Author: Pat D

Fiesta 2025 is in the books and here are a few favorites that didn’t make the cut the first time around……

The final sporting event of Championship Sunday was run under sunny skies and perfect conditions following the heavy fog that delayed the earlier race but Tonno, WarriOars and Magnolia 525 put on a great display of teamwork and talent. Magnolia 525 won a squeaker just edging out the WarriOars to bring home the Junior Mens Championship for 2025. Well done!

Last Monday was Fleur Cuisine’s turn to shine for Margarita Monday. Boy, did that bet pay off in a big way for us. Not only did we get to say hello to Daphnee but we were also treated to DELICIOUS food and drink. First of all, I like to take the bartender’s recommendation for a margarita especially if I don’t see something on the menu that jumps out for the purpose of a Margarita Monday post. This watermelon margarita was recommended by the outstanding bartender (who’s name I forgot to note..apologies). I normally avoid watermelon flavored drinks because I expect them to taste like watermelon candy from childhood (blech) but this is not the case here! This margarita was light and refreshing on a warm day so thanks for the tip! We had plantains, steak salad and pineapple rice bowl which were PERFECT. I had to take an order of the Caribbean Wings appetizer because I can’t leave Fleur Cuisine on the T Wharf in Rockport without them. As an added note, Daphnee informed us the outdoor pergola is nearly finished on their deck which will make outdoor dining that much nicer! Awesome idea.

By the way, I write the Margarita Monday posts mostly to highlight establishments that are open on Mondays as well as to taste-test margaritas in our area. Generally we will visit a location on Monday then post the outcome the following Monday. We have several more weeks to go so if you have suggestions, we are open to them.

You can see from some of these photos how thick the fog was as the Midnight Hammer (former Merger) team; Iron Wake and ZFG prepared to race in the finals last night. The race was postponed and was able to be run in much better conditions following the Greasy Pole walk. In a tight finish, ZFG prevailed to retain their championship. The teams did not seem to lose any steam or momentum during the delay. It was a well run race and a thrill for the spectators.

It was quite the Championsip Sunday on Pavilion Beach for the sporting events last night. A large fog bank rolled in shortly before the scheduled start of the mens seine boat finals. The race was called off at the last second in favor of running the Greasy Pole contest first. The conditions were even worse than Saturday’s fog but the walkers were enthusiastic and so was the crowd. I think I can safely say it was a surprise to watch Nick White from the “Protege” category take the flag in the first competitive round. The actual flag-grab photos may be the worst I have ever taken but I am sharing them to document the details of the night. Derek Hopkins gets the prize the for heartbreaking “Oh, Soooo Cloooose…” award.

As promised, here are some additional photos from last night’s Greasy Pole activities at Pavilion Beach. Honestly, there wasn’t much opportunity to take walker photos since Max Allen made such quick work of it! Well done. We hope for better conditions tonight.

In the last sporting event of the night, three junior mens seine boat teams raced in the semi finals for a spot in the finals to be held today Sunday. These teams included Many Men & Men (AJ’s Gang); JJ’s Gang (Magnolia 525) and the Islanders. Magnolia 525 prevailed to face Tonno and Balbo’s Gang tonight. The fog and light drizzle made the conditions difficult for all involved but all teams put on a good show for their fans and families waiting on the beach. Congratulations to all!

Iron Wake (Andy’s Gang) and Midnight Hammer (Merger) placed well enough to qualify for tomorrow’s seine boat championships vs defending champion ZFG. The conditions were difficult and oars clashed out there near the flags. This caused a protest to be filed by Kaos at the end of the race. Despite the conditions and the controversy, it was a great semi final race for 2025. See you on the beach tomorrow! More photos tomorrow as well. ** Please note that the photo of the oars clashing is severely cropped under the difficult conditions**

In the fog and mist, Max Allen stepped out as the second walker in the first competitive round and went right out and took the flag! It happened so fast it was hard to keep up. Here are some images from Max’s win. More images tomorrow from the Greasy Pole walk! Make sure not to miss the video.

Some additional photos from the Friday Greasy Pole event. There were several near misses in addition to the delay caused by the flag unexpectedly falling to the water. These walkers really do put on a show. Thanks guys!

Three teams of middle and high school girls competed in this year’s Junior Womens Seine Boat Race Finals last night on Pavilion Beach. Stroke Sisters reached shore first followed by PowOarFul and Rip Tide. It was an inspiration to see all these young women out there giving it their all. You can see the future of seine boat racing in these faces. Great job everyone! Don’t scroll past the video!

Three teams competed in the Womens Finals of the Seine Boat Championship races last night and gave the spectators a great race. Defending champions PowOar and Age & Treachery each made a great showing against champions Salty Oar. Congratulations!

The Friday Greasy Pole contest was extended for about a half hour during the second competitive round when the flag fell off the pole and needed to be reset. The real heroes of the night might be the guys who dug up some extra nails (brought in from shore) and replaced the pole in time for Jo Jo Klyce to take it a few walkers later. More Greasy Pole photos later today but for now, congratulations Jo Jo!

Check out the video as he is carried to the beach!

The Fiesta 5K was held under threatening, then clearing, skies last night and it was a blast. An absolute mass of humanity running and spectators along the route. I enjoyed the signage I could see from my vantage point near the finish. I am NOT a runner but it was impressive to watch many of the runners make their last surge as the finish line approached. Well done to the organizers, volunteers and runners. Oh….and Joey…for expertly covering the finish…..

Sharing information provided by the City of Gloucester Facebook page: Parking App Outage Alert (6/26) The City has been notified that the Flowbird parking app is currently experiencing an outage. Please use the parking kiosks to pay for parking until the issue is resolved.

We’ll share any updates as they become available—thank you for your patience!

Three heats were held last night from Pavilion Beach to determine the 3 semi finalists for Saturday’s Seine Boat Senior Mens Race. Midnight Hammer/The Merger, Andys Gang and Kaos won their heats and will proceed to Saturday’s semi finals. The other teams included Impact, The Cut and Liquid 128. It was a great night for the competition and each team well represented their class and Fiesta tradition.

One interesting story from the night is that Tom Conrad from the Kaos team was rowing his 50th year with this race! That is unreal enough but he also found himself seeded against his son Greg in the Liquid 128. What a proud night for the entire family. Thank you to Tom’s wife (who did not share her name, sorry) for filling me in on this interesting aspect to the events of the night. The top two from Saturday’s race will compete again on Sunday vs last year’s champs ZFG. See you there!

We we honored to attend our first Novena Procession last night on a beautiful evening just right for this important kickoff event. Following please find a bit of a photo dump and link to a YouTube video you are definitely going to want to check out especially if you can’t be here yourself this time.

Hope to see you at Mile Marker tomorrow Wednesday June 25 from 5:30-7:30!

Despite the rainy launch last week, the weekly Tuesday Schooner Challenge kicked off from Maritime Gloucester. We were aboard the Isabella with Amanda, Rica and Tucker. Another goup was aboard Ardelle with Capt Burnham in his reenactment regalia. The point is to give the interns an opportunity to deal with customers as well as gain some sailing experience during the race challenge. I think it’s a great idea and opportunity for people like me to help with the education of future mariners as well as get some behind the scenes insight ourselves. I assure you, we had fun even though we got a bit wet. You see the most interesting things going on out in our harbor! You can book tickets online at Maritime Gloucester (**tip and reward for those of you reading to the end….check for a coupon code for a discount**)

From the Better Together Facebook page in case you may need to cool down today: