Onset, MA

We expected to have a long cruising day on Wednesday, September 4 as we traveled from Gloucester to Onset, MA.  As usual,  Jonny took Archie in to shore where he was able to stop at the local Walgreen’s.  We left Gloucester by 8:10 and traveled all day in wonderfully calm seas. It truly was a glorious day, sunny with temperatures in the low 70’s. For a good part of the day we were 10 miles off shore with only a few boats passing us by.

I was deeply into reading The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi which I highly recommend!

As we neared our destination we went through the 17 mile long Cape Cod Canal passing under several bridges. The Cape Cod Canal is an artificial waterway that connects Cape Cod Bay in the north to Buzzards Bay in the south.  It’s also a part of the Intracoastal Waterway, bits and pieces of which  extend all the way to Miami and through to Texas!

We finally reached Onset’s large harbor by 4:20 but it it had been such a beautiful day that the eight hour cruise was not at all arduous.

Onset is a village within the town of Wareham.  We have been here a couple of times before as it’s a very convenient and friendly place for boaters traveling in the area. It was developed in the 1880’s as a summer camp meeting place for spiritualists.  Many of the cottages were built as second homes for people from nearby Boston, Taunton and surrounding towns.  It’s now an attractive vacation destination for families because of its many protected beaches and small village vibe.

Shortly after we arrived, we dinghied in to the dinghy dock for a quick walk with Archie. But primarily we were interested to go to the nearby Quahog Republic for their stuffies (stuffed clams) and beers on their outdoor deck overlooking the harbor.  And that’s exactly what we did while discussing whether it was time to think about selling Zendo and perhaps looking for another boat. A fascination for Jonny and a little stressful for me!  This has been an ongoing discussion for us, so stay tuned to learn about the outcome, though I can assure you it isn’t imminent!

That evening we had the fresh corn on the cob we had purchased at a farm stand in Ipswich along with the leftover Portugese haddock and a tossed salad. We watched a very entertaining British movie called Dirty Little Letters with Olivia Coleman which was laugh out loud funny!

Tomorrow’s stop will be nearby Mattspoisett, MA.