Boston to Sandwich to Newport

We left Boston around 10am on Thursday morning and cruised a little further up the harbor to the Charlestown Navy Yard to take a closer look the U.S.S. Constitution (a.k.a. Old Iron Sides) which was just recently put back in the water after two years of dry dock repairs, painting and maintenance. She is the oldest actively commissioned vessel still afloat, originally launched in 1797 by President George Washington. Impressive stuff!

As we departed Boston Harbor, past downtown, Logan Airport and the various sundry islands and old forts, we both agreed that this was a stop worth making and while brief, was filled with history, tradition, great food and good times.

Upon reaching the open water of the Atlantic, we were greeted to strong NW winds at 20 knots and rolling seas of 2-3 feet. While there was a Coast Guard "Small Craft Advisory" in effect until 11am, we felt that the boat (and the crew) could handle it until things started to calm down. Well, it never did. In fact, the wind picked up, as did the seas, and what we thought was going to be relatively easy "following seas" going south was rougher and sloppier than anticipated. But we pressed on, dodging lobster pots and adjusting our course to minimize the roll of the ocean.

We reached Sandwich, MA right at the mouth of the Cape Cod Canal around 130pm. "Endless Summer" was a pretty well covered in salt spray, so once docked, she got a good hosing and wipe down. After the commensurate arrival cocktail, we headed to Fisherman's View for dinner. This restaurant is owned by two local fisherman who bring in fresh seafood daily -- instead of "farm to table" it is "dock to dinner". Excellent food, great service and a wonderful view out to Cape Cod Bay.

This morning we departed Sandwich at 830am and headed west through the Cape Cod Canal. Since the speed limit is only 10 mph, it took us a full hour to come out the other side and into Buzzards Bay in route to Rhode Island Sound. Once out of the canal, the seas conditions were much better than the day before and we cruised along at a rather leisurely pace arriving in Newport, RI at 12:30pm. This is one of my favorite ports of call and am looking forward to taking in all this maritime city has to offer. Well, at least for a couple of days!