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Homepage
About Brec's Art
About Brec's Reports
List of Reports
E-mail Excerpts
Block Island Times articles
May
17, 2003-front page
May 17,
2003-full article
March 24,
2001
September
29, 2001
Homecoming Articles
AP Story-filed
5/17/03
New London Day
Links to friends
Link to SV Karma
(a companion vessel during much of Brec's Journey)
Contact Information
for Brec
brecmorgan@aol.com
for John Morgan
(Brother/Publisher/
Editor/Webmaster) brotherjohn@otternews.com
Phone for John Morgan
860-857-4936
Regular Mail:
c/o John R. Morgan
P. O. Box 1982
New London, Conn.
06320
E-mail Note:
Please use the following AOL account in the
event the e-mails are returned from the above addresses --
OtterNews@aol.com
| |
Block Island Return Weekend
May 16, 17, and 18
Brec is planning to arrive in Old Harbor and tie up at the dock in front of
Ballard's on Saturday, May 17th.
The ceremonial "Tossing of the 'Voyage-End Dock Lines'" at
Ballard's in Old Harbor is planned
for 1:00 p.m.
At that time, Brec will be welcomed home and Otter, after
over four and one-half years away from New England, will be made fast to the
dock by Brec's closest family.
Accordingly, Brec will toss the first of the four lines to his
wife, Sandy, followed by a line to his parents, John Brechin Morgan and Alice
Getchell Morris, followed by the third to his children, Laura and Scott, and the
fourth to his grandchildren, "little" Brechin, Tyler, and Eric.
For family members and friends planning on coming over, the
following information should be helpful.
For the weekend of May 16th, ferry service is available only
from Point Judith (Galilee), Rhode Island.
There is also air service from Westerly, Rhode Island every
hour on the half-hour from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. (see below)
For additional information throughout the week of May 12th, please call John Morgan at
860-389-0266. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday you may also reach John
Morgan and/or others at the Morgan Family Compound by calling 860-235-2526.
NOTE: Verizon owns the only tower on Block Island, so those of
you with cell phones on the Verizon system will have better reception than those
using other service providers.
Directions to the Ferry |
From Connecticut
(Approx. 30-35 miles/40-45 minutes from the State
Line)
|
The Scenic Coastal Route Option (a little faster if not rush
hour):
1--Take I-95 North to Connecticut Exit 92 (Rt. 2). At the bottom of the
ramp make a right turn. Follow that until you hit Rt. 78.
2--Take Rt. 78 until it ends at Rt. 1.
3--Make left onto Rt. 1 North and follow that for 19 miles until the Pt.
Judith/Scarborough Beach Exit.
4--Follow the ramp to the right and at the second traffic light make a
right turn onto Rt. 108 South.
5--Follow Rt. 108 South until the sixth traffic light (you will see the
sign for Galilee/Block Island Ferry).
6--Make a right onto the Galilee Escape Rd. and follow until the end.
7--At the stop sign make a left onto Great Island Rd; the ferries are
approximately 200 yards down on the right hand side -- the regular Block
Island Ferry is first, then the High Speed Ferry. If you come to the
Ferry Wharf Fish Market you have gone too far and must loop back around
-- stay in the left lane and take a hard left after the regular left at
George's Restaurant.OR the Main Road
Route
1: Take I-95 into Rhode Island.
2: Approx. 8 miles from the state
line, take Exit 3A, Route 138 for Newport & Kingston.
3: Approx. 12 miles later, you will
be driving through the URI campus and come to the Route 108
intersection. You may
3a--take Route 108, South and follow the
signs for Point Judith and the Block Island Ferry (approx. 10 slow,
windy, picturesque miles), or
3b-- continue on Route 138 a few miles farther,
take Route 1,
South, and then take the Route 108 turnoff for Narragansett & Point
Judith (approx. 13 miles, sometimes faster; you can climb the viewing
tower across the intersection at Route 1 if you have time).
|
From Providence
(Approx. 35-40 miles/40-45 minutes from downtown)
|
1: Take I-95
South out of Providence.
2: Approx. 12 miles from Providence, take
the left-lanes fork for Exit 9, Route 4, South; approx. 12 miles
farther on, Route 4 morphs into Route 1, South.
3: Follow Route 1 approx. 8 miles to the Route 108 turnoff for Narragansett & Point
Judith. |
EVERYBODY -- Once on Route 108
(The Route 108/Route 1 intersection is about 5 miles from the ferry.)
|
4:
Follow all signs for the Block Island ferry. This will include a sharp
right turn onto a mile-long escape road/connector to Galilee, which is the name of the
commercial waterfront area of Point Judith.
5: At the end of the connector, take a
left into Galilee -- the ferry and ferry offices are about 1/4 mile down
on the right; parking is directly across the street . |
Parking Information |
Parking at Point Judith (Galilee) is available directly
across the street from the ferry dock at the Lighthouse Inn
or the Galilee Parking Company. Parking costs at both places are $10/day or any part
thereof, payable upon entering the lot. (Ouch!)
