Author: Pat D

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.

Here’s my “Wrap-Up” post celebrating Fiesta 2026 including some images that I just like which seem to express the spirit of the weekend. Once again, the Committee and volunteers did an outstanding job scheduling and running events to suit a variety of interests. Special kudos to the organizers of the seine boat races who had weather related challenges to deal with. On to the 100th next year! For even more additional photos please check out Pat D’s Photos and Adventures on Facebook.

Congratulations to all the Junior Men’s Seine Boat crews who participated at any level in this year’s championship run. The Warriors, Young Guns and Tonno met on Pavilion Beach last night after the men’s race to determine a new champion for 2026: Tonno! Congratulations to Tonno!

The Surge crew won last night’s Men’s Seine Boat Race Championship to bring home the trophy for 2026 against ZFG and Careless Whisper. A decent sized crowd gathered on Pavilion Beach in support of all the crews. Congratulations Surge!

The Junior Men’s Seine Boat Championship was held earlier tonight and included Warriors, Tonno and Young Guns. There was an enthusiastic crowd supporting each of the teams and Tonno reached the beach first in yet another great race. Congratulations Tonno crew! More photos tomorrow morning. It’s a great race to watch so maybe put it on your calendar for next year.

The Men’s Seine Boat Championship was rescheduled to today and the weather conditions had improved considerably. ZFG, Careless Whisper and Surge got off to a powerful start and gave the spectators quite a sight to see out there on the horizon and back. Surge prevailed to win 2026 Men’s Championship. More photos tomorrow.

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”