Gloucester, MA

The seas were like glass when we made our way from Plymouth to Gloucester on Thursday, July 28. We left early at 6:30 after Jonny took Archie for a long walk all the way over to Plymouth Rock. It was a beautiful day to travel - sunny, warm and perfect. Glory Days travels at a faster speed than us so they pulled out ahead.

We made it to Gloucester by 12:50 and tied up to a mooring ball in the busy harbor. We had a never been to Gloucester and we wanted to check it out. It is very much a working harbor, like New Bedford but not as large.   We moored next to some  industrial style boats, not the prettiest location from one direction but quite acceptable from another.

We hung out on board that afternoon except for taking Archie for a short walk.

That evening Mary and Scott Coles, who we know from MTOA and who live in the area, joined us onboard Joe and Pat’s Glory Days for cocktails. We had asked to get together with them so they could share their local knowledge about cruising the Maine coast.  Also, they will be going with our group on the cruise to the San Juan Islands in Washington.  Afterwards, we all went to a local Portuguese restaurant called Azorian. It was an enjoyable evening.  We learned that there are a lot of Portuguese and Italians in Gloucester and it just so happens Mary’s background reflects that. (We didn’t realize that we had been photo-bombed until much later!)

The next morning was filled with boat chores and then we joined Joe and Pat to explore the city of Gloucester. We took the dinghy to a different dinghy dock to tie up for the afternoon. We walked along the coastline where there was a narrow beach and a long attractive parkland with beautiful beds of color coordinated flowers. Across the street and facing the shoreline are beautiful old homes all of which were well maintained.

We visited the famous Fisherman’s Memorial which commemorates the lives of the fishermen who lost their lives to the sea.  Further down was another monument, this one honoring the women who were left behind.

As we walked up the hill into town we were getting hungry and unfortunately chose the first place we came to. It was a very casual place that advertised lobster rolls but once inside we thought better of it and ordered something else. The food was not good!  Joe and I actually had to send back the fish from our fish and chips because it was so dry. We will be much more careful about where we eat in the future!

After lunch we walked through a lovely historic district.  There was a statue of a Loch Ness type creature that purportedly lives in the harbor! We also visited the Cape Ann Museum which was very interesting. It had a large collection of art from the Cape Ann peninsula which has a long history of being an artists community.  In addition, there were exhibits about Gloucester’s fishing industry. We spent a couple of hours there and quite enjoyed it.

By then we were all ready to be back on board our respective boats. We spent the rest of the afternoon reading and relaxing and having a light dinner. The next day we were bound for our first visit to Portsmouth, NH.

Plymouth, MA

We got a particularly early start on Wednesday, July 27 leaving at 6 a.m. bound for historic Plymouth.  Joe and Pat, whose boat is faster than ours, led the way. We traveled against the strong current in Wood’s Hole that slowed us down to 3 knots. Then we crossed Buzzard’s Bay to the Cape Cod Canal. The weather was spectacular!

Archie was very happy with the calm seas which didn’t disturb his sleep! We had a favorable current up until the last mile where we proceeded along the south shore to the long channel that leads to Plymouth Harbor.

We arrived by 1:30 and tied up to a mooring. The moorings in this part of the world are not inexpensive ($67.50 a night) but that includes a launch and a pump-out. What was unusual for us was that we didn’t need to be onboard when the pump-out boat came by. We had already had lunch while underway, so as soon as we tied up to the mooring we called the launch to go in and start exploring the town.  Neither of us had ever been to Plymouth so we wanted to see the key sights including Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower. The town is very old (obviously) and quaint, but it is more touristy than any of the other towns we’ve visited thus far.

As we strolled through town we met up with Joe, Pat, and Pat’s college roommate, Jan, who just happened to be in town.  Pat and Jan are retired teachers and were quite knowledgeable about the history of the area so we traipsed along with them soaking up the lore. We visited Plymouth Rock which is less than impressive. It was surrounded by a structure with columns that look like a Greek temple. I couldn’t even get a good photo of it because of the light reflecting off of the glass.  We then walked through the site of the Pilgrims’ first encampment and the nearby river which is a now a lovely park. An old grist mill was next to the river as was a local pub where we stopped for a beer.

