On the Water

Schooner Adirondack II (Source)

The Adirondack II is a gaff-rigged schooner with a wooden hull, and was completed by Scarano Boat Building in Albany, NY. Schooner Adirondack II was completed in 1999, and was brought to Newport Harbor when the original Schooner Adirondack departed Newport to begin operating out of Chelsea Piers in New York City. She is Coast Guard certified for 57 guests. Her masts reach over 70 feet above deck and has just under 2000 square feet of sail area. She is 65 feet on deck, 80 feet overall, and has a draft of 7 feet. On a high wind day, it is not uncommon for her to reach 10 knots under sail. She is a very lively and fast vessel, and all of her captains feel that she is an absolute dream to operate! (Source)

Well, we had expected that The Nuke and the grand-dogs were to be in town to celebrate Independence Day. However, it was not to be, for duty called and she had to work part of the weekend and could not get away. The disappointment at Chez Sarge was palpable.

On the other hand, she had booked a sailing adventure out of Newport for Sunday afternoon. She couldn't make it, The Missus Herself and I were forced to go ahead and take the cruise for her.

Sacrifices. We make them for our children.

The Nuke had thought it to be a sunset cruise, well to be certain, had we taken the cruise at another time of year it would have been. But at the beginning of July one should not expect to see the sun go down between 1700 and 1830. Unless, of course, the Apocalypse was upon us. As it was not, we saw bright sunshine the whole way.

Now technically speaking it was a Dark and Stormy cruise.

What? No, the weather was fine, why would...

Oh! Let me explain.

Newport Dark and Stormies, a local version of the traditional drink and a favorite among the local sailing community, are served aboard this sail. The drink features Newport's own Thomas Tew's Rum and Rhode Island's Yacht Club Ginger Beer, developed to go with Pirate Tew's rum. (Source)

While The Missus Herself did not have a beverage aboard the schooner, I did. For research purposes dontcha know?

The Newport Dark and Stormy is a most excellent beverage. After consuming mine I felt this great urge to start saying "argh" and perhaps to convince the crew to start waylaying other vessels and generally playing the pirate. I also had this great urge to have another, perhaps more, ya know for the research wot's innit.

However, the Adirondack's crew assured me that piracy was indeed illegal, and that there is a significant Coast Guard presence in the local waters. Also The Missus Herself assured me that any more Dark and Stormies and I might have the opportunity, like Luca Brasi, to "sleep with the fishes."

Sigh...

So I limited my activities to just the one Dark and Stormy, some photography, admiring the sights, and no piracy.

"But that boat there has a much smaller crew than ours..."

"Sit down, Sir. We are not going to board any of the other boats. As fun as that might be. We could lose our licence to serve alcohol dontcha know?"

Hhmm, perish the thought.

Anyhoo, if you're ever in Newport, chase those links above, book a sail. It's relatively inexpensive and the Dark and Stormies are but five bucks a pop. Yummy, good stuff.

Oh, here are some of the photos I took. As a bonus there's a video I took at the end. (No skipping ahead now...)

A brilliant day to head out into the Bay!

Newport is always a bit crowded in the summer. This is nearly empty compared to when we returned to the pier.

The crew cleaning up after the previous cruise.

I must have a word with the port authorities, this is not the proper way to mount a cannon!

MV Renaissance. I think I could get used to living that sort of life.

The crew hoisting sail.

Outward bound.

Hands aloft! Er, never mind...

That tall ship is the Oliver Hazard Perry, built right here in Little Rhody. Want to learn how to sail a tall ship? They will teach you.

There is nothing so pleasant as wind-filled canvas on a fair day!

One of the local buoys.

A couple of the local gulls.
(Detail from the preceding photo.)

The crew seeing to our comfort. Yes, those are Dark and Stormies...
A full selection of beverages could be had, from water to rum.

Clingstone on The Dumplings.
(That's the name of the house and the name of the rocks atop which she sits.)

You can read more about Clingstone here.
It rents for about ten grand a week.

The crew giving us the guided tour.

I love the slap of the waves against the hull. I could listen to that all day.

Now that is a blue sky!

The Star Spangled Banner on the battlements of Fort Adams.
(Hhmm, reminds me of a song...)

Another view of the Perry as we round the Fort.

Yes indeed, welcome to Newport!

It was a fine way to spend a couple of hours.

Back to the pier. Sigh...

Sea and sky. I love it.

Ahoy mateys! Stick around for the video.

A rather talkative bunch weren't they? But we all had fun!

Enjoy the Fourth, may your day be filled with fun and Independence!

Remember what it's all about and how we got here.

It wasn't cheap.