Annisquam

Ok, so last night was a pretty cold one aboard the good old boat. And although the day began raw and damp and gray, this morning we spotted the Gloucester Harbor Launch and realized we could get to shore without launching the dinghy (which has been strapped on deck since Pocasset) and getting splashed and wet.

Gloucester is a pretty neat place with a rich maritime history. We knew we would be able to find warm clothing for tomorrow’s passage. After all, Gloucester has been sending men to sea for centuries. Pretty quickly after getting ashore we found Nelson’s, a store whose facade reads “Keeping Gloucester’s Fleet Warm & Dry Since 1874.” Perfect.

Ellen and I got long underwear and warm gloves, I got a wool hat and a thick Carhartt sweatshirt, Moss got new boots and socks. We are ready for business.

After getting ready for tomorrow’s long run to Freeport (76 miles of open ocean) we found an Italian bakery/sandwich shop where we had a great lunch. It was fun watching all the locals come in for their sandwiches. I even spotted a guy wearing a “Goodwin Marine Services - Hull, MA” sweatshirt. He had already left the shop when I realized a former student of mine from when I taught high school in Hull, MA was a Goodwin who was definitely a waterman.

We clomped around town in our sea boots, checked out the shops on Main Street, paid our respects at the monument to Gloucester sailors and fishermen lost at sea (more than 5,200 since the 1600s…some years more than 150 men were lost), and ended the afternoon with coffee/hot chocolate and WiFi in a The Lone Gull coffee shop.

Back aboard, we decided to run up the Annisquam River to Ipswich Bay to save ourselves about seven miles tomorrow when we make the long run home to Maine. tonight we are anchored near the Annisquam Yacht Club. Saw a lovely Herreshoff yawl sail in just after we got ourselves hooked. The boats in New England are without a doubt the most lovely we have seen on the trip.