mainsail fully out and the jib reefed. Temperature was 60 degrees and sunny. Water temperature was up to 71 degrees from the 50’s of Maine. By early afternoon the winds picked up to 20 knots with gusts registering as high as 29. The waves became higher and more rough and we heeled toward starboard a good part of the day. The boat rolled a bit but was manageable on deck, I did forgo making lunch though. We arrived in Newport Harbor around 2:30 p.m. and spent about 30 minutes trying to snag the mooring ball. Between the wind and current every time we got close to the line it went under the boat or away from me. The few times it was close enough I was not quick enough to grasp it, or Kevin told me to switch methods and by the time I did it got away. I finally got the dang thing and vowed never to get another mooring ball! I like being on one but I hate snagging one. We used the launch service to go into town, walked around for 45 minutes then met Kevin’s past colleague, Wade, for dinner at Perro Salado (Salty Dog). The restaurant was in a historic home from 1714.

Thursday, August 22 - We walked 2.5 miles to the south entrance of the Cliff Walk, a path that has the ocean on one side and old mansions on the other. The south end has a lot of rocks and boulders that you have to climb on and over, making it a bit more difficult than the north end. We went about 2.5 miles of the 3.5 mile trail. The views of the ocean were stunning with the waves crashing against the rocks. The mansions were clearly old and huge. One had two chimneys with 5 smoke vents in each. Along the path The Breakers mansion, a “summer cottage” of the Vanderbilts built in 1893-95, had an exhibit of sculptured elephants from The Great Elephant Migration. They are life size sculptures made by indigenous artists from lantana camara, a weed in South India. You can purchase a baby elephant for $8,000 and an adult for $14,000! You need a really big yard for either one! We exited the trail by Salve Regina University, a private catholic school I had never heard of. It too had elephant sculptures on display. We walked around Newport a bit walking past large and regular size homes and duplexes, and past several parks. It is the cleanest city I can remember, I never once saw trash on the street anywhere. All told we walked 8 miles.
Later in the afternoon we went to the Newport Maritime Center to do laundry, it’s part of the public marina and had coin showers, a large lounge with TV and slow WiFi.もっと詳しく