Voyage 2013-2014: Chapter 3

07 Jun 2014, More fun in Bristol and Newport, 41 28.788 N/ 071 19.446 W

We were in Bristol during Memorial Day and the town had a very nice parade in honor of our fallen ones. The schools, the fire departments, and the various veteran associations all participated. Again, this place reminds us of the small and community oriented town where we grew up. Bristol could be one of our favorite places!

On Sunday, we attended services at St. Anne's Catholic church which serves the ethnic Portuguese community in Bristol. It was a very festive mass with many attributes unique to the Portuguese. There was one practice that we did not recognize which involved two families with their young children. We looked it up in Google without success.

There were these massive trees with interesting flowers that adorned the main street of Bristol. It had the characteristics of the American chestnut but we knew the Castenea dentata was near extinct from a fungal blight. We asked around and folks said it was a horse chestnut. A Google search indicated that was not accurate either. So Bristol has all of these neat trees but we do not know what they are. Oh well, next time.

Meatloaf Mountain! What a wonderful food from the Aidan's Pub on Thames has this great meal called Meatloaf Mountain. Bread, meatloaf, mash potatoes, gravy, and onion straws constitute the meatloaf mountain. We had it three times! When we come back, we will have it again!

Now we are back in Newport for a second visit. The anchorage is still not very crowded but there is a lot more traffic. We try to find charts of Nova Scotia but with no avail. There used to be several chart shops but most are now closed. Lots of tourists and yachts but Newport's luster is not as bright because the Americas Cup is not what it was.

Today we went to St. Mary's church (place with John and Jacqueline Kennedy were married) for Sunday services. This is a beautiful church near the waterfront. It was not crowded the day we were there but a diverse population attended the service. We enjoyed the service very much. Soon we will leave Newport and head up to Cape Cod and then Nova Scotia. Stay tuned!

17 Jun 2014, Cape Cod, 42 02.766 N/ 070 10.95 W

We left Newport as we again admired Castle Hill, this time on our port. We managed to have a glass of wine there several days ago as that is tradition. We arrived in Cuttyhunk around 1600 and anchored near the breakwater. We did little other than enjoy the scenery and the passing boats. The mooring and anchorage in the basin is quite crowded and we do not like crowds so the breakwater is fine with us.

The next day we arrived in Onset. As it was a weekend, there was a lot of traffic. That made the channel to Onset more narrow than it should have been. Most were courteous, but one boat was quite the butt head. He could not read the 'No Wake' signs. The ferry was most patient with the slow moving Jule and we appreciated that. As it was still early in the season, we had little trouble finding the perfect anchorage. We like this town also.

Marc Anthony's is one of the best pizza places we have experienced - ever. They have a great local atmosphere with plenty of choices and pizza making entertainment. This was Ann's first Onset pizza experience and apparently she like it; we ate there 5 times. This will be a destination on our way back.

To complement Marc Anthony's, there is a local bar (evening) and restaurant (morning) across the street to keep us entertained. On our first visit, they welcomed us with enthusiasm and kept us in the local discussions. For every pizza, we had a happy hour at Stephens. This is another town that reminds us of our small town roots. Great place and great bus services to the big stores.

Next day, we headed for Provincetown via the Cape Cod Canal. Fog was heavy but we had to get through the canal and we had our track to lead us back in the main channel. We passed under the second highest railroad bridge in North America about two hours after slack water with a current in our favor. The canal was wide and safe and there was a bit of incoming traffic fighting a 4-5 knot current. Glad that it was not us.

The fog did not really lift until we were half way to P-town. We had to keep a proper watch as there were lobster floats here and there. We did not encounter any traffic once we left the canal until we reached P-town. Seas were flat and the wind was near calm. Yep. motor sailing again. Two hours out of P-town, the fog lifted and we were greeted with clear blue skies. We followed our route to the breakwater and hailed the dockmaster for a mooring.

Later that day, we headed to town and were greeted with some eye popping stuff. A local musical troupe was providing some advertising and entertainment for their upcoming show. They were really, really good. We saw lots that we had not seen before. P-town is known for its diverse lifestyles and many are evident on the roadways. Some of the shops reflect the rich artisan influence that lives here. Not a bad place!

Fernando is the local fuel guy. He lowers the fuel hose as much as 12 feet to the waiting boats on the water's surface. We use jerry jugs so our process was much easier. Fernando is Portuguese so we asked him about the beautiful ceremony at Bristol's St. Annes. He was not sure. A very friendly guy with lots of local knowledge. Hope to see him again during the next passage.