Block Island Boasts Killer Donuts, Ferries, Beautiful Beaches, and the Bluffs
The Floating Cadillac
Casper loves to sail. He’s like a little kid in a candy store when he’s manning the helm – a big grin on his face. As far as sailboats go, Casper’s is pretty big. It stretches 48 feet, and the bowsprit brings it to an overall length of 57 feet.
Casper’s boat
There is a kitchen with a stove, microwave, coffee pot, and a refrigerator. Six can sleep comfortably, with a queen size bed in the master bedroom and a full size berth toward the bow, as well as two couch-beds in the main area. There are three places to shower…there is HOT water, AIR CONDITIONING, and a 6 foot keel that gives the boat a more stable ride. You can also stand up below deck without having to duck!
Every year his Yacht Club has a rendezvous. This year’s destination is Shelter Island, and he has invited me to sail with him. We are making a week-long trip out of it with several ports of call, beginning with a visit to Block Island. I have only been out in a sailboat a handful of times, and never overnight. This week will be a challenge for me on several fronts. Do I have good “sea legs,” or will the motion of the ocean get the best of me? Boats are a confining space…will I suffer from claustrophobia on some level? Casper and I enjoy a lot of the same things and have similar views, but will a week together as a captive audience prove our friendship has a weak foundation? Let the adventure begin…
The Departure
It is early August, and the humidity is thick in the air. Daytime temperatures reach the high 80’s, and there is very little breeze. The weather service predicts scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Sailing along in a bobbing lightning rod in the ocean during an electrical storm is not such a great idea, so we leave the next day instead.
Leaving for Block Island
In the early afternoon we head up on the “outside,” which means in the open ocean and not inland up the East River. We travel through the night and take turns sleeping on the way. Fifteen hours later, about half an hour before daybreak, I got my first glimpse of the island. Typically fog surrounds Block Island, but this morning visibility was better than usual.
Arrival, Or An Optical Illusion?
Actually, what I see is two windmills in the distance rising up from the ocean, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. On the cusp of dawn, they look surreal and definitely out of place. They surprised Casper, too, and he went to check the charts. (Large structures show up on navigational charts.) There is no indication of any windmills, but the GPS system verifies we are definitely approaching Block Island, and land became visible as we got closer.
Entering Great Salt Pond, Block Island
It’s a good thing we arrived early! We continued past the coast guard station at the entrance to Great Salt Pond, and radioed for a mooring. We had to wait for the current tenant to leave, but everyone that came in after us was out of luck.
Searching for a mooring
Block Island reminds me of Amity Island from the movie Jaws – without the great white shark. The whole island is a sleepy shore town that wakes up slowly, and operates at a VERY relaxed pace. There is not a chain store anywhere in sight, and there aren’t many picket fences for 9-year olds from the karate school to go around karate-ing. Everyone is happy, smiling, and laid back. Stress is a foreign concept here, and strangers strike up conversations just to pass the time. The biggest concerns seem to revolve around which flip-flops to wear. The voice of Murray Hamilton echoes in my head, “Amity is a summer town…”
The Two-wheeling Self-tour
Bicycle and moped rentals are popular, so we choose bikes to get around. I haven’t ridden a bike in about 20 years, but the island is less than 10 miles square and roughly shaped like a pork chop – so a car seems unnecessary. And guess what? They are known for their mint jelly! Just kidding. As we set off, I noticed two kids learning to paddle board. Someday I’ll do that…it looks like so much fun! Less than a minute later my knees realized the bike seat was too low. A quick adjustment back at the rental place and I’m golden.
Our tour of Block Island begins in New Harbor on Great Salt Pond. They dug a channel connecting this pond to the ocean in 1895, creating a man-made harbor for ships to dock. We head west on West Side Road and basically skirt the island, ending up on Mohegan Trail and Spring Street before coming into Old Harbor on Water Street and eventually coming full circle via Ocean Avenue.
I Think I Can, I Think I Can…
The bikes are touring bikes with 7 gears. Mine won’t drop down into first, so my legs got a workout on some of the hills. I knew the island had bluffs – we could see them from the boat on the way in to the harbor. But I didn’t realize the whole island was hilly. Where there is a hill, there should be a valley. Yet, I always felt I was pedaling uphill! A cautionary note – Block Island lacks a shoulder on the road, and there are many curves and hills that decrease visibility. Single-file riding is the safest way to go. And beware of the horses!
The Road Not Taken
We covered just about the entire island in one day without rushing, but we left a few places to explore on a return visit. Namely, the decommissioned coast guard station, the North Lighthouse, Settlers’ Rock, the Sacred Labyrinth and the maze, the Block Island Airport, and many of the beaches. We did go down to the beach near the Mohegan Bluffs and spent some time enjoying the salty ocean breeze there, but we wanted to explore other things, too.
Water, Water, Everywhere
Cows get a drink on Block Island
At one point, we spied a herd of cattle drinking from a pond in a valley. There are quite a few bodies of water inland for such a hilly island, I remember thinking. (Now I know there are over 300 fresh water ponds!) I expected to see houses encroaching on one another like all the other seaside towns I’ve been to. But surprisingly the residents here had nice space cushions. Fewer than 2,000 people live here, and almost 40% the land is undeveloped. The Old Harbor area is a bit more densely populated, but you still have room to breathe.
