Who Knew?

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Well, we learned it wasn't Plymouth Rock that the 1620 Pilgrims first landed upon. It was the end of Cape Cod, called Long Point. So Provincetown claims the fame of the first landfall of the Pilgrims and the signing of the Mayflower Compact in Provincetown Harbor. In 2020, Provincetown will celebrate the 400th anniversary of this monumental event in our nation's memory. But, this ignores the Jamestown folks in 1607 (Marvin's 9th great-grandparents) and Roanoke's Lost Colony in 1587, not to mention the earlier Spanish forays into Florida or the Vikings' much earlier ventures to the Maritime Provinces. None-the-less this point of pride in the national myth, that the native folks needed discovering by Europeans to know where they were, belongs to Provincetown.



Between 1907 and 1910 the town erected a large granite stone tower to prove it. We could see this tower from more than 12 miles out to sea.

We spent Sunday at Provincetown Marina sitting out the windy weather before our planned crossing of Cape Cod Bay to the Cape Cod Canal. Our trip from Gloucester to the tip of Cape Cod was enough rough water for us.

At the dock, Lee continued her fascination with the common eiders that congregated in the empty boat slip next to ours. They would peck at the mussels on the dock floats and act more like dabbling ducks than divers. Some were drab juveniles and females, but a few were coming out in wonderful black and white plumage.



We are in P-town at the end of Carnival Festival, celebrating Provincetown's open acceptance of the LGBTQ community. The streets are filled with same-sex couples reveling in the festivities. Apparently this community has a long history of being gay-friendly.






The Provincetown Brewery even donates part of its profits to an organization devoted to helping folks escape from non-welcoming communities and relocate to Provincetown.







We love whales!
Pilgrim's Monument from our boat slip in the marina




tile mosaic


We toured art galleries and gift shops, reminiscent of Key West. But, unlike Key West that is hot year-round, P-town was warm in the sunshine, out of the wind, and chilly in the shade, when the breeze blows.








As we walked off the main drag we found a house that was festooned with ornamentia.

Lee wants this moon gate.






Meeting a friendly waitress at Babbalu's, one of the many restaurants on Commercial St, we learned of a local beach party at Herring Cove Beach, part of Cape Cod National Seashore. Every Sunday in the summer the Friends of the Seashore and Far Land on the Beach, the Park Service's concessionaire, host a jam and bonfire that is mostly attended by a regular local audience.



Beach Music


Armed with jackets and foul-weather gear, because it looked like rain and was cold with the wind blowing, we took the low-cost Beach Shuttle to Herring Cove to enjoy the concert. With great food and a four piece combo we sat and listened to the Catie Flynn Band. They played a range of cover tunes in two sets. Then, just before sunset, the bonfire was lighted for the soirée to continue into the night.








Today we were set for a ride downwind to Cuttyhunk Island in 15 - 20 knot winds and 2-3 ft seas.
With the wind blowing we had a little trouble getting away from the dock and the situation was exacerbated by a tachometer that was not working on our port engine. So instead of Cuttyhunk we began searching for alternate destinations that could provide a transient slip and a mechanic to track down the problem.

A little bumpy approaching bluff at Cape Cod Canal
The run was a bit bumpy, but going downwind, with the wind and waves, was tolerable and gave Lee time for an exhaustive effort in finding a marina with a mechanic that would be available. Finally, good folks at Burr Brothers Boats, in Marion, Mass, answered our quest. So, we plotted a course to another place we hadn't been to before or planned on going to.

Entrance Jetty



We passed through the Cape Cod Canal in a slack tide so the current was not bad as it was when we transited north. Then, we went across Buzzards Bay up to a large cove, Sippican Harbor, filled with moorings. Ours was 982 - and perhaps there are a thousand - or more?! Lee had her first unaided experience with picking up a mooring. She says it wasn't too bad, thanks to Pat's tutelage back in Blue Hill, ME.







Passing under a railroad lift bridge on the canal 
More boats.

 Burr Brothers looks like a full service yard, with many large (50+ foot) sailboats tied to the dock. The whole harbor is filled with sailboats primarily. A private secondary school, Tabor Academy, owns much of the shoreline with many beautiful buildings visible along the shore. They have a sailing curriculum that includes a 90' schooner.

A mechanic met us at our mooring and began to assess what our problem could be. After an hour or so, he returned to the boatyard to research our glendinning sychronizer unit and make up some jumper cables to enable him to test the system tomorrow. So for tonight we are on the mooring, safe, with the generator running to power our AC-dependent AQUAVIT and wait for tomorrow, hoping for better luck and a quick return to pushing southward.

Every guy who wants Salt Life needs one of these for a partner!

Since it's getting to the end of our time for this segment, we are both a little anxious to get back home for hurricane season and a bit disappointed with the reality that there is not enough time to hit some of the places we had on our original plan for this trip. But, still who can complain after we have been so far and enjoyed so much, with so little difficulty?

Enjoying a  quiet night on the mooring after a few blustery days...




If you got this post via email and want to view the video of Catie Flynn Band playing at Herring Cove Beach, go to our blog on the website www.shoalsailer32.blogspot.com.


and a street busker:



and "dabbling" eiders:



08.26.2019

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