For comparison's sake, the round trip ferry cost for cars is about $52;
call 401-783-4613 for actual rates and reservation information. |
NOTE: |
Passengers do not need reservations, cars do. |
Regular Ferry Schedule
(55-60 minutes crossing
time)
Pt. Judith/Galilee to Old Harbor (Ballard's, Harborside
Inn, National Hotel & Town)
(Visit
www.BlockIslandFerry.com to confirm the following, or call
401-783-4613; OtterNews is not responsible for changes/errors.) |
Day
|
Leave Pt. Judith |
Leave Block Island |
Fri, Sat, and Sun |
9 & 11 a.m.
1, 3, 5, 7 p.m. |
8:15 & 11 a.m.
1, 3, 5, 7 p.m. |
Regular Ferry Passenger Fares
|
Same-Day Round Trip
|
Different-Day Round
Trip
|
Adult --------$13.65 |
Adult --------$16.45 |
Seniors (65+)--$12.70 |
Seniors (65+)--$15.45 |
Under 12 -----$ 6.40 |
Under 12 -----$ 8.10 |
|
One-Way Fares |
|
Bikes: $2.25 each way
|
Adult --------$8.30 |
|
|
Seniors (65+)--$7.80 |
|
|
Under 12 -----$4.05 |
|
|
|
High-Speed Ferry Schedule (30 minutes crossing time)
Pt. Judith/Galilee to New Harbor (Payne's Dock
& Great Salt Pond yacht basin -
approx. 3/4 mile from town)
(Visit
http://www.islandhighspeedferry.com/ to confirm the following, or call
877-733-9425; OtterNews is not responsible for changes/errors.) |
Day
|
Leave Pt. Judith |
Leave Block Island |
Fri, Sat, and Sun |
8:30 & 10:30 a.m.
12:30, 3:30, 5:30 p.m. |
9:30 & 11:30 a.m.
1:30, 4:30, 6:30 p.m. |
Friday only |
also 7:30 p.m. |
also 8:30 p.m. |
High-Speed Ferry Passenger Fares
|
Rates |
Adults |
Children (4-12) |
Bikes |
One
Way |
$14 |
$8 |
$3 |
Round
Trip |
$26 |
$12 |
$6 |
|
Air Service (12 minutes
flying time)
(Visit
http://users.ids.net/flybi/nea/ to confirm the following, or call
800-243-2460; OtterNews is not responsible for changes/errors.) |
Day
|
Leave Westerly, RI |
Leave Block Island |
Fri, Sat, and Sun |
Every hour on the half-hour,
7:30 a.m. through 7:30 p.m. |
Every hour on the hour,
8:00 a.m. through 8:00 p.m. |
Exceptions |
Friday: also flies at 8:30 p.m. |
Sunday: 1st flight at 9:00 a.m. |
New England Airlines Passenger Fares
|
Rates |
Regular |
Seniors |
One
Way |
$45 |
$39 |
Round
Trip |
$76 |
$68 |
|
(FYI: Westerly is on the coast just over the Rhode Island line from
Stonington, Conn.-- follow the top-most directions to Route 1, the airport
is to the right at the intersection.)
Call 800-243-2460 to confirm the above info and/or make reservations,
get directions, and ask about parking -- I've heard it may be free!
The Westerly airport regular number is 401-596-2460; the Block Island
airport regular number is 401-466-5881. |
Lodging
|
Brother John strongly recommends that you call
800-825-6254, tell Amber why you are calling, and ask for the best ocean-view room left in the Harborside Inn.
It will cost you about $111 for a room, total,
per night (double occupancy), is directly across the street from the
Old Harbor ferry landing, and does not have a two-night minimum stay for this
particular weekend.
The Harborside has a superior view of Ballard's dock and Otter, and
is an easy 12-minute walk to the Morgan "family compound" at the Bellevue
House on High Street.
You may also go to www.BlockIslandHotel.com
to get a feel for other options, including bed and breakfast
accommodations. |
Directions to the Morgan "Family
Compound" at the Bellevue House on High Street [contact phone
numbers 860-235-2526 and 860-389-0266] |
By taxi: Find a taxi at the ferry landing -- look toward the Harborside
Inn and just off to the right -- and ask for the Bellevue House. The fare
will be $5 for the first passenger and $1 per passenger after that. By
foot: As you come off the ferry, head toward the Harborside until you get
to the main street. Go
left. At the end of the block there is a traffic circle. Bear right onto
High Street. Approximately one-quarter mile on the right will be the
Bellevue House, which is a compound comprised of several houses and
cottages. If you can't figure it out from there, well . . . |
Head-count Heads-up for us ---
To help us get a better idea of who, when, and how many people are
planning to come, please e-mail a quick FYI note to me at brotherjohn@otternews.com
--Thanks! |
|