Point Judith, RI

We left Shelter Island on Friday, July 5 because it was predicted to be the best day to travel across Long Island Sound for the next couple of days.  We dropped the mooring at 8:25 and headed out on a foggy day.  It was not the most comfortable passage - a little lumpy. So much so that Jonny went down below to make our lunch. Archie tolerated it quite well so that was a good thing.  And Jonny managed to catch forty winks.

By the time we got to the breakwater at Point Judith, we were very relieved.  As soon as we got inside the breakwater, all was calm as we passed beaches filled with sunbathers. We still had on two layers under our wind jackets from having been on the water (as opposed to in the water).

We had to make two stops before arriving at our anchorage, first to fuel up and then to get a pump-out and fill our water tanks.  I took Archie for a short walk and took in the sights of the little beach town.

We finally arrived at our anchorage in the Port Judith Pond at 4:25 and anchored not far from a group of 20 boats that were rafted up together. 

We contemplated going to visit Jonny’s cousin David and his family, but the dinghy ride would have been too long and returning in the dark was not a good option. Besides, we were a bit beat up from the cruise.  Instead, we just took it easy and relaxed. I made crab cakes and a delicious vegetable dish with zucchini from David and Mary Ann’s garden.

That evening we watched George Stephanopoulos interview Joe Biden. We were wondering why so many boats were entering the harbor in the dark, but it didn’t take long for us to understand why when the first of two big fireworks displays began.  We had a ringside seat on the bow of Zendo.  The only problem was after a while the smoke given off from the fireworks was blowing in our direction and at times almost completely blocked our view!  All the boats celebrated the end of the display by blowing their horns. It was a nice surprise for us as we didn’t think we were going to see any fireworks this year.

The next day David came by in his boat to pick us up and take us to their beach home in Matunuck.  

They have a lovely home there and it’s always filled with their children and grandchildren.

David’s sister Abby and sister-in-law, Anne, also came over from visiting Abbys daughter Alana in Waterford, CT. David’s wife, Bobbie, had lunch for us since they had a lot of food leftover from a party the day before.  

We had a great time visiting with everyone and at the end of the day, David took us back to Zendo passing all the traditional coastal homes and a cool lighthouse.  We got ready for the next day which will be a long travel day up Narragansett Bay.