2022: Danvers to Gloucester Mass

 28 July 2022

Depart: Danvers Mass Private Dock 11:15

Pump out stop: depart 12:00

Arrive: Gloucester anchorage 2:25

Distance: 17 nm

Clark was up early this morning. He got to see a pretty view of the sun hitting the houses nearby.

Even though we were up early, we got a very late start leaving the dock today and decided to make it a short trip to Gloucester (pronounced Glahsta here) instead of a longer trip to Portsmouth. Before we left this morning, Ev did household chores like running the vacuum and doing a couple of loads of laundry. Clark had to take our old batteries to the store to get a refund for the cores and then return the car to his cousin. He needed to reprogram the controls for the batteries since they are a different brand than the prior ones. The change impacted the solar MPPT controller, the battery charger, and the 3-stage regulators for the alternators. He needed to contact the manufacturer to get the specifications.

He also filled the water tank. We desperately needed to empty the holding tank. Our friend, whose dock we were staying at, told us to call the Danvers Pump-out boat on Channel 9, and they would come right to the dock. When Clark called them, they refused to come because we did not have a mooring permit for pump outs. Clark was flabbergasted! In New Jersey they are anxious to pump out boats to protect the environment. Since those were the rules, we had to find a place that would do the dirty job. Luckily, Danversport Marina, a short distance away, said we could come there. The tank was at 75% full - way over our normal limit. 

Fortunately, their pump-out machine worked well and quickly. When the job was completed, our meter read 3% full as there is always some residual that won't come out via the suction. Yay! We can use the head without worries for a while now.

View from the street of Danversport Marina

By the time we completed all our jobs, it was already noon and time to make lunch. As soon as we were headed on our way, I got that job done as well.

The ride to Gloucester provided lots of opportunities to use the camera on our phones.  Here are the sights we saw today.

Obviously the 2 plastic owls are not on the job 
as the live birds are standing around next to them.

Watching out for traps and kayaks!

"Baker's Island Lighthouse"
operated by the federal government since 1798

"Great Egg" Rock near
Manchester-by-the-Sea

Houses along shoreline

A very rocky shoreline

"Norman's Woe" Rock

Longfellow wrote a fictional poem called "The Wreck of the Hesperus".  Supposedly it is based on "Norman's Woe" rock which was the site of many shipwrecks as the rock is mostly submerged at high tide.

Whale Watch Boat - "Hurricane II" - 
leaving Gloucester

Coming into Gloucester, Mass Harbor

"Ten Pound Island" Lighthouse

Friendly Fishermen passing by

Site of America's first copper paint 
invented for boat bottoms

Gloucester City Hall Building
(in background)

Harbormaster and 
Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center

North Shore Arts est. 1922

Gloucester Meeting House
(in background)

Colorful, Trap-Marker Art

Lighthouse again on our way out of the harbor
to look for a place to drop anchor.

Finding a place to drop anchor here was not easy. Much of the space is taken up either by mooring balls or by traps. We finally found a place and dropped anchor in 30 feet of water. We found nothing shallower. The tide change here is about 10 feet. It makes figuring out how much line to put out interesting.

Gloucester Schooner --
passing by our anchored boat

Ten Pound Island Lighthouse
lit with red glow

Clark was napping on the sofa, and I was watching the evening news when suddenly it smelled like something was burning. That got Clark up in a hurry -- where me calling him earlier had no effect! He checked our boat - first the new batteries and then other places and found no issues. We then heard an engine vrooming and figured out the stink was coming from the USCG boat picking up a mooring nearby. 

Choke choke - stinky exhaust on this one!