I Havethe key. So how would I restore the coins? Would I need to set up a new wallet? I am so confused by all this. Do I need the original wallet in order to access my ripple coins?
Try this. First link is instructions on how to restore a lost wallet if you have an existing secret key. Yes, it does look like you will need to install a new wallet on a working computer, then use a restore wallet feature to sync your coins to this wallet. Also, because Ripple is highly centralized, it looks like Ripple allows you to recover your secret key by providing your info ... Second link.
A couple of links I found.
http://www.btcpedia.com/create-new-ripple-wallet-with-secret-key/https://id.ripple.com/auth/migrate