Cruising Down East!

What we’ve seen of New England thus far has been gorgeous, and the water here is remarkably clear. We’re becoming keen at dodging lobster pots and navigating highly trafficked waters in poor visibility. While underway, we keep an aluminum radar reflector hoisted up the flag halyard and a fog horn within arm’s reach. We’ve discovered that Connecticuters love fried dough with pizza sauce and are largely disinterested in blue crabs thriving in their waters, and that pole-spearing in Rhode Island can be a worthwhile endeavor. Read on for a summary of the most recent leg of our voyage - from Old Saybrook, Connecticut to Kittery Point, Maine.

Schooners in Gloucester Harbor

On June 26, we motored 22 nautical miles east from Old Saybrook to Fishers Island, which is a rural island with a population that balloons during the summer months. Although Fishers Island is technically part of New York, it is closer to and functions as a part of Connecticut. Ferries and small commuter boats run between Fishers Island and two Connecticut towns (New London and Noank). Some of the 70 PreK-Grade 12 students who attend the Fishers Island School reside in Connecticut (New London, Mystic, Noank, Waterford, and Stonington). We anchored in East Harbor, perilously close to the renowned golf course at the Fishers Island Club (est. 1926). Apparently, snorkeling for golf balls is a popular activity here. We are not golfers and the water was chilly, so we opted to seduce blue crabs with baited lines instead. Unfortunately, we only attracted hideous longnose spider crabs with algae and muck stuck to Velcro-like hooks covering their shells. 

Mystic River Bascule Bridge

On June 27, we motor-sailed seven nautical miles north from Fishers Island to Mystic. As we headed up the Mystic River, we passed through a distinctive bascule bridge counterbalanced with two 230-ton concrete blocks that tower over pedestrians and motorists when it's closed. Traveller’s shallow draft enabled us to safely navigate a very narrow 12’ channel and anchor in a peaceful spot by Elm Grove Cemetery in 8’ of water. After setting anchor, we parked the dinghy at a public dock by Main Street and walked around the quaint town. We popped into several boutique shops, art galleries, and an ice cream shop before returning to Traveller and making another attempt at handlining for blue crabs. We tied eight lines baited with chicken necks to the lifelines, and checked them every few minutes. Within an hour we caught 13 keepers (plus several we tossed back), which we steamed, picked, and packed into meaty crab cakes.

Maryland-style crabs in the Mystic River

We spent the better part of our final two days in Mystic learning about 19th century seaport culture, whaling expeditions, and shipbuilding practices at the Mystic Seaport Museum. The 19-acre museum comprises 60 historic structures arranged to replicate a New England seafaring village of the mid-1800’s. The museum’s centerpiece is Preservation Shipyard, where workers highly skilled in dying arts employ traditional tools and techniques to restore historic wooden vessels. The highlight of our visit was touring the Charles W. Morgan (built in 1841), which is the only surviving wooden whaling ship from the 19th century American merchant fleet.

Charles W. Morgan at the Mystic Seaport Museum

On June 30, we sailed 38 nautical miles from Mystic to Newport, Rhode Island. As we swerved around sailing dinghies and searched for a spot to anchor among hundreds of sailboats in Newport Harbor, we realized why locals challenge the assertion that Annapolis is the “Sailing Capital of America.” That evening, we parked the dinghy at the Ann Street Maritime Center and availed ourselves to its immaculate laundry amenities. We met up with my cousin, Liz, and her boyfriend, Matt, the next day. After a round of drinks aboard Traveller and a second round at their house in town, we made our way to Pour Judgment for a later dinner. Matt shared valuable local knowledge about places to pole-spear (more on that to come).

Catching up with Liz and Matt at Pour Judgement

Between thunderstorms the next day, we rode the dinghy to a public dock next to King Park. While walking along the harbor in King Park, we marveled at the clarity of the water. Visibility was about 6’, and we could clearly see fish and horseshoe crabs swimming from where we stood. Then we headed downtown to download viewing material at the library and browse the inventory at a couple of classy thrift shops. 

Newport Harbor

Horseshoe crab in Newport Harbor (that's clear water!)

Next, we made our way to the “Cliff Walk.” The 3.5-mile trail along a cliff that intermittently dips to stretches of rocky shoreline lies between Buzzards Bay and a row of Gilded Era mansions. Shout out to King Charles II for granting “fisherman’s rights” in the colonial charter, thereby establishing a public right of way over privately owned waterfront property that was subsequently enshrined in the Rhode Island Constitution. Much to the chagrin of billionaires who own these glamorous mansions, lowly common folk are free to stroll a fenced-off sliver of their properties. Sadly, the Newport Independence Day fireworks display was postponed due to scattered thunderstorms. We did our best to observe the occasion like true patriots by sipping Yuengling in the heart of Yankee Land while gazing at red, white, and blue lights illuminating the Pell Bridge.

