Crew Log for May 27th, 2023
Trip Summary:
• Provincetown to Rockport
• Trip Distance of 47.5 NM, Total Distance To-Date of 5,027.2 NM
WOW! We left Barrachois Harbour, Nova Scotia on August 14, 2022. Since then, we have traveled over 5,000 nautical miles. I have been told that swallow tattoos are the nautical symbol for 5,000 NM. According to nautical lore, swallows also acted as a beacon of optimism, because swallows never flew too far into the ocean, and their sighting meant that land was quickly approaching. Oh, and no, there is no tattoo in my future.
Our destination today was Rockport, on the tip of the Cape Ann peninsula, east of Gloucester, roughly 45 nautical miles, NNW of Provincetown. We had a sunny day with 10-12 knot winds out of the west. We motored sailed for most of the day in relative calm seas. It was a pleasant trip.
We had stopped in Gloucester on the way down and really enjoyed our time there. While there is an ostentatious Yacht Club at the entrance of the harbor, it is for the most part a working coastal community. It just happens also be a popular tourist destination. As often is the case, we heard about Rockport, as an alternative to Gloucester, after the fact. Since we weren’t in need of provisions or fuel and only planned to spend one night there, we thought we’d check Rockport out.
Rockport was originally an important source of granite and timber to surrounding cities and towns on the east coast. Fishing was also an important part of Rockport’s economy, given its proximity to the productive Cape Ann fishing grounds, said to be one of the richest in New England. The area was also a thriving arts community, due in part to its popularity as a vacation destination.
In the mid 1800’s, 200 women banned together and destroyed anyplace in town that contained alcohol in “Rockport’s revolt against rum”, and banned all alcohol from the town. The town maintained it’s “dry status” until 2005, when the residents agreed to allow alcohol to be served in restaurants and, in 2019, the town voted to allow a local market to sell beer and wine. You can still see BYOB notes on takeout menu boards.
Rockport is surrounded by a menacing rocky shoreline. The harbor provides deep water access to fishing boats and pleasure boats, the entrance to which, is through an intimidatingly narrow entrance with boulders on either side. Off the main harbor, there is an inner harbor with an even more restricted access.
There were a few boats in the water when we arrived, but judging by the number of mooring balls, the harbor would be completely filled with boats during the summer. Since the boats were packed in so tight, several used a dual mooring, where the bow and stern are both tied off to prevent the boats from swinging. The town maintained 3 – 4 floating docks on moorings, that could accommodate 2 boats. They worked pretty well.
We shared a mooring with Terry and Dave, retirees from New Hampshire, who were on sv Cordial, a Bristol 32. They had been keeping the boat down in Rhode Island, but decided to move it back to Portsmouth to be closer to home and family members. They were dealing with a leaky dinghy that they almost lost on the way from Scituate earlier in the day. We also met a young couple from Bangor on sv Acadia, a Tartan 37, which they recently purchased. They had been living, and working, on a boat since Covid and went to the Bahamas in the winter, although it sounded like that the arrangement was about to end.
Memorial Day Weekend was in full swing, so the streets and shops of Rockport were crowded. We docked at the Sandy Bay Yacht Club where we were greeted by Ron, one of the members. Founded in 1885, the SCYC boasts a membership of over 800, although only a small percentage of them own a boat. The Club does have a regular schedule for races and offers “learn to sail programs” for both youth and adults. The Club also lists amongst its membership benefits, access to the “waterfront rocking chair fleet, for comfortable viewing of the harbor".
Rockport is also home to, Motif Number 1. The current structure is a replica of the original building, which was destroyed in the “Blizzard of 1978”. The fishing shack is said to be “the most often-painted building in America”, due to its location and its quintessential New England appearance.
Not surprisingly, one of the other main attractions, Tuck’s Candy, had 2 locations in town where they made and sold salt water taffy in every favor imaginable. We strolled down Bearskin Neck past the one of a kind shops selling the typical range tourist gifts and admired Elizabeth M, floating prominently in Rockport Harbor.
Back on the boat Judy prepared a delicious meal of seared tuna and we enjoyed Rockport from the water, away from the Memorial Day crowds. We had left Provincetown at 0600 that morning so it wasn’t long before we headed to bed, happy with the decision to stop here.
Judy’s 65th Birthday was in a few days and we had a couple of days of bad weather coming so we were looking for someplace to shelter where we could get off and continue the celebration. While heading towards New Hampshire, we get a great suggestion for an alternative stop, so we make the decision to reroute our course and head to Maine. It turned out to be the perfect spot to celebrate turning 65.
But more about that, next time.
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