Fairhaven, MA

We had a lovely day of cruising as we left our Bristol, RI mooring at 7 a.m. on July 15 and headed east to Fairhaven, MA just across the harbor from New Bedford.  As we cruised along the coast we passed some magnificent homes in Dartmouth and other nearby towns.

Our plan was to stay in Fairhaven for just one night and head out towards Martha’s Vineyard.  But the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

We arrived at the Acushnet River Safe Boating Club by 1 p.m. and tied up at an end dock.  This club had great prices - $1.50 a foot, unheard of in the northeast.  The low prices were because the club is associated with the Coast Guard Auxilary and all those who belong to the club have to volunteer a certain amount of time each year doing training and other Coast Guard related responsibilities.  Our friends, Joe and Pat, recommended a couple to us who belonged to the club. We met Dot and Jim right away as they were on the same dock as us.

Jonny had been wanting to go to New Bedford to eat Portuguese food for a long time and now was his big chance.  We found great reviews on a Portugese restaurant called Antonio’s and decided to walk there for lunch. We had to cross the bridge to New Bedford and  walk along the coast for about two miles which we thought was acceptable.  However, the walk was anything but pleasant. It turned out to be quite a long and dusty walk in the hot sun next to a long array of marine related businesses. No fun! But we finally arrived at Antonio’s and we were redeemed by a delicious lunch. We ordered salt cod fritters as an appetizer, a bowl of typical Portugese kale soup and one order of a specialty dish with pork, clams, and potatoes and other tasty morsels.  It was huge and very good!.  So large, in fact, that in addition to this meal there was enough leftover for three more servings which we ate over the next few days.  We got smart and took an Uber back to the marina only to discover later that we could have taken a water taxi for only $3.00!

That afternoon we walked Archie through the lovely town of Fairhaven.  Titans of the area’s whaling industry had built beautiful homes in Fairhaven as well an imposing town hall and library and incredible churches, even one with flying buttresses!

The next morning Jonny was cleaning off the boat and told me that he was having trouble seeing out of one eye.  This sometimes happens when his blood sugar levels drop but that was not the case here. Because it wasn’t clearing up, he called his ophthalmologist and our friend, Hilda, who is an eye surgeon to ask their advice.  His doctor told him to go straight to the ER.  Dot and Jim came to the rescue and brought us to St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford and they took him in immediately.  They did a number of tests on him thinking that it was an eye stroke or perhaps a TIA.  They were concerned enough to want to keep him overnight so they could do more tests the next day.

In the meantime, Dot insisted on picking me up so I could go back to Zendo to feed Archie and then take me back to the hospital so I could spend the evening with Jonny.  She and and Jim picked me up after visiting hours ended and took me around the old downtown section of New Bedford which is very charming with cobblestone streets and historic buildings. It was also hopping with night life.

On Sunday, Dot drove me back to the hospital where the doctors did a couple more tests on Jonny and released him with instructions to see an ophthalmologist, a neurologist and a cardiologist. It was especially important for an ophthalmologist to see him.

Once again, Dot and Jim picked us up at the hospital and later that evening because Jonny was feeling much better, we took them to dinner to thank them for their kindness. We had a delicious and plentiful seafood dinner at a down home restaurant in Fairhaven called Mike’s.

We decided to cancel our plans to go to Martha’s Vineyard for the next two days so we could get Jonny to an ophthalmologist and so he could rest a little,   which was a good decision.  These medical events take more out of you than you think.  Also the weather was going to be overcast and quite windy. Not ideal conditions for crossing Buzzard’s Bay.

On Monday morning Jonny called the ophthalmologist’s office which had already received the medical information from the hospital and we were able to get an appointment at 10:30 that morning!  We took an Uber to the office in Fall River and after doing more detailed tests on Jonny’s eye, the doctor was able to make a definitive diagnosis.  He had a Branch Retinal Brain Occlusion, the least worst outcome as per the doctor.  It is an obstruction in a vein that  goes to his retina. Treatment includes aspirin and statins.  Not great, but a relief that it wasn’t a worse diagnosis! We took it easy on Monday after the doctor’s visit.

On Tuesday, we took the water taxi to New Bedford to visit the fabulous whaling museum.  The water taxi driver told us that New Bedford is the largest seaport in the US by dollar value due to the high value of scallops. The harbor is filled with fleets of  fishing boats but they are only allowed to fish for a very limited number of days per year in order to ensure a sustainable fishing environment. 

