Block Island

[Jim Walsh]

Been here for a couple days enjoying the unseasonably cool weather. I know some people will avoid Block because it's too 'busy'. I too avoid spending a holiday weekend here for that very reason. I'm currently anchored out in the northwest corner of Great Salt Pond and believe me, overcrowding is not an issue.
The first photo was taken earlier today and as you can see, my nearest neighbor is a herring gull.
The second photo is of the sunset and was taken a few moments ago. Notice the sloop sailing in?

[Sea Hunt Video]

Jim:

That gull in the first photo is definitely "paddling upstream".

[moctrams]

I anchored in BI a couple of years ago and am wondering if they added more moorings??

[Jim Walsh]

Not in the last couple years. Hopefully they never do.

[David Patterson]

Spectacular sunset shot. Thanks for sharing the image, David in the San Juans

[Jim Walsh]

Spectacular sunset shot. Thanks for sharing the image, David in the San Juans

Thanks David. Those colors are fleeting and I was moving as quickly as I could to get the shot before the orange glow dissipated with the setting sun.

[Jim Walsh]

I feel compelled to take a moment to comment on ground tackle. It's been blowing 20+ out here since 9:00am. It seems to be topping out at 25 at this moment. I have witnessed several boats which have had to set and reset their anchors. Typically this activity is accompanied by cursing and shouting. Sometimes the gents are at the helm and the ladies on the foredeck and sometimes the roles are reversed. In every instance I have observed the root cause is inadequate ground tackle. It is not necessary to obtain a second mortgage to finance the purchase of whatever anchor graces the front page of your favorite yachting periodical. What is necessary is an anchor at the top end of that normally recommended for your vessel and get ready for this......a reasonable amount of chain, and, get ready for this......an anchor rode in a diameter which is at the top end of that normally recommended for your vessel.
The majority of the vessels which were attempting to anchor with dental floss and a sash weight were outstanding examples of contemporary design. Sterile, racey, equipped with all the 'keeping up with the Jones's' features but they hadn't anticipated one very important factor. The sea never changes and neither does the ground beneath it.
We should practice conservatism in our selection and deployment of ground tackle. Our lives may depend on it, the rest of the time we can sleep soundly, which is a pretty good bargain.

[Sea Hunt Video]

We should practice conservatism in our selection and deployment of ground tackle. Our lives may depend on it, the rest of the time we can sleep soundly, which is a pretty good bargain.

I recall someone telling me years ago "There is no such thing as too big an anchor".

[Skeep]

Ah Jim, anchoring. Yes, we all have first-hand stories. And I've made mistakes and learned from my own. I've probably shared the experience of losing my Beneteau some years ago after it'd been anchored all afternoon. Thank God for Danish shipbuilders who tied her-to and rescued her for me. I learned a lot about the security of scope in anchoring too. Scope can provide a substantial security! But I will not elucidate here.

[Jim Walsh]

A picture from a couple nights ago. The yawl is a Hinkley Bermuda 40.

[RLW]

We were anchored in Great Salt Pond during the week preceding the Fourth. It became progressively risky as the anchorage filled in with those who put out 2:1 and immediately went ashore. A 36' Cruisers Inc. power boat anchored right on top of us. I came up the companionway to see a large white transom 10' ahead of our bowsprit. After shooing him away, he tortured several others with poor choices of drop points. I called the (Assistant) Harbormaster to politely suggest that he could use her help, and she responded immediately and put him on a mooring. Yes it's crowded, but very well managed. Oh...did I mention that we left the next day (the 2nd) for Narraganset Bay and the Wickford fireworks? We like BI best in September.

[Ron M.]

Been to Block many times and enjoy it..........If they still run the special," Mojito Wednesdays" at the National....... have one!

[Cathy Monaghan]

We have witnessed plenty of folks that really don't know how to anchor. We have seen people literally try to throw their anchors forward of their bow, like it's really going to go more than 6 feet ahead of their boat. And they don't pay out more than a few feet of rode. Their boats ride on top of their anchors not because there's no wind but because there's no scope. If they're near us and we're expecting any amount of wind, or if there's a lot of current, we move.

Regarding Block Island. It's a nice place to visit but I don't like to go there on our boat. I refer to The Great Salt Pond as the harbor of toos -- too many boats, too close together on too short scope. Even the moorings drag in there since the holding ground is poor. Old Harbor is no better since you have to be willing to raft up with about a dozen other boats; no thanks.

I'd much rather anchor north of the mooring field in Dutch Harbor, Jamestown, RI (West Passage, Narragansett Bay) or right off Dutch Island. The current is strong but the holding is good. There's a really nice anchorage north of Fogland Point, Tiverton, RI (Sakonnet River, Narragansett Bay) as well. In the past few years it has accumulated some private moorings, but there's still plenty of room to anchor north of the mooring field. If the weather is settled, it's not a weekend, and the wind's anywhere out of the west you can also anchor off of Third Beach on the Sakonnet. I'd chose any of these anchorages over Block Island. You can also anchor just about anywhere in Point Judith Pond. It's a long way up river but it is quite scenic.

-Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay

[Steve Laume]

We were out to Block last weekend. Actually Sun through Tues. There was an East wind in our faces on the way out; not too strong. That evening, just after dark, the wind died down and then did a 180 shift to the West and instantly came on strong, with gusts to 25 knots or better. This was very well forecasted so we planned accordingly. We anchored opposite Crescent beach, in the Eastern part of the pond. About 10' of water with 60 plus feet of chain and a long snubber with a 35lb CQR which was backed in hard. It still made me a bit nervous so I started the engine and backed down again in the new direction. The engine could not budge the anchor so I rested easy.

There were 18 boats anchored in the entire harbor while we were there. Lots of room and at least half of these boats were using all chain rodes. There were no raft ups of five boats on a couple of light anchors or any raft ups at all for that matter. No one appeared to have dragged or relocated. If this same event were to have happened on a busy summer weekend there would have been chaos.

I have always found the holding to be extremely good in the salt pond. We always try to anchor in 15' or less so it may be somewhat different in the deeper areas where there might be softer mud.

I spent a night in the Harbor of Refuge at Point Judith earlier this summer and it was horrible. I have had trouble there in the past. The mud is very soft and I have always needed a very long scope (even by my standards) to get the anchor to bite. It also seems like much of the harbor has shoaled in and the breakwater is broken in many places. That is a very convenient place to tuck into when traveling the RI coast but not a great place to anchor these days, Steve.

[Cathy Monaghan]

...
I spent a night in the Harbor of Refuge at Point Judith earlier this summer and it was horrible. I have had trouble there in the past. The mud is very soft and I have always needed a very long scope (even by my standards) to get the anchor to bite. It also seems like much of the harbor has shoaled in and the breakwater is broken in many places. That is a very convenient place to tuck into when traveling the RI coast but not a great place to anchor these days, Steve.

Yes, the Harbor of Refuge at Point Judith is nearly always horrible, but if you take a ride up river into Point Judith Pond you'll find it's well-protected, quite scenic and you can anchor nearly anywhere in 6-7 feet of water. The only bad thing about this area is the fog. You can find yourself socked in for a few days.

-Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay