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