Author: Pat D

Sharing some news and reviews from David Calvo: “David,  Tom and I had the greatest time in your class! Thank you for an immersive week where we learned an incredible amount! I can’t believe we could carve a fleur de lis by the end of the class! I being a true beginner have definitely picked up a new hobby. We especially enjoyed your sense of humor, step by step teaching methods and getting to know our wonderful fellow classmates. I needed to clear my head and I actually thought and dreamed of nothing but carving for 5 days. Bravo, David! We can’t wait to come back next year for the intermediate class. Oh, and I loved all your playlists! Fantastic music.    _ Gabriela Capitanio Pennsylvania”

Among the many fine events organized by the St. Peter’s Fiesta Committee, the Sunday procession is near the top of my favorites. We see so many familiar faces passing us during the procession and it hails back to traditions refined over the last 99 years. It’s such a warm feeling. This year, there were a number of floats which seemed to make many of the spectators very pleased. The procession is a well organized, well run event and Gloucester should be proud. Here are some of the images I collected.

Here are some additional pictures from the semi final Junior Men’s Seine Boat race held yesterday morning under foggy conditions. There was an enthusiastic crowd on the beach for the race. The community and all parents should be quite proud especially of the Young Guns for graciously acknowledging the efforts of their competitors.

As you have heard, the fog was very heavy throughout the Greasy Pole walk last night but the Champions Walk is always extra fun for people like me. I like hearing the names of the previous winners and remembering those walks as we wait for the next walker. The photos are hampered by the conditions but the joy was as apparent as could be! Congratulations to all the walkers, especially Derek who is a force to reckon with.

We went to The Lobster on East Main St to check out the margaritas. I asked for a recommendation and a raspberry coconut margarita was suggested. I am not normally a coconut fan but I went with the bartender’s suggestion. Superb taste! The margarita tasted a little sweeter than I was expecting but I loved it. Also, just FYI, the key lime pie there is nothing to sleep on. I should probably not be sharing how delicious it is because I want to order it every time I go. But you readers deserve to know…….

The Junior Men’s Seine Boat semi-finals had to be rescheduled for this morning due to conditions last night in order to determine which team would participate against Tonno and Warri-oars tonight. Young Guns won decisively although it was still fairly foggy this morning at the site. **Turns out niether of the Men’s Championship races could be held tonight due to heavy fog and are rescheduled to tomorrow Monday 5 PM Pavilion Beach** Congratulations Young Guns. We look forward to tomorrow’s race.

The conditions were dreadful and you can barely see the shadow of Derek’s walk out to the flag in the second competitive round of tonight’s Greasy Pole contest. But once again, Derek brought home the flag to the pure delight of the crowd in attendance. More photos tomorrow.

**Both seine boat race championships are postponed to Monday 5 PM due to the foggy conditions** See you again on Pavilion Beach tomorrow night!

We couldn’t stay until the end of the Public Safety Seine Boat Race yesterday morning but I understand the Gloucester Police Department, Fire Department and Coast Guard had an impressive race. The Fire Department just finished ahead of the Police Department to the delight of the many family and friends in attendance. Also in attendance (from the water mostly) was the “Grease Gang” doing their fine prep work for the evening’s Greasy Pole Walk. Thanks guys! Special thanks to our public safety officers for their year-round efforts.

The Gloucester Fire Department reported the participants: Rowing (bow to stern, port to starboard): Firefighters Kyle Benson, Nick Meyers, Wellington Machado, Tyler Philbrook, Clay Whitley, Andrew Hugel, Tyler Rogers, Dave Elwell, Charlie Scola and Lukas McRobb

Coxswain: Firefighter Matt Aiello

Scuttling: Jimmy T. (Huge thanks from the FD!)

The semi finals for the 2026 Men’s Seine Boat Championship were held last night on Pavilion Beach under a threat of fog. Careless Whisper and Power Surge will be facing ZFG in tonight’s finals. Hope to see you there!

