Author: Pat D

Under pretty difficult conditions, all three teams put on a great race tonight for the Junior Mens Elimination race on Pavilion Beach. The teams included Tonno, Warri-OARS and Apostles. It was a photo finish for the Warri-OARS and the Apostles team earning them spots in tomorrow’s championship. More photos tomorrow! The future of the Mens teams is looking very bright.

Tyler Parisi grabbed the flag about midway through the third competitive round in tonight’s Greasy Pole competition. The weather was dreary and a bit chilly but all that was forgotten as soon as he seized that flag. More coverage tomorrow. For tonight, congratulations Tyler.

Congratulations to the crews of The Merger and ZFG for earning a spot in tomorrow’s 2024 Mens Seine Boat Championships. The hard fought race saw these two teams as well as Danger Zone compete for two spots in the finals. More photos tomorrow! Great job guys!

About 45 area men competed in the Friday night Greasy Pole competition last night on a beautiful night. Congratulations to Max Allen for grabbing the flag toward the end of the first competitive round. Here are some images from the festivities.

Some photos from last night’s seine boats competitions for the Senior and Junior Women racers. Congratulations to the Junior Womens winners Lake Lukes and the Senior Women team PowOAR! The other teams included EmpowOARed and Stroke Sisters for the juniors and Rowgue and Hard C’OAR for the seniors. The seine boats races are so exciting and the support from the crowd on the beach was amazing. Till next year!

Congratulations to the Lady Lukes Seine boat team on their incredible run tonight against two tough opponents. More photos tomorrow but for tonight, well done all!

Max Allen took down the flag toward the end of the first competitive round in tonight’s Greasy Pole contest. It was a great night and a great run! More photos tomorrow! Well done to all the walkers.

The PowOAR team in the Pinta put on an impressive show tonight for Fiesta’s Womens Seine Boat races. More photos tomorrow but congratulations to the PowOAR team!

Viva! These guys are downtown today showing off their crazy Fiesta headwear thanks to the talents of our Crazy Hat Ladies. Amazing detail and creativity on display as Fiesta celebration is fully underway.

We stopped at Little Sister in Rockport on Bearskin Neck for a little lunch recently. I ordered the Talise and Jim got the fish sandwich. They happened to be out of regular fries that day so we chose coleslaw as our side. The fish piece was very generous and “crunchy” as reported by Jim. The double burger was deliciously messy and filling. We chose to eat outside and watch the world go by. We were very happy with our lunch.

They offer online ordering and takeout with several gluten free or vergetarian options. All bases seem to be covered. They call themselves Bigger Than A Burger Shoppe, which rings true! Check them out online at this link, but better yet–check it out in person and bring your appetite.

Stop by at AmVets on Washington St. this weekend to celebrate Fiesta!

This year’s shrine on Commercial St for the Greasy Pole walkers is looking great once again! What a tradition!

Cat says “Viva!”

The new Waterfront Cafe on the boulevard has recently opened in the former ice cream store and we made a quick stop there recently to check it out. The staff greeted us warmly and the inside is really spiffed up. There’s a wide variety of choices including milkshakes, gelato and grab-and-go options. We’ll be stopping back soon to try some of the freshly made items because they look delicious. More information available on their Facebook page. Stop in and give it a try! We look forward to returning.

Sharing a link I found online from Cape Ann Museum and their recent “Above the Fold” exhibition sharing Fiesta memories through the lens of the Gloucester Daily Times photographers. It’s a 2:30 stroll through the past you might enjoy as we await the big weekend.

Last Tuesday, we went on our second Schooner Challenge sail of the summer. These are being held on Tuesdays throughout the summer and include the Ardelle, the Isabella and the Thomas E. Lannon. This time we were joined by friends Susan and Leo. We were lucky enough to be aboard the Isabella with apprentice captain Jack and Amanda. It was a beautiful night but the wind was quite still for much of it. This required some improvisation from all the crews. Our crew chose to try to row us into some wind. And it kind of worked!

There is no Schooner Challenge sail tonight but next Tuesday it will be underway again. You can get tickets through Maritime Gloucester or through the Thomas E. Lannon. We have gone out twice now and it’s been a new adventure each time. We’ll be going again as soon as we can! See you out there.

We celebrated Margarita Monday in Bravo by the Sea on Beach St in Manchester last week. Monday is when the Detroit Style Pizza is available so it was a win win. There is outdoor seating available and we enjoyed our drinks and pizza very much. Can’t lose. **Shout out to my youngest sister Judy for her birthday today!**

There always seems to be that one that requires extra supervision. Supervision by platoon.

As you probably know, I have been following this eagle pair for a while now, but hadn’t seen them together in a while. Turns out they have been busy raising a family nearby. On this recent morning, they were taking a break.

Hummingbirds are regular visitors in our backyard but we rarely see 2 of them together for more than a swift “drive-by”, so this little tango was surprising. Then they hung out in nearby branches. It’s amazing what you see when you take the time to look.