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.
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