TEXAS RANGER: Nantucket -- Providence Area June 16--28

     From Edgartown, Texas Ranger traveled a very rough passage to Nantucket. Contrary to weather forecasts, the wind was 35+ knots, mostly on the nose, with commensurate seas. Since it was a relatively short passage, we proceeded anyway, and arrived early afternoon. The last time we visited Nantucket we were on a mooring ball, but we had found a "pre-season" dockage special that allowed us to actually be in the Nantucket Boat Basin at a dock for minimally more dollars. With the weather as poor as has been typical since our arrival in New England, this was indeed fortuitous.  When the weather turned messy, we could quickly retreat to the boat. I will not post many pictures of Nantucket. Though a fascinating place, I covered "The Gray Lady" fairly well on our last visit in August, 2014.
     We did experience some very special events, as a friend and author from Corpus Christi now summers on the island. She invited us to dinner along with a most interesting Baylor journalism professor and his wife, and the pastor of the local Congregational Church and his spouse. The pastor also has degrees from Baylor, and his wife is originally from Corpus Christi.  It was indeed an eclectic and very erudite group, and with a delicious meal, a most enjoyable evening!  The following morning we attended the First Congregational Church, where our Baylor prof was the guest speaker. His message was not only informative, but most thought-provoking. Following the service, we toured the just-refurbished lower level, part of the original church built in 1711. Kadey-Krogens Bon Voyage and Tuscan Sun arrived in Nantucket the day prior to our departure, and all three couples had a wonderful visit.
     We had tarried a couple of days longer than planned hoping for better weather, and finally we were rewarded with a calm and beautiful trip to Narragansett Bay. We traversed the Newport area, and proceeded upriver to Barrington, RI, just a few miles south of Providence. Over several days of cleaning and restocking the boat, we also visited area sights. In Bristol, the Herreshoff Museum chronicled the company that led many advances in wooden boatbuilding, designing and constructing several America's Cup defenders during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. We also toured the Federal Hill section of Providence, the center of the Italian culture of the city, and stayed to watch the Waterfire lighting display. In Warren, we feasted at Blount's Clam Shack. Note the vinyl sign: "Summer Kick-off June 29". June 29??? Well, it was 53 degrees this morning... Tomorrow we will travel downriver to Newport for a 4-day party celebrating Kadey-Krogen's 40th year in business!