We got an early start this morning at 6:30 so we could enter the Annisquam River at high tide, scheduled to happen at 12:50 pm. Winds were forecasted to start in the west, shift to southwest and then shift all the way to south east. We started out under sail taking advantage of the steady westerly and doing 4.5 - 5.5 knots. By 8:00 am however, the wind started getting fluky and slowed considerably. We had to use the engine to maintain forward progress and stay on track for the 1 pm high tide. We motor-sailed then for the rest of the morning as the winds shifted direction and waxed and waned in terms of strength. We ran the engine way below capacity however since we also didn’t want to arrive at the river too early. Eventually we got to the Annisquam right at 12:40 pm and followed the river to the railroad draw bridge. Unfortunately there was a 1:08 train coming so we had to kill time for about 10 minutes until th operator could raise the bridge and let us pass. We did so and motored along quickly to the Cape Ann Marina where we tied up and got settled with power by about 2 pm. We ate lunch, tidied up the boat and then got out the bikes to explore Cape Ann and Gloucester. What a beautiful place Cape Ann is and especially the cute little town of Rockport. We took lots of pics and put another 15 miles or so on our bikes before stopping drinks at the Crows Nest bar in Gloucester. This was the famous bar in Perfect Storm where the crew met before and after each major fishing expedition. Very interesting and lots of pictures of the crew on the walls. We eventually returned to the boat, showered, washed the topsides and got ready for dinner. Another night of Lobster Rolls! The restaurant just up the street from our marina closed at 8:00 so we had to hurry and then rush our eating but the food was delicious. Now back on the boat and ready to crash. Tomorrow on to Boston and another crew change.