24 Sep 2016

Off to the Islands – Lake Tashmoo & Vineyard Haven, MV

by | posted in: Southern New England Sailing | 3

We intended to stay another day in Menemsha but the rolling became a bit much. Late that afternoon, we pulled up anchor and moved north around the western side of Martha’s Vineyard to tuck into Lake Tashmoo. Tashmoo is a sweet little harbor and very protected. Once we learned that even our sailboat could make it through the shallow channel, we put it on our list of favorite spots.

Feathered friends
Feathered friends – the osprey sits high on its nesting pole and greets boats as they enter Tashmoo. The ducks know that boats could mean free food, so once the anchor is down, they appear by your side.
A quiet little spot.
A quiet little spot.
But not too quiet. The sailboat near us had quite a jam session going on.
But not too quiet. The sailboat near us had quite a jam session going on. Very cool!  I wonder where such large instruments are stored on a sailboat? And how they fare in the marine environment?

An interesting and curious thing happened while we were in Lake Tashmoo, thanks to this blog. Shortly after we settled in for the evening, Al checked his email and received a notice from WordPress (the host site) that there was a comment on the blog:

“Hi Al & Michele,
I saw you come into Tashmoo. I am on my Tartan 27 about a quarter mile toward the inlet. I am interested in buying an Europa style trawler and would love to take a look at yours for reference if possible. If so, I could row over some time when the wind isn’t blowing. No pressure either way.
Best,
Colin”

Short version of the story – We invited Colin for happy hour on Kindred Spirit. Who doesn’t love talking about boats? And the Vineyard?  What an enjoyable evening we had! We feel that we can now count Colin as a friend and hope he stays in touch. Wishing him good luck on his trawler search!

Colin and Al, discussing possible trawler options as we enjoy snacks and drinks.
Colin and Al, discussing possible trawler options as we enjoy snacks and drinks.

Not only is Tashmoo a protected harbor, but you can walk over to Vineyard Haven, the “business center” of the island. Since we had our bikes with us, we decided to bike to Vineyard Haven this time.

Whooooa! The dinghy dock has certainly become much more crowded since our last time, 4 years ago.
Whooooa! The dinghy dock has certainly become much more crowded since our last visit, 4 years ago. Can’t even get near the floating docks which means you have to step in an out of other boats and leapfrog to the dock.
We had to get the bikes onto the dock and then AL went around to find a place for our dinghy amongst the either links.
We (ok, Al) lifted the bikes onto the fixed dock and then Al took the dinghy around to find a place for ours  amongst the either links. To bring the bikes back to the boat, he decided it would be easier to walk the bike out to the dinghy in shallow water.

We wandered around town, looking at stores, the harbor, and having lunch. We like Vineyard Haven. In fact, we honeymooned at a B&B here,  just outside of town. The main street has some of the nicest and most unique shops around, great for browsing, good for buying. My two favorite stops are Bunch of Grapes, the independent book store, and Whatever, the silver jewelry cart (also a store in Edgartown.) I always get a new piece of jewelry from Whatever. 🙂

~Bunch of Grapes in its new location (fire in July 2008). ~Whatever cart on Main Street
~Bunch of Grapes in its new location (fire in July 2008).
~Whatever cart on Main Street
Vineyard Haven harbor
Vineyard Haven harbor

We enjoyed the bike ride to Vineyard Haven so much that we decided to bike to the West Tisbury Farmers Market on Saturday.  The market is held on the grounds around the Grange Hall in West Tisbury and was started in 1974 to bring local agricultural products to the people both living on and visiting the island.

West Tisbury Grange Hall
West Tisbury Grange Hall
Never did find out what this car (hearse?) was for.
Never did find out what this car (a hearse?) was for.
Tisbury Farmers MArket
This is definitely an upscale farmers market.
Crowds of people were looking and buying, tasting and smelling, and listening to a little band.
Crowds of people were looking and buying, tasting and smelling, and listening to a little band.
You have to love the names of the island growers -
You have to love the names of the island growers – Pie Chicks, The Kitchen Porch, Mermaid Farm.
Oh, the flowers!
Oh, the flowers!
And the vegetables and breads!
And the vegetables and breads!
I was curious about the sea salt farm. The family's daughter, Amelia, did such a good job of explaining it to me, that I couldn't resist purchasing a small sampler of flavored sea salt.
I was curious about the sea salt farm. The family’s daughter, Amelia, did such a good job of explaining it to me, that I couldn’t resist purchasing a small sampler of gourmet sea salt.

It was a very warm August day. The 7-mile ride from Lake Tashmoo to West Tisbury was hilly and might be nothing for younger folks, but it was a challenge for me. Ah, but Martha’s Vineyard has a sweet little bus system with buses that also have space for two bikes on the front bumper. Yes, we took the bus back to Tashmoo.

Waiting for the bus. Don't we look like we need to hitch a ride home???
Waiting for the bus. Don’t we look like we need to hitch a ride home???

Reflections  in  Lake Tashmoo before we move on again………

Tashmoo reflections 2
Tashmoo Reflections 3
tashmoo-reflections-1
Good Night, Lake Tashmoo.
Good Night, Lake Tashmoo.

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