Taking the Mac to Block Island R.I.

[RICH RUYACK]

Has anyone ever sailed from Point Judith R.I. to Block Island? I took the ferry over and had a great time. Its 12 miles off the coast and was wondering if anyone has done it recently,where did they dock, etc. I saw jet skiers following the ferry the whole way there hang out for the day then return.

[Andy26M]

Hi Rich!

I lived in Newport for the first 3 seasons with my 26M. On several occasions I started the trip to Block Island, but just my luck every time I got to Point Judith the wind came up out of the SouthWest at 30+ knots and I decided to spend the weekend inside the Narragansett instead... "Gentlemen never sail to windward" Especially single-handing a Mac in high-traffic areas with seas building to 8 feet....

That being said, my plan was always to head into the Great Salt Pond and anchor/moor there for the weekend. There should be some public anchorages, plus there are 2-3 marinas with mooring buoys to rent. There are water taxis if you don't have a dinghy, and there used to be a baker who drove around the anchorages and mooring fields every morning selling fresh hot pastries. If you want a dock with access to showers and stuff, at least one of the marinas did have transient slips to rent a few years back, but their prices were steep and I never planned far enough ahead to reserve one.

Other than the Great Salt Pond, there is a man-made breakwater on the "town" side of the island but I never talked to anyone in the Narragansett who considered that a useful port for a small sailboat. It is too exposed to the sea, I gathered.

One great source of information for that whole region is "The Armchair Sailor" bookstore on Lower Thames Street in Newport. It's all nautical books and charts, and easy to strike up a conversation and get "the gouge" (at least it was when last I was there in 2007).

http://www.bluewaterweb.com/armchair_info.asp

I have a copy of the book A Cruising Guide to Narragansett Bay and the South Coast of Massachusetts: Including Buzzard's Bay, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and Block Island that i found extremely helpful, it's probably available a Amazon and BN, too.

Andy

[Laika 26X]

I'm planning the "Block Island, Mystic, Montauk" triangle as my vacation this summer.

If you haven't yet, get a copy of 2009 "Eldridge Tide and Pilot Book" to keep aboard. One can make favorable use of tides and currents for passage planning.

Would be nice to make it a "Mac-Meet" at the Salt pond!

"Sub" Ed

[tangentair]

!	tangentair:
	Laika 26X et al - Nice post but Destinations, Clubs, Events and Venues is the more appropriate place for it. "Use this forum to announce, plan, and discuss events, cruises, regattas, shows, sailing destinations, events your club is planning, etc." so I am moving it there but I will leave a link from where you started it

[Hamin' X]

Another good source for local info is Active Captain. Click the "On the Water" tab, then Find on the map. Or, you can zoom the map to where you want. Lots of places have local reviews.

~Rich

[Russ]

I haven't been to Block in many many years, but the great salt pond is very protected and lots of places to anchor. I also remember the baker who sold goodies boat to boat. Block is my favorite island and much cozier than Martha's vineyard or Nantucket. Arriving by boat has some kind of special nostalgic feel to it. Go into town and rent a moped.

Check the weather before heading out there. As you must know, fog is very common, hence the famous saying "We're the hull is block island?"
One year in a bad fog we encountered a group of lost jet skiers. They followed us into the pond and looked pretty scared. They were also very lucky. Which brings up navigation. A good GPS or two wouldn't hurt as well as good nav skills. We used old school compass course to find the island.

Then you must give a trip report.

[Kelly Hanson East]

Eldridge's guide is a must in these parts. There is a lot of commercial traffic and you should have a radar reflector as well, in case of fog.

This is full bore, ocean sailing when it kicks up, there is nothing coastal about in rough weather.

[CFCassidy]

When I lived in Rhode Island I would go out to Block once or twice a summer for the weekend. I've done it single handed twice. It is not a bad trip as long as you are prepared with charts, tide book, etc. I usually would sail until I got tired of not being a "gentleman" then motor the rest of the way.

[Harry van der Meer]

The weekends get very crowded in the GSP. I sailed to Block Island once. Made the mistake to pick laborday weekend. Arrived around 11 AM and could not find a place to anchor so decided to turn around and find quieter waters elsewhere.

[Kelly Hanson East]

Ive always found space on the East part of the GSP in about 5 feet of water...too shallow for the big boys and the stinkpots.

I dont recall the tidal range there, but even if I did, I would look in Eldridges anyway....

I have seen small boats anchored in the North end of GSP but it is labelled as prohibited Anchorage on the charts - dont know if they will chase you off or not.

I havent been there on Labour Day - I suspect that is popular time.

You do want to track well west of the two major traffic lanes (Narr and Buzzards Bay) - there are also a lot of Sailboat Snares in this region...(tugs pulling barges with 3 inch thick tow cables 20 feet above the water)

[dthomas]

Ive always found space on the East part of the GSP in about 5 feet of water...too shallow for the big boys and the stinkpots.

That is the sweet spot for the Macs. You'll have a good stretch of water all to yourself and the easiest access to cross over to the beach - http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 3&t=h&z=16. Though I never had a chance to go there with the Mac 26X, we do go there frequently with Second Wind. When we were there over the Labor Day weekend last year, we motored the dinghy over to the beach and made a close pass by a 26X anchored fore-and-aft right off the inner beach. We wanted to say hello, but nobody was home! I was quite envious - that was truly a million-dollar spot!

Block Island on a busy summer weekend is truly a special thing. I've heard there are 2000+ boats there in the GSP at times and I don't think that is an exaggeration. The sounds of music and foreign accented voices, all sorts of interesting smells from people cooking all around you, with amazing boats in every direction. I took this picture as we approached Second Wind after eating in town - gives a good idea of how crowded it gets:



I confess, though, my favorite part is when Aldo brings his boat alongside of you, full of awesome pastries, breads, coffee, whatever:



He sings "Andiamo" as he winds through the anchorage, pulling up to the boats that wave him down (and everybody does):



Block Island is definitely worth the effort! We are taking our first trip of the season in two weeks and can hardly wait!

Dean Thomas
Allen Harbor, RI
Formerly Lion's Paw, 1999 MacGregor 26X
Now Second Wind, 2001 Beneteau 361

[RICH RUYACK]

Thanks all for the feed back.

[Kelly Hanson East]

Rich - will you sail from LI or trailer over??

For trailering:

Allen Harbor RI is one launch site

Westport MA is another one - for this one, you can get an annual pass for 35 USD (write to the Town Hall) which is the same as one weeks parking at the ramp.
The ramps crawls with MASS DEC types, which means your boat is safe and you dont get too many knuckleheads at the ramp.