September 13-14

Ah.  A quick and easy post.  Even more of a reason to love this adorable little island!  We had a smooth sail from Martha’s Vineyard, catching a few zzz’s as well as a False Albacore.  We did schoolwork and had our typical lunch underway: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

We pulled into Cuttyhunk feeling like old pros.  I remembered coming into Cuttyhunk last year on our two-week “trial” sailing trip.  It was only the second port we visited last year on our chartered (rented) 42’ Jeanneau.  I remember standing on the bow in a near panic as we snaked through the narrow channel to the harbor.  I expected to run aground at any moment and was relieved for exactly three seconds when we finally pulled into the harbor.  It was then that we looked at the mooring field, which was completely full.  The boats seemed to be packed as tightly together as the parking lot of the Garden State Plaza on the night before Christmas.  It was a windy day and I couldn’t fathom how we would maneuver this unfamiliar boat in and between all those boats and somehow grab the mooring we had reserved on the first try.  We managed just fine, but I thought about how different I felt this time.

one of the awful sights that we cruisers have to put up with: cute boats in the glow of evening sun..

We glided through the channel and I stood on the bow, looking out for shallow water, but I wasn’t nervous at all.  I felt confident as we pulled into the mooring field and picked up our mooring.  Since it is after Labor Day, we had the luxury of being picky about our mooring choice.  We didn’t like our position, so we dropped that mooring and chose another one.  No biggie.  Very cool.

lunchtime!

We jumped into the dinghy and went into “town”.  Chris went in by paddleboard.  Hope you aren’t settling into your morning coffee, because by the time I start describing the town, I’ll almost be done.  In fact, there is no town.  There is a dock, with a fish fileting table right at the head of it.  There is always a fisherman there cutting up the day’s catch.  The seagulls stay close by and a loud clatter accompanied by a chaotic flutter of wings tells you that a fishhead or a tail was just tossed in the water.  That’s pretty much the most exciting thing that happens here.

A walk past the public bathrooms brings you to “the intersection”.  There is a store there, but it was closed.  I remember from last year that it is a small gift shop.  We made a right and took a long walk past the weathered homes up to a point with a beautiful view of the harbor.  There are many homes here, but only 52 year round residents.  Cuttyhunk is part of the Elizabeth Islands, which lie just northwest of Martha’s Vineyard.  The population swells during the summer to 400.  The rest of the Elizabeth Islands are privately owned by the Forbes family.  Though we didn’t visit this year (it was also closed), there is a quaint little Historical Society Museum near the school.  If you ever visit Cuttyhunk, be sure to check it out.

On the way back, we stopped at the adorable little one-room schoolhouse.  The door was open even though it was about 1530.  I poked my head in and the schoolteacher welcomed us in to check it out.  The kids loved meeting the teacher and looking around the classroom.  I tried not to point out that I have more students than she does.  There are currently two students at the Cuttyhunk Public School: a second grader and a third grader.  She had the room set up beautifully, with lots of books, bright posters, a fishtank, a piano, lots of maps, and art projects on every surface.  It was a lovely school and it was great to hear about what teaching is like on this small island.

The kids point out where we have been on our trip.

Raw Bar Boat!

The kids played on the playground for a bit, and next thing we knew, it was time to get back home to start dinner.  We stopped by the dock and asked the Raw Bar Boat to stop by Patronus on their next trip.  This is seriously cool.  A boat drives out and serves up seafood directly into your cockpit.  We had shrimp cocktail and clam chowder up on deck while watching a beautiful sunset.

happy girl

It was a lovely night, and the next morning, we left for Newport.  Wait.  What?  Didn’t we already go there seventeen times this summer?  Well, we’re going again.  And I’m going to write about it again.  So go make another cup of coffee:..

Porter looking so cute putting his lifejacket on

feet dangling from the boom at sunset

Chris watching the sunset………

….and then ducking down and popping back up so he can watch it again.

hard to see but seals lying on rocks just hidden by the water.