Salem, Massachusetts

I am on a mooring between Marblehead and Salem and whereas Marblehead is very pretty, it is very much a sleepy suburban area compared to Salem. In 1692 over 200 people in the Salem area were accused of witchcraft and eventually 20 were executed.

There is a cemetery downtown where they are buried and also a memorial to them.

I saw many tattoos, nose rings and black clothing among the visitors to pirate, Halloween and witchcraft venues centered downtown.

If you are not interested in this dark side of town, the Peabody Essex Museum is a must see.

Along with the Custom House.

And the Derby Wharf National Park that has a replica of an old wooden trading ship called the Friendship.

Gloucester to Marblehead, Massachusetts

Yesterday I sailed away from the small fishing village of Gloucester.

I was in no hurry so I sailed all the way with just my genoa in 10 knots of breeze.

There must be at least 2,500 boats on moorings here in the harbor one side called Marblehead and the other western side called Salem.

Gloucester, Massachusetts

This once thriving fishing village is very much a quaint tourist town nowadays.

There is a monument on the foreshore dedicated to the 5,368 fishermen who have lost their lives on over 1,000 ships and the names of each of them are inscribed on the walls in the old wooden Town Hall.

Inside city hall is a museum but a much better one is inside the Hammond Castle just on the outskirts of town that is a modern built castle replica with a moat.

If you are interested in history, the Eastern point Lighthouse stands guard over the entrance to the harbor and was built in 1890.

Provincetown to Gloucester, Massachusetts

I was awake before 5am, and sailed most of the 40 miles here, "wing on wing" or "goose winging" as they say.

The thunderstorms started hitting me towards the end so I motored the last 5 miles into the harbor. A loud fog horn was coming from the lighthouse at the entrance.

It looks like a working town rather than a tourist destination so I will be curious to know more about it when I go ashore.

This is the town made famous in the movie, the Perfect Storm.

Provincetown, Massachusetts

On the fringe of Cape Cod, sits a delightful fishing village that is home to many Eastern Europeans and a thriving LGBT community.

Close to the center of town is a very tall memorial to the original settlers.

Before the Pilgrims on the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock, they spent several weeks here.

From the original landing place, there is a great walk out to Woods End Lighthouse which is one of three here at "Land's End."

The beaches here are beautiful but empty at this time of year.

As well as lots of walking opportunities here there are plenty of bike rental places to take advantage of the many trails.

This is Race Point Beach where lots of swimmers visit during the summer months.

Because of the thousands of shipwrecks along the Cape Cod coastline there were many life saving stations built and there is one here that is being preserved.

Video clips of sunsets while sailing from Bermuda to Provincetown

Just for a change I pieced together all the sunset video clips of my week long voyage from Bermuda to Provincetown,  Massachusetts.

Crab/lobster pot welcome to Massachusetts

I finally dislodged the obstruction from my rudder that I caught at 2am near the 3 mile limit in 80 feet of water while blowing a gale.

In Florida, I found that you could avoid most of these by staying out deeper than 50 feet but here I am going to have to double that. Now I know why you never see boats out at night. 

I am on a mooring at Province Town in Massachusetts and it is downright cold up here compared to Bermuda.