Manisses Monument at the Indian Cemetery, Block Island
We reached the Indian cemetery near Fresh Pond relatively quickly. A short stretch later we came to Mohegan Trail and made our way down to Black Rock Beach. There is a set of stairs further along that take you down to the beach, but we found an alternative route known mostly by locals.
Looking up at the bluffs looming overhead and with the roar of the surf in my ears, I feel small and humbled and insignificant. The stones along the beach are smooth from years of erosion, while larger, more jagged rocks at the water’s edge meet the waves as they roll in from the sea. It’s very peaceful here, and we are basically alone on the beach. A few others are relaxing on chairs and sitting on rocks, but for the most part it is deserted. As we stroll along, all thoughts of the outside world dissipate.
Mohegan Bluffs – Black Rock Beach
There is only me, Casper, and the ocean. There are a few fluffy white clouds that break up the azure sky…it looks like a postcard.
Block Island Gets A Bad Rap
The notorious fog that often enshrouds Block Island, and the various shoals that surround it, caused so many shipwrecks that Block Island had the nickname “the stumbling block” of New England. Our next stop is the Southeast Lighthouse, which they built to help prevent future mishaps and make the waters more navigable. It sits atop the Mohegan Bluffs, rising some 200 feet above the ocean, and is the highest lighthouse above sea level in New England.
Southeast Lighthouse, Block Island
Construction ended in 1875 with the lighthouse 300 feet from the edge of the bluffs. But the bluffs are constantly eroding, and by the mid-1980s the lighthouse was a mere 55 feet from the edge. That’s about 2 1/4 ft./yr. of real estate lost to Mother Nature! So, in 1993 they relocated it. The move took 19 days, and they moved it intact! I imagine it looked like the space shuttle moving to the launch pad…a huge behemoth crawling along at a snails pace, movement barely discernible until it was once again 300 feet from the edge of the cliff.
The Flashing Green Light And Block Island’s Watchmen
The southeast lighthouse has one of only 12 working first-order Fresnel (pronounced “Frey Nel”) lenses in the country. First-order lenses are the largest – this one is 12 feet tall and six feet wide.
The Fresnel lens from below
The lens, valued at $3 million, is no longer made, so It is surrounded by bullet proof glass to ensure its safety. It resembles a beehive with hundreds of multi-faceted glass prisms surrounding the lamp bulb.
The prisms bend the rays of light from the bulb, focusing them them into a single beam, making the Fresnel lens much more efficient than traditional light sources.
Southeast lighthouse lens
Some Fresnel lenses are fixed and show a steady light; but the Block Island lens revolves, producing a flash. This one is unusual in that it flashes green every 5 seconds.
I climbed the spiral stairs of the tower to see the Fresnel lens and take in the panoramic view…and there they stood. The windmills I saw early this morning stood out like a sore thumb in the ocean. The twins look like fans standing guard off the coast.
After talking to the lighthouse staff and various on-site photographers (with professional telescopic lenses on sturdy tripods), I learned that the windmills are a recent “upgrade” to Block Island. They are part of the first off-shore wind farm in North America, due to be completed by the end of this month.
the wind farm off Mohegan Bluffs
The Block Island turbines are twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty…and there are five of them (so far). They are 30 miles from shore, but I find distance is very deceiving across water. I swear they seem only a couple of miles out. Regardless, they do spoil the view from the bluffs.
Old Harbor
By this time, we worked up quite an appetite. So we made our way to Old Harbor for an early dinner. Along the way we pass the Spring House. Apparently this is the place to hold an event on Block Island. It sits on a corner high on a hill overlooking Spring Pond and Long Island Sound. I really liked the white Adirondack chairs all lined up like ducks in a row on the lawn.
Old Harbor bustles with activity because the ferries to Port Judith and Newport, RI, as well as New London, CT, and Montauk, NY all dock here. There is a constant ebb and flow of people directly tied to the ferry schedule. The sidewalks are skinny, so be careful! After considering our options, we chose to dine at Tap and Grille at the National Hotel. I really enjoyed the Caramelized Diver Scallops with basil and marscapone risotto, wild mushroom pesto, sauteed asparagus, and sherry gastrique. It was mouth-watering! As a bonus option you get a half a salad with your entree. The Bistro Salad screamed my name – baby greens, granny smith apples, goat cheese, candied walnuts, dried cranberries, in a basil balsamic vinaigrette. Yummy!
We watched the ferries come and go, laughed at the antics of some drunk college-aged kids, and relished the ocean breeze. There is a para-sailor in the distance, and the daylight is starting to dwindle. It felt good to recharge our batteries and slake our thirst, and put our feet up for a bit.
Deadly Dough, Grave Yoga
Cemetery Yoga – Block Island
Back in the saddle, we head for our floating camper. We pass by Payne’s Killer Donuts – “worth the weight.” Their crafty slogan makes it our breakfast destination in the morning. I slept like a baby, and woke up refreshed. The line at Payne’s was 15 deep, and slow-moving. The slogan definitely holds true! An unexpected Zen moment in the Island Cemetery brought everything into focus before we cast off for Shelter Island and the evening rendezvous.