August 14-16            Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts

We were aware that our beautiful sunny weather was predicted to end soon so we planned to depart early for our voyage across Buzzard’s Bay to Martha’s Vineyard.  Small raindrops began to fall as we cruised through the hundreds of boats moored or docked in Newport Harbor.   Our bus tour had oriented us to specific places we were now able to identify: Fort McAdams, Hammersmith Farm (where JKF and Jackie were married), and some of the resort hotels.   The light rain ended, the sun emerged, and we had a lovely day to cruise to the island.  Unfortunately, just before we reached our destination, David noticed that once more our steering was not working properly.  He had to use the gears instead of the wheel to stay on course.

Vineyard Haven is the largest town on Martha’s Vineyard but there were only two small marinas that could accommodate us. Serendipitously, our second choice of a marina, The Black Dog, proved to be the best choice. Although very rustic, it was well-located and within easy walking distance of an excellent grocery store, shops, and transportation.  Every slip was occupied and we were assigned a face dock position between the protruding bow of a large yacht and another boat to our stern.  It was literally a parallel parking situation with only about ten feet for maneuvering.  To complicate matters more, a small wooden sailboat was moored in the middle of the narrow channel where we had to turn about and position the boat to move into our slip.  It was very tight and David had limited steering capacity.  I was nervous but he was calm and confident as he expertly turned about, missed the sailboat, and docked with incident.  Even the dockhands were impressed!

Vineyard Haven is a rustic village with many shops and houses covered in gray shingles.  Ferries are constantly coming in from the mainland and Cape Cod.  The streets were packed with visitors and the shops were filled with buyers.  We had another seafood lunch, replenished our supplies at the grocery, and returned to the boat to enjoy the harbor ambiance.

The next morning proved the weatherman to be correct.  Rain, rain, and more rain—with considerable wind.  At times, we could barely see across the harbor.  This was a great day to stay aboard.  I cleaned the boat and David made numerous phone calls.  We watched old movies and I finished my book.  We were grateful that the torrential rain would thoroughly clean all the accumulated salt from the exterior of the boat.

Tuesday was sunny again and we took the island bus to Edgartown, about six miles from Vineyard Haven.  Edgartown had grown considerably since we had visited there fifteen years ago.  It was apparent Edgartown is much more upscale than Vineyard Haven—more restaurants, finer homes, and more quality shops.  Most of the homes were white clapboard sided with dark green trim and were built in the eighteenth or early nineteenth centuries.  Hydrangeas, hollyhocks, and lilacs were blooming profusely and ancient trees shaded the brick sidewalks.  After perusing a few shops, we completed our walking tour of the town, ate a delicious lunch, and returned to the bus.

The Black Dog dock was a friendly place with boat owners exchanging stories and giving advice.  Many of the boats had children and dogs aboard and it was fun to watch them as they always seemed to be in constant motion.  We sat serenely on our aft deck and viewed the action.  There are some pluses to being older with the children grown and the dog dead.

Vineyard Haven is the home of the famous Black Dog franchise, whose logo, a black Labrador, appears on almost everything associated with Martha’s Vineyard.  Their main shop was at the entrance to our marina and was a mecca for tourists.  Little girls carrying stuffed black dogs and adults wearing T-shirts or carrying bags with images of a black dog were everywhere. The news reports this week stated that President Obama and his family would arrive Wednesday on Martha’s Vineyard for their annual vacation here.  David was pleased we would leave before his arrival but I reminded him that we would probably not be included in any of the same social events as the Obamas.