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Summer Land

Four seaside towns, one perfect season.

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Vibe: Havaianas and surfboards by day, LBDs and Victorian hotel lounges by night.
Famous for: Being one of the Nature Conservancy’s Last Great Places.
Photo Op: Sandy Point with the North Light in the background.
Don’t leave without: Drinking a mudslide.
Best-kept secret: Sunset from the porch of the Narragansett Inn.
 

The Ridiculously Scenic Hike

Moderately strenuous. Two to three hours. Good shoes essential.

Get to Mansion Beach (the turn-off is on the right as you head north on Corn Neck Road, marked by a tall square post) and park in the ruins of the old mansion. Walk the quarter mile down to the beach. To the right, Crescent Beach arcs down to the hazy buildings of town, with the low box of the State Beach House the only break in the rhythm of bluffs and dunes.

To the left, high cliffs spring from a shoreline that abruptly turns from sand to pebbles. There’s a sandy path snaking through the rocks: Follow it around Jerry’s Point, where the surfers, bobbing in the distance, are waiting to catch a long left break. Here’s the sandy cove of Clayhead Beach, with big boulders rising out of the surf, the beach bisected by a small stream flowing down from the inland lowlands.

Trace the stream’s path upward through the dune grass, and suddenly the wide swing of Clayhead Trail appears, climbing steeply up to the right through bayberry and bramble. Every fifty feet or so, the trail touches the cliff and there’s a breathtaking view — the Atlantic more blue and the waves more orderly the higher you climb. Newport Bridge coalesces in the distance, while the hum of insects in the hot, tangled vegetation sounds ever louder.
 
The Maze, as this area is known, proffers side trails and turn-offs, tangents that tantalize with the sensation of being lost. Take some, or stick to the cliff path for a more predictable course. Eventually, you will fetch out at the northern tip of Corn Neck Road, Sachem Pond opposite you, the North Light in the distance. Turn away from the old lighthouse and head south down the grassy verge of the road, past the stile to the Labyrinth and the ducks on the side of the road until you reach the mansion turn-off. Down the dirt road, your car awaits you. 
—Pippa Jack
 

Block Island to Go

The vacation’s over, but don’t lose that lovin’ feeling.

No, you can’t afford to linger at the beach all year. And even if you could, trust us, you’re almost certainly not equipped for a Block Island winter.

But you can extend the vacation with these tips from Becky Domski, owner, with her husband, of 234 Water Gallery and Gift Store.

♦ Learn a new sport. The Block Island Club teaches rank amateurs to sail and play tennis, two essential New England summer skills for which we, at least, could use plenty of pointers (Corn Neck Road, 466-5939, blockislandclub.org).

♦ Frame your photos. The Mohegan Bluff stairs, two lighthouses, any beach, any porch. Print and frame your favorites at Photo Dog (under the National Hotel, Water Street, 466-5858, biphotodog.com).

♦ Beachcomb. You’re not allowed to remove those smooth beach rocks, but the odd shell or bit of beach glass is fine. They’ll make sunny Christmas tree ornaments to remind you of warmer days.

♦ Sweeten up. Littlefield Bee Farm honey is produced on the island from bees that enjoy an all-wildflower, pesticide-free diet. Buy it at Block Island Depot (Ocean Avenue, 466-2403) or, once you’re home, from blockislandhoney.com.

♦ Send a card. Hand-painted cards by Dotty Hesse Doar are simple, sweetly evocative images of classic island scenes. Send one to everyone you know, and bring some home to keep for yourself. (234 Water Street, 466-8600, 234water.com)
 

Eat, Drink, Do, Love

An island cheat sheet

EAT: Breakfast burrito, Froozies Juice Bar and Café (back porch of the National Hotel, Dodge Street); Fresh tuna sandwich, Rebecca’s Seafood Takeout (435 Water Street); Lobster BLT, Spring House Hotel (52 Spring Street).

DRINK: Hawaiian shaved ice, Juice ’n Java (235 Dodge Street); Block Island Blackberry cocktail, Hotel Manisses (5 Spring Street).

DO: Beach bonfire (permit required; call police dept; 466-3220) and body surfing at Mansion Beach (Corn Neck Road).

