Newport, the Sailing Capital

After the exciting departure from Mystic (with the whole fire truck thing), the rest of our Friday trip to Newport was calm a and easy. The sound was smooth and the sun was out. After 44 miles, we pulled into the Newport Yacht Club about 1:00 p.m. and immediately took off in search of lunch.









We found our way to a waterfront restaurant and you could tell that Newport was gearing up for the weekend--the tourists were rolling in. Since the sun was out, we hiked the"Cliff Walk" a similar idea to our "RiverWalk" in Chattanooga. It is a public walking trail along the cliffs over looking the ocean around Newport's southern tip. The difference is that the shoreside of the walk is a string of huge mansions from Newport's Victorian era, when the captains of industry had gargantuan summer homes in Newport.


The Chief Morale Officer enjoyed the long walk with us, but we might have overdone it for her. She has been favoring her right rear paw for a few days and after the long (5 or 6 mile) walk we noticed that the pad of her paw was pretty raw. We decided that she would not take any more long walks for a few days. It would not be a good thing for the CMO to be infirm.

In our now 1,300 mile trip, Newport is the third place to call itself "the sailing capital." First, Oriental said they were the sailing capital of North Carolina. Then Annapolis said they were "the Sailing Capital" and now Newport. Newport's claim is based mostly on the history of the America's Cup sailboat races that took place here for decades. The New York Yacht Club does their sailing here, not in New York. The grand races of that event in the early 1900s were done in the waters off Newport.



After the loss of the America's Cup in the 80s the event has moved around the world. But there is still a great interest in sailing here. And there are t-shirt shops to prove it. We had a great time shopping for more warm clothing because the last thing we need is a t-shirt. We've got lockers full of southern clothing that hasn't been worn yet. Linda is laughing about her hands and feet being tanned, but nothing else.

We were treated to a day of touring and exploring with the Commodore of the Newport Yacht Club and his wife, who are best friends with our friends Darrell and Claudia. On Saturday, we went to the farmer's market where they were selling...farmed oysters (among other things). We had a fascinating talk with the young man who was farming oysters in a 4-acre underwater plot near Newport. Later that night, they treated us to dinner and he taught me how to shuck them without going to the emergency room.

Sunday's weather was a huge surprise. It was supposed to be windy and rough...but it wasn't. It actually got so warm that we took our jackets off! We had a great time exploring Newport on foot. We walked to the Newport Tower, a primitive rock structure that predates all written history here. Historians aren't sure who built it and why. The best guess seems to be a windmill for grinding grain, possibly built by Benedict Arnold's father.


We were hoping for a great sunset but it didn't materialize. I decided that we should salute the day by playing taps across the harbor. Next stop, Bristol, Rhode Island.


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