Nantucket

On 15th July, we left Martha’s Vineyard for Nantucket at a crew-friendly 1030 in the morning. And with a gentle breeze just forward of the starboard beam, were able to sail almost all the way into Nantucket harbour.

The chart gives the impression that Nantucket harbour’s anchorage is small, squashed between a mooring field and a shallow area. But, as seems to be the norm around these parts, it’s a lot bigger on arrival. We anchored next to A Capella of Belfast, and at the back of the superyacht that offered emergency wine supplies during our dinghy drift at Martha’s Vineyard – in hope that the offer of wine stood (it never materialised.)

That evening, the fog rolled in and the foghorns came to life. I didn’t see the fog appear as I was buried down below catching up on our blog. But Maria assures me that it was an eery sight.

The fog horns continued to blast out their bass notes until the next morning, eventually silencing at 0900 when the fog cleared. 

Nantucket Town

After repairing a couple of tears in the bimini with the help of our sewing machine that had been sat in deep storage for over a year (I knew it would come in handy), we went ashore with Julian and Patricia. Their mission was to go find healthy breakfast cereal, and ours was simply to take a look around. Our visit to Whole Foods ended up was a success for both crews. The A Capella gang got their healthy muesli, and we came out with two free books courtesy of their little free library. The Little Free Library is a worldwide initiative that may be one of the best-kept secrets for book lovers: https://littlefreelibrary.org.

Following a quick visit to the local Stop and Shop, we said bon voyage to Patricia and Julian, who are heading to Boston, and took a look around the very attractive town. Like New Bedford, it used to be a whaling centre, but there are no signs of any trawlers here. There are plenty of shops, however, and many tourists to keep them busy.

After a stroll around the main part of town, we returned to Lady Jane to enjoy a lazy evening in the last of the sunshine.

Bad Wind

The 17th of July wasn’t sunny, nor was it enjoyable. The wind howled from the south for most of the day and whipped up a dinghy-unfriendly lumpy sea. So, there was only one thing for it: maintenance.

We like to keep on top of maintenance onboard Lady Jane, especially with oil changes. And given that we seem to have spent a lot of time motoring, oil-change time has come around sooner than we would prefer. But it isn’t something we can outsource. So, the engine bay covers came off, the (even more) scruffy clothes went on, and we changed the oil, checked the impeller, changed the engine anode, and did some other knuckle-bleeding stuff too.

Mid-afternoon and the ensign continued to fly horizontally, signalling a ‘good drying day’. So, Maria hung out some washing to dry. An hour later though, that came to an end as the washing flew off its perch and landed at the back of the boat. Needless to say, we stayed on the boat.

Great Food

The next day brought more wind, so more jobs onboard and more washing. But, after things calmed down in the late afternoon, we fell into the dinghy and wobbled in the lumpy sea to the dinghy dock. There, the harbour master kindly offered to dispose of our waste oil – a good result. 

I had read glowing reviews of the coffee served at the Handlebar Cafe, so we wandered in there for a Nitro coffee and a lemonade (as you do) and to nab their free wifi to update and backup our phones. The coffee here exceeded my bloated expectations. If we were staying, this would be a regular stop. https://handlebar.coffee.

Dinner at the Club Car restaurant was equally excellent – possibly our best restaurant experience in years. The food was superb, the service attentive, the ambience relaxed, and the choice of drinks more than good enough. This must be one of the few restaurants selling blowfish tails (the benign version I was assured) and Sluice Juice beer. The prices are another matter, but we felt it was worth it – and it was a great way to spend our last night in Nantucket. http://theclubcar.com.

Nantucket

Nantucket

Nantucket

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