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Rhode Island East to Marthas Vinyard and North to Salem
Watch Hill, RI: This is in Little Narragansett Bay and is accessible by leaving the bifurcation marker at Stonington to port and following the channel around Sandy Point to starboard. The channel is narrow and shallow. There's a yacht club with first-come, first-served moorings just outside the cove at the far south end of the bay and municipal docks (no facilities) inside. A large restaurant with porch seating overlooks the harbor from the east; dine there on a Wednesday evening when the club races their classic one designs.
Pt. Judith: A great place to duck into when the weather closes in or if you run into fog. There are a number of marinas and moorings in Galilee and Point Judith Pond. The Pond is a good hurricane hole.
Wickford (North Kingston), RI: On the west shore of the real Narragansett Bay, far from the madding crowds of Newport. Sail up the west side of Conanicut Island. There's a hospitable club there, and up the channel to port after clearing the breakwaters are the Wickford Shipyard and Brewer's. The Shipyard has a nice pool, but don't let them put you in a shallow slip. Call the Carriage House and Mike, the owner (or somebody), will come and get you and then bring you back after a great meal. The village features 17th and 18th century homes.
Newport: If you must have madding crowds, the Newport Yachting Center is a BOAT/US discount marina, but even then it's not cheap. However, it is at the epicenter of this sailboat Mecca, and such notables as Shamrock dock there. Some of the better restaurants are the little ones on America's Cup Avenue south of the main part of town.
New Bedford YC: NBYC is in South Dartmouth, MA on the west shore of Buzzards Bay, not New Bedford itself. (South Dartmouth is Padanaram to the locals.) The club is on the north shore of the harbor, right next door to the Concordia boat works. Good food at the club, especially the steamship roast on Friday evenings. There's a good breakfast place in town.
The South Shore: From Padanaram, you can go up Buzzards to the Cape Cod Canal or through Woods Hole or Quicks Hole to the Vineyard. If you're looking to go through Woods Hole but are early for the current, pull over and anchor in Hadley Harbor. Transiting the Canal and "The Holes" requires the same kind of planning as the East River and Plum Gut because the currents run up to six knots. If you wind up at the east end of the canal in the late afternoon, stay at the little harbor of refuge there and go to the restaurant across the road. The Sandwich shopping center is just up the road. From the canal, you can go to Situiate, Plymouth, press on to the Constitution Marina in Boston, or head over to Provincetown. A walking tip for the Constitution Marina: there's a shortcut that goes across the Charles River lock gates and puts you right in the Italian restaurant section of the north end. Don't plan on leaving Boston early in the morning--even if there's no fog in the harbor, there will be in the Roads.
The North Shore: East of Boston, Salem is the place to go. Nice marina, and the restaurant at the Peabody museum serves a great lunch (but check out the extensive maritime collection anyway).
Marthas Vineyard: The Vineyard is actually a county of the Commonwealth. It's "dry," but you can bring your own bottle to restaurants. There's an expensive marina in Vineyard Haven. Oak Bluffs and Edgertown are other destinations.
Cruising - East along the Connecticut Shore
Cruising - Block Island
Cruising - Between the Long Island's Forks - Gardners Bay Including Greenport, Shelter Island and Montauk
Cruising - West Along the North Shore of Long Island
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