July 5, 2010 - Newport Harbor

Summer seems to have finally arrived in New England. Last night for the first time we didn't need the extra blankets that we have had covering our bed since we sailed back into Newport. All morning the wind has been out of the north, blowing the heat off the land and across the harbor. By early afternoon Sten started talking about going for a swim. I wasn't so keen to take a dip in the harbor (even though everyone is supposed to be using their holding tanks) so we dropped our mooring lines and motored out from behind Goat Island with the intention of heading over to Mackerel Cove for a dip.

Wouldn't you know it but as soon as we stuck our bow out into the bay the southerly filled in, which would have made the cove a bit bouncy. But the wind coming in off the ocean was more than enough to cool us down so opted for a harbor tour of Jamestown and Newport instead of a swim. Sten was feeling pretty bad about the fact that we were the only sailboat in the bay without her sails up, but after all the miles we logged in the past few months (at least 7,000 since leaving Cape Town) I was completely content to motor around the bay with a naked stick.

Our parking permit at Fort Adams was only good for one night so we had to renew it or move the car. We decided to spend the night at Suzy's instead of paying for an additional night of parking. Once back at her house, where it was a lot warmer than it had been on the water, Sten lasted about half an hour before declaring that he had to go to the beach. His sister and I joined him and we all braved the cold, somewhat weedy water at Third Beach. A quick dip in the frigid water of the Sakonnet River was all it took to cool us down.