More pleasant surprises
23 September 2010 | Provincetown Mass
Clear sky, Air Temp 76F, Water temp 67F, Wind ENE5-12
The House With Seven Gables, Salem Mass.
Tuesday morning dawned clear and cool with a fresh S-W wind as forecast. Our destination for the day, Salem,was just 10 miles along the coast, so we went ashore for a final tour of Gloucester. We checked out a couple of marine stores, but came away empty-handed as they cater primarily to fishing boats. I sat and read the paper while Jeannie did a bit of shoping, then at noon, we dropped the mooring and headed out. With the wind on the nose, we just motored the short distance. Salem Harbor is better described as a bay with Marblehead, Salem and Manchester-by-the-Sea on it. Plan A was to pick up a mooring at the Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead, but as we entered we saw all the boats rolling to the swell that has plagued us. Not wanting a rolly night, we headed out and into Manchester. Here we found the best protected (and crowded) harbor in the area. We carefully worked our way in between the boats in the tiny channel and picked up a mooring from Manchester Boatyard. Since they were closed for the day,we just took the dinghy ashore to explore. We found another beautiful town, a bedroom community for Boston, with all that the cruiser could want... full grocery store 100 feet from the dinghy dock, excellent restaurants, and great shelter. Back aboard, we had dinner and early to bed. In the morning I went ashore to settle up for the mooring and found out we could take a train to Salem, the station, again, three minutes walk form the dinghy dock. So I paid for two nights and twenty minutes later we were on the train heading in to Salem. We spent the day exploring Salem, a beautifully restores waterfront area. Watching a film at the visitor center, we learned there was much more to Salem's story than the burning of the witches. It was, at one time, the busiest port in the Thirteen Colonies, and surrendered to Boston, New York and Philadelphia only when ships grew in size so that the harbor was too small. And we took in the witch stuff, and finished with a visit to the Peabody Museum where we saw, among other things, an impressive exhibition of furnishings from China's Forbidden City. The museum is assisting with restoration and has the exhibit on loan. Time to head back, we walked back to the train station (everything's within walking distance) and back to Manchester. Some shopping and back to the boat. This morning we got up early (for us) to head across to Provincetown, hoping for another exhilarating sail, but the forecast 15-20 northerlies never really developed. So we motor-sailed and, as we do every time we cross the Stellwagen Bank, saw some whales. Arriving late in the afternoon, we just had time to catch the Portuguese Bakery for a re-supply of sweets, then back aboard for dinner, starting with Tomato, basil and mozzarella cheese, grilled salmon in an olive tapenade, a fresh salad and Smoking Loon chardonnay, and closing with a fresh pastry! Tomorrow will see us through the canal, a sort of imaginary dividing line between Maine and Southern New England. Plans past tomorrow are sketchy.