GUINNESS AND THE ELEPHANTS

Newport, RI  –  July 25, 2024

The trip from Saybrook Point, Ct to Newport, RI was tiring.  At least for me.

It was only 4 hours, but we had 3-foot swells.  The boat wasn’t slamming, but it was up and down for 4 hours.  And fog – we were on radar for half the trip.

Lynn didn’t mind at all.  I think I’m getting soft.

Because we had “crushed” the earlier part of the trip to make up lost time, Newport is the first chance we’ve had to stay an extra day and enjoy the harbor…and Newport is a great place to start.  Newport calls itself the Sailing Capital of the World, and the town is full of history and restaurants and nautical flavor.

At the heart of town are the old wharfs that project out into the harbor.  Each wharf is as wide as a three-lane highway, and they are PACKED with restaurants and shops.  Tuesday night, we had a delicious dinner at Diego’s – a Mexican restaurant on Bowen’s Wharf.  Now think about that: good Mexican food in Rhode Island?  At a touristy restaurant?  It had good reviews in Trip Advisor, so we gave it a shot.  We were ready for Mexican, and it was delish!

On Wednesday, our first stop was a visit to “The Breakers”, the Vanderbilt mansion on Newport’s famous Cliff Walk.  Lynn and I had both seen the Breakers before – years ago – and we felt it was time for a refresher.  As you’d expect, the mansion itself is breathtaking…no expense spared.  The product of unimaginable wealth.  And perfectly maintained.  A real treasure.

Unexpectedly, there were elephants on the grounds!

On the first stop of a nation-wide tour, 100 life-like, hand-made elephant statues were scattered among the mansions and the college campuses here.  (See thegreatelephantmigration.org) At least two-dozen were positioned on the Great Lawn at the Breakers.  They were quite charming: each constructed of layer upon layer of pencil-thin reeds; each one life-like and each one different!  

We caught the free hop-on trolley back to town and hit the Sailing Museum, which was really fun!  Housed in the old Armory building, the space is completely re-thought and re-purposed as a series of interactive and artifact exhibits designed to involve and educate the visitor into the sailing experience.  Our favorite was one in which you sat facing a screen, holding a tiller in your hand, and experienced what it’s like to steer a powerful sailboat toward a mark.  I was shocked at how life-like the experience was: heading up; falling off; seeing the wind shift; feeling the tension in the tiller as the speed increased and the deck of the boat began to heel on the screen.  Close to virtual reality.

Guinness wasn’t impressed

Dinner last night at Busker’s, an Irish Pub.  Again, good reviews on TA and good food!

We forgot to mention that at the end of our dock is the US Intrepid which was a breakthrough design in the history of yachting and the 12 Metre Class. This yacht won the America’s Cup in 1967 and 1970. They take folks out for a sail and looking at the photo, you’ll see there’s only seating on the deck. It would be quite a ride on a windy day!

It’s Thursday morning now, and we’re due to set off for Pandanaram, a little harbor near South Dartmouth, MA.  The harbor is socked in with fog as I write this at 7AM.  Hopefully, it will burn off a bit before we get underway….