We had a somewhat
choppy passage down the coast from Plymouth to the entrance to the Cape Cod
Canal, timing it to arrive around slack water at noon. We arrived on schedule, and had a smooth
passage through the land cut of the canal, with the current ebbing to aid us
along. The payback came, however, as we
exited the canal into Buzzard’s Bay with the current opposing the fairly strong
wind from the south, the combination creating significant waves on the nose,
and a very nasty ride. Spray was flying
over the flybridge! We didn’t have far
to go, however, and tucked ourselves into a hurricane hole in Megansett Harbor
near North Falmouth, MA known as Fiddler’s Cove. It is a nice marina, and we hunkered down to
await the passage of a cold front that evening.
The front was less than impressive, and so the next morning with the
northwest wind behind us, we set out for Nantucket Island. The trip down Buzzard’s Bay was uneventful,
and we rapidly (timed to have current with us) transited the Wood’s Hole
channel, passing the world-famous research institute and exiting into Vineyard
Sound. Martha’s Vineyard, site of a
recent vacation by the president, was only four miles away, and we passed
through Vineyard Sound and into Nantucket Sound. Our trip was delayed about ¾ hour as we stood
by for a small outboard which was disabled and contacted Sea Tow on his
behalf. When the towboat was en-route,
we moved on east, arriving in Nantucket and picking up a mooring about 1300.
Nantucket was
discovered in 1602, and was actually a part of New York until the late
1600’s. Everything is imported on
ferries that carry only trucks, and so
prices are quite high. E.g., gasoline is
$5.40/gallon. There are no traffic
lights, only five colors allowed for houses, and a place where you can pay $1500 per night for a hotel room in the historic district if you miss your ferry
back to the mainland! Nantucket is known
as the “Gray Lady”, because of the appearance of many of the houses, especially
when fog is present. Only five house colors are allowed by the historic commission. The oldest house
surviving on the island dates from 1686.
There is a hatch in the roof adjacent to the chimney to allow roof
access to fight the common chimney fire.
There are few windows, because houses in early Nantucket were taxed
based on the number of windows. Many of
the houses have a “widow’s walk” platform on the roof; some say to watch for
their husbands returning from sea—some say to allow chimney access to put out
the chimney fires. The old windmill, the
oldest continuously operating windmill in the U.S., allows for rotation of the
entire vane superstructure to face the wind, which seems to come from every
direction here. Sankaty Light claims to
be the second-oldest lighthouse in the U.S. (Boston is oldest), but we noted in
Portland, Maine that Portland Head Light made the same claim.
An
architectural lesson is present in the photos below. A full-cape house is shown; two windows on
each side of the door. A half-cape has a
door and two windows on one side. A ¾
cape has one window on one side of the door, and two windows on the other
side. These patterns were frequently
observed in old Nantucket houses. Also
of note is the Pacific National Bank Building from 1818. This is an unusual bank name for an
establishment in the Atlantic, but evidently the greatest profits from the
heyday of Nantucket whaling came from expeditions to the Pacific Ocean. Nantucket whaling ships journeyed around Cape
Horn on voyages lasting 3-5 years to search for sperm whales in the Pacific
Ocean! The Whaling Museum was outstanding,
as was the view from its roof, in which Texas Ranger can be seen (by a sharp
eye) moored in the harbor between the upright sign supports in the middle of
the photo. Alas, we cannot afford to
stay here long, and we must continue to move toward southern climes. Martha’s Vineyard is “full” for the Labor Day
weekend, so we may head further west toward Rhode Island. Many of these locations are prime sailing
locations for years, and places we have read about for decades!
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| Bridge in Cape Cod Canal |
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| Railroad Bridge, Cape Cod Canal |
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| Lighthouse in Buzzard's Bay |
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| Approaching Gray Lady, Nantucket, MA |
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| Brant Point Light, Nantucket Harbor |
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| "Big" Boats, Nantucket Harbor |
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| Church, Nantucket |
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| Shop With Ship Above Door |
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| Oldest Surviving Home, 1686 |
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| 1746 Windmill--Note Rotating Top |
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| Sankaty Light, Nantucket Island |
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| Atheneum, Nantucket, MA |
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| "Gray Lady", Nantucket, MA |
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| Full Cape & Half-Cape Architecture |
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| Three-Quarter Cape Architecture |
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| Church, Nantucket |
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| Pacific National Bank |
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| Nantucket Architecture |
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| Whaling Ship Vane, Town Hall |
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| Whaling Museum, Skeleton & Boat |
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| Harbor View, Nantucket |
