Friday, 1 August
A schooner heels to the wind beating across the Sound.
There was some bias aboard, based not in fact admittedly, that Edgartown might be a bit too chi-chi for the crew of Steadfast. But when asked about harbors on Martha’s Vineyard, Tony had urged, “definitely Edgartown,” so why not give it a try?
It’s a short ten-mile run from Vineyard Haven which, on the first Friday morning of August, is good. This is peak season for sailing in New England and harbors fill early in the day on weekends. And by golly, when Steadfast motored into the inner harbor in Edgartown, she snagged one of the last couple of town moorings still available at 1045.
Edgartown Light stands on the north side of the narrow entrance.
A ten-knot southerly coaxed a number of other boats out of harbor including a handsome schooner (tall ship #9) seen beating toward Oak Bluff. Once past the white cast iron light tower on the beach at Starbuck Neck, a turn to port reveals a long narrow harbor running north-south to Katama Bay, Chappaquiddick Island forming its east shore. There’s plenty of depth, plenty of swinging room (unlike Vineyard Haven), and plenty to do ashore. The latter assumes that one understands this is an island, where everything here arrives by boat; ergo, nothing is cheap (a ten-pound bag of ice, for instance, is six bucks!). Add to that the fact that shops and restaurants cater to a “fashionable” clientele and a sailor’s wallet could slim down in a hurry.
Edgartown YC has a splendid view of the harbor.
Still, it doesn’t cost anything to stroll the brick sidewalks that run along narrow streets with all-American names like Water, Winter, Summer, School, Church and Main. This was the first settlement on Martha’s Vineyard, dating to 1642, but it really began to prosper when whaling and the China trade made huge fortunes in the first half of the 19th century. The captains and merchants built handsome white clapboard Federal-style homes with black shutters, many of which remain in great shape. Each typically is accented by a colorful cottage garden of roses, zinnia, hydrangea and more.
Daniel Fisher built a fortune on the whaling business that flourished here, then built this house in 1840.
The harbor’s not too narrow for some sailing.
What Friday seemed a nice place to be became a haven on Saturday. An early sprinkle became a shower replaced by mid-morning with a steady, drenching rain. Boats now rock and swing to a rising easterly that chops up the harbor just a bit. Nothing like what one would imagine it’s like today on Nantucket Sound.
Yep. A good day to stay in harbor and Edgartown’s a good harbor to be in. Definitely!
Steadfast out.
At Sea with Steadfast 
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