Fair Winds & Foul Tides: A New England Passage
With the fall equinox closing in on our stern in August 2023, we cast off for a final run down the New England coast. The charts laid out countless tempting harbors in Massachusetts, but with a dwindling weather window, we had to choose our landfalls carefully. We plotted a course for the legendary ports of Gloucester, Marblehead & Salem, and a trip down the Cape Cod Canal, with a final stop at the remote outpost of Cuttyhunk before making for Rhode Island.
Gloucester: A Mariner’s Ghost and a Genius’s Castle
Our approach to Gloucester had us threading the needle past Ten Pound Island, a familiar navigational aid to any mariner who’s seen The Perfect Storm. We picked up a city mooring and settled into a secure berth. Even a “rock” had a berth. https://www.gloucester-ma.gov/179/City-Moorings
Our first stop ashore was the Gloucester Fishermen’s Memorial, a powerful reckoning with the sea. The list of names is staggering: 5,368 men lost between 1716 and 1923. https://www.gloucester-ma.gov/74/Lost-at-Sea
From there, we explored a different kind of legend at Hammond Castle. Built between 1926 and 1929, it was the fortress of John Hays Hammond Jr., the “Father of Radio Control.” This is the genius who, with hundreds of patents to his name, successfully piloted a full-sized ship at just 26 years old using only radio control. It’s a MUST see. Read about more of his inventions here. https://hammondcastle.org/curators-picks/
Marblehead & Salem: A Sea of Masts
Our next leg took us to the sailing capital of Marblehead. Nothing prepares you for the sight of 2,000 mooring balls packed along its 14 miles of shoreline. It’s a sea of masts as far as the eye can see, and with a 3-year waiting list for a mooring, we were content to be transient visitors in this yachting Mecca. Try your luck here. https://marbleheadma.gov/harbormaster/
The Cape Cod Canal
Every sailor knows some passages are all about timing the tide, and the Cape Cod Canal is the ultimate test. At 7.5 miles long, 32 feet deep, and the world’s widest sea canal at 540 feet, its currents are formidable. We sailed down from Marblehead on a screaming 25-knot beam reach, our SOG hitting a thrilling 9 knots. We shot the entrance perfectly, but deep inside, the tide turned. A foul current gripped our keel, and our speed plummeted. For about an hour, we slogged against wind and tide, making a painful 3 knots while cyclists on the shore path breezed past us—that was embarrassing! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_crossings_of_the_Cape_Cod_Canal
Cuttyhunk & Onward to Rhode Island
After a call night in Onset Harbor, we weighed anchor at dawn for a glorious sail across Buzzards Bay. We made landfall at Cuttyhunk in a thick fog, but the next day was beautiful for hiking and enjoying the views.
Our passage continued to the epicenter of American sailing: Newport, Rhode Island. Plenty of restaurants and shopping of course. But Our favorite shore leave was the Cliff Walk, a spectacular 3.5-mile path with panoramic ocean views, stunning, century-old Gilded Age mansions, and beautiful = well – rocks!. https://www.discovernewport.org/things-to-do/cliff-walk/
Our final port of call was Block Island. We dropped the hook in the Great Salt Pond and rented scooters to tour the island, completing the 10-mile loop past Monhegan Bluffs lighthouse and the Overlook. It’s an explorer’s paradise, and it’s easy to see why: forty percent of the island is set aside for conservation. We were there when the great fire destroyed the Old Harbor Inn. You can read about it here. https://blockislandguide.com/2024/07/11/block-island-fire-does-not-stop-shops-from-selling-their-wares-in-2024/
But a sailor can’t stay in one port for long. The charts are out, and a new course is laid. Next stop: Long Island Sound!