** Heavy fog postponed the Junior Men’s race until 9 AM this morning**

If Chase Sargent was the leading character in last night’s Greasy Pole Walk, the fog played a major supporting role. You can see from the variety of these images that the event started out reasonably clear but soon turned to severely reduced visibility for those of us on shore. Congratulations Chase and kudos to all the walkers!

In the Men’s Seine Boat Semi Final Race tonight, the Careless Whisper and Power Surge teams prevailed and will face previous champion ZFG in Sunday’s final. Despite the threat of fog, all the teams made the race exciting to the finish. See you tomorrow night!

**The Junior Men’s race was postponed to Sunday morning 9 AM due to the foggy conditions**

Chase Sargent didn’t let the heavy fog deter his aim at the Saturday Greasy Pole flag, bringing it down in the second competitive round. He had many enthusiastic supporters on the beach who ran out into the water to help bring him to shore! He dedicated his walk to Chris Dailey as did several other walkers tonight. Congratulations.

The Junior Women held their Seine Boat Race Championship last night at Pavilion Beach. This is one of the newer Fiesta activities and it has been embraced fully by the community and the athletes. The teams were Storm Surge, Empowoared and previous champions Stroke Sisters. Stroke Sisters prevailed in a tight race. It was as exciting as expected. We look forward to seeing many of these participants in future seine boat competitions. Congratulations to the teams, coaches and families!

It was the first event of a lovely evening on Pavilion Beach for the 2026 Womens Seine Boat Championship Race. Teams included Salty Oars, Boats and Barbells and Backlash. Each team brought an enthusiastice cheering section to the beach. I was expecting a close race and that’s what we got! Salty Oars got to the beach just a few seconds before Boats and Barbells. Backlash made a strong showing as well. It was a thrilling race. Congratulations Salty Oars on the repeat championship.

Frank Neal’s persistence paid off last night as he grabbed the flag after numerous other tries over the years. Over 40 walkers gave the walk their best efforts, Frank being first in the lineup. On the second competitive walk, Frank confidently walked the length and took the flag to the water with him. Tributes were paid to walker Chris Dailey as well as to the crew of the Lily Jean. Spectators were treated to a variety of colorful costumes and techniques and we were glad to see Frank win! Thanks to the organizers and participants for this traditional event which holds so many memories for so many people.

The Stroke Sisters repeated as winners of the Junior Womens Seine Boat Champions with a strong performance at Friday’s Fiesta events. It’s very rewarding to see so many young women participating in this event! Here are a few shots from the winning team. More photos tomorrow.

As the first walker in the second competitive round of Friday’s Greasy Pole contest, Frank Neal decisively grabbed the flag and thrilled the spectators. He then walked back to his neighborhood where he was greeted enthusiastically. Here’s a quick view of the excitement. Great job done by all!

A great race was run by the 3 Womens Seine Boat teams at Friday’s Fiesta events on Pavilion Beach. The race was close most of the way but Salty Oars prevailed in a very close finish with Boats and Barbells. Here are some photos from the finish. More to come tomorrow after I catch my breath from the excitement of the race.

Frank Neal took home the Friday Greasy Pole flag in the second competitive round of over 40 walkers this year. Frank’s numerous attempts finally paid off and he will be walking with champions on Sunday from now on! Walker Chris Dailey was honored by several walkers and the Lily Jean crew was high on everyone’s mind as well. As usual, the spectators were treated to a number of colorful costumes and fancy moves across the pole and into the water. Congratulations to all the participants and organizers for this traditional event holding memories for many.

Congratulations to the organizers (YMCA I’m talking to you), the volunteers (especially first responders) and the community for a wonderful Fiesta 5K for 1800 runners last night. It was an absolute mass of humanity especially along Rogers Street between runners and spectators out on a beautiful night for a run. I was especially impressed with the number of young people out there with friends and family, as well as with the impressive show of support for Chris Dailey. Well done people! Additional photos available at Pat D’s Photos and Adventures on Facebook if you are interested.