My View of Life on the Dock
We set sail at promptly 1:00 PM and will sail about the shores of Cape Ann for some fun, music, and dancing to the mixes of DJ Scottie Mac. Upon return to the docks of the Cape Ann Marina and Resort be prepared to partake in a fun filled Brewfest, complete with Silent Auction, and the hopeful arrival of GIANT bluefin tuna from the tournament.
See more information HERE
If you haven’t been down to see the action at the Cape Ann’s Marina Resort, today is a great day for it!
To recap, Thursday night kicked off the event with a delicious Captain’s dinner thanks to Prezza and Ipswich Clambake.  Check here to see all of the other tremendous sponsors, such as the Platinum Presenting Sponsor Lyon-Waugh Auto Group, that helped make this year’s bluefin blowout possible… Bluefinblowout.com
Bob Sweeney and the Bruins Foundation, along with none other than Rene Rancourt and the Bruins’ Ice Girls, were present to help signify the opening of competition. Tournament founders, Drew Hale and Rob Bouley, discussed rules and regulations, gave thanks, and wished everyone good luck.
See Rene’s singing of our National Anthem Thursday evening HERE
More than 40 boats took to the water in search of the somewhat illusive bluefin tuna and Friday afternoon came with the impressive Duck Soup from Pt. Judith, Rhode Island pulling into weigh-in with a beautiful 324-pounder.
See the video of Duck Soup’s fish HERE
Barefoot Wine and the Naked Grape helped make WINEFEST a great success and the Michael Troy band took the stage for live music into the evening.
Today brings BREWFESTÂ thanks to Seaboard Products, more silent auction, hopefully some weighing of more bluefin tuna, the awards banquet, and live music with the Herland Brothers Band!
Congratulations to Duck Soup from Pt. Judith, Rhode Island for landing the 1st tuna in the 2015 Bluefin Blowout. Â Watch video of the weigh-in here.
Duck Soup and Captain Alex get the glory of landing the first bluefin at this year’s bluefin blowout! Official weight and more to come.
While the Bulldog continues its battle with a bluefin, Duck Soup has landed one and is on its way in!
Come on down to Cape Ann Marina Resort to watch the action!
Congratulations Captain and Crew!
A boat in the water behind Cape Ann’s Marina Resort caught on fire a little while ago. Everyone is OK and it is NOT one of the boats participating in this weekend’s Bluefin Blowout Tournament.
Congratulations to the Captain and Crew of the Bulldog! Â They have the 1st fish on the hook in this year’s Bluefin Blowout Tournament!
Let’s hope they get it on the boat and then stay tuned for the ETA at Cape Ann’s Marina Resort for weigh in. Â Good luck, Bulldog!!
If you haven’t seen a bluefin tuna up-close, you should!
See tournament info again, HERE
#bluefinblowout
For those of you who may not be “in the know”, the Bluefin Blowout is no joke. Â We are incredibly fortunate to have this premier tuna tournament take place each summer in our own backyard. Â This weekend, Cape Ann’s Marina Resort is home to this fantastic tournament for the 4th year in a row.
Last year’s winning fish weighed in at an impressive 914 pounds!
This year’s tournament has over 40 boats entered, some pretty fantastic sponsors, and important ties to charities.
While a tremendous sporting event, the tournament more importantly honors the memory of Madelyn Rose Bouley, and proudly supports important funding needs within Child Life Services at Floating Hospital for Children.  The tournament has also joined forces with the Boston Bruins Foundation!
So, come on down this weekend and be a part of the fun!
Read all about the Bluefin Blowout HERE
With some thanks and encouragement, and a quick discussion of the rules and regulations, tournament founders Drew Hale and Rob Bouley, along with Bob Sweeney, Executive Director of the Boston Bruins Foundation, wish the captains and crew good luck.
Go get em’!
The 2015 Bluefin Blowout is on!
Live Blogging from the Captain’s Dinner!
Who other than Rene Rancourt to ring in this fantastic tournament!?
Stay tuned to see which boats get on and what their fish weigh in at!
Be sure to come on down and join the fun Friday and Saturday at Cape Ann’s Marina Resort.
See Rene singing “The Star Spangled Banner” a moment ago!
Get yourself and the kiddos down to Cape Ann Marina Resort and Mile Marker 1 to see some giant tuna, meet the captains, check out the boats, bid at the silent auction and much, much more! Â A FANTASTIC event, a premier fishing tournament and a tremendous addition to Cape Ann’s summer of fun!
Located near Boston, the Misselwood Concours d’Elegance is a premier classic car show featuring some of the finest automobiles in an unrivaled lawn and oceanfront setting on the East Coast. Attracting people from across the United States, the full weekend event has become the prime classic car happening of the summer on Boston’s historic Gold Coast.