LOVE: Farmers’ Market, Wednesdays on Spring and High streets, Saturdays on Ocean and Beach avenues; top deck of the slow ferry to and from Galilee. (Interstate Navigation, blockislandferry.com)
 

Rent a Roof

Grab a few friends or a crowd — the more, the merrier on your bank account. A weekly rental lets you explore, lose track of what day it is and make your coffee the way you like it.

“Elwell”
Cormorant Cove
On a secluded cove in the Great Salt Pond, with a dock that’s great for lounging, snorkeling or inspecting the mussel and clam beds below. Locally famous fishing at the Channel is a five-minute walk away. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, satellite TV and Internet.
Sleeps: 6+
Price: $4,200/week

“Navas” 
Corn Neck Road
This tiny traditional summer cottage off a dirt road on the northwest side of the island is a fifteen-minute walk to popular Mansion Beach. Two bedrooms share one bath.
Sleeps: 4
Price: $1,350/week

“The Islander”
High Street
This big old Victorian offers plenty of space for sharing, and it’s walking distance to town and Ballard’s Beach. Five bedrooms, two baths.
Sleeps: 10
Price: $3,000/week

“AKA”
Corn Neck Road
Big decks, living space divided into two linked buildings (put the kids to bed on the other side!), large waterfront yard, and a recent reno. Plus, enough privacy to accommodate tan-line-free sunbathing.
Six bedrooms, three full and one half bath, all mod conveniences.
Sleeps: 12
Price: $6,500/week

All of the above rentals at: Block Island Realty, Corn Neck Road, 466-5887, birealty.com.
 

Captain Matt’s Perfect Day

Charter boat captain and cafe owner Matt King describes his ultimate summer day.

3:45 a.m. I pull on my shorts and hoodie while my two girls — longtime girlfriend and business partner, Kelly Walsh, and bird-hunting fanatic chocolate lab, Maise — continue sleeping, curled up with one another. I kiss them both and go fix myself an iced coffee just the way I like it: extra large, black, no sugar. I check the marine forecast every day. Today: winds light, skies clear, with a six-foot-period ocean swell.

The stars are bright as ever (there’s no light pollution here) as I head to the Hula Girl. Today I have a morning charter with a father and son who were willing to rise early to get a shot at a giant striped bass. The early worm catches the trophy fish.

5 a.m. They’re at the docks, big-eyed and full of questions. The eastern horizon starts to light up as we motor out of Old Harbor. I get a call on the radio from a familiar voice: “Hey, Hula Girl, you pickin’ me up?” It’s my good friend Pete Vican, state record holder for largest bass at 76.4 pounds. He clues me in that the bite is red hot underneath the Southeast Light. Conditions are good when we reach the lighthouse. We make quick work of getting eels down to the fish waiting below. In less than a minute, we have a fish on. Then another and another.
 
Heading back to the dock, I think how my dad took me fishing as a kid around southern Rhode Island. 

Noon: It’s time for some breakfast at Juice ’n Java, my and Kelly’s cafe, where I grab an acaii bowl with extra fruit and check the surf forecast again. The swell is expected to increase to eight foot. Sweet.

1 p.m. I carry my board to the boat, untie the dock lines, and I’m back on the water. I hit one of my favorite south-side point breaks, and for the next three hours enjoy a great session of overhead-size waves all to myself.

6 p.m. Since it’s my perfect day, it’s the week of the Block Island Music Festival. I head to Captain Nick’s for the six o’clock band. It’s semi-acoustic bluegrass, and all the usual suspects are there. I order a spicy tuna, avocado and crab roll from “Sushi Bob” inside. I have eaten sushi in Hawaii and Japan, and I still say he’s the man.

7 p.m. When I walk in the door at home, Kelly smiles and Maise wags her tail. We share the roll, an epic sunset in the backround, then take the dog for a beach walk. Kelly reminds me that the Booze Beggars are playing in a couple of hours, so we walk over to Eli’s Restaurant, where Rosemary pours me a tall vodka soda.

9 p.m. We can hear Steve Lighty’s guitar twanging as we cross the street; the vibe inside the club is electric.

11 p.m. With another charter in the morning, perfection ends back in bed, the fan on low and my two girls at my side.

Hulacharters, Old Harbor, 263-3474, hula charters.com.