We left Edgartown on July 22nd under a shining sun but decided to tuck into Oak Bluffs, just 8 nautical miles away, for a day or two because the weather forecast was for stronger winds and rains. We haven’t stayed in Oak Bluffs for many years so it would be another “semi-new” experience on this trip.
The shoreline of Oak Bluffs is lined with old beach front homes.
We waited outside the channel to let a ferry pass and then followed it into the harbor.
Oak Bluffs is a tiny harbor with a lot of moorings, packed fairly close together. The rule is that there can be up to four boats on a mooring and not necessarily by choice. You are told that you may have to raft with other boats but should stick to the same size and type (sail to sail and power to power.) That day there were plenty of open moorings for Magnolia and Kindred Spiritto choose from.
Inner harbor panorama (courtesy of A. Baker)
Rafting together makes communication much easier. And photos, too!
With the threat of bad weather, we wasted no time and dinghied the very short distance to the town dock. Walking up Circuit Avenue we took the side street into the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association (MVCMA) in Trinity Park. It is one of my favorite places on the Vineyard and we wanted to show the cottages to Anthony and Annette. On our 2017 trip I wrote about Grand Illumination Night in mid-August which was spectacular.
Walking around Trinity Park among the cottages one can’t help but feel how special the place is.
One cottage is designated as the museum and for a very small fee you can take a look inside. The cottages vary in size but since they were originally built upon the foundations of the tents that were first in place, most are very small. and very basic. HGTV should feature these first “tiny houses.”
We continued our walk around Oak Bluffs checking out shops while stretching our legs.
The captains are so very patient.
The Flying Houses Carousel is the nation’s oldest platform carousel. It has resided in Oak Bluffs since 1884. The hand-painted horses, housed in a big red barn, have been carefully preserved. Most of the original steeds still have horse-hair manes and tails.
We ate lunch in a place on the wharf and noticed The Vineyard Sound singing an impromptu mini-concert as an advertisement for that evening’s show in Oak Bluffs.
I guess no one is surprised that we took careful note of a promising ice cream store and headed back there after lunch.
Ben and Bill’s Emporium has chocolate on one side and ice cream on the other.
This is worth special mention! Ben and Bill’s has LOBSTER ice cream. Personally, I think that’s just wrong, even though I like both. Just not together.
“I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream” — a popular song in 1927. We aren’t screaming, but we were sure enjoying another ice cream.
The rain began after lunch and continued on and off for the rest of Monday.
Rafting makes consultation on boat projects so much easier. During a break in the showers, Al and Anthony work on updating wiring (or something like that.)
Tuesday brought more rain and the predicted higher winds. When we awoke we discovered we were very close to a smaller power boat on a nearby mooring. OB’s mooring field is a tight one. The rule is “no more than 4 boats on a mooring” and I cannot even imagine that! Hopefully only for boats under 20 feet.
Over a period of an hour, that mooring ball shifted from near Magnolia’s transom to pour transom and between us.
Al watches the rain from the comfort of our aft cockpit.
A strong gust of 40 knots gave the floating platform and attached dinghy a”lift.”
A look at the radar indicated there would be a short break in the morning showers. The guys went into town for much needed haircuts, taking a chance on Benito’s Barber Shop.
Benito’s Barber Shop
I made him promise to take photos for the blog.
White caps inside and outside the harbor.
There was another break in the rain late in the afternoon, so we all got off the boats for a walk.
Ocean Park is a large public space in the center of Oak Bluffs near the waterfront.
The homes surrounding it are Victorian style late 1800’s, like Trinity Park but much larger.
Annette and me in Ocean Park.
Al and I are dressed to fit in with the flower gardens. Thanks, Anthony, I really like this photo.
Al found another garden display — an old VW beetle.
It might have been a rainy two days here in Oak Bluffs but we still enjoyed our stay. Vineyard Haven tomorrow.
[…] After dinner, we took an evening walk around the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association. This is absolutely the most special part of Oak Bluffs and we wanted to share it with Don and Cindy. Although the evening hours were not suitable for photography with my amateur camera and skills, it was a quiet and peaceful time for the walk. I have better photos from previous visits here in 2017 for Illumination Night, the most special of all events here, and in 2019. […]
Summer Cruising – Oak Bluffs’ Illumination Night – Kindred Spirit
[…] have been to Oak Bluffs a few times with three blog posts about our visits to this harbor. (2017, 2019, […]
WD-70 Oak Bluffs – Kindred Spirit
[…] After dinner, we took an evening walk around the Martha’s Vineyard Camp Meeting Association. This is absolutely the most special part of Oak Bluffs and we wanted to share it with Don and Cindy. Although the evening hours were not suitable for photography with my amateur camera and skills, it was a quiet and peaceful time for the walk. I have better photos from previous visits here in 2017 for Illumination Night, the most special of all events here, and in 2019. […]