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