NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND, BLOCK ISLAND, MARTHA’S VINEYARD
August 29 - September 5, 2025
The sparkling waters and stirring breezes of Newport, Block Island, and Martha’s Vineyard are calling. We’ve reserved two newer (2020) Beneteau 42 sloops for a week of sailing, sunning, swimming, and touring one of the U.S.’s premiere cruising areas.
The Trip
We’ll visit several great harbors. We’ll have some good, long sailing days, and balance them out with a full day on moorings in Edgartown.
We will meet our boats in Newport on Friday, August 29 at 5:00 PM to get our briefing and provision the boats.
At sunrise Saturday, we’ll sail 25 Nautical Miles (NM) southwest to Block Island and pick up first-come, first-serve moorings. We should be there by noon, giving us plenty of time to explore the island.
Another early start on Sunday will be needed to get us 40 NM to Cuttyhunk Island, the southernmost of the Elizabeth Islands. It is the only one that’s publicly accessible, as the rest are private property. At the time of this writing, we are waitlisted for slips inside the harbor but do have reservations for moorings outside the harbor. We can pick up fresh seafood in town, or even order it delivered right to our boats.
On Monday, we’re off to Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard (30 NM). Edgartown has been a bustling port town for three hundred fifty years. Its whaling roots are evident in the names of the bars and restaurants, as well as at The Carnegie, a museum on Water Street. Edgartown’s launch service starts early and runs into the evening. We’ll stay on moorings Monday and Tuesday. This will afford us the chance to take a land tour, enjoy the museum, and take advantage of the harbor’s free pump-out boat. Crews can pick from many restaurants for dinner ashore, too.
Wednesday, we’ve got a 22 NM sail to Menemsha. With just one street of small shops, surrounded by beach, dunes, grass, mixed forest and vast saltwater ponds, Menemsha feels seductively like the edge of the world. Residents and visitors alike come here for the unhurried, untucked mood it engenders.
The harbor itself is not quite tranquil. The man-made basin is lit up by streetlamps, and it is home to many dedicated fishermen, both recreational and pro. Plus there’s a small Coast Guard station.
While it may be just as exclusive as any other place on the Vineyard, Menemsha seems determined not to flaunt it.
After a final sail back to Newport (30 NM) on Thursday, we’ll return to our home moorings. After fueling up, pump-out, and cleanup, departure is 11:00 a.m. on Friday morning.
The Boats
Our boats are twin 2020 Beneteau Oceanis 42’s from Bareboat Yacht Charters. They have three double cabins and two heads with sleeping space in the main salon. Both boats have dinghies and bow thrusters. Each comes with 8 pillows, 8 pillowcases, 8 bath towels, 8 bottom linens & 2 dish towels. Bring a blanket or sleeping bag with you.
(Click the image, below, for more boat information)
The cost of this trip is $1300 per person (Skippers and Trip Leader $700). The price covers charter fees, dinghies, mooring, and slip fees. Provisioning, fuel, pump-out, any unscheduled mooring or slip fees, and other incidentals are additional and will be handled by each boat’s crew. Please note that parking at Fort Adams State Park, next to our charter company, costs $100 per week (cash only), and is not covered in the trip cost. Carpooling is suggested.
A $200.00 deposit and Release of Liability and Zero Tolerance Form must accompany your Reservation Form.
Please make your check payable to The Sailing Club, Inc. and mail it, along with your completed reservation and release forms, to Jan Cornelius at the address below.
Reservations will be processed on July 1, with a random draw of those received by that date. The balance of $1100 is due on July 14, 2025. The Club’s standard thirty-day cancellation policy applies for this event.
A pre-trip meeting will be held about a month before the trip, at a time and place to be announced. All crewmembers should make every effort to attend in order to meet your crewmates, plan your meals, and make travel plans.
Trip Leader
Jan Cornelius
165 Brooktondale Rd
Brooktondale, NY 14817
607-342-6528
JanCCornelius@gmail.com
Assistant Trip Leader
Bob Rainey
2006 S Branch DR
Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889
908-872-9101
rjraineyjr@aol.com
Please note that sailing conditions are dynamic, that your safety, and that of your crewmates, depends on your good physical health and agility.