What a fascinating museum! It was chock full of information about the whaling industry and also the history of New Bedford. During the 19th century, New Bedford was the whaling capital of the world.   There were real skeletons of whales hanging from the ceilings and a half model of a whaling ship.  The most unusual item was a petrified whale penis. It was HUGE! There were also examples of some of the beautiful crystal that New Bedford was known for in the past as well as some beautiful art. We spent a couple of hours  soaking up the history of the area and we would have needed more time to see it all.

Afterwards we walked through New Bedford’s historic district, and had a beer at a local brew pub. We followed this with an appetizer size portion of fried clams at the Clam Shack next to the dock where the water taxi dropped us off.

That evening we had, for the first time since we bought it, the ravioli from Bergotti’s in the Bronx.   We took Archie for one more walk in the big park just a few blocks from our marina where he was happy to endlessly chase sticks and squirrels. The next morning we’ll continue our travels and head for Falmouth, MA.

Bristol, RI

Jonny delivered a thank you note and bottle of wine  to Judy and Don and gave Archie one last walk on Wednesday, July 13 before we left Groton at 7 a.m. We were bound for Bristol RI, a historic town on Narragansett Bay.  It was a sunny day with pleasant temperatures but the seas were somewhat rolly as we passed Stonington, Fisher’s Island, and Watch Hill.  Once we passed Port Judith and got into the Narragansett Bay, the seas calmed. We saw lots of sailboats that were participating in the International Rolex Race. What a beautiful sight!

We continued past Newport and up the bay until we approached Bristol.  We had never been here before but chose it because it was a convenient place to meet Gerhard, Andy’s friend who has kindly offered to take care of Archie when we go to the San Juan Islands in Washington State in September.  We wanted Gerhard and Archie to meet each other and it was a perfect opportunity for us to see Gerhard again.  We tied up at a mooring ball in a nice calm harbor filled with sailboats.

Jonny picked Gerhard up at the dinghy dock and he came on board for a drink. Then the four of us (including Archie so Gerhard could see how well-behaved he is) headed into Bristol for dinner. We were delighted by the charm and beauty of Bristol as we walked down the main street towards S.S. Dion, the restaurant I had chosen.  There were several restaurants to choose from in Bristol but this one had such a good review by a fellow chef, that I thought it sounded best for us. And so it was! We had a delicious dinner with a variety of seafood appetizers that we shared and some delicious main courses. We really enjoyed our conversation with Gerhard and we felt really good about leaving Archie with him.

Originally we were going to leave for either Cuttyhunk or New Bedford the next day, but we decided to spend more time exploring Bristol so we extended our stay for one night. We headed into town and walked all around the historic center which is lined with lovely old homes from the early 1800’s, most of which were bedecked with American flags.  It turn out that Bristol calls itself the most patriotic town in the U.S. since it has one of the longest running 4th of July parades in the nation.  The town even has replaced the white stripe down its main streets with a red, white and blue stripe that defines the entire parade route through town.

It turns out that Bristol also has a darker history. In addition to its prominence as a boat-building and marine center, its leading family from past generations, the DeWolf family, was a significant slave trader. In fact, the slave industry was a major source of the wealth of this town. The DeWolf family was responsible for the trafficking and enslavement of over 10,000 people from Africa!

After strolling through the lovely and well-kept downtown area, we had a delicious lunch at a French restaurant called Le Central.  And later took Archie for his first swing! 

From there we walked a mile and a half to tour the Blithewold Mansion and Gardens situated on the edge of town overlooking the water.  The mansion was built by a well-known industrialist who died shortly after it was finished.  His family eventually transformed it into a beautiful home and garden. They eschewed the more ostentatious Newport style and chose a more natural and “rustic “ setting. We enjoyed strolling though the gardens and lawns which included the largest sequoia tree east of the Rockies, groves of bamboo and many lovely nooks and crannies.

As we walked back to the boat, the skies darkened and thunder was rumbling in the distance. We debated rushing back to Zendo or taking cover in Aidan’s, a popular pub.  We chose the latter thinking we could wait out the storm and avoid getting wet. It worked! But actually the rain circled all around us and we managed to avoid it completely! Naturally, we had to order the local Narragansett beer on tap.

We finally headed back to Zendo and had a good dinner on the aft deck consisting of grilled lamb chops,  potatoes and zucchini. We were watching some sailboats futilely attempting to race each other with their colorful spinnakers trying to catch the non-existent breeze. The moment caught in the photo below was quickly over.

