One of our favorite ways to reconnect with friends is by sailing Simple Life to their location. There's something about the sailing mode of transportation that makes the visit extra special. My longtime friends Christine and Donald who live in Somerset, MA sent an email about getting together before our upcoming departure to the Bahamas in the next couple of weeks. Joe and I hadn't been to Battleship Cove in a number of years and since Chris and Donald live nearby we thought it would be a great time to get together.
During the winter they had introduced us to a wonderful Portuguese restaurant called Caldeiras in the heart of the old mill district of the city of Fall River. We agreed that this would be an ideal place for a celebration. Lately it seems that life has been one celebration after another and it's nice to "ride the wave" while it lasts.
We'd spent most of the week in Potter's Cove, on Prudence Island in Narragansett Bay. We weighed anchor on Thursday morning for the downwind sail to Fall River. The wind was a steady 10-12 kts. and the trip was pleasant and relatively fast. Simple Life was anchored in the cove among the moorings by noon.
Shortly after dropping the hook a sailing instructor from the Community Boating Center approached in his skiff. We were respectfully told that the harbor master would most likely tell us to move. Contrary to the information in the cruising guide which was published in 2007 anchoring is either not allowed or certainly not encouraged.
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| View of the "Big Mamie" from the anchorage |
Joe's solution to this...hurry up, take a shower, call Chris and Donald and get off the boat before the Harbor master tells us to move! We accomplished this in a matter of a half hour, tied the dinghy to a dock inshore and took a short walking tour of the park and Battleship museum area. Unfortunately, the practice of discouraging anchoring is becoming more prevalent in numerous areas where it was previously allowed.
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| Detail of the Battleship Massachusetts |
Joe was particularly on edge due to our clandestine activities and when he spotted a man waving at us from the community boating dock he immediately thought we'd been busted! I said, "That's Donald!" Relieved by my revelation we waved and caught up with Donald on the dock. We were driven back to their inviting home in Somerset where we had "sundowners" before heading to the restaurant where we caught up on everything since our last visit in the winter.
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| Friends Christine and Donald at Caldeiras Restaurant |
The dinner at Caldeiras was wonderful traditional Portuguese cuisine complimented by a couple of bottles of wine. We topped the evening off with an excellent creme broule for dessert and a promise to make this an annual event when we sail home to Narragansett Bay from the Bahamas next summer.
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