WaterColors Sailing - Trip Descriptions

This is a Plein Air trip with plenty of time to paint and plenty of time to relax and explore a couple of gorgeous places. Martha's Vineyard will provide oodles of painting subjects and Cuttyhunk is just good for the soul. On Day 1, we'll sail to Martha's Vineyard from Newport and find a good solid anchorage or mooring at Vinyard Haven amongst the many interesting boats with hailing ports from far and wide. You'll have plenty of time to explore the island for the next couple of days. On the afternoon of Day 3, we will slip over to Cuttyhunk for another couple of relaxing days of painting, hiking and solving the world's problems (we'll get a start on it anyway). On Day 5, we'll watch for a favorable tide and fair wind and sail back to Newport.

Penobscot Bay - Camden, ME to North Haven and Deer Isle and back to Camden

New York City to Martha's Vineyard to Newport, RI

Newport, RI to Martha's Vineyard and Cuttyhunk

Newport. RI to Block Island and Mystic, CT

Saybrook, CT to The Thimbles and Back

The night time view of the New York skyline from our starting point, Lincoln Harbor Yacht Club on the Hudson River, is breathtaking! sailing past the Statue of Liberty, under the Verrazano Bridge and out into the Atlantic, then set a course along the southern shore of Long Island on a 2 day passage to Martha's Vineyard. You'll have almost 2 full days to explore Martha's Vineyard before we make a brief hop over to Cuttyhunk Island, famous for the small boats that sell fresh fish and clams in the anchorage. From Cuttyhunk, we'll sail to our final destination, Newport, RI for a double dose of maritime history. I may drag (only if you're willing) you to the International Yacht Restoration School. A visit to Newport isn't complete without a tour of the coastal mansions lining the shore. For return travel, Amtrak train service is available to get you back to New York City or Boston.

Newport, RI to Block Island and Back

7 Day

Plein Air

4 Day

Plein Air

3 Day

The first of the season's Plein Air trips, this should be a nice run from Newport to Block Island. The Great Salt Pond will be our home base for a couple of days. We'll arrive in plenty of time to go ashore and explore, and then come back to the boat for an evening meal. Early on Days 2 and 3 we'll get breakfast in our bellies and then get to shore early so you can explore and paint. In the early afternoon on Day 3, we'll weigh the anchor and sail back up to the nautical center of the universe - Newport, RI.

5 Day

Plein Air

4 Day

The Connecticut River is just beautiful, and is well worth exploration. The marshy creeks and coves are always interesting painting subjects with their contrasting greens and yellows and wading birds. We will first ride the favorable tidal current northward to Selden Creek, where we can anchor and explore Selden Island or Gillette Castle. In the afternoon of Day 2, we will drift back south to the charming town of Essex, arguably one the most popular cruising destinations on the Sound. On Day 3, after we've had our morning painting session, we will head down river to Saybrook.

Saybrook, CT to Essex, CT and Connecticut River

Plein Air

3 Day

Plein Air

3 Day

The Thimbles are one of my favorite places in the Sound. They are a group of rocky pink granite islands, reminiscent of the coast of Maine. We can anchor near the private islands and can go ashore on Outer Island a nature preserve run by the Stuart B. McKinney Association. For a little change of pace, we can take the dinghy into Stony Creek. I'll ferry you around this area for a couple of days, and we'll get one more painting session in on Day 3 before sailing back to Saybrook. This should be a very relaxing trip, with plenty of time to sit and soak up the uniqueness of this place.

This is a great trip for you folks trapped on the mainland in Connecticut to cross to the "other side." Heaven knows how difficult it is to drive a car from the north shore of Long Island Sound to the southern shore of the Sound. I think we can almost do it more quickly by boat. We will be starting from one beautiful estuarial harbor and sailing across the Sound to another equally beautiful but different harbor in Oyster Bay.

Day 1 will be spent in and around Milford and early on Day 2 we will set sail southwesterly the 25 miles to Oyster Bay and find an anchorage in West Harbor. Maybe we can rustle up some steamed clams before dinner. By the way, Teddy Roosevelt's home at Sagamore Hill is very close to Oyster Bay, if you are interested in a side trip.

It is a short hop around to Cold Spring Harbor, so we will move around there around the middle of Day 3. You can either set up to paint from the shore, or walk up into town. On Day 4, we will have time for an art session if we feel like it, and by 11 or so, we'll need to make our way back across the Sound to Milford.

Milford, CT to Oyster Bay and Cold Spring Harbor and Back to Milford

Plein Air

4 Day

This is a quick trip, but should be lots of fun. We will bolt around the bottom of Manhattan and up the East River and through Hells Gate. We'll push through the night to practice our watch standing and navigation skills. We will make our way through Plum Gut and get some first hand experience with the tides and currents at the tip of the Sound. If we make really great time (I'm not in any hurry, so talk me into it), we can anchor in Coecles Harbor at Shelter Island. Greenport is just around the corner and we can pop over the next day.

We will be based out of St. Thomas for the Winter Season Sample trips still under construction.

Cruising Passage

3 Day

From the more modern mecca of all things nautical, Newport, RI, we will work our way westward, and back in time, as we make our way to Mystic Seaport. We should arrive during the annual Wooden Boat Show (tickets included in your fee), and hopefully, we can pull right into the heart of the Seaport Museum and surround ourselves with hundreds of beautiful wooden boats and the Seaport's treasures.

But before we get to Mystic, I want to treat you to a day or two of painting and photography on Block Island. The place will be bustling with activity during late June. We will try to find a quiet nook with decent access to shore.

This Plein Air trip has a different origination and destination, but I hope you don't let that deter you from joining the adventure. I am happy to coordinate with each guest to either leave a vehicle at each town, or explore the Amtrak services between Mystic, CT and West Kingston, RI.

This trip provides some easy sailing across Penobscot Bay from Camden to North Haven via the Fox Island Thorofare. We will see if we can snag an anchorage in Carver Cove the first night, after kicking around North Haven. On Day 2, we can take the dinghy ashore and put some oil on canvas. After our morning session, we should have a nice easy sail across East Penobscot Bay to Southwest Harbor. I'll get you to shore to take a look around if you like, and have dinner ready when you get back. Day 3 is open for painting and relaxing around Southwest Harbor. Day 4 is all sailing - we should have a nice beam reach around the top of North Haven back to Camden.

Sample Trips