Cuttyhunk

OK, so we rolled into Cuttyhunk Harbor this morning, and it was PACKED:

The marina was full, every mooring was taken, and some folks were anchored. One of the mooring balls had three boats attached. That is permissible here, but I hadn’t seen it before. It was quite a scene…one guy fell overboard trying to push his boat off another. A real circus.

After cruising through the entire mooring field, we managed to snag the VERY LAST MOORING BALL! it’s in the Outer Harbor, so we’re doing a little rocking and rolling, but I’m stillll happy. Probably better to be away from the madness.

This is one of my favorite harbors. We first visited it last year during Covid Lockdown, and I was struck by its simple, natural beauty. We deployed the dinghy, and I took Guinness ashore for some exercise. As I remembered, nothing but dune grass, beach plum, rosa rugosa, scrubby trees, and views of distant islands. So peaceful.

There is very little commercial development here – some houses snuggled into the dunes, but no real town. Here’s a photo of the only place to buy lunch:

So, we say to the girl at the lunch place: “Wow, the harbor’s really crowded!” And the guy next to me in line say, “Oh, Yeah. It’s Fireworks Weekend… I had to make my slip reservation back in January!”

Fireworks Weekend in August? Who knew?

This year, we also found a small farmer’s market, and we bought some greens, tomatoes, and ground beef. Sounds like a cookout on the grill tonight. The (gas) grill is mounted right on the stern, but we rarely get to use it, because open fires aren’t permitted in marinas.

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For lunch, we had “Stuffies”, which are like crab cakes only made from clams, served in a real Quahog shell. FUN!

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We have a few chores this afternoon: top off the oil, etc. Then we’ll take another walk along the beach dunes.

After that, my main concern is how Guinness will handle the fireworks. Last time he was near them, they were about a mile away, as they are tonight, and he was petrified. So scared I thought I would have to take him to the emergency room.

I think I will give him some of my Gabapentin in raw hamburger to calm him down. Waiting for a text from my wonderful Vet to tell me how much I should give him.

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A man came by in a Whaler to collect the mooring rental fee, and he pointed out that we are two boats away from the fireworks barge! And the wind will blow the ashes away from us. I think we are in for quite a show!

On Cooey’s advice, I gave Guinness 750 mg of Gabapentin. That’s all I can do…

The waves and wakes have died down, although the wind is still blowing briskly (maybe 12 knots). For now, just enjoying a beautiful evening at Cuttyhunk!

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The fireworks were first-class, but I didn’t bother taking pictures. Once you’ve seen them at Longwood Gardens, you’re spoiled.

A Guinness was fine. He just hid out in the shower until it was over; then he hopped in bed with me.

TTFN