Sailing Mystic Hearts

In an effort to finish recapping our summer 2023 cruising to New England and get back closer to “real time,” this blog post will feature the destinations on our return trip, many of which we stopped at on our way north.

Bristol, RI to Newport, RI – 12.3 nautical miles

Newport is a natural stop when heading south in the Narragansett Bay before heading out into the sound. Plus, since it’s one of our favorite stops, it was hard to resist another visit into this historic seaport.

After many years walking past The Red Parrot on Thames Street, I asked Paul if we could finally try it. A local had previously told us that the restaurant “has a very large menu,” which should have been an indication that they serve many items, but don’t make many of them well. Some things you have to learn the hard way. The restaurant itself was lovely, with a three story brick facade and hardwood floors. The drinks were tasty, but the food was just okay. In a city like Newport, known for having many wonderful restaurants, this just wasn’t it.

Newport, RI to Block Island, RI – 24.9 nautical miles

We were planning to skip Block Island on the way home and opt for some stops in Connecticut instead, which would have been a first for us. Historic flooding in Connecticut in July last year sent massive debris fields into the Long Island Sound. What does that actually mean? Well, think of full sized trees and dock pilings floating in the current directly toward you, many grouped together and some floating vertically. The trees floating vertically were what we were most concerned with because occasionally we’d be cruising and would barely see a piling pop up out of the water and go back down. I can’t imagine the damage it would have done if we had hit anything, so…we made the call to abandon our plans of visiting Connecticut and get further south to Block Island.

We anchored with no problems (apparently, mid-July is early enough in the season that the anchorage has plenty of room). We then celebrated with dinner at our favorite restaurant on Block Island, Dead Eye Dick’s. I’m not exaggerating when I say they have the best lobster rolls in all of New England. Dinner on their patio, complete with cucumber gin cocktails, was a treat. For dessert, we enjoyed pastries from Aldo’s, our favorite bakery in the Northeast.

Several days later we had breakfast sammies and lattes at The Cracked Mug, a coffee shop located on Payne’s Dock with views of New Harbor. We love a good bacon/egg/cheese, and their version on sourdough was very tasty.

We also got pumped out while we were there knowing that we needed to make our holding tanks last until we returned to the Chesapeake Bay.

Block Island, RI to Long Beach Point, NY – 35.5 nautical miles

Long Beach Point was a new stop for us! Since we weren’t going to Connecticut, at least we got to see something new. Well…sort of. It was squally for the two or so nights we were there. We didn’t get off the boat, but did get to see some great storms roll through across the Long Island Sound just north of us. Long Beach Point is located at the tip of Orient Beach State Park on the eastern end of Long Island.

Long Beach Point, NY to Port Jefferson, NY – 49.4 nautical miles

Can you believe we’ve stopped in Port Jefferson four times now and haven’t stepped foot on land?! I can’t believe it either. We’ve seen it as more or less a stopping point in between Port Washington and Block Island, but I think this town is worth checking out at some point. We anchor just off of Mount Misery before Pirates Cove.

Port Jefferson, NY to Port Washington, NY – 35.4 nautical miles

It’s an easy day hop between these two port towns in Long Island. While we were in Port Washington, Paul had to fly out for a work trip, so it’s relatively convenient to access the Long Island train to get into New York City from there. I used the town’s water taxi while he was away to run errands, including purchases for an upcoming baby shower and to pick up a grilled chicken alfredo for dinner one night.

When Paul returned, we loaded up on groceries at Port Washington’s Stop & Shop, our favorite grocery store to visit while cruising. It’s huge and located across the street from the dinghy dock, which is by far the most convenient store we’ve ever found. Plus, they sell exotic fruits that we can’t find back home in Virginia and La Sabor Yogurt, a tropical brand of yogurt that we first tried in the British Virgin Islands years ago and have only ever found in south Florida and New York. Needless to say, we bought all our favorite flavors, especially mango, guava, and banana.

Port Washington, NY to Bohemia River, MD – 224.46 nautical miles

This was a fun passage! We made it from Port Washington through the East River in New York City and onto the Atlantic Ocean before nightfall, with the first night at sea off the New Jersey shore. The second day at sea was spent traveling the rest of the way down the coast of New Jersey, into the Delaware Bay, through the C&D Canal, and stopping for the night in Bohemia River, MD. 

