Until we were rounding Cape Ann, or more precisely, Thatcher Island, just a bit off shore at the tip of Cape Ann, with its distinctive twin lighthouses.
Then the wind picked up on our starboard bow and the current turned adverse and strongly so, immediately. If it had been stormy you can bet that I would have given the Cape and its off lying rocks a much wider berth. Once around, it was only three miles to Rockport.
This is a tiny picturesque rectangular port, protected by a seawall but open to the east. It has a big pier extending into the rectangle from the other, western end. On that pier is the Sandy Bay YC where we took a mooring, or to be more precise, were helped by the staff to take two moorings, one fore and the other aft. Fore and aft moorings permit them to pack more boats into a small space.
Here is a view of ILENE, and our neighbors so you can see just how tightly packed we all are.
The harbor features what they call "Motif One", the most photographed fishing shed in America, and being tourists we added to that number.
We also visited the other side of town: Bearskin Road, a collection of one shop and gallery after the next to which tour guides bring bus loads of tourists. Pretty quiet on this early season, late afternoon weekday.
Lene bought a dress for herself and a cherry strudel for me and we scored the freshest tasting scallops ever, which Lene cooked aboard. As we were sitting in the cockpit to eat them, we heard the rumble of thunder, saw the lightning and cleared below. It was quite a storm with torrential rain and high winds, and some water got into the boat because, trussed up fore and aft, we were not facing into the wind. We were glad not to be at sea in that, and it cooled off the 90 degree temperatures we had been having all day.
During the day we got our missing chip mailed to us at our next stop, Newburyport, and our mooring reservation there, including advice on how much clearance there is under the bridge there, and when is the best time to cross the bar at the entrance to the Merrimack River to get there.
This is a tiny picturesque rectangular port, protected by a seawall but open to the east. It has a big pier extending into the rectangle from the other, western end. On that pier is the Sandy Bay YC where we took a mooring, or to be more precise, were helped by the staff to take two moorings, one fore and the other aft. Fore and aft moorings permit them to pack more boats into a small space.
Here is a view of ILENE, and our neighbors so you can see just how tightly packed we all are.
The harbor features what they call "Motif One", the most photographed fishing shed in America, and being tourists we added to that number.
We also visited the other side of town: Bearskin Road, a collection of one shop and gallery after the next to which tour guides bring bus loads of tourists. Pretty quiet on this early season, late afternoon weekday.
During the day we got our missing chip mailed to us at our next stop, Newburyport, and our mooring reservation there, including advice on how much clearance there is under the bridge there, and when is the best time to cross the bar at the entrance to the Merrimack River to get there.
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