Author: Nichole S.

The early bird catches the… fish. Woke up to see this boat heading out past my window early this morning.

This week’s Live Music schedule for the Rhumb Line.

Bocce. These bocce courts were such a wonderful addition to our beautiful boulevard. My father built a bocce ball court in his yard years ago. When these courts were first built we would meet my dad down there every so often to play. It made me smile to watch these guys enjoying the courts last night.

The stripers are arriving and this salty kid couldn’t wait to get out there and catch his first of the season.

I love finding these little “beach trees” in the sand as the tide recedes. Magnolia Beach, in particular, is often covered with them.

This week’s live music schedule at the The Rhumb Line

Fair winds and following seas, Jaxson Marston. On Thursday I posted a photo of several scallop boats at Cape Ann Marina….and the very next day the fleet lost one of their own in a horrific accident… “Perhaps I should not have been a fisherman, he thought. But that was the thing that I was born for.” Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea. Cruelly, with just a couple of short days left in this year’s scallop season Jaxson Marston, just 26 years-old, lost his life to the sea on Friday after a horrible accident on the F/V 25 to Life. Another reminder of how dangerous the livelihood of fishing is for those who are called to it. Sometimes, fishermen don’t choose fishing….fishing chooses them. I’ve sat and watched the scallop fleet outside of Gloucester Harbor after dark several times this season. It is such a beautiful, albeit somewhat solemn, sight. I also found myself compelled to turn around and finish my coffee at Cape Ann Marina after seeing the boats tucked safely in their borrowed slips for the day. Scallopers in town from Maine have rolled into the bar while I’ve been working for the last several years….always so nice…and funny….and young. Full of promise, excited about the day’s catch and the money that was temporarily filling their pockets. This year I’ve sat on the periphery at The Lobster listening to them joke, and share stories, and enjoy a needed respite from the long day done ….and the full day ahead of them. Gloucester, Massachusetts is an incredibly special place. The rich fishing history and heritage defines so many families and should be appreciated and revered by others. The work can be grueling….the days are long….and it is always dangerous. I took these photos of the Fishermen’s Statue almost four years ago to the day. There he is, doing his thing…Honoring and protecting the fleet and serving as a memorial for “Those Who Go Down To Sea in Ships.” Fair winds and following seas, Jaxson Marston. So, so sad. Thinking of his Captain, his fellow crew, his family, and his friends.

Scalloping

Scalloping. I spend a lot of time over at Cape Ann Marina and have taken more than my share of photos, but this scene caught my eye the other day while driving down the causeway. I had to turn around and go back to sit and enjoy it for a bit. This dock, typically home to sport fishing boats, pleasure boats, and a few lobster boats…is now full of large scalloping vessels here for the season. It struck me as kind of a juxtaposition of what I normally see and photograph, but is equally as beautiful. The boats and hard working crews in all aspects of our fishing industry always strike me…and remind me how fortunate we are to live somewhere so special. And seeing Finn’s view, across the river at Gloucester High School, always makes me laugh. If I know my son, he spends 1/2 his day looking out the window wishing he was on the water.

Ramping Up. While walking through Magnolia you can’t help but feel that summer is coming. It was a foggy, yet beautiful, day along the harbor yesterday.

This week at the Rhumb Line. As always, music 7 days per week. Nine shows in all.

These impressive fellas were strutting their stuff the other day….and were none too eager to let me pass by.

This week at the Rhumb Line. As always, live music seven days per week. Nine shows in all. See you there.

Newbury’s Pink House no longer stands as of very recently and I was admittedly a bit sad to find this photo in my phone while searching for something else this weekend.

“The Pink House was an uninhabited historic house and popular photography and painting subject in Newbury, Massachusetts, United States. The house was built in 1925 and was privately owned until it was sold to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge for $375,000 in 2011.”

https://www.supportthepinkhouse.com/pink-house-history.html

This week’s live music schedule at The Rhumb Line. As always, live music seven days each week.

How cute are these Easter cookies at Cake Ann? They have such an amazing assortment of pastries and treats!

Finn and his Gloucester High School Varsity Lacrosse team would appreciate your support! These kids have been out there hustling (in the pretty cold temperatures and the rain as of late) to kick off their season. Click link below to support the team and secure the chance to win some prizes. THANK YOU!

Hello! We’re running our Prize Sweepstakes fundraiser to help improve our program. The money we raise will be used for so many important necessities. We’re looking to our families, friends, and community for help. Please take a minute to offer your support – any amount makes a big difference. In addition to helping our program, you could win some awesome prizes like RED SOX TICKETS, JBL SPEAKERS, AMAZON GIFT CARDS, ENGRAVED TUMBLERS and more! Thank you so much for your help and support!

Support the team here and give yourself a chance to win some prizes: https://supporter.goldathletics.net/campaigns/3985/users/174811

As always, live music every day. See you there!

‘Tis the season for lots of care and maintenance to get boats back into the water. When watching all the work getting done in boat yards, the Railways, and on the waterfront you can definitely tell that summer is inching closer.

Tending Gear. Signs of Gloucester’s rich fishing heritage are always beautiful to spot.

Here’s this week’s line up at the Rhumb Line. Live music seven days each week!