We were going to stay the day. Debate raged on about how to spend it. Would we rent bikes and do some touring of the local area, or would we may jump on a bus and go over to Edgartown. The plan included either a morning or afternoon sail. The breeze is light at the moment, and the sky a little cloudy, with high, thin clouds.
We listened to the weather forecast, however, and opted for a change of plan. The weather may be nasty tomorrow, with gusty winds and rain. It threatens to make the trip to Nantucket either unpleasant or possibly even delay it. Being nice enough now, we're heading over today and will either spend an extra day there or just shift things forward. An extra day in the Vineyard or an extra day in Nantucket; what's the difference.
We had to
wait a while to get water at the town dock. We waited just a moment too long
getting off the mooring, and someone else slipped in before us. We're finally
off at 11:00, and on leaving the dock, note the name of the town pump-out boat
(see photo). The sky is a little more overcast, and it's still on the cool side.
Several
small races are going on as we leave the harbor. The Vineyard is certainly a
busy place, both on and off the water. Since we left earlier than we thought,
we may swing back this way later in the trip.
As we finish lunch, the sky is a little clearer, but still mostly overcast. Things have warmed up a little, but the humidity is still on the high side. This is all probably just a sign of the front which is moving in. Lunch was Marion's favorite boat lunch, featuring olive loaf with mayonnaise, mustard tomatoes and deli spread with, of course, Fritos on the side. We picked up fresh tomatoes and a jar of deli spread in Martha's Vineyard, having eaten the last of the Jersey farm tomatoes we brought, and having left the deli spread at home. Deli spread, in case you don't know, is a mix of peppers, pimento and who knows what, which adds a nice punch to a sandwich. Strange, neither Marion nor I would eat this anywhere but the boat.
We can see Nantucket now as a line of bumps on the horizon off our starboard. We'll be turning in towards the harbor entrance in an hour or so.
Just
after 4:00 PM, we've arrived in Nantucket. It's been a few years since we've
been here, but it all looks familiar, and it still looks great. Just as ever,
we're impressed with the size and number of large yachts that stop off here.
At the boat basin, 80 footers look like the rejects, and the number of large
sailing yachts is up, as we have apparently run into a part of the NY Yacht
Club cruise again. We're comfortably moored down in the south of the harbor;
sort of the suburbs. We've had our briefing on the latest Nantucket garbage
regulations (clear plastic bags), and are just settling in. We'll probably go
in later for a bite, but have no real plans for exploration on or off the water
this evening. Tomorrow is another story..
Contact with the Internet is once again off, so it may be a day or several before this can be read. While you are missing the daily updates, I can no longer see the weather radar and updated weather maps which are so helpful while cruising. No real matter, we've cruised without all these gizmos before. It amazes me how easy navigation is today with GPS. It's not so much that navigation is all that hard the old fashioned way, it's just that with its inevitable inaccuracies, it creates greater stress in poor conditions. I find myself often thinking that it is somehow less than proper to use all this new technology, but those thoughts last only a moment.
Nantucket Island is beautiful as ever. True to its long-standing reputation, it remains expensive, in fact, seems to have gotten more expensive. Certainly moorings, dockspace and services set new premiums for the industry, and shops and restaurants on shore maintain the standard. Years ago, we heard the explanation from local shopkeepers that both the isolation of the island, and the short duration of the season were to blame. Nantucket, having emerged as a getaway location, has become both less isolated, and has significantly extended its season. None the less, it remains expensive. This is, in the end, a lesson in economics; there is something here in short supply, and those who flock to the town will pay for it.
Ashore, the gentrification of the seafront has continued in our absence, and there is almost no sign of the old waterfront. The town is so clean and bright, even in the overcast, that you might think you had entered a mall. Many of the shops are galleries, showing not only the factory produced seashore prints, but genuinely interesting works by local artists. Following a long tradition, the amount of original sculpture shown in island galleries is large, and often of exceptional quality. Of course, outside town, I know that Nantucket is still Nantucket, preserving most of the remote wildness of the island, and preserving the rugged Nantucket look.
Still, the town is busier than I can recall having ever seen it. After a bit over a week on the boat, and in much sleepier ports, it is something of a jolt. It's the pace of city life, but with a smile on it. It's the feeling of a crowded town, but with the order of Disneyland. Nantucket remains a unique port.