This next photo show how high the water rose during the hurricane of 1938!
We pulled up anchor by 11:05 bound for Fairhaven, MA and passed this large barge carrying what appeared to be a windmill lying on its side. We weren’t really sure what it was until we got confirmation of it when we arrived at our port.
As we neared New Bedford we passed Butler Flats Light. It has a spark plug design jutting right out of the water. The lighthouse is four stories high including living space. I can’t imagine living there since it has no land surrounding it.
We entered New Bedford’s large, well-protected harbor by 12:40 going through the rather narrow opening of the formidable breakwater. The gates of the breakwater are only closed when there is a very significant storm.
Once inside the harbor we went by Palmer’s Island Light. Here’s an amazing story I read about the lighthouse. During New England’s worst ever hurricane of 1938, the lighthouse keeper attempted to walk the 350 feet to light the lamp in the lighthouse, leaving his wife in the oil house on the highest point of the island. He was struck by a wave and managed to survive, but when he looked back he saw his wife getting ready to launch a row boat to come out to help him. He saw the boathouse struck by a wave and he lost sight of her. He was found inside the lighthouse the next day by neighbors but she did not survive and her body was washed up to shore in Fairhaven the next day. The lighthouse was determined to be unnecessary once the huge breakwater was built in 1963.
Arriving at the Acushnet River Safe Boating Club and home of the Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla, we tied up at our assigned berth on the face dock. Jeannie, one of the staff there, came by with a bag full of goodies. This is the first welcome bag we’ve received on this trip. Apparently, marinas are going through some cost cutting and not providing these anymore. Even more surprising (but maybe not) is that this marina is more like a coop. The members all have to fulfill certain functions and that is why the cost of membership and dockage is quite a bit lower than average. We stayed here a few years ago and met a wonderful couple named Jim and Dottie Mello who were very helpful to us when Jonny had a significant health issue causing him to be hospitalized. They gave us lots of good counsel, many rides back and forth to the hospital and were so helpful to us. We had originally connected with them through our friends Joe and Pat Apicella and the next day we were all going to spend the day together.
In the meantime we spent the rest of the day taking advantage of being at a marina with running water and electricity. Jonny cleaned Zendo on the outside while I cleaned the inside.
The next day Dottie and Jim came by to welcome us back and to lay out the plan for the day. That included meeting Joe and Pat at one of Joe’s favorite haunts called Knucklehead’s, a biker bar in New Bedford with great food. Joe had been extolling the merits of the fish and chips at Knucklehead’s for good reason. They were delicious. Jim and Dottie wanted to take us on a sightseeing tour of the area followed by dinner at an Italian restaurant. And that’s exactly what we did.
We drove through some attractive parts of New Bedford and headed to nearby Dartmouth. Jonny’s brother Andy used to work in Dartmouth and he has always told us how beautiful it is. We have to agree and we particularly enjoyed walking through the village of Pandanaram with its lovely shops and waterside ambiance. I was able to find an old-fashioned nutcracker used to crack open lobsters along with the accompanying picks. We’ll keep it onboard for next season.
On the way back to the marina Joe and Pat brought us to the incredible Market Basket grocery store which is popular in this area. The store has a huge selection of all the groceries one could need at amazingly low prices. Of course we ended up buying more than we needed so we’ll be in good shape for a while.
That evening the six of us had cocktails on Dottie and Jim’s boat. Afterwards, we all went to dinner at Bocca, a very popular Italian restaurant in New Bedford and a good time was had by all! We encountered the last bit of a rainstorm as we left the restaurant and we were lucky to have missed it because apparently it poured for awhile.
The next day we debated leaving but finally decided to stay one more day. It’s so easy and convenient staying at a marina where we have access to all the services (water, electric, etc.) and don’t have to use the dinghy three times a day to take Archie in to shore. We also love the town of Fairhaven. Historically, it was a shipbuilding center in the 1700’s as well as a whaling center along with New Bedford. And the first battle of the Revolutionary War was fought off its shores. Interestingly, FDR is a descendant of the Delano family of Fairhaven and he visited often in his youth. Now Fairhaven mostly serves recreational and commercial boaters. One of its most influential sons, Henry Huttleson Rogers, a Standard Oil millionaire, grew up here in this modest house just a couple of blocks from the marina.
He went on to fund the construction of some of the exquisite public buildings that Fairhaven is known for. They are all nestled within a few blocks of each other and just a short walk from the marina. The first photo is of the town hall that was financed by Rogers as a gift to the town from his first wife, Abbie.
This next photo is of the Millicent Library, named for Rogers’ daughter. I learned this little story from the Fairhaven Visitor’s Guide. Mark Twain, who was a friend of Rogers, was in town to dedicate the town hall across the street and afterwards visited the library. Later, he sent the library an autographed set of his books commenting “They are not instructive but I feel sure you will like the bindings.”
This amazing building was and continues to be the Fairhaven High School. It sure doesn’t look anything like the high school I went to!
And finally, did you ever see a Unitarian Universalist Church as ornate as this one is?
After our walk and Archie’s chance to run off leash to chase squirrels, we had a mostly lazy Sunday afternoon. We invited Jim and Dottie for cocktails on this, our last evening in Fairhaven. Afterwards, the four of us went out for a simple, but substantial, dinner at Mike’s, a casual favorite of theirs. We would be leaving early the next morning for an anchorage in Rhode Island. Once again, we had a wonderful time in the fair haven of Fairhaven!
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