We had debated whether or not we should pull over the second night somewhere in the Delaware Bay before it got dark, but we’ve read many accounts of people going through the C&D Canal at night. The canal is decently lit, and with Paul watching AIS and radar, I stood at the front of the cockpit and kept an eye out for anything unexpected. We’ve been through the C&D Canal three times now and came across no surprises. While underway at night, I would normally make dinner as usual, but due to our need to pay extra close attention, we waited until our arrival at the Bohemia River to reheat some chicken and rice leftovers. Eating well after 11 pm, we were starving and exhausted.

The Bohemia River is one of the first turn offs that you can make after exiting the C&D Canal. We anchored near the mouth in a marked anchorage, knowing that we would be getting up early to head back out the next day.

Bohemia River, MD to Annapolis, MD – 43.1 nautical miles

Stoked to be back in Annapolis! No matter how many times we’ve visited, this town has always felt like home. We celebrated our arrival at Iron Rooster, a delicious brunch spot behind Market House near the traffic circle at the waterfront. The best part is they serve breakfast all day, so we indulged in chicken and waffles and a chicken biscuit.

You can’t visit Annapolis without visiting Bread & Butter Kitchen, our favorite breakstop stop in Eastport. We picked up bacon/egg/cheese biscuits and home fries one morning and then had dinner with our cousins at the Choptank, one of downtown Annapolis’ newer restaurants on the waterfront.

I think we’ve walked every street in downtown at this point, but we found a mural we had never seen before, featuring former U.S. Supreme Court Justices Thurgood Marshall and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It was a lovely reminder of the progress our nation has made, with the need to continue to strive for more justice and equity.

Annapolis, MD to Severn River, MD – 8.52 nautical miles

The Severn River was a new stop as well! Another cousin was having a baby shower at a home on the Severn River, and while checking out Navionics we learned that we could easily anchor near the home and bring our dinghy to their dock to access shore. This area of Maryland is absolutely beautiful, with large homes on the rolling hills overlooking the river.

Severn River, MD to South River, MD – 17.8 nautical miles

After the baby shower, we said our goodbyes and fired up the engine again to get to our next anchorage before nightfall. On a roll with new anchorages, we visited the South River for the first time, anchoring in a quiet spot in time to see the sunset.

South River, MD to Solomons Island, MD – 41.4 nautical miles

So glad to be back on a mooring ball at Zahnisers! Their facilities are wonderful. Clean newer restrooms, each toilet with a private shower. There are laundry facilities on site with reasonable prices. (I did 3 or 4 loads while there!) An outdoor pool is available in season, and an amazing Italian restaurant is on site that we finally tried. La Vela makes incredible homemade Italian food with covered patio views overlooking Back Creek.

We also tried Brrrr Ice Cream, Shakes, and Crepes and enjoyed a nice crepe. They serve Hersey’s brand ice cream if I recall correctly, which is nothing special (not homemade), but it was a very hot day while we were there and it hit the spot anyway.

Solomons Island, MD to Fishing Bay, VA – 59.3 nautical miles

Leaving Solomons Island, we had a very spicy crossing of the Potomac River (where the river dumps into the Chesapeake Bay) and both boys curled up together in their crate for cuddles as we rocked back and forth during the sail.

Fishing Bay in Deltaville is a convenient stop between Solomons Island and Norfolk. We’ve never gotten off the boat here, so we can’t say much about access to shore or anything notable, but it’s always been a comfortable anchorage for us.

Fishing Bay, VA to Norfolk, VA – 43.2 nautical miles

After a wonderful New England cruise, we were so happy to be heading home! We celebrated a safe arrival and just under 1,200 nautical miles for the cruise with takeout from our favorite local Mexican restaurant in Norfolk. Very happy to arrive home, settle back into our work routines without distractions, catch up on chores, and start planning the next trip!

Total Miles on the Return Trip (Bristol to Norfolk): 595.28

Total Miles for Our Summer 2023 New England Cruise: 1,193.7

Total Miles Cruised as of August 2023: 8,015.56