Headed for New Territory

Maine…buttered lobster rolls, blueberries, fog, lighthouses, lobster pots, rocky beaches, and did I mention buttered lobster rolls?  No doubt in my mind, the main reason to visit to Maine is the buttered lobster rolls! 

We had a series of fairly short day cruises with anchorages at Port Washington, NY, Branford, CT, Point Judith, RI, Cuttyhunk, MA and Scraggy Bay, MA.  We had intentionally planned shorter days because Scott was tired of “flogging himself” by rising early and cruising long days.  What we didn’t plan on was mornings with fog thick as pea soup requiring us to leave later than in the mornings after the fog dissipated. So, it all worked out well.

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We “celebrated” our fifth anniversary, and I use that term loosely, at the island of Cuttyhunk, MA.  We had heard so many wonderful things about Cuttyhunk and had put it on our “must see” list.  We anchored outside the harbor, and took the dinghy in for our anniversary dinner.  What a surprise when our celebratory dinner meant eating at a seafood shack on the dock, seated at a dirty, moldy, picnic table, with the smell of rotting oysters, on a dry island.  No glass of wine or beer with dinner, in fact, we didn’t drink a drop of liquid and were back on the boat by 7 p.m.  because the seafood shacks closed between 6-6:30 p.m.  Our taste buds were all ramped up for a warm, buttered lobster roll but they were charging $38!  No way was I going to pay $38 for a lobster roll that doesn’t even come with sides!!!  Oh, well, the stuffies (stuffing with quahog clams) were pretty good as was the shrimp cocktail.

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We breezed up the Cape Cod Canal, where currents can run 6 knots, and headed across the Cape Cod Bay to Provincetown.  P-town, as it is called by the locals, is known as the landing site of the Mayflower in 1620.  We had a blast seeing 3 other boating couples, walking the crowded streets, admiring the seals, snarfing down a $22 lobster roll that came with sides, and visiting local eateries.

However, the best part of Provincetown was the WHALES! The whale watching boat tours were packed, literally leaning to the side onto which the people rushed when a whale was spotted. After some cajoling, Scott agreed to take Unforgettable out for her first whale watching expedition and we had a whale of a time! We spent 3 hours watching a “ton” of whales, including a calf nursing. Sometimes we bobbed closed to the tour boats because they seemed to know exactly where they would pop up and we could listen to their commentary. Unfortunately, our pictures did not do justice to the experience but it was truly an amazing day!

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Our next stop was Rockport, MA, which at first view from our anchorage, was the ugliest coastal town I’ve ever seen. I totally changed my opinion as we walked through the downtown area filled with shops. Those old fishermen and lobstermen shacks had been turned into quaint galleries, shops, and restaurants. Rockport’s rocky, boulder filled shores, are surrounded on 3 sides by water with 10′ tides made for a dark muddy appearance at low tide when we arrived. I guess you can’t judge a town by it’s appearance! This artists colony boasts the Motif #1 as the “most often-painted building in the USA”. This red fishing shack on Bearskin Neck is the town’s famous icon.

We asked a friendly-appearing townie about the location of the best lobster roll in town. Betsy, was so nice she actually walked us through the downtown area showing us all the bars and restaurants with lobster rolls and views of the water so we could see Unforgettable. At the last stop she took us inside a closed restaurant to introduce us to the owner, Charlie. Talk about hospitable! Although the restaurant was closed he gave us a seat at the window, bought us drinks, and gave us donuts to take home as his sons have a bakery in the side of the restaurant! Such a friendly and generous guy that was a boater at heart.

As I write this we are bouncing our way up to Georgetown, Maine, where we are meeting fellow Krogen owners, Gary and Torie. Keep your fingers crossed that we don’t get a lobster pot caught in our props and we don’t get frost bite!