As we slowly work our way south, once again, we find ourselves hiding from the effects of a hurricane. Last week we took a mooring ball in Salem, MA in an attempt to get out of the path of Ida, or at least lessen the effects by locating ourselves in a pretty protected harbor. We still woke up the morning after the storm with the feeling of spending the night on ‘Miss Ida’s Wild Ride’. With 40+mph winds, heavy rain, and 2 anchor alarm alerts (we were not dragging the mooring ball, but the low tide must have given us enough extra line to push us out of the tight alarm radius) during the night, the wild ride left us tired, but unscathed.
We are currently anchored in Port Jefferson on the north side of Long Island, and plan to explore anchorages on this side of the island for the next 4-5days...or however long it takes Larry’s waves to lay down. Even though Larry is staying well offshore, he is transferring a tremendous amount of energy to the water. We say no thanks to LARGE SWELLS!
Aside from planning for weather, we have had a delightful trip during the past two weeks. We caught up with our friends Ken & Barbara, and were treated to a sailing tour of their home port...FUN!!
Salem is the only place I have ever seen commercial fishing taking place in the middle of a mooring field. It was very interesting to watch the process. They ran the net around the school (dodging moored boats) with a smaller boat, then pulled the net in until the huge mass of fish was tight against the boat. Finally, the long handled net was used to scoop the fish out of the larger net.
Salem is a great town to explore (Patricia and Dave drove down for the evening to join us for dinnerš), and it is always intriguing to read some of the history. This area (directly outside the cemetery) is a memorial to the people killed as a result of the Salem witch trials. Each rock ledge has a name engraved, with the cause of death and the date. A total of 25 people (women and men) died during this time, 19 were hanged, 5 died while in custody, and 1 was ‘pressed’...yikes!
Giles Corey was an 80 year old man who was accused of witchcraft/sorcery, but he refused to enter a plea. At that time, a person who refused to plead could not be tried, however, the legal remedy was to chain the person to the ground and add weights (usually rocks or boulders) to a board on top of him until he either pleaded or died. Every time Giles Corey was asked to enter a plea his reply was ‘more weight’. It took three days for him to be crushed to death. What a terrible time in history!
Moving on to happier news...living on a boat encourages creative solutions.
As part of our preparations for Caribbean cruising, we thought a coffee bean grinder was a smart purchase. Of course all boat purchases need to be small and easy to store, so I thought this little hand cranked variety was a good choice. I only realized it was a bad choice after discovering that it took 200+ cranks to grind enough coffee for a small pot each morning. As it turns out...the one I purchased is perfect...after a little Keith ingenuity!
Our search for the best price for fuel led us into this tight spot. Green Harbor, MA had the best fuel prices ($2.89 diesel), but I would not suggest any boat large than ours enter this harbor. The harbor looked big enough on the chart, but we didn’t know that mooring balls covered all but a narrow fairway. With a lot of boat traffic (holiday weekend), little room to maneuver, and a strong tidal current the captain was a wee bit stressed about getting away from the dock and turned around in such tight quarters, but all ended well...I didn’t hit one single thing!
But I was very happy to have this view.
While anchored in Woods Hole, MA we noticed a lot of fish balls forming when a school swam together, as tight as possible, to avoid a predator from below. These fish swam in such a tight ball that some of the members were forced out of the water.
Such a spectacle attracts a lot of bird attention.
Most birds patiently waited for their turn to pick up fast food. These fish seemed to be ‘darned if they do and darned if they don’t’
As a former oceanography and marine biology high school teacher, I am endlessly intrigued by the scientific research of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. As a classroom teacher I relied heavily on the research, data, and discoveries published by the Institute, to bring meaning and relevance to the classroom. Now, I am happy to visit the place that inspired so much interest, curiosity, and discovery amongst my students.
Super happy to see Rachel Carson memorialized here. During my education, her works sparked interest and motivation in my pursuit of knowledge regarding marine ecology. I believe most people have heard of her book Silent Spring, which led to a nationwide ban on the synthetic chemical pesticide DDT.
My favorite Carson quote: “The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.”
Sorry to blast you with a giant toe picture, but I wanted you to get a good look at this grass shrimp. While anchored near Woods Hole, Keith and I took a dinghy tour of our anchorage and discovered Bull Island. This is a small, uninhabited island with a sign that reads, “picnickers welcome”...well, we didn’t have a picnic, but we tied the Whaler to the dinghy dock and set out to explore. After a short hike across the island, on a very beautiful trail, we came to a rocky beach and decided to have a seat on a large rock at the waters edge. I took my shoes off and put my feet in the water, and within minutes several grass shrimp were investigating my feet.
Now I’m not a spa kind of person, but I have heard about some spa treatments that include soaking your feet in a fish tank and allowing small fish to pluck the dead skin cells from your feet. I can’t imagine ever paying for such a treatment, but the free version of ‘nature’s pedicure’ was pretty interesting! At one time there were 20+ grass shrimp picking at my feet...what a strange feeling!
And just when all hope, of seeing a whale, was lost...look what appeared out the pilot house window. I was at the helm and had turned my head to talk to Keith when over his shoulder I spot a whale spout...ahhhhh!! I put the boat in neutral and ran for the camera (or course while yelling, whale...whale!!). This was a small (30ish foot) humpback whale (I think). I have no experience identifying whales, but have relied heavily on the internet to make this identification. In addition to a small dorsal fin and large white pectoral flippers, I am taking the fluke characteristics into consideration.
Numerous internet sources explain the easiest way to identify a humpback is by the tail. Humpbacks have tips on the flukes, a clear notch, and the trailing edge of the fluke slopes down toward the notch.
Here is our whale tail...what do you think? Is it a Humpback? Sorry for the poor quality, but I had to capture this frame from the end of a video.
We have really enjoyed the sights and creatures encountered during the past two weeks!
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