After that, Jonny, Archie and I walked over to tour the restored Mayflower II which was very interesting.  The ship was staffed by knowledgeable sailors who explained to us what life must have been like for those who made that fateful journey. One hundred and three people and 25 crew members traveled for 66 days on this 106 foot ship in the North Atlantic in anything but comfortable conditions. It was amazing that only two people died during the journey. They first landed in what is now Provincetown but after a couple of months found their way to the more protected harbor of Plymouth.  Unfortunately by the next winter, half of the Pilgims had fallen ill and died. It was quite an informative visit.

We took the launch back to Zendo where we had a quiet night with a simple dinner of salmon with zucchini and red peppers.  Jonny was exhausted and went to bed early and I did my usual combo of watching yet another episode of Grey’s Anatomy and reading my current book, The Glass Castle.  The next day we are headed for Gloucester.

Falmouth, MA

On Wednesday, July 20 we left Fairhaven at 8:15 bound for Falmouth, MA.  It was a beautiful clear day as we headed to the base of Cape Cod.  We were bound for the home of our friends Joe and Pat Apicella who had kindly offered us to stay at a mooring by their home for several day since we would be flying to Philadelphia for big doings at Stephanie and Ryan’s. We passed interesting lines of oyster beds and some beautiful, traditional New England houses as we approached their home.

We arrived in Falmouth by 4 pm and tied up to Joe and Pat’s boat. They have a lovely home on a very protected inlet off of Vineyard Sound.  Their home is beautiful and they make good use of their waterfront property with three boats at their dock as well as several kayaks. 

That evening we took them to Pat’s favorite French restaurant, Bleu and started to discuss a plan for cruising up to Maine together.

The next day Joe took Jonny and me clamming. We had so much fun! We dug a whole bushel of quahogs in a serene tidal area.

Afterwards, Joe and Pat drove us all through the beautiful town of Falmouth and the surrounding area.  We walked up to a lighthouse and out to a point along the water. It’s really a wonderful place to live - charming and historic.

That evening Joe made a delicious dinner of spaghetti with clam sauce from the clams we had dug up earlier in the day.

The next day Joe drove us to the bus station in Falmouth so we could take the bus to Logan Airport to fly to Philadelphia.  I liked the looks of this gentleman waiting for another bus.

As is often the case these days, our flight was delayed a couple of hours but we eventually made it to Philly in time to meet Ryan’s family at the Sardine Bar which is close to their home. The plan that Ryan had concocted was for us to stay and wait there while he asked Stephanie for her hand in marriage minutes before her best girlfriend, Amanda and her husband (also Ryan) arrived from Pittsburgh. The plan worked! Stephanie called me as soon as he asked her and I pretended to have a bad connection while our group rushed to their home and rang the bell. Stephanie was properly surprised and we celebrated with several bottles of champagne. What a happy event!  Afterwards we all had dinner at Mercato’s, one of Stephanie’s favorite restaurants.  The celebrants included Ryan’s parents Kerry and Tim, Kerry’s sister Tara and her husband Ray, Ryan’s twin sister Shannon and her boyfriend Andrew, Amanda and her Ryan and of course, Jonny and me. We had lots of fun sharing how much each of us knew or didn’t know about what was going on and for how long.  Stephanie and Ryan were beaming!

The next day they invited their friends to drop by for an open house and barbecue so in the morning, Stephanie, Amanda, Jonny, the two Ryans and I went shopping and brought back food for the open house.  All afternoon their friends stopped by to congratulate them.  It was such fun celebrating with everyone and just being together!

On Sunday we all had to leave but before doing so we went to breakfast at a local eatery and started talking about wedding plans.  Jonny and I got an Uber to the airport where once again our flight was delayed going back to Boston,  But we made it back to Falmouth eventually where Joe picked us up at the charming local bus station.  We had moved Zendo to a mooring ball so we rowed back to the boat and reveled in the success of the weekend.

The next day was very windy and Joe’s boat needed some repairs so we decided to delay our departure by a day or so. Pat and I went shopping at Talbots, where they were having a big sale and also to the grocery where we stocked up for our upcoming cruise. That night we all ate together and had chicken and ravioli with homemade pesto for dinner - delicious!

On Tuesday Jonny and Joe brought Joe’s boat to a local boatyard for some last minute repairs.  I had my Spanish lesson and prepared for our departure by defrosting the freezer and giving Archie a bath.  I finally got around to rowing the dinghy since that was the only way I could bring Archie in for a walk. I’ll get the hang of it yet!  

The last night in Falmouth we grabbed a quick dinner at a local Thai restaurant and got ready for an early departure the next morning when we head for Plymouth, MA.