View of Buzzards Bay from the Cliff Walk

Mansion on the Cliff Walk

On July 5, we motor-sailed 45 nautical miles from Newport to the Cape Cod Canal in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. We made a quick pit stop on the northside of Gooseberry Island, which lies just south of Newport at the mouth of Buzzards Bay, where Mike hopped in the water and pole-speared two fat fish for dinner. After a long day of strained navigation in dense fog, we tied up to a public mooring ball maintained by the Massachusetts Maritime Academy just west of the entrance to the Cape Cod Canal. We entered the seven-mile long canal at 8AM the next morning. The Cape Cod Canal is an artificial waterway that connects Buzzards Bay to the south and Cape Cod Bay to the north, thereby eliminating the need to round Cape Cod. This route shaved 135 miles of coastline from our trip and allowed us to avoid choppy seas at the eastern tip of Cape Cod. The flooding tide provided a four-knot boost, and we zipped past a seal at nine knots as we exited the canal. We proceeded another 50 miles north, and dropped anchor in Salem Harbor around 6:30PM. 

Salem Witch Trials Memorial

We spent an uncharacteristically bright and sunny day visiting historical sites in Salem, passing a couple of bachelorette parties donning black attire along the way. We stopped at the home of Jonathan Corwin, the magistrate who presided over the 1692 witch trials, and the Witch Trials Memorial, which commemorates the 20 people wrongfully convicted of and executed for witchcraft. We also visited some more cheerful sites, including the Ropes Mansion and Garden, the Phillips House, and the outdoor “urban art museum.” We bought four-packs of local beer and cider before returning to Traveller and enjoying a drink in the cockpit whilst chuckling at the Salem tiki boat.

Garden at Ropes Mansion

On July 8, we motored 11 nautical miles northeast from Salem to Gloucester and anchored on the southeast side of Ten Pound Island in Gloucester Harbor. We took the dinghy into town and parked it at a public dock behind the maritime museum. Gloucester, which is celebrating its 400th anniversary this year, is an active seaport town. Commercial fishing vessels and towers of stacked lobster traps occupy most docks. Gorton’s Seafood was founded and maintains its corporate headquarters here. You know you’re getting close to Gorton’s seafood processing center when you see flocks of seagulls feverishly swarming overhead. We walked to Good Harbor Beach, which is a beautiful beach on the ocean surrounded by sand dunes and marshes. Despite lingering fog, the beach was packed and kids lined up to jump off a pedestrian bridge into a creek and ride the current out to the ocean. We stopped by the Gloucester Fisherman’s Memorial, which pays homage to the thousands of local fishermen who died at sea during the town’s first 300 years. Opposite the 8’ tall bronze statue of a fisherman braced at the wheel are plaques inscribed with the names of 5,368 Gloucester fishermen lost at sea between 1623 and 1923. The memorial is located at the middle of a waterfront promenade that overlooks Gloucester Harbor. Food trucks and vendors were stationed alongside the promenade, on Stacy Boulevard, for a public event featuring live music. A couple of hours later, we heard fireworks being set off in the harbor, but could not see them through the dense fog.

Good Harbor Beach

On July 9, we sailed 30 nautical miles north from Gloucester to the Piscataqua River, which separates New Hampshire from Maine. We anchored in 30' of water by Fort McClary in Kittery Point, Maine at high tide. Tidal variance, which is 10’ in the Piscataqua River, will get more significant as we continue moving northeast. Incessant downpours kept us at anchor yesterday, and swell hitting the side of Traveller caused an uncomfortable side-to-side rocking. Mike rigged a swell bridle to turn the boat into the waves (90° off the wind), and Traveller assumed a less disruptive front-to-back rocking. When we laid down to sleep, we heard the familiar pitter-patter of shrimp (a sound we last heard in the Carolinas). The late night tappers were most likely Atlantic northern shrimp. Today, the sun is shining, the sails are raised, and we are on a 45 nautical mile trek to the most populous city in Maine - Portland. Our Down East adventure is now in full swing! Let's conclude this post with a bit of trivia - Maine got the nickname “Down East” because the prevailing wind in New England is westerly, so vessels sailing east to Maine from New York or Massachusetts typically sail downwind.