Juno 423: June 22-24: Few and then Fifty at Cuttyhunk, MA

We really could have stayed longer on Block Island but we knew we wanted to be back in Marion by Saturday so that we could get picked up Katie and James for our return to Winchester on Sunday. So we chose to set sail for Cuttyhunk (NE of Block Island) on Wednesday as the forecast was for winds with the least easterly component for the next few days . The light rain Wednesday morning stopped around 9:30 am so we set off from Block Island sailing counter-clockwise around Block Island as winds were out of the NW and forecast to move ESE. Once we reached the southern end and had passed the five off-shore wind generators, we motored through the ESE light winds and fog towards Cuttyhunk until enough wind built and we could sail to Cuttyhunk Island where we dropped anchor around 7 pm in the company of about 15 other boats.

After sleeping like babes in the protected anchorage, we awoke to a beautiful sunny 70 degree day on Thursday June 23rd and set off ashore for a hike past the yacht club to the northern side of the island. As we walked along the shore of the inner harbor, not far from Juno, several killdeer started squawking letting us know that they were not happy with our presence. We moved along, balanced some rocks, and retraced our steps back to Juno for lunch. Around 3:30 pm it was time to dinghy ashore to Russel the Plumber’s fish stall that opens from 4-5 pm to buy some fresh striped bass. On our walk amongst the little cottages we met Jane and Doug, two of the island’s summer residents, who were sipping wine outside their tiny house that had been built substantially from parts salvaged from a ship that had been wrecked on Nashewena, the island next to Cuttyhunk.

Friday morning, a few boats departed the mooring field leaving about six boats from the fifteen yesterday, we spent a fair amount of time in the Historical Society/Island Museum as it was their seasonal opening day celebration. There we read about how the island was settled by Gosnold in 1602 the first Englishman to sail to America, how the son of a freed slave, Paul (Cuffe) Slocum, became a prominent sea captain who transported freed slaves to Sierra Leone in the 1700’s, and how Governor Roosevelt liked to fish the waters off Cuttyhunk. The small museum had a wealth of information and we could have easily spent more than an hour there. however as we were dressed in long pants to walk the grassy, tick habitat trails, we did just that passing former WWII bunkers on the highest hills with commanding views of Buzzard’s Bay and Vineyard Sound. ( We did thorough tick checks, but a week later in Winchester Sarah found an engorged tick on her. It likely hitchhiked in our bags and attached at an opportune moment.)

By the end of Friday afternoon, Cuttyhunk harbor had been transformed as almost every mooring now was occupied, and the inner harbor anchorage was full with another ten boats on anchor in the outer harbor. We estimate fifty boats in all. The steady stream of new arrivals to Cuttyhunk provided a source of entertainment but we were thankful we had experienced the solitude of the island before the usual summer weekend traffic descended upon it. Like Block Island, Cuttyhunk is a special place particularly when visited at off-peak times. It was also a reminder that we were getting closer to urban centers with many more people than we had been accustomed to seeing the past nine months.