We left Isle of Shoals at 7:00 am on Saturday morning for a run of 46 nautical miles to Scituate, Massachusetts.
It was a day with not much to photograph as we traveled back to Scituate, Massachusetts our first repeat stop of our summer cruise. I noticed an unusal pair of lighthouses to the west. Curious again, I learned these were the “Twin Lighthouses” or Cape Ann Light Station on Thatcher Island, one mile offshore of Rockport, MA.
The Watch and Wait, a vessel captained by Anthony Thatcher was wrecked in a serious storm near the island in 1635. The disaster claimed the lives of 21 passengers and crew. The original 45-foot towers were constructed and lit in 1789; making them among the oldest of America’s lighthouses
Along the way, thanks to that awesome Krogen Finder app (affectionately known as the “stalker app”) we were in touch via the VHF and texts with Acadia, another Kadey Krogen. We both ended up in Scituate.
Sunday morning was our Cape Cod Canal day and timing that right meant a late morning departure so that we wouldn’t be fighting the current in the canal. Unlike our north and east bound trip through the canal, it looked like we would actually be able to see the canal. The day was bright and breezy, and much less humid than the past few days.
We anchored in Onset in front of Wickets Island again.
Monday morning was another early departure so that we would have a favorable current down Buzzards Bay. We left at 5:45 am and arrived in Cuttyhunk in just 3 hours, in time for breakfast.
We had the whole day ahead of us at Cuttyhunk and decided to stay the next day, too, after three travel days in a row. I’ve done other blog posts about Cuttyhunk – In 2017, 3 Weeks, 4 Islands, 6 Harbors and in 2019, Block & Cuttyhunk, so this is just a refresher with a few new observations.
We really, really needed to stretch our legs, so I pulled on my yellow rubber boots and we dinghied to the outer harbor beach to take a walk. 20-25 years ago we would find handfuls of sea glass here, but not so much anymore. It’s really disappointing, because it is harder for me to even get off on a beach, and there is less sea glass everywhere. I think that is due to two factors. 1) Environmental consciousness and recycling which is hard to argue with. IMHO, sea glass is special and should be exempt. 2) More people hunt for sea glass now than did before so the completion is stiffer.
Cuttyhunk has become much more crowded over the years. The inner harbor mooring field has expanded and the moorings are very close together. The outer harbor now has an ever-increasing number of moorings as well. We were shocked to learn the mooring fee is now $55 per night. That’s a lot for no services other than a ball with an anchor block.
Ice cream on the docks was always one of our must-do activities when at Cuttyhunk. But, alas, that has changed as well.
We continued our tradition of breakfast at the Cuttyhunk Fishing Club B&B. On our walk there, we noticed some new sights.
It is comforting to see the usual Cuttyhunk sights, the gray cedar houses, the US Coast Guard Station, the ferry from the mainland.
Our final 50 nautical miles were next.
We know we are almost home to SYC when we see these landmarks —
And then we were back at our homeport in Groton, really just in time. The track of Henri, a tropical storm/hurricane, is aiming for New England (as of Thursday evening.) We had nearly 6 weeks of decent weather with only a few rainout days, fog that usually disappeared by late morning, and incredibly comfortable sea conditions. Why push our luck? It’s good to be home!
I still have some thoughts and reflections about our first cruise to Maine. After the dozen loads of laundry are finished, the house pantry and refrigerator are restocked, we see family and friends again, and catch our breath, I will tackle that.
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