Newport RI

First of all.. after some great sailing and lovely anchorages while moving along the Long Island sound , we were just exiting the Sound through The Race (at about 9 to 10 knots with the current ) when a nuclear sub appeared off our port beam and then crossed right in front of us heading toward Nantucket/Marthas Vineyard direction........different!

Another half day, with some help from the iron genny ( motor ) we turned north up Narragansett Bay and sailed into beautiful Newport.

This,of course, the Americas Cup museum

Can you believe that was 31 years ago....and what a shame really. Of course Connors got it back in Perth 4 years later but that was pretty much the end of the competition. The Kiwis got it next and decided to use stupid great boats and now they look more like space ships and the crews are a mixture of every nations best sailors. I suppose Australia only wrested the cup from America (after 130 years ) because of a Pommie sign writer crook who married a rich chick. So ???

OK I've had my little whinge.

Newport ,I think, is the most beautiful town we've had the pleasure to hang out in.That's the waterfront above.

The anchorage, right next to town,is like being next to a living coffee table book full of pictures of the most elegant collection of boats you've ever seen.

My dubious photographic skills coupled with my cheap camera can't do 'em justice but...

There's at least 10 of these out and about every day

And cruising back after the sunset trips.

There's a few of the old 12 metre Americas Cup boats doing charters.

Of course there's a bunch of these little things about

Anyway besides the water stuff ,Newport was also the summer hang out for the filthy rich railroad and mining types back in the 1800's to early 1900's.

They built this whole community of summer "cottages" otherwise known as mansions ,quite a few open to us plebs to gasp at nowadays.

That's just the back door.

Most of them were pretty close copies of European palaces.

Nice.

When we stroll  to the shopping centres up the hill ( some of which were built on the sites of demolished mansion by "developers " back in the 60's )we  can go via the quaint streets where the ordinary people lived,probably worth a million themselves now....

or we can cut through the back yard of The Elms.

You pay to have a look through the 'house' but the garden's there to enjoy.

Fabby!

We've got to put up with this slumming for a few more days 'til it's time for the Newport Jazz Festival then a couple of days after that there's a Boz Scaggs concert and I guess we'll head down to New York NY........mustn't grumble.

Last weekend we took the bus up to Providence.capital of RI. (hour and a half trip....2 bucks for seniors!)

Not Venice .......Providence.

Then at night they light all these braziers along the river.... open air concerts and ballet etc.

Nice

Just to finish up...Last night we went to the historic Cardines Field to watch the mighty Newport Gulls do battle with the New Bedford Bay Sox and try and work out what baseball is all about.

Without annoying the guy next to me too much.

The donut eating completion between innings 5 and 6 was pretty cool

Washington DC to Port Washington NY

After Perry and Susan left we carried on checking out as many of the museums and art galleries as we could and then it was time for the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival. It featured China and Kenya and was held in the National Mall.As with everything in DC it was free . As with everything we have attended in the US it was busy,crowded with all sorts of people and virtually no security or cops visible but not the slightest sign of bad or unsociable behavior .Sorry Aus...Robin Williams was right. Remember that? Sorta English rednecks? 
                                                              Anyway....This
                                                             
 

Became this

And there were puppet shows with live band

These amazing guys from the Mongolian region.

The singing was like the Tibetan throat singing and the music ......Rocked...for want of a better word.

The craft stuff was just as impressive.

The Kenyan stuff also had some great music too, but as most of our music (well blues,jazz and rock....the most important music ) is derived from African music it sounded ,shall we say, less unusual.

Of course the craft stuff included, amongst the bragging about their athletes,  a nice piece translating "Congratulations Obama " to the half Kenyan President.

The dancers and musicians strolling around sure added some colour.

As do the local guys out around town

 

Spent a day looking at the Pentagon and the 9/11 memorial and then a bit further to the lovely old town of Alexandria. It was spared destruction after the Brits burned Washington..I think around 1814...pure cussedness just 'cos they got kicked out and had to start sending their convicts to the big island that Capt. Cook had found back 1770 in the South Pacific.

 

 

We hung around 'til Independence Day for the big parade and the fireworks.

The big inflatables were all ready to go

The military and the High School bands (from all over the country)were getting prepared

Then off they went

I'm guessing that this kid following the "Early Settlers" on the horses with the manure barrow would have been just as proud as anyone

 And this guy maybe should have been leading the Oriental Croaker Fest.

Despite the size and grandeur of this parade ...I gotta say Croaker's more fun.

Maybe cos you know half the people in the parade!!

Speaking of Croaker...Oriental didn't get hit too hard by Arthur who was passing by at the time.

Didn't feel a thing up in DC.which is at the end of the squiggly bit to the left about 10 o'clock.

That's the 3rd Hurricane we've dodged. Touching every bit of wood I can find!

Teak actually.

Anyway the fireworks (fizzworks )went off that night against a backdrop of a fading sunset.

A bit of a waste really....sunset, lots of smoke with some so so explosions.

Maybe being Sydneyites we're a little spoiled.

Next day had to send the First (best)Mate up the mast for a quick adjustment and off we went the 100 miles back down the Potomac

Oh yeagh...when we left our last anchorage to get out into the Chesapeake Bay again I spotted a  crab pot buoy just in front of us. A little bit closer and I noticed it had ears.

A deer was swimming across the river! Cool.

You'll be relieved to know that we were on a mission to get north so didn't really think about photos,been there an' done that, and nothing of real interest happened until we got to Sandy Hook at the start of the river/bay up to NY..NY.

No photos of our early morning trip either.

1.The fog was so thick that it was pointless.

2. It was so scary we didn't even think about it.

Imagine blindly chugging up a very busy river just hearing fog horns and occasionally catching a glimpse of a huge ship passing you...very close

The fog cleared ,after about 21/2 hours ,just as we got to the Statue of Liberty.

Spectacular.

Then it was a 10 to 12 knot (about double normal speed-current you see)up the East River and through Hell Gate, the fastest bit , to Port Washington which is just at the start of Long Island Sound.

And that's where we are now...kicking back for a few days.

 

Touristing

We settled in to DC for a couple of days and then Perry and Susan drove up to join us for the weekend and we tramped around doing (some of ) the sights ,starting with the huge fish market just down the road.......or the water if that tickles yer fancy.

Sculpture gardens. This ones called Thinker on a Rock.

There's this park running in a straight line from the Capitol Building.

Down past the Washington Monument ,a huge obelisk that's about in the middle (and visible from our anchorage )

Then it's past the 2nd World War (that's the one after The War to End all Wars ) Memorial.

Then along the Reflecting Pool to the massive Lincoln Memorial.

Never seen so many people in one place getting selfies with the great man.

Just off to Abe's left is the Vietnam Memorial.A statue of 3 soldiers looking over at a simple black marble cut with the names of all the boys that never got to live a life cos some old men thought that communism was worth shedding blood for.

 Guess it means more to me because it's the only war that I might have had to go to. It's  so sad to see the family members that were left making tracings of the names of the lost boys and girls.

But apparently a war is a good way to get economies on their feet so..................

Anyway...there's the Whitehouse.

Lining each side of this big long park, The National Mall ,by name ,are dozens of museums and art galleries. We did a few on the weekend and it makes for  pretty exhausting days....but nothing a jam in the cockpit with a few beers in the evening won't fix.

Unfortunately Perry and Susan had to get back to North Carolina which was a real shame cos a couple of days later the National Mall hosted (and is still hosting) a folk festival featuring China and Kenya. Food,music,dancing,folklore,crafts and......everything.

But......I've had enough for today.