My View of Life on the Dock
Looking for something to do on a rainy Sunday? The Gloucester Elks , at 97 Atlantic Road, Gloucester, MA will be having their annual Art and Craft Show. Thank you for shopping local. Since the weather does not look great, we will be inside. Thank you all for shopping local.
~ GLOUCESTER MARINE GENOMICS INSTITUTE
Are you curious about Gloucester Biotechnology Academy? Do you have your GED or HiSet and are looking for what’s next?
Come visit during our OPEN HOUSE on Monday, May 5th from 3pm to 5pm .
Chat with teaching staff, tour our state-of-the-art teaching laboratories, and learn about the application process!
Tuition and fees will be waived for the Academy’s incoming class of 2026. Stipends may be available for students who qualify.
Questions? Please reach out to Director of Partnerships & Enrollment Laura Richane at laura.richane@gmgi.org.
Can’t make the Open House, but want to learn more? Please visit our website at gmgi.org/education/apply.
Our friend Bill Wrinn submitted the following photos and information regarding Snow Bear, a vessel with a small adventurous crew that wintered here at the Cape Ann Marina:
And then they were gone..
We said fare thee well this week to a delightful couple who put their Artic sailing adventure on pause and left footprints and memories all around our community.
Steve Bradley, from the UK, and Sarah Pedersen, from Denmark, left Loch Fyne in Scotland in April 2023 sailing their 40-foot Hallbereg Rassy (Hull No. 52), named Snow Bear, with no final destination in mind. Driven by their passion for photographing polar bears and their love of sailing, the couple crossed the North Atlantic, following the old Viking route to North America. Along the way they made stops in Svalbard, Norway, Ireland, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland and the coast of Maine and New Hampshire. In January, they landed at the Cape Ann Marina and had made it their home since.
And they loved it so much they didn’t want to leave.
“It can be a roller coaster ride. You spend a lot of time isolated – just the two of us – sailing rough seas for days and then you land somewhere and are suddenly surrounded by really nice people,” Sarah said. “It can make it very hard to leave. And we’ve really connected with Gloucester and the people. We really love it here. But we must keep going.”
I met them randomly one evening during a snowy, bluesy night at the Rhumb Line and we
quickly became friends. After getting a quick primer on the ins and outs of local living, their
curiosity took them all around Gloucester and Rockport where they tried new things and made new friends.
Steve and Sarah surely made the most of their visit. They joined the Writers Center, took fitness classes, attended local theatre, sampled the restaurants, did the tourist thing, and even got in a late-night round of pool at Pratty’s. (They loved it!). They walked everywhere.
They soon had their favorite spots.
“We loved hammond Castle, the Rocky Neck art colony, Source Bakery, and Dogtown Books
(I’ve never seen so many nautical themed books anywhere) to name a few,” said Steve.
And then there was the local music scene.
“I’ve got to say, the music scene along the coast of Canada and New England is pretty special. And we’ve absolutely loved the Rhumb Line. There are some very talented musicians, but the audiences attending shows around here really bring an energy to the performances,” he said. “In Europe and other places, you mainly hear only ‘chart music,’ or pop. Here, they cover a lot of the progressive, classic rock. In Europe, you just don’t hear them cover the songs they do here. You’d never hear the Grateful Dead.”
Local folk became familiar with the sailors and their friendly personalities. As their time on the island grew, they always seemed to run into somebody they knew. At one point, they were hosting out-of-town visitors.
Providing them a ride back to the boat usually meant staying for more chatter, Danish indie music, and a bit of really good Venezuelan rum – while losing all sense of time. Conversations ran deep and revealed unique and shared perspectives on all sorts of topics – the changing world, relationships, weather forecasting, knitting, and the many uses of black licorice powder. No topic was taboo.
Steve and Sarah’s journey continues, with the ice flows dictating much of the route. Before
heading North, they’re taking a quick trip to New York City where they intend to take a selfie with the Statue of Liberty. From there, they’ll sail down the Maine coast then through the waters around Newfoundland, Greenland, and across the North Atlantic back to Europe where they will chart their next course.
They say there are no current plans to return to Gloucester, but you never know. In the
meantime, you can track their progress and follow their story on facebook and Instagram as
well as on their website, snowbearsailing.com.
Safe journeys, Snow Bears. We will miss you.
Photos provided by Bill Wrinn:
Walking Shore Road a cool and sunny Thursday. It was so clear and beautiful out, it should be illegal to be inside.
Dr. Seuss…
With @patdsphotos Come in and I’ll take your picture for the promo! All new styles for 2025!!!
A heartfelt thank you to all our amazing customers who join us for bagels on the weekends. Your support and smiles make our days brighter. We truly appreciate you! ❤️
Bagel of the week: Maple S+P -100% pure maple syrup, a dusting of sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Served with a side of decadent whipped maple butter.
This Saturday our neighbor @apothecarysuilcrow is hosting a May Day Festival from 10 am – 5:00 pm. Hope you will all check it out! During set up, extra parking spaces are plentiful towards the back of the Whistlestop Mall.
Welcome visitors to our backyard have returned and they seem very very hungry. We welcome back the hummingbirds and the Baltimore orioles. Such fun to watch. I haven’t seen any photos from Joey’s backyard so I’ll assume he hasn’t even filled his feeder yet.
Easy- pick up passport card at any participating store- get ten check marks by visiting at least ten shops. Turn in your passport to Castaways Vintage Cafe by 5pm on May 10 to be entered to win one of three gift card hauls- one $300, one $200 and one $100 gift card bundles! Free to play. Just visit ten stores between May 2-10 and collect your stamps! Thank you to @tequilamachaca @franklincapeann @salonamaragloucester @borrowedandbluecollective for donating gift cards as well!
This is a great way to help keep The Gloucester Dog Park well maintained and looking beautiful for all the dogs and dog owners of Cape Ann for many years. If you have any yard tools, please bring them. No experience necessary! We are just going to clean up the Park and make it look great! It is going to be Awesome! We could really use you help on this! Please join us!!!
If you can’t make it, but would still like to help out you can donate here:Donate
Good Morning Gloucester 