Sailing around Newport, RI, in August 2023 - please help!

[Cool Hand Luke]

Hey guys!

I'm chartering a 41-foot monohull at the beginning of this August (2023) in Warwick, RI. I'm doing a bareboat with 3 other friends. We will have approximately 6.5 days on the water.

Can anyone share some cool destinations by water? We will have a dinghy with an outboard. Looking to visit some cool beaches, shores, hikes, museums, restaurants, and most importantly - bars

We'd also like to go to either Block Island or Nantucket. We've already been to Martha's Vineyard and will probably skip that. We would also like to anchor around Fort Adams in Newport on the weekend of August 5-6 since there will be a really amazing Jazz festival and we'd love to watch and listen from the water. Is that possible?

Thank you so much! And if anyone needs help with destinations and navigations in, or around, the BVIs, St. Martin, St. Lucia, Belize, Bora Bora, or Phuket, Thailand, please let me know - did bareboats there and happy to share my knowledge.

Thank you!!!

-Lukas

[Chotu]

You can definitely hear the jazz festival from the boat. But get there early because the anchorage is pretty crowded during that time.

definitely Block Island. That’s an easy one from where you are. won’t even take a full day to get there. So you’ll be able to enjoy the island itself on the same day you sail to it. i’m always a big fan of Cuttyhunk. It’s small. Maybe not great for the group you have I don’t know. It’s also a dry island so there is no booze on the island although you can have as much as you want on your boat. but it’s nice and quaint. There is a spectacular view of the surrounding waters from the top of Cuttyhunk. You walk up a road to the very top of the island and it’s wonderful up there.

maybe Nantucket? Might be pushing it. Depends how much time you like to stay in each spot. You could certainly do more than one day in Block Island. There is a lot to see and it’s really fun.

And then there’s a Newport itself. You certainly want to get off the boat there and not just listen to the jazz.

It’s funny I feel the same way about Martha’s Vineyard. I’ve been there and it’s OK. The best part to me was the quiet lake Tashmoo Anchorage. But apparently they have closed it off or something. So I don’t see any more redeeming factors. Ha ha.

You could also hit Sag Harbor. It’s a wonderful little town. The Anchorage is good. Definitely a nice stop. might as well add shelter island to that list too

[hugosalt]

Right in the bay visit Bristol and the Herreshoff Museum.
Cuttyhunk, no bars.
Many overlook Buzzards bay, many great ports, New Bedford/Fairhaven behind the hurricane barrier and they have bars too!

[Ded reckoner]

Here are three scenarios for you assuming 6.5 days on the water. The first is Sag Harbor, Block Island, Nantucket, Hadley Harbor, Cuttyhunk, and back. The second is Sag Harbor, Port Jefferson, Cold Spring Harbor, Manhasset Bay, Huntington Harbor, Block Island, and back. The third is Cuttyhunk, Mattapoisett Harbor, Hadley Harbor, Nantucket, Block Island, and back. I'm skeptical that weather will be your friend for that many consecutive days, but you should have a lot of fun.

[Cool Hand Luke]

Thanks, guys!! Much appreciated. Let me plan it out and I'll show you my planned itinerary. But, yes - it's all weather dependent.

[CarlF]

Anchoring off the Jazz festival is fine but gets.bouncy if an afternoon southwest wind comes in.

Block Island on a summer weekend is just a bunch of drunks rafted up partying all night. Weeknights are fine.

Definitely go to Cuttyhunk. Arrive by noon to have a good chance of a mooring in the inner harbor. Buy fresh caught fish at the dock. Hail the “Cuttyhunk Raw Bar” at 5pm to bring Cuttyhunk grown oysters right to your boat.

https://cuttyhunkshellfish.com/raw-bar/