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 20th 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 20th
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 |
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