Read all about the event HERE and see the schedule of events
What is better on a summer day than a good old sand sculpture “competition”. Â I’ve got to be honest and admit that I’ve never been to this, but each and every summer it is on my bucket list! Â Sounds like a fun way to spend a summer day.
Check out the schedule of events HERE!
Footebrothers Canoe and Kayak Rentals
Canoeing and kayaking has fast become one of Americas favorite pastimes. Inexpensive and easy to learn, it’s the sport of choice for people of all ages! Once you try it, you’ll agree that there is not a better way to exercise, enjoy the outdoors, and have fun with family and friends.
Our stretch of the river runs through a National Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, scenic wetlands, and Bradley Palmer State Park and Willowdale State Forest! Much of the river is accessible only by canoe, and our some of our regulars include birders, botanists and fisherman.
Get all the information that you many need HERE
For a more comprehensive list of family activities, visit our friends at North Shore Kid
Live blogging from the HarborWalk Summer Cinema Series!
Bring on Big Hero 6!
A sad sight on Straitsmouth Island while lobstering right now.
Armed with only my iPhone (when will I learn?) the photos aren’t great.
I am guessing it is a minke whale.
The boys and I took a 6-mile bike ride yesterday through Stage Fort Park, down the boulevard, all through town, for a hot dog at the Blue Collar Lobster Co. (Gloucester House), around Harbor Loop, to the gift shop at Cape Ann Whale Watch, to the end of the State Fish Pier, to check out the Key Largo, down Main Street, and back to our car.
The boys commented several times about the large variety of boats that can be seen in the harbor at any given time. Â That is for sure one of their favorite parts about living here.
This photo kind of sums that up…..
The Adventure, the Ardelle, the Beauport Princess, CAWW’s Hurricane, and some harbor master boats….obviously to both the left and the right are countless fishing vessels too!
All in a day’s work.
If your kids are water bugs, like mine, then you need to check out these new KYPADS. Â I did a quick blog post about them earlier this spring, but would be remiss to not follow up now that we’ve had the awesome opportunity to demo these incredible boards for a few weeks.
We were lucky enough to take two KYPADS with us to Nantucket back in June and then were thrilled to hang on to them a bit longer so as to hit the beaches around Cape Ann too!
These boards were designed by a some local peeps who had the vision to create boards that are super kid friendly, easy to manage, and up to the challenge of some kid wear and tear.
My humble review of the boards? Â Well, first of all, they couldn’t have been easier to get on and off my Jeep…which I might add, is pretty high. Â I was able to put them up and strap them on by myself after having gotten the hang of the ratchet straps. Â Once the boards were off the Jeep most of the kids that we were traveling with (ages 6-12) had no trouble carrying them down to the beach with no help whatsoever! Â That is a HUGE plus! Â My absolute FAVORITE thing about the boards? Â Each and every child, without exception, quickly mastered how to maneuver the boards and took to the water with no fear, no assistance, and no difficulty. More importantly than that…each child, without exception, came off the water feeling proud of the independence they had just demonstrated…and pretty psyched that they had become so darn good at something so quickly.
My boys can’t get enough of the water. Â They are happiest when they are at the beach or on a boat. Â To be able to hit the water solo and with such confidence in such a cool way was so excellent for them. Â They were so proud of themselves and I couldn’t have been happier.
Check out the KYPADs HERE and learn about how they were created and how fabulous they truly are.
This hungry tree that has seemingly swallowed its street sign has intrigued me for years. Â I think it screams “children’s book”….I might just have to get on that.
12th Row. Â He is so awesome!
A little disclaimer here….with my computer currently in triage undergoing some serious data recovery attempts, I am working off Thatcher’s iPad and am quickly discovering that I’m not nearly as savvy while trying to imbed links and whatnot. So, you may have to do some Googling this week to find out some more information about my specific picks! Â Sorry!
Pick #1. Â Gloucester Block Party! Â Saturday, 6:00-11:00
with a theme this month of Carnivale on Main, this block party’s line up looks like tons of fun. Head HERE for more info
Pick #2 Â Â Blueberry and Raspberry Festival at Connor’s Farm
read more about it HERE
Pick #3 Â Â 92.9 Earthfest
A fantastic….and FREE…outdoor concert!
Read more about the event HERE
For a more comprehensive list of family activities, visit our friends at North Shore Kid
Find them HERE
It was a hazy, hot, and humid day on the water but the boys need to earn their keep nonetheless. Â I like that they are learning at a young age that the traps cannot be ignored just because they may not feel like going out. Not that they ever actually don’t want to go out!
Not a lot of keepers, but some other fun creatures to examine before releasing. Â A crab, some sea urchins, and a few different species of fish.
live blogging onboard the gorgeous Lannon!
