We took off at 7:25 for Gloucester. It was a sunny day but the ocean was quite rough due to a strong north wind. I almost fell off the bench seat on the flybridge a couple of times because of the rocky seas. So it was a big relief when we entered the large harbor in Gloucester and headed for our mooring there, the same mooring field we used on our way north earlier this season. Our plan was to spend the day with Scott and Mary Cole who had graciously offered to give us a tour of Cape Ann where they have lived for many years in Ipswich.
They picked us up by 1:00 and we headed out to explore this beautiful, historic peninsula with its many small towns and villages. Mary drove us by the famous blue lobster mural in Gloucester and the waterfront that we had walked along last time we were here.
She brought us to the amazing Hammond Castle Museum in Gloucester, a true castle built in the 1920’s by John Jay Hammond, Jr. who was an American inventor known for pioneering the development of the electronic remote control. We walked around the grounds which are just beautiful as is the exterior of the castle itself.
Mary drove us through Manchester by the Sea with its beautiful old homes and pretty little town center. It was here that we stopped at the harbor and walked along the town docks. The harbor was filled with small boats and we chatted with the harbormaster who described the improvements that the town is making to its harbor including extending the docks, installing power pedestals, etc. We will definitely add this to our stops in the future because it is so attractive and protected and just a block from the town center with its array of restaurants and shops.
From there Mary drove us through Essex, another very attractive town, then through the larger town of Beverly. And when we arrived in Ipswich we stopped at the iconic Clam Box where we got an order of their delicious fried clams to share on the picnic table outside.
Ipswich is also where Mary and Scott have lived for many years. Scott told us that Ipswich has the greatest concentration of historic homes in the country, Throughout our day we saw so many colorful and very well maintained homes with plaques designating their age from the early 1600’s to the 1800’s.
We arrived at Scott and Mary’s lovely waterfront home by late afternoon. The view of the Ipswich clam flats from their back yard was stunning and went on for miles. Scott was rightly proud of the home that he designed and built. They are truly fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of the country. They, like us, spend half the year living on their boat but they do so in the winter and in the Bahamas. In the summer they are at their home in Ipswich and a place they have in New Hampshire as well.
That evening we all went for dinner back in Gloucester at a popular restaurant called Lobsta Land. We couldn’t believe how busy it was on a Tuesday but we didn’t have to wait long for our table. We had a very good dinner of fish chowder, Portuguese style clams and a Portuguese style haddock. There are a lot of Portuguese people in this area! Everything was first rate!
By the time they drove us back to the pier, it was 8:30. What a wonderful day we had with Scott and Mary and we so appreciated their sharing their lovely corner of the world with us!
We headed back to Zendo in the dark, fed Archie a late dinner and made an early night of it. Next stop, Onset, MA.
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