Fortunately
the marina we chose for Shelter Island was also a service yard. They were very accommodating when I described
our steering problem on the dinghy.
Within 2 days they had the parts and the dinghy in the water and
serviceable (once again it is a b.o.a.t.).
On the first day we spent much of the time dealing with the maintenance issues,
but at the end of the day we took advantage of the marina’s courtesy shuttle
and visited two local inns, Sunset Beach and the Pridwin Inn for cocktails. Of the two we enjoyed the Pridwin the
most. Sunset Beach was too “Miami Beach”
for us.
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| Pridwin Inn, Shelter Island |
This
marina also has electric cars for rent that look straight out of the
Jetsons. On the 14th we
rented one for the day to tour the island.
We got to see most of the high spots as the island is only 4x5
miles. Many beautiful classic cottages
and quite a few interesting restaurant/bars.
Lunch at the “Dory” in Shelter Island Highlands was pleasant. Debby was in need of a hair fix so I dropped
her off at Anna’s while I restocked our bar and did some reprovisioning.
Debby
always gets nervous going to an unknown (to her) stylist. When she returned she was ecstatic, not only with
the result, but also with the relationship she developed with Anna. Anna shared many of the same life experiences
as Debby, so they rapidly became kindred spirits. We will probably have to stop in Shelter
Island on the way south so Debby can get her hair done here again.
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| Read sign in lower right (outside liquor store in Dering Harbor) |
With
the dinghy fixed we traveled to Greenport on the north shore of Long Island;
about a five mile run from our marina. This
was great little town with a multitude of unique shops, bars, and restaurants. Claudio’s seems to own the waterfront with
open air restaurants on two piers and a full service place across the
street. It is billed as the oldest
family run place in the country being operated continuously by the same family
since 1870. The bar was particularly
impressive and the food was good.
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| Claudio's 1870 Bar |
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| Debby on the Carousel, Greenport |
On
the 16th we toured Coecles Harbor in the dinghy, stopping at Rams Head
Inn for lunch. This is a very quiet
isolated place set on a hill in a grove of oak trees. It has 17 rooms (some with bath down the
hall), its own beach, tennis court and bocce court. Lunch there was just average, but the setting
was delightful.
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| Cottage in Greenport |
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| Cottage in Coecles Harbor |
The
ride to Newport, RI started out in flat calm seas. Unfortunately, as we entered Block Island
Sound with wind against an outgoing tide it got a bit bumpy and Debby had to
spend most of the trip in bed. We arrived
at Newport Yacht Club in time to have a visit with Jim’s daughter and her
family who are staying nearby in town for a wedding.
