My adventure moves to Rhode Island

Day 6 and I woke up in lovely Rhode Island!  I was staying with old friends and looking forward to catching up, lots of great food, beautiful scenery and a bit of golf and of course wind foiling.  

Mt. Hope Bay is across the street from my friend’s home and appears to be a good location for any north wind.  Unfortunately it was August so probably not many options for north winds but I wasn’t going to give up hope, not on Hope Bay 😉

Day 7 I did some shopping for food.  New England in the summer months is a culinary dream.  So many fresh options.  Of course great fish and the best summer vegetables!  Cooking is one of my passions and local farmer’s markets are a delight to enjoy.  I didn’t have time to explore the many farmer’s markets in the Hamptons so RI offered both the time, need and desire to explore. 

Wind Foiling – I noticed when I arrived in RI that the winds increased a bit in the afternoons as the earth warmed with the summer sun.  The winds were light around 2PM but it was coming from the right direction so I rigged up to see what the winds offered.  

Mt. Hope Bay is pretty wide and as I sailed around I could see wind lines in the middle of the bay. I sailed out and I was rewarded with just enough wind to make my best light wind rig work.  (Ezzy Cross 6.7M, 1300cm front and 355cm back on my Patrick 147 Free Foil board)  

I spent most of my time on the water vs. above but as we say, “a day sailing is a day well spent”.  

Day 8 Another beautiful day and the forecast was for a south wind in the afternoon and that meant checking out Fogland Beach.  $10 for non-residents but if there was wind it was well worth the cost.  No one on the water when I arrived but I noticed a couple of wingers on the other side of the bay.  They had launched from another popular SE wind location opposite Fogland Beach.  (I believe it is Sandy Point Beach.)

I was in luck when a local Wing Foiler parked a couple of spots from me and of course I was going to introduce myself!  She was very knowledgeable and pointed out all the options and possible hazards in the area.  After discussing rigging options we both agreed the wind was pretty steady around 13+ knots, better than the forecast!

I rigged my Ezzy Cross 5.7M and put on my favorite front wing (900cm) with the hope that the wind would stay steady and maybe even increase.  As I sailed out I noticed another wind foiler had just started out.  In just a few seconds of watching the sailor I knew it had to be my friend Carl who winters in St. Pete.  Time to surprise him!

You can check out my instagram video at https://www.instagram.com/tommorton3908/reel/DNdbdx2xjjW/

We both got some good runs in but the wind as so often happens had other plans and after 30 minutes I really needed my 6.7.  I should have headed right in and changed sails but instead I tried to make the 5.7 work which wasn’t the best option. 

All in all a great day at Fogland Beach.  I returned on Day 9 to Fogland Beach ($20 on weekends) and rigged and went out in light wind.  It was my last chance to Wind Foil so I was going to give it my best effort.  First session was a work out but after a needed break the wind did come up and though tired the foiling was much better and time well spent.  

Day 8 was a fun golf outing with old friends on a classic 1920s golf course (Montaup Country Club).  I think only one hole had water in play so very different from my FL course.  

Day 9 (after sailing) and Day 10 were celebration events.  The Lobster was incredible and I’m not a big fan of lobster but OMG was it good. 

Day 11 was a driving day for me as I was heading home after a marvelous adventure but it wasn’t over just yet.  I stayed that night at a friend’s 200 year old horse farm in PA.  Absolutely gorgeous!  Dinner with former work colleagues and great friends and we enjoyed the sunset in a beautiful setting.  

Day 12 and 13 Drive to DC area to catch the AutoTrain home.  

This adventure checked off a great number of bucket list items for me and I loved just about every minute of the trip.  (DC and NYC traffic I can live without.)  Great friends, exploring new sailing options, the ferry across the bay, great food and wonderful memories.  

I’m going to do this again, hopefully next summer!