Author: Pat D

We happened upon this secluded hideaway in Rockport. Nice little respite on Atlantic Ave.

We went out with Cape Ann Whale Watch for the Sail Boston Departure tour and boy, was it an amazing journey! We hadn’t even left the harbor before we saw 2 of the participants: Adventure and Harvey Gamage. Shortly after we spotted Bluenose II. And THEN we proceeded toward Boston hoping to catch some of the vessels under full sail. The captain did a great job maneuvering safely around the other vessels we came across including Jan Bautista Cambiaso (Dominican Republic) ; Capitan Miranda (Uruguay); Gorch Fock (Germany); Liberty Clipper (USA); Sagres (Portugal); Union (Peru) and Vela (British Virgin Islands). The Gorch Fock is the large one under full sail in these photos.

We’d like to thank the nice group from Gloucester that kindly allowed us to bring our friends up in line with us as we were celebrating a birthday so it made it a little more special. Thank you folks! Check out Pat D’s Photos and Adventures on Facebook for more images.

Sharing news from Masshole Biscuit Company on Main Street. We wish them well.

Donna A was not the only contributor to ride into Boston for a harbor cruise this week to celebrate Sail Boston! Great minds and all that. GMG Jim and I had booked a City Cruise Boston tour before we knew any local vessels were doing the same. These tickets were non-refundable (take note in case you do the same) so off we went even though we do have another trip scheduled with Cape Ann Whale Watch. Anyhow, we are very happy we took that cruise which included narration and sea shanties. I was not expecting to see so many ships!! The narrator estimated 50 and I feel like we saw many of them though most were docked. So many nations are represented out there that it felt a little bit like the UN had decided to move themselves to Boston Harbor. It was our first Tall Ships experience but I am hoping it won’t be our last. You should see some of our local favorites here. During the narration, attention was paid to our Essex schooners and Harold Burnham (who happened to be sailing on the Ardelle right behind us) so that was a proud moment! Hopefully more images coming in a day or so from our trip on Hurricane II.

The Lobster Crate Race is adding a new component : Boat Decoration Contest! I think this is a great idea. For a $50 donation to the Lily Jean fund, you can enter. For anyone interested but financially unable to donate, Pat D’s Photos will sponsor a contestant. Please reach out in the comments or message me directly regarding sponsorship.

Pat D’s Photos will be at the St. Paul’s Church Craft Fair on Washington Street Saturday July 18 from 9-3. Stop by (inside) and say hello! Show special: 2 nightlights for $50 …. a 10% discount. (*must purchase at least 2 for this pricing*). Our schedule at 44 Main St this week is a little wonky due to our trips to see Sail Boston. We’ll be open 11-3 Friday July 17 and 11-3 Sunday July 19 in addition to the St. Paul’s Craft Fair.

Sharing information about Nauti Cone, a new ice cream choice on Rogers Street. Can’t wait to give it a try.

We had not stopped by the Shipyard Tavern on Main Street in Essex for a while so it seemed like a good idea to go back for Margarita Monday and lunch. We enjoy the open, neat setting of the restaurant as well as the seating choices (inside, outside, bar area). I ordered a pastrami sandwich which hit the spot just right that day. Jim got the haddock bites which are generously sized especially for an appetizer portion. The strawberry margarita was spot on as well. Very refreshing! It’s a nice ride over to Essex with a lovely reward at Shipyard Tavern.

We have had some cool vessels in our harbor recently. I was fortunate enough to catch a couple on a recent sunset cruise including Virginia. I looked her up and this is what I found. Looking forward to more such stories throughout the next few days during SailBoston.

We noticed this signage at the former Boo-Bird location on Central Street in Manchester. We look forward to watching how this develops!

The oppressive heat over the weekend forced me to slow down and just observe nature in our backyard. The heat did not seem to slow down the bird activities. We had several spots of color appear in the form of woodpeckers and orioles. I’m not sure where the cardinals went during the heat wave, but we haven’t seen too many. We were grateful for the entertainment these provided though.

Thirsty Seagull Gloucester Apparel and Pat D’s Photos will be offering a variety of items and special deals for Saturday’s July 11 Block Party on Main St. We hope you will stop by outside 44 Main St. Show special for Pat D’s Photos nightlights: 2/$50 (normally $30 each). This is a good time to start holiday shopping! If you can’t make it, reach out in comments or by messenger. We deliver free in Cape Ann. Shop hours this week are today Thursday noon-5; Friday 11-5; Saturday 11- end of Block Party; Sunday 11-3.

Sharing information:

Our friend Nichole noticed this vessel entering the harbor on Monday night and took note right away. I was a little slower and noticed it had docked at the Paint Factory. It’s pretty interesting and I hope they enjoy their stay. According to Marine Traffic (and the boat itself) this is Marie, a pleasure craft.

Did you know that Maritime Heritage Charters offers not only public sails on our lovely schooners, but also weekly “Schooner Challenge” sails? These sails are held on Tuesdays 6 PM and are designed to allow the apprentices to take on captain duties with customers and command the schooner during a “race” designed to test their skills. Passengers are part of the learning opportunity for the apprentices and are encouraged to participate fully in order to help train them. We just love going out for these challenges (and there’s a 25% discount for these!).

Last week, we planned to join up along with several others. The skies were a little threatening but the sun came through just about the time we were scheduled to set off. Unfortunately, the fair weather did not last and a bit of a squall rained down upon us. I’ll note we got a little wet but were very well taken care of by the captains and crew. We were with Harold Burnham and he made quick decisions to get us back to port. It was comforting to know we were in good hands even though the threat was mostly rain. We hope to see some of you out on these sails as the summer progresses. Link here for tickets.

We stopped by The Burn on Main St for Margarita Monday last week. It’s like a fun little secret that Burn is open on Mondays during the afternoon! I keep that little knowledge in my back pocket for those Monday afternoons when we are wondering what to do next! Thanks for Don, our bartender, for the yummy house margarita and the company. Both were refeshing and welcome!

Rockport artist Timothy Mears recently saw his dramatic swordfish sculpture creation mounted at the O’Maley Innovation Middle School joining the existing school of fish sculpture (also his creation). This project was done in conjunction with the O’Maley students who wanted something to match up with the existing school of fish and harken Gloucester’s history. The swordfish is a reminder of the Perfect Storm and the entire project is a demonstration of the school’s students and community uniting for a common purpose. It’s very beautiful and if you haven’t seen it, it’s worth a little ride.

I used the handy Sawyer Free Library’s Cape Ann History Digital Resources link to search past newspapers for information on how Cape Ann and Gloucester celebrated historic July 4th anniversaries in 1876, 1926 and 1976. It’s always a fascinating step into the past. Here are some examples.

Last year, we made the mistake of waiting until the end of the season to have breakfast at the Oceanfront Cafe at the Atlantis on Atlantic Road. We promised ourselves we wouldn’t make that mistake again! A recent weekday morning provided a great opportunity to fulfill our promise to ourselves. It was kind of a bleak morning but inside the cafe was friendly and bright. Jim ordered fishcakes and I got the country breakfast (I really wanted that cheddar biscuit!). They were served up efficiently and were as delicious as I was expecting. It was a quiet morning there but clearly there were some regulars in attendance being fussed over by the amiable staff. We were seated by the front window, allowing us the benefit of the Oceanfront in the cafe’s name. We enjoyed our experience very much and expect to return sometime before October this year!

We try to get out onto the water at least once a week during the summer. While we were on the Ardelle recently for the Battle of Gloucester, the winds were kicking up and created some challenges for the captains.