Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay is a sailor’s paradise, not only because of its vast expanse of sheltered water, coves and seaside towns, but because of the many nearby destinations it offers as well. The last time a group of friends and I chartered out of Narragansett Bay, we used it as a base for an amazing tour of Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard and Cuttyhunk islands. This time we set our sights west.
west. Of particular interest was Shelter Island off the tip of New York’s Long Island. My Swedish-born great grandmother, Ingrid, used to have a sprawling home on the shores of this sleepy island, which we used to often visit when I was a small child. Our family stayed in an apartment over the garage, and I have fond memories of rummaging through the treasure trove of anchors, chains, oily motors, ancient tools and other fascinating nick-nacks there. One time I found an old wooden model boat with a miniature electric Evinrude motor that my great grandmother let me keep. Another time my dad boiled a local lobster so big it not only knocked over the pot it was about to be boiled in, but almost escaped.
The last time I visited Shelter Island was to lay my grandfather (Ingrid’s son)
