by Eileen Thai

Created on: June 30, 2008   Last Updated: February 06, 2009

One of my most memorable fourth of July celebration is of the time when a bunch of us boaters (okay, seven gas-guzzling powerboats. This, of course was back in 1999, when fuel prices were quite normal) decided to cruise to Newport, Rhode Island to see the fireworks. The previous year, the same group had gone to Portsmouth, New Hampshire for the celebration, and had an awesome time, so we decided to make it an annual event. We chose Newport because it is the yachting capital, and we haven't cruised that area before.

When we cast off from our marina in Boston, it was so foggy we could hardly see the boat in front of us. Thank God for radar! Fortunately, the fog lifted as the morning wore on. We arrived at our first stop, Kingman Marine, without incident. After we docked and cleaned up, we got together to discuss our plans for the next day, July 4th. We learned that the weather was going to deteriorate later in the night, with strong winds of 20 to 25 knots, not a good day to be out on the water. We decided to play by ear and see how it goes. Next day, the winds were blowing so hard that even Newport had to postpone the fireworks! We stayed put and spent the day biking around the marina and trading boating stories with our friends.

The weather calmed down the following day. We took off for our final destination, Newport Harbor Marina. Located next to Bowens Wharf, the marina is a stone's throw to all the action of Newport - quaint shops, galleries, restaurants, eateries and bars on and off the waterfront. Even a church with a white steeple, a familiar sight in New England, is a mere two blocks away. Much to our surprise, Newport is a hot spot for college kids. The streets were congested with people and cars blaring loud music. Two hours wait for a table at restaurants seemed to be the norm. One day, we went biking on the famous Cliff's walk, a public walking path that hugs the ocean and the cottages, er, mansions of the gilded age. What a magnificent view of the ocean!

After three days of partying, we split with our friends and left Newport for some serious R&R. We had taken up on our sailboater friends' invitation to join them at Hadley Harbor, near Woods Hole. As we approached the entrance to the anchorage, we radioed Joe, and he came out on his dinghy to lead us in. We tied up next to his boat Tokalon, which was on a mooring. Another sailboat Joie de Vie was tied up to her on the other side. Joe introduced us to his dad and seven-year old granddaughter Jessica. We met Joie de Vies owners, Adrien and his wife Nina. Later, we took a ride on the dinghy. Then, we stopped at a beach for a swim and hunted for quahogs (called hard-shell clams in other parts of the United States). The water was amazingly warm. After exploring the various islands, we returned with at least a dozen of our prized quahogs. Joe had found a couple dozens earlier, so he proceeded to shuck them. Eaten raw, these shellfish make delectable appetizers. You cannot get them any fresher than this. Life indeed was good.

After our appetizers and cocktails, we swam and canoed around the boat for a little while before settling down to a delicious dinner - more quahogs, steamed this time, shrimp, kielbasa, among others. We topped off the evening with a boat ride across the sound to Vineyard Haven for ice cream. And Jessica thought we were kidding!

Alas, we missed the fireworks, but this was one Independence Day celebration I will never forget.

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