August 17-18                North Kingstown and Newport, Rhode Island

The new plastic curtains were installed and the aft deck was now complete.  The old curtains were in place more than ten years and had become worn and inefficient.  Rupe, our very capable handyman, applied two coats of non-skid on the surface of the deck, varnished the trim and thoroughly cleaned the sides and ceiling.  With the new nautical lamp and red rug, the area has never looked better.

David took Winn to Walmart and bought more Legos to add to his extensive collection.  These kept him occupied and happy for hours.  In the meantime, we made plans to test the new stern thruster by going across the bay to Newport.  We booked at Newport Marina, a newly built facility in a great location.  We left Wickford on a beautiful day and dodged a regatta of sailboats which filled the approach to Newport.  As the sailing capitol of the East Coast, sailboats of all sizes and varieties are always in abundance in this area during the summer months.

Our allotted dock space was at the head of a channel lined with other boats.  David had to make a difficult turn to get into position.  With the help of his new stern thruster, he maneuvered easily into place and impressed the dock help with his expertise.  The main streets of Newport were crowded with hordes of tourists, cars and buses.  After perusing the shops, eating great seafood at a charming place on Bannister’s Wharf and buying toys for Winn, we returned to the boat to survey the harbor scene. 

Winn enjoyed the heated pool at the marina while we made plans to leave the following morning.  A 250’ yacht with a 36’ beam would be docked behind us and the channel exit would be too narrow for our boat to pass.  Heavy fog delayed our departure but cleared before the yacht arrived.  We were happy to return to Wickford and the active harbor scene opposite our dock.

That evening we ordered three dozen oysters from Gardner’s Seafood Wharf across from our marina for dinner on the aft deck.  We took the dinghy across to pick up the oysters and, as the evening was cool, we made a long dinghy ride past the marinas to the town dock before returning to the boat.

Blake, Winn and David  happily ate three dozen oysters, shucked and placed in trays of ice, for dinner.  Local oysters from Rhode Island waters are plump and tender.  I prefer mine to be fried but the guys were very pleased with the raw ones.  Two nights later, we had Gardner’s steam five lobsters  for another feast on the aft deck.