Mattapoisett, MA

We are having fun on this trip returning to favorite places and visiting towns we’ve never been to before. Today, Thursday, September 5, we planned to cruise to nearby Mattapoisett. But because it’s so close we took the opportunity to spend a bit more time in Onset.  We took Archie in for a long walk through this attractive hamlet walking around the peninsula that is Onset.  Lining the waterfront was a narrow grassy park where Archie was gleefully able to run free.

We strolled the main drag with lots of lovely homes, many of them with gorgeous waterfront views. Onset is really a very pretty town.




  

Returning to Zendo, we pulled up anchor by noon passing these birds drying their wings.  

I brought our lunch up to the flybridge to eat while we were underway.   It was an outstanding day with sunny skies, calm seas and temperatures in the low seventies - perfect weather!  After a short 100 minute cruise we arrived in Mattapoisett’s large harbor that was filled with mostly sailboats. The harbor is exposed to the southeast which caused some fairly significant rocking and rolling.  Jonny had predicted that the wind would clock around to the east and northeast and indeed it did, calming the seas but not until 11 p.m.

Once we dropped the hook, the three of us climbed into the dinghy to explore Mattapoisett. This is a lovely historic town that profited from shipbuilding during its heyday. The shipbuilders here built the boat that Herman Melville sailed on that inspired him to write Moby Dick!

Andy’s daughter Samantha recommended that we have dinner at Turk’s Seafood Restaurant.  She had spent a lot of time in Mattapoisett because her maternal grandparents kept their sailboat here.  Turk’s is on the outskirts of town and we walked the mile and a half to be there for an early dinner. We were surprised to see how busy it was at 5:00 and we were pleased to see its extensive and creative menu offerings.  We ordered two appetizers (clams casino and a stuffed quahog)and shared a good sized entree  (Tuscan style haddock with escarole, cannellini  beans and cherry tomatoes). We were very satisfied with our meal. 

The walk home didn’t seem as long - as is usually the case and it was downhill! Plus we stopped for ice cream cones, the best ice cream we’ve had all summer!  We finished them just as we arrived at the dinghy dock.

Unfortunately, the dinghy ride back to Zendo was somewhat rough.  Since I was sitting on the windward side I got pretty wet. But Zendo was warm and cozy and we quickly settled in for the evening and tuned in to the new Netflix series with Nicole  Kidman called The Perfect Couple.  It immediately hooked us into watching three episodes of this Agatha Christie style murder mystery set among the ultra-rich on Nantucket. A real whodunit that I’m sure will keep us speculating until we finish the series. 

We head to Fairhaven next where we’ll be at a marina for two nights.  Joe and Pat Apicella will drive over from Falmouth and we’ll also visit with another couple who we met in Fairhaven a few years ago.