What better way to start your day.....dolphins as we motor sail north.....
What a memorable and lengthy stay we had at Donna and Jerry's in Oriental. We were there long enough for two sets of boats from our Ragged Island adventures stop to visit. Who knew these boats we hung out with would meet up and continue gathering each night, dining together, talking, laughing, enjoying each other's company. Andy and Charli on Avalon, the 55' catamaran, had to come in via the Ockracoke Inlet as their mast is too tall for the bridges on the ICW to get to Donna and Jerry's. We don't know anyone who comes in and out that tricky, shallow Inlet but if anyone was going to do it - it would be Andy AKA Captain Morgan! Corey and Dale arrived on Hi Flite. Corey became a celebrity on Hog Cay in the Raggeds when she spent weeks cleaning all the plastic off a couple miles of beach.
 |
| A view of Donna and Jerry's dock from my kayak (I saw otters on the river!) |
 |
| Another view of the Luhs dock. (If you're wondering about Dyad - look up bigdumboat.com.) |
 |
| Steamed Blue Crab and fresh local corn on the porch. You may recognize the top of Avalon's sail with the artwork hanging in the background by Donna and Jerry. That's all that's left of that sail and now he has new sails on Avalon. |
 |
| Andy and Charli have everything onboard, including a blow up pool! It was HOT and HUMID while in NC and the pool was a great place to sit and read a book. |
 |
| Avalon is the work platform to pull up Jerry's mooring to replace the chain and ball. |
 |
| How's that for big chain! |
 |
| Andy also had a complete fireworks show onboard he set off in Jerry's yard for July 4th. Australians providing fireworks for us Americans! Thanks Andy and Charli! |
 |
| The 2nd crew at Luh's after dinner on the porch - Conor (holding Jax) and Stephanie of Grace (the Ragged Island newlyweds) and Ryan and Jax from Zinzi (Ryan's wife Jerra is off visiting family in California - sure wish she was here in this picture!) |
 |
| Jerry dons full wet suit attire to clean the bottom of Persephone using Jerry Luhs hooka. Hood required - the water is full of jellyfish like creatures - sea nettles that sting. |
It was hard to leave Donna and Jerry's place - we are always welcomed with open arms and treated as family. They love nothing more than to have a group of cruisers to share their lives with. The hot and humid weather in NC encouraged us to head north.
We left early in the morning ending up for the night on the Alligator River.
 |
| Sunset on the Alligator River...Zinzi just behind. |
From the Alligator River to Old Point Comfort in Norfolk area and then out to the ocean. Ryan on Zinzi doing the same. A nice light air start to the trip with the sails up and motor off.
 |
| I watch as a car hauler heads out to sea with Zinzi close by. |
 |
| These ships are monstrous when you're looking up from a sailboat. |
Unfortunately, the wind died, we kept the sails up when we could, we had to start the motor to continue our trek north. Somewhere off the New Jersey coast we encountered thick fog in the late afternoon that didn't go away until the next afternoon when we were almost to Block Island. At least the wind came back to finish up the trip!
 |
| Zinzi puts up a spinnaker! |
 |
| Zinzi takes off leaving Persephone in the fog. Our spinnaker is back in NY in storage! |
 |
| We could see the massive wind generators off Block Island as we approached. |
 |
| Some of the houses along the shore of Block Island on our way to the entrance for Great Salt Pond anchorage. |
Ryan on Zinzi was already anchored when we came in. Just behind Zinzi was another Ragged Island boat - Delos with Brian, Karin and Sierra onboard. (We just watched their most recent YouTube video. It was from Buena Vista Cay in the Raggeds and it has a bit of Persephone in it as we were just returning from Georgetown with groceries for them. Click here and you can find the video on their page:
https://svdelos.com/) Another Ragged Island boat arrived soon after: Ada with Brandon and Dustyn onboard. (Dustyn is the minister who came up with an incredibly perfect tear-producing marriage ceremony for Conor and Stephanie on Double Breasted Cay in the Bahamas.) And there are 3 more Ragged Island boats heading this way this week and we look forward to seeing them again!
We have all been careful about limiting exposure when we have to go ashore and felt comfortable to get together on the beach at Block Island. Brian used his drone to take a picture....
 |
| Here we are at the beach on Block Island. |
And some pictures of Sierra because she's just the cutest baby ever! We've been able to watch her grow from when we met in the Raggeds, celebrated her 7th month birthday, and she will be 1 year old in less than 2 weeks! She is standing by herself - ready to start walking any minute! What a lucky baby to have such loving, devoted parents, growing up on a boat, traveling the world. She has more ocean miles than most sailors we've met!
 |
| Who needs a toy when you have the beach and a plastic bottle to play with! |
 |
| Happy! |
 |
| Whenever we finish a visit with Sierra we're covered with sand - just like she is! |
The get together ended when the tide came up high enough to take away the beach!
Jerry and I have never been to Block Island, RI before. We decided to explore and exhausted ourselves walking the beach to an ocean rim trail called Clay Head with ocean views. In total we walked about 7 miles. We were pleased to see that 99% of the people we see on Block Island
are wearing masks whether they're walking on the trails or walking
through town.
 |
| Here I am on Clay Head Trail with an ocean view (took my mask off for the picture). |
 |
| Jerry looks out over the cliffs; sign and rope due to erosion and danger of crumbling cliffs. |
The next day, we rented bikes along with Brian, Karin, and Sierra and Ryan and Jax to tour some of Block Island.
 |
| Brian, Jerry and Karin looking at the Block Island map |
 |
| Ryan riding in with Jax in the cart behind. |
 |
| Settlement Point with the lighthouse in the background. |
 |
| Jerry and Ryan discuss world issues as we walk to the lighthouse. |
 |
| In 1867 this two-story dwelling was built using Connecticut
granite with a lantern-topped iron tower protruding from the northern
end of the pitched, slated-covered roof. A fourth-order Fresnel was
employed in the lantern room to produce a white light that was visible
for up to thirteen-and-a-half miles.
|
 |
| Block Island North Lighthouse was automated in 1956 and deactivated in 1973, being replaced by a nearby light on a steel tower. In 1989, the light was reactivated, with a modern plastic lens serving
as a beacon, and four years later, a small museum was opened on the
first floor featuring the fourth-order Fresnel lens
formerly used in the lantern room. In 2010 Block Island North Light was established as a private aid to navigation.
As part of the extensive restoration, the historic fourth-order
Fresnel lens was restored to its proper place in the lantern room.
|
I figure we rode about 12 miles and walked a half mile. We sure are making up for lost time with our exercising from when we were at sea.
The Block Island anchorage is teeming with activity. People come and go each day. Small power and sail to huge yachts. Some on moorings, some at docks, and some at anchor.
 |
| Our view from the anchorage looking south - watching another round of fog roll in. |
 |
| Looking north - Zinzi and Delos right behind. |
 |
| Brandon, Dustyn, Brian, Karin, Sierra, Ryan, Karen, Jerry - beef stew for dinner aboard Persephone |
We have some tentative plans to continue east to Nantucket. After that...who knows? If you keep checking the SPOT you can find out where we end up.
Karen and Jerry
