Explorations

Our last week was a fun one. We managed to do a slightly better job at enjoying ourselves but still got more work done on the boat. The tasks are getting smaller on the boat and usually can be completed in one day. The only major task left is the assembly of the solar panels and Kevin has managed to hook up one quarter of the panels that are on our roof. The panels that are now connected are giving us up to 650Watts already, which today was enough to power what little things we had going and even start to recharge our batteries. We are excited to hook up even more of the panels so we become more and more independant from our generator (and the use of diesel).

Other tasks included disassembling and cleaning winches, replacing the hooks for the sailbag with low friction rings and soft shackles so we can lower it more easily from the bridge deck (Owen’s idea), bleeding the autopilot lines and upgrading the wiring and power to the helm. Each of us has a list of smaller tasks that they can refer to when we have a day on the boat due to weather or no plans on land. Oh, and Owen finally secured our TV to the wall so we no longer have to run over and hold it when we hit rogue big waves. Also, now that tasks wind down, we can put things away and I have created a storage map or inventory as to what is held in each storage place. Right now, I am the one who knows where everything is, so when somebody needs something, they have to consult me. Finally, we are happy to say we off loaded a large amount of garbage from all our projects this week. So when we do finally set sail from here, our deck will be much more open then it ever has been.

Our real fun started last Tuesday when we took the day to explore Newport more. We took our dinghy to Fort Adams. This Fort was built by the British in the early 1700’s and took 40 years to construct. It was built using the style of a French engineer that was well know at the time for his new and very formitable forts. Apparently, there was so much talk about the hidden and not so hidden fortifications in the fort that nobody really tried to attack it because they felt it was a lost cause. So, over the years, after the revolution, some things were removed from it and it became known as the station that military families wanted to go to for an easier assignment. One of the hidden fortifications were a series of tunnels that ran under the fort so that the soldiers could, if needed, run under the outer wall and light fuses and effectively blow up the ground below would be attackers. The tunnels are 6 feet tall in the main hallways but then 5 feet tall in the side passages. We took a guided tour of the fort and got to walk through the tunnels. We each got flashlights to help us find our way out. The kids (and the adults) thought this was great fun.

A final interesting fact about the fort was that it was built in large part by people that were brought over from Ireland to help build it becuase the town of Newport didn’t have enough residence back in the early 1700’s. Those Irish workers eventually settled and stayed in Newport. I could see their influence as we drove around. One of the things I remember fondly of a trip I took to Ireland with my Mom, was seeing all the stone walls that were built in the country side. There is so much rock in Ireland, that historically they have put it to good use and used those that were picked up from the land to build fences. Here in Newport, we found the same fences! And, Newport is currently trying hard to restore many of their historical stone fences. There are also a lot of Irish pubs here.

After a brief sandwich lunch, we took our dinghy over to the main town dock and then walked across town to Easton Beach. At the west end of Easton Beach is the start of the cliff walk. I had read about this and thought it would be a nice walk that could give us a chance to see some ocean views. It proved to be really interesting and we ended up doing all 6km of it. This walk starts on a cliff edge (with obvious barriers) that looks out on the Atlantic ocean. It has a spot called the 40 steps where you can walk down to the rocky shore and then the Breakers is an area of large surf breaking on a rocky point. There were dozens of surfers out catching big waves. It was impressive to watch. After that, we got to walk on rocky shores and through tunnels, avoiding big splashes and checking out large historical mansions built along the water’s edge (most owned by the famous Vanderbilt family, made wealthy by their railroad empire). We truly had fun on our hike and would recommend it to anyone visiting Newport. We finished the day by catching a free trolley back to town and our dinghy.

The next day we rented a minivan and drove an hour and half to Boston! I have never been to Boston and was excited to visit it. At the advice of Kevin’s parents we got ourselves on one of the amphibious bus tours. It took an hour and a half and drove all over Boston pointing out areas of historical significance. Amphibious buses then drive into the Charles River to point out even more things. I was amazed by the amount of history in one city. Our tour guide was a wealth of knowledge on all historical events in Boston. Boston is the city of the birth of the American revolution. It had the Boston Tea Party, the Boston massacre, the first public park (Boston Commons), graves sites of Marquis de Lafayette and past presidents, the site of the first reading of the constitution, the first telephone call by Alexander Bell, Harvard University, MIT, the Boston Marathon, JFK’s residence and one of the oldest public markets, Faneuil Hall Marketplace/Quincy Market.

After the Duck tour, we walked to Quincy Market and had bowls of New England Clam Chowder. I prefer this clam chowder to the tomato-based Manhatten clam Chowder, but the rest of my family does not. Oh well, we all still enjoyed it. Then, we walked to Boston Common, checked out the state building and let the kids play on the playground for a little bit. After, we caught the T, the subway system, to Harvard. Oh my goodness, that is the slowest subway system I have ever been on! We kept expecting it to speed up, but it never did. I am pretty sure we could have walked just as fast. We wandered around Harvard campus checking out the many low brick buildings until dinner time. Being the last week of August, we saw plenty of new students enjoying frosh week, campus tours and moving into start school. We finished the day with dinner at a BBQ joint (admittedly, Kevin and I both thought we could do better, given our experience doing BBQ competitions with his Dad in the early days of our marriage, but we still enjoyed it).

Since we had the car and are still hoping that a transatlantic crossing will take place, we went up to Costco the next day to replace some of the provisions we have already eaten our way through. It meant another day of driving but also another days break from the boat. We returned the car the next day and Kevin and I ran back to the dinghy in town. We have managed several runs while here in Newport and it feels good to get back into more regular exercise (although we definitely feel the effects of months of not running regularly). I always like running in new places, because I find it is a good way to see some of the city that I might otherwise drive quickly by. Newport is interesting because it has signs on some streets highlight if there is a deaf or blind child in the neighbourhood.

We enjoyed our weekend on the boat with short trips to shore to take garbage or walk around town to get ice cream. The weather was cooler when we first arrived, but it has been hotter the last few days so our perpetual summer doesn’t appear to be over just yet. However, we started the kids back to school this week along with everyone back home, after a months break, so fall is just around the corner.

It is looking more and more like we won’t get the weather window we were hoping for to cross the Atlantic. We won’t call it till Friday (because we are so dissapointed) but we are starting to talk about our alternative plans. If it isn’t a hurricane hurdling into our path, then it is dead calms seas and the need for us to motor more than we can, given our fuel storage. Perhaps some sailors with more experience would be heading out in the weather we see, but we know we are fairly novice. We know our limitations and our boats limitations, so we are looking for a pretty nice weather window. Luckily, we still have lots of options on where to explore from here. And if your are wondering, Canada is not one of them! If we take our foreign built boat into Canada then we will have to pay GST, PST and a duty on it, which would amount to $80,000! So, our explorations will likely have us back tracking. But we realize that now we have more time to enjoy the stops we see and we look forward to this.