No Buckles or Collars

No Buckles or Collars

After learning that Provincetown – not Plymouth – was the first stop for the pilgrims in 1620, in Plymouth we were educated about the authentic apparel of those pilgrims.  Unlike the popular First Thanksgiving images, the real settlers in the 1620s never wore black hats with buckles or big square white collars. They also did not sport square buckles on their shoes.  Over the years as the importance of honoring these hardy folk took hold, they were costumed with a variety of fancy outfits – mostly NOT representative of their true period style. Although the town of Plymouth and the popular Plimouth Plantation are dedicated to the truth about the early settlers – even their energetic efforts do not seem to have successfully dented our long held images of the pilgrims. 

Plymouth is in the throes of restoration efforts and planning for the 400^th anniversary of the Mayflower arrival in 2020.  Many of the important buildings are under scaffolds; nevertheless, the town was swamped with summer visitors.  We enjoyed an informative tour with Leo the Husband as he dispelled many of our false myths about the early days in Plymouth Plantation. He told us stories about the Indians who made a treaty with the pilgrims for their mutual protection and how, indeed, this friendship was instrumental in the survival of the colonist especially their first year. The vital cooperation and friendship was celebrated in that first thanksgiving feast which may have included turkey but most likely really featured venison and fish.  This feast was also not a mere daylong event, but at least three days of celebrations with 90 Indian braves joining the 50 or so surviving Mayflower voyagers.

Oh yes, we also had a look at that famous Plymouth Rock.  It – or most of it – is housed in an impressive pavilion on the waterfront – next to the replica of the Mayflower.  The rock has clearly suffered over time.  It has been moved and removed several times with disastrous results.  What must once have been a large landing granite stone reportedly used by the earliest pilgrims to scramble from their dinghies to the shore, is now a rather underwhelming small boulder with a clumsily repaired large crack. Large pieces seem to have broken off as it was moved over the years and then early “tourists” chipped off souvenirs before the city fathers decided to protect it for posterity. What remains is now fenced off and protected from the elements and will hopefully be around for generations to come as a reminder of the hardy souls who ventured into the unknown to start a new life – and ultimately a new nation. 

Then there are the lighthouse - on clear days and in the fog!

on to Ptown

Ptown

Leaving Nantucket, we opted to back track down the Nantucket and Vineyard Sounds and through the Woods Hole Canal for a night on the hook in Hadley Harbor.  A short dinghy ride took us back to Woods Hole for a brisk walk around Eel Lake in the heart of this village – perched on the lower edge of Cape Cod.  The Marine Biological Laboratory and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute buildings dominate the picturesque scene. We arrived too late for a tour or museum visit, so another pause here might be in order on our way south in the fall.    

Here too ferries to Martha’s Vineyard regularly rock the waters. From our anchorage in Hadley Harbor, however, we remained protected only enjoying the haunting departure whistles which drifted across the water.

An early start gave us the perfect tide for transiting the Cape Cod Canal where we even reduced our throttle to 1300 to maintain the max allowed speed of 10mph!  (You might remember we normally struggle to reach 7.5 mph at 1700 rpm.)  The tide continued to push us across the bay and into the harbor at Provincetown. The town was crazy busy on this early Saturday afternoon since we landed in the middle of their Portuguese Festival. A full weekend of mostly free entertainment was a bonus added to the spectrum of wild fun normally on tap. We walked the strip – sampling restaurants and take out with stops in the colorful shops.  Everything from ticky-tacky trash to exclusive high-end jewelry and couture are on offer – not to mention the proliferation of art galleries. 

Jim did they steal this idea?

The festival included a parade on Saturday with marching bands and Portuguese dancers and a more somber procession/parade on Sunday leading to the Blessing of the Fleet.  Our top deck provided the perfect perch to watch the parade of decorated boats. As with the parades on the streets – chaos and confusion added to the spectacle as did watching the crowds who were lining the streets.

The Bishop's arm is coming out of the boat on the left!

We also found time to climb the Pilgrim Monument.  This 250+ foot tower was built in the early 20^th century to commemorate the first landing of the Mayflower in 1620. The views from the top on this clear morning were well worth the climb to the highest spot on Cape Cod. The museum at the base of the tower included interesting displays as well.  The connection of this town to early 20^th century artists and writers was chronicled with special attention to Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee William’s time here.  The largest displays focused on the Mayflower and those early pilgrim settlers.  While most of us think of Plymouth, MA and the ROCK when remembering the Mayflower, in Provincetown, they want us to notice that the famous ship stopped here first for weeks before heading across the bay to Plymouth.

sorry - tilt

So like the pilgrims, we will be heading from Ptown to Plymouth.

Erben Renewal in Provincetown Harbor