Although at City Dogs we're normally all about warm weather, crystal-clear turquoise water Western Caribbean sailing in the Bay Islands of Honduras, we just got back from an amazing time exploring some of the finest islands in the Northeastern United States, including Block Island, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket with family aboard S/V Solstice, a gorgeous Hylas 46 yacht.
We had a blast, not only did we get to see some of the most exclusive destinations in New England, we were also able to sail through some really cool spots as we cruised from Central Connecticut, through Rhode Island and Massachusetts. We dodged lots of lobster pots, lost a bunch of lures to beasts from the deep, learned a lot about sailing a larger center cockpit yacht, and most importantly, had some unforgettable experiences with family.
The weather could have been a bit more sunny, a bit less like old England, but at least we had wind and were able to sail most days. Being out there, on the water, with the engine off and the sails out, just cruising from one sheltered, insanely gorgeous anchorage to another helps to remind us, as we approach our return to business for the upcoming holiday season, of the slower, more deliberate pace of life that we love so much, where a destination is just a place to reach along a peaceful, meandering journey.
We took an enormous amount of photos, but the steady winds meant the mavic mini drone stayed down, so we didn't get any epic footage of S/V Solstice in action with her sails up. Instead, we just got a lot of photos of other stuff, like boats, islands, stuff you see on the shoreline. Like Dean Kamen's (the dude who invented the Segway) private island. north dumpling island.
And, of course, we have loads of shots of great spots where we ate, like the Dog Watch Cafe in Stonington, which does take reservations, and managed to accommodate us despite a full house.
The Dog Watch Cafe had some of the absolute finest bacon wrapped scallops we've had in a while, plus some great fish and chips, to say nothing of their drinks! Dark & stormy FTW!
The Seafood Shanty was the spot in Edgartown, we had some great fish tacos and some delicious chowdah.
And the Fudge on Nantucket was, as advertised, actually some of the best we've ever had.
We saw some cool shops, didn't buy much but looked a lot, especially at the price of things. $42 for a t-shirt? That'll be a hard pass. We've got ones for half that.
We ended up with a lot less sunset pics than we thought.
The panorama isn't bad.
We did get at least a couple decent ones.
We ended up with tons of shots of other boats in our various anchorages and mooring fields.
We also ended up with a lot of photos of other boats, like the appropriately named Sharknado, a self described party boat from the Vineyard.
Surprisingly we didn't end up with many flower photos, but we liked this one a lot.
We saw loads of these fisherman out there.
We just didn't catch anything this time.
Maybe we'll have better luck next time.
We saw some cool buildings. Did the Whaling Museum.
And, of course, we got some great beach shots.
We had a blast sailing in New England, but we can't wait to get back to doing what we do best, sailing the Western Caribbean Bay Islands, making unforgettable experiences on the daily. Drop us a line if you're thinking of spending some time on Roatan, Utila, Guanaja, or Cayos Cochinos and we'll put a plan together that meets your needs.