unpacking and finding a place for
everything in our small stateroom
(this is made easier by the fact that
you can stow all your luggage under
the beds) and a delightful lunch of
fresh lobster salad, we headed to
the top deck to watch our ship begin
the short journey to Cuttyhunk, the
outermost of the Elizabeth Islands in
Massachusetts, where we would drop
anchor for the night. The beginning
of our voyage set the tone for the
rest of the trip, with friendly fellow
passengers, gorgeous weather, and
calm water. Quiet Cuttyhunk was
mainly a place to spend a night
sleeping blissfully but a few of us
did disembark and stroll the quiet
island paths in the dusky evening.
Gorgeous home on
Martha’s Vineyard
the sun as the ship cruises along
the waterways. The dining room
downstairs has tables of varying
sizes where you will meet and get to
know your fellow passengers much
better than you could on any large
ship cruise. There’s also a soft drink
dispenser, along with fresh coffee
and other hot drinks and plenty of
cookies, pastries and fresh fruit for
snacking in between meals. You will
not go hungry on this cruise and you
will enjoy every bite.
Beautiful homes
on Nantucket
Charming downtown
on Block Island
34
The cruise embarks from tiny
Warren, Rhode Island, where Blount
Small Ship Adventures is based. It’s
convenient to park for free in their
parking lot, hand over your luggage,
and walk aboard with no fuss. After
Nantucket was our next stop and
a bus tour was provided by Blount.
We were properly awed at the
beauty of the gray shingled New
England homes, something we would
see on every island on our cruise.
Quaint cobblestone streets,
bicyclers, lines for the ferry on and
off the island, dozens of shops with
clothes way above our budget and a
local farmer’s market set up for the
morning seemed to epitomize the
island. There was an optional walking
tour offered by Blount, but we just
picked up a walking tour map at the
tiny visitor center and strolled
around the neighborhoods on our
own, trying to imagine how many
millions of dollars some of the
mansions must cost.
Martha’s Vineyard the next morning
provided another bus tour, but this
time we made a stop at the historic
Southeast Lighthouse to appreciate
the astonishing view and get some
photos. After lunch back on the
ship, we decided to brave public
transportation, as a bus stopped
precisely where we were docked. We
hopped aboard, paid the extremely
Lunch with
a view!