Fun and Friends in New England

The beginning of this adventure took us to Newport, Rhode Island and Hull, Massachusetts. We went to Newport to see a presentation by sailor Cole Brauer and explore the area. We then moved on to Hull for a get together with the Hands in Outreach (HIO) directors and sponsors we met in Nepal. The weather transitioned from rainy to sunny while we were there and we had an amazing visit.

Newport, Rhode Island

Cole Brauer Meet and Greet, + Her Parents

We set the start of this trip to see a presentation by Cole Brauer in Bristol, Rhode Island. Cole Brauer is the first American woman to race solo, nonstop around the world. (Fewer than 200 people have ever done this.) We were following her journey closely as we were progressing through our sailing training. On the same day as her presentation we walked by the sailing store, Team One, near our AirBnB in Newport and saw, just by chance, they were holding a meet and greet with Cole that afternoon. So we decided to stop by and we got to talk to her and her parents! Then later that same day we saw her presentation in Bristol with several hundred people in attendance. It is a very inspiring story well told in this article “How Cole Brauer Captured The World.”

Exploring Beautiful Newport

The Breakers

There are many beautiful mansions in Newport that were built by wealthy New Yorkers to escape the heat of the city during the summer. It is amazing that these homes were only used two months out of the year and took up to 40 servants to run. The Breakers was built by the Vanderbilts in the late 1800s and is one of the most ornate mansions that can be toured. Some of the scenes from HBOs “The Guilded Age” were filmed there.

The Elms

Modeled after a French Chateau, The Elms was completed in the early 1900s for the coal baron Edward Julius Berwind. In addition to visiting the mansion we took the “Servant Life Tour” and got a more detailed look at how the people who worked at these mansions lived. The servants bedrooms were quite spacious to attract the best help. The building has a railway tunnel connecting the delivery driveway to the basement so coal could easily be hauled to the furnaces without the guests noticing. It was very interesting.

Topiary Garden

Outside of Newport is the Green Animals Topiary Garden that was started in the 1860s. It is fun to wander around and look at the over 80 topiaries around the property.

Blithewold Mansion

Blithewold Mansion is in the town of Bristol north of Newport. It sits on 33 acres and is fun to tour. There are amazing views of the bay. It’s a much more “homey” estate than the opulent Breakers and Elms mansions.

Around Newport

We enjoyed the Cliff Walk (seaside along all the massive mansions) and seeing the sites around Newport. We also took a tour of Fort Adams, which includes exploring some of the tunnels underneath the fortifications.

Ghost Tour

We try to take evening mystery tours in cities where we visit. They often provide a different perspective on the official history the city wants told. In Newport we took the Ghost Tour, which honestly was not one of the better ones we have taken (Bath, Stockholm, and Boston rank up at the top). But the guide was very excited about a picture we took (on the right) at a haunted theater. Is that a ghost at the top of the stairs looking at us?

America’s Cup 12 Meter Racing Boat Sailing

We sailed around Newport Harbor on the 12 meter America’s Cup racing yacht named Heritage. There was strong wind so we got a great ride. We were lucky to be back in the cockpit with the captain, the folks riding on the front got soaked by the cold, choppy waves.

Hull, Massachusetts

We stayed with friends Michelle and Greg in Hull, which is just south of Boston. They have a beautiful house with great views overlooking Doctor’s Island. It was fun exploring the beaches, trails, and town.

Doctor’s Island Brewery

They own Doctor’s Island Brewing Company (named after the island in upper-right picture that their family has owned for generations) and we happened to be there when they were brewing a couple batches of beer. It was fun to watch the process and sample the wide variety of tasty beers!

Hands In Outreach Party

The primary reason we were in Hull was a gathering of the Hands in Outreach (HIO) sponsors group that we met in Nepal last November. Mamata (yellow shirt), Ram (black shirt), and Kalpana (purple dress) were visiting from Nepal which meant we had almost the entire group there! Michelle (on the left) hosted it at her house. We had a great time eating grilled pizza and reconnecting with everyone.

The Journey Continues!!

After leaving Hull we had an overnight in Newark before we flew to Antigua, so we visited friends, Cal and Vicky, at their home on Lake Hopatcong. It was great to catch up, we had not seen them since their wedding in Costa Rica in 2017.

We certainly had a great start to this trip and have had lots of fun. More to come!!