About Our Area - Suggested Itineraries
We are located in what is truly one of the world’s premier cruising
grounds. Dozens of magical harbors
and coves are within a one or two day sail from Bristol. Among them are the worldd famous destinations
of Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, Newport, Block Island and Mystic Seaport. Whatever the weather you will never be more
than a few hours away from a secure, scenic harbor that offers a rich choice of activities and interests to occupy
your time ashore. Following this discussion
is a list of Distances to and from the most popular destinations, as well as some Suggested Reading and web site Links which offer a wealth of information about
the area.
Close to home
If your open water sailing experience is limited, there is no need
to leave the sheltered confines of Narragansett Bay and the Sakonnet River in
order to experience a rich variety of
exciting harbors and picturesque coves.
Our favorites: Newport, Wickford, Jamestown and our own home port of
Bristol.
A taste of the
islands
Once outside Narragansett Bay, you enter the open waters of Rhode
Island Sound. Your offshore adventure
can take the form of a modest cruise to two unforgettable islands: Cuttyhunk,
only 13 nautical miles from the mouth of the Sakonnet River; and Block Island,
16 nautical miles from Newport. The two islands are approximately 30 nautical
miles from one another which suggests an easy itinerary that starts with the
first leg to Cuttyhunk by way of the Sakonnet River, then to Block Island,
and returning to Bristol by way of Narragansett Bay with stops in Newport,
Jamestown or Wickford. The entire trip is a little
over 90 nautical miles.
A slightly shorter and very popular itinerary when chartering for less than
a week is a trip is a trip to Cuttyhunk and Padanaram, returning by way of
some of the Narragansett Bay destinatons if time permits.
Further a field
For the seasoned sailor the most
popular itinerary includes a visit to the islands of Martha's Vineyard and/or
Nantucket. The farthest point, Nantucket,
is approximately 80 nautical miles from Bristol. To get there you will pass through Vineyard
Sound which affords exceptional stopovers along the way including Cuttyhunk
and Tarpaulin Cove.. On the return,
if time permits, we suggest you sample some of the special locales Buzzards
Bay has to offer: Quissett, Red Brook Harbor, Marion, Mattapoisett and Padanarum.
The rest of the nearby world
Equally accessible from Bristol is Eastern Long Island Sound featuring
such popular destinations as Stonington, Fishers Island, Mystic Seaport, Montauk
and Sag Harbor.
Although it should be obvious t, it bears stating here that you should plan
your trip to reach the farthest destination that you intend to visit early
in the trip. Then if the weather becomes
unfavorable you still can be assured of returning on time, comfortably and
without stress.
We are always happy to suggest ideas and help charterers plan their
itinerary.