We were very glad to have stayed an extra day here.  The waterfront towns in this area are just beautiful! The plan for the next day is to sail for the New Bedford - Fairhaven area.

Groton, CT

It was a calm night at anchor but by early morning on Sunday, July 10 the wind had changed and it got very rolly in Gardiner’s Bay.  Sophie and Ernie had invited us to come in early for breakfast before heading out.  Climbing into the dinghy was pretty challenging in the choppy bay but we managed to do it and Jonny rowed onto the beach. After a healthy and satisfying breakfast, they walked us back to the beach and we said our good-byes. Taking the dinghy back to Zendo was even less pleasant and pretty dangerous.  It took several attempts before we could get all three of us up onto Zendo.  With some difficulty Jonny finally got the dinghy properly secured and we were on our way by 9:30. Never again will we take our dinghy out in such rough waters!

Our destination for the day was to cross Long Island Sound again and make our way to Groton, CT. The trip to Groton was somewhat rough until we passed Plum Gut (the inlet between Gardiner’s Bay and the rest of Long Island). Once we got past that area the rest of our cruise was smooth sailing. 

Before going to Groton we pulled up to the beach in New London.  Three of Jonny’s high school classmates had contacted him to say they would be at the beach that afternoon and we should come by, and so we did. They were in town for their high school reunion which Jonny had to miss but they wanted to get together and see each other. They hadn’t seen each other for over 50 years! So we dropped the anchor near the beach and dinghied in to spend a couple of hours together. It was a great opportunity for them to reminisce and catch up with each other after all these years!

We arrived at Groton by noon and tied up on a mooring ball at the home of Jonny’s cousin Jimmy’s in-laws, Judy and Don. What a beautiful setting!  They had a very nice dock at the foot of the expansive lawn that sloped down from their home.  When we are in this area we usually stay in Jonny’s home town of New London at Crocker’s Marina. Jimmy had been urging us to stay at his in-law’s and now we understand why. 

Jimmy, his wife Robin, and Robin’s parents, siblings, and their kids were all gathered on the patio and we all enjoyed wine and nibbles together. What a warm welcome!

Jimmy had generously loaned us the car he recently bought for his kids who had just left for a birthright trip to Israel - a sleek black BMW convertible! Lucky us!  We would have transportation to get around to all the favorite places we like to visit when we’re in the New London area.

The next morning we took a long walk along Avery Point and the beautiful nearby neighborhoods. Archie was in heaven because he could run and frolic on Judy and Don’s huge yard and the lawns surrounding Avery Point.  This is the site of a branch of the University of Connecticut but it was previously owned by a major industrialist, Morton Plant, who built a beautiful and imposing home on the site along with his other homes in Newport and New York City’s 5th Avenue.

That afternoon we drove just 15 minutes to New London where we had lunch at one of our favorite waterside restaurants, Captain Scott’s.  We had a lobster roll and fried clams. Yum!

Of course that was followed up by a trip to Michael’s Dairy for their delicious ice cream which we ate on their grassy lawn.  These are two of our obligatory stops when we are in New London. 

We also stopped at Defender, the famous  purveyor of all kinds of boating equipment, to purchase a few items that we needed. Jonny has to replace the faucet in our shower which is leaking.  Then on to Home Depot to buy a drill to replace the one that went missing from our boat during its stay at Spencer’s Boatyard. 

We were sufficiently stuffed from lunch so Jonny, at least, didn’t want dinner. I, on the their hand, found room for the leftover pasta and scallops.  I only did it to make room in the refrigerator!

The following day after my Spanish lesson we went for a paddle on one of Don and Judy’s kayaks to a nearby sandy island.  Archie did well on the kayak perched between my legs. When he got to the beach, he went crazy running around the rocky shoreline, splashing in the water, and searching for crabs.  We get such joy out of watching him - whatever he does!

In the afternoon we discovered that Zendo was sitting on sand. The tide had receded so far that it actually took a couple of hours before we were floating again! No harm done but something we’ll need to be aware of in the future.

That evening, our last in Groton, we took Jimmy out to dinner at the On the Waterfront Restaurant in New London after picking him up at his business - Mallove’s Jewelers. He drove us back to Groton and we said our thanks and goodbyes.  This was another wonderful visit and we’d love to stay at this location in the future which Judy and Don encouraged us to do.