Nice artists and scofflaws

As we were motoring over to the causeway near Matt's cousin's vacation home to be picked up, a catamaran that was anchored near us in Bassett's Harbor waved us over. It was actually one of the models that we were considering purchasing. The captain said hello and told us that his companions on board had done some nice drawings of our boat and that they wanted to give us one. We didn't have time to talk long because Matt's parents were waiting to pick us up so they were nice enough to drop off a cool chalk drawing while we were gone. The photo probably doesn't do it justice. The artist, Erinn McCusker, runs a studio that teaches art, including private lessons.

I'm not talkin' about daysailing. I'm talkin' about sharkin'!

My awesome friend Lory hooked us up with Ocearch and we, including Matt's parents who are visiting from Chicago, spent a few hours aboard. The Ocearch folks are like rock stars around here. The team is super-friendly and the entire crew (including the scientists onboard) appear to be charismatic, photogenic, and knowledgeable. The great whites couldn't have picked better ambassadors.

Gotta get your beef shield

That was the song that Conrad and Mark were singing on our sail from Provincetown back to Bassett's Bay. "Gotta get your beef shield! Gotta get your beef shield!" There was a dance too. It was a mix of hip hop and Elaine on Seinfeld. Their energy cannot be contained. At the end Mark said, "We hope you enjoyed the show. Visit sillysongs.com."

P-Town Carnival Parade

We went to the Provincetown Carnival parade yesterday. This year's theme was Vegas, baby. It's a good thing they gave away beads and beach balls or the boys would have given up and gone home (and we would have been okay with that). We waited over an hour for the parade to start and then stood through an hour and a half of the slowest parade ever during the cloudy and partly rainy afternoon.

Seals, again? Sigh.

Just kidding, we love seals. Heck, we still love dolphins, despite their being all over the place. It's not yet like eagles in British Columbia. There were so many eagles when Matt and I visited way back, that they were like pigeons to us by the time we left.

Climbing things is fun. Also, seals!

Pilgrim monument in the background.

This houseboat anchored here in Provincetown is really cool. It doesn't look to have a motor so it might need to be towed places but it has a very modern, sleek look, including the way the solar panels are mounted.

P-Town--heh, heh, it's called Pee town

After spending the last month in relatively sleepy, seaside areas, it's a bit of a shock to the system to come to Provincetown. It's not a huge town, but it is bigger than anywhere we have been recently and it crammed full of tourists and shops that cater to them. The town's main street stretches for a couple of miles and is mostly filled with pedestrian traffic.  Importantly for us, there is a real grocery store within walking distance and a great Portuguese bakery that serves up some tasty fried dough.  The boys had a great time rummaging through the very varied inventory at the landmark Marine Specialties Store.  Apparently the same crate of "American Airlines First Class soup bowls" (for only 50 cents each) has been on sale for the past 15 years.

Tipsy boats

I saw the mast of this boat the other evening, looked over and saw this. I guess they got a little too close to shore. Fortunately for them, it was pretty calm so they just waited for the tide to come back up. We can't criticize too much, having hit bottom before, but it makes for a good picture.

By the way, we are in a marina for a couple days to get our engine fixed (that rear seal issue) and happened to see this boat had been pulled out of the water. It looks like the whole rudder has been removed and it seems that they were taking on some water after hitting that rock. What a bummer. It reminds us of the price you can pay for any misstep out there.

Let's talk about seaweed

We went to a talk on seaweed at the historic Cataumet Schoolhouse given by local expert Gilbert Newton. The one room school dates back to 1894 and was recently restored. It was very "Little House on the Prairie," down to the lunch pails left hanging by the door. You might not think a talk about seaweed would be very interesting but practically every seat was filled and the boys stayed interested for most of the hour-long talk.

The first rule of boating--don't hit a rock

 

The weekend is here again and with it comes the hundred or so boats that descend on the anchorage.  One of them had a less than optimal day.

Bassett's Island

Conrad and Mark have had a great time with their soon-to-be-12 year old cousin Charlie. His parents have a house near the anchorage and we have really enjoyed spending time with family. They also let us use their shower and laundry, among many other things. Boat life is nice, but there's certainly something to be said for unlimited running water.

Atlantic City to Cuttyhunk

I feel like the universe is answering my blog posts.