August 20-21                             Fairhaven, Massachusetts

Saturday we departed under blue skies for our journey across Nantucket Sound.  Many more boats had come into the harbor since our arrival.  Hundreds of mooring balls held boats of all sizes and types.  Launches were busy shuttling people back and forth.  Shortly after leaving the harbor, we saw a large group of racing sailboats, possibly the first of many more scheduled for this last day of Racing Week.

After several hours, we passed Martha’s Vineyard and ran into a squall that came suddenly with wind and blinding rain.  Fortunately, it lasted for only about ten minutes.  We turned on our new radar to detect any objects about us and discovered we had forgotten how to operate it.  By the time we found the manual and read the instructions, the rain had stopped and visibility was good again.  We are now prepared for the next squall!

By cruising through Woods Hole, we could save considerable distance and time.  This area is reputed to be treacherous because of the many rocks, narrow channel, and dangerous eddies.  We studied the charts, plotted our GPS, and entered the area with some trepidation.  Woods Hole is the home of the National Oceanographic Institute and Marine Biological Laboratory.  It is a beautiful area, isolated between Nantucket Sound and Buzzards Bay with the famous Nobska Light standing tall in the southern entrance to the channel.  Carefully following the markers, we avoided the rocks, held steady through the eddies, and emerged unscathed into Buzzards Bay for our northern heading to the New Bedford/Fairhaven area.

New Bedford Harbor, at the mouth of the Acushnet River, is entered through a massive stone hurricane barrier.  New Bedford is on the western shore and Fairhaven is on the eastern side.  Together, they hold more fishing vessels than anywhere else in the United States.  Our marina was located just past the barrier on the Fairhaven side.  We were assigned a great location, had excellent dock help, and were promptly invited to a marina party to be held later that evening.

The cool, sunny weather had brought many boat owners to the marina for the weekend and the dock party was well-attended.  One of the fishing boat captains, whose vessel was across the dock from us, brought freshly caught swordfish and grilled it for everyone.  Fabulous!  We also feasted on broiled chicken, hamburgers, macaroni and cheese, and a great assortment of salads and desserts.  Pirates Punch, a concoction made from chopped citrus fruits in vodka, was served with warnings that “it was strong enough to knock you off the dock.”  We had a lot of fun talking to others and learning about the area.

On Sunday, we took a taxi and went to the New Bedford Airport for a rental car which David would drive to Boston for his return trip to Fort Worth on Monday.  Our taxi driver proved to be a fount of information and we followed his recommendation for lunch.  Antonio’s, a local favorite for Portuguese cuisine, was a lovely, very clean family restaurant in a neighborhood that was obviously Portuguese and/or Hispanic.  All the food was very good but the steamed Littleneck clams were outstanding.   Apparently, Martha Stewart thought so, too, for she reportedly raved about them during a recent visit.

 Before lunch we had driven through the neighborhood  and stopped at the massive church of St. Anthony of Padua.  Constructed of hewn blocks of red granite with a towering spire, it sits in a working class area of multi-family homes and small businesses.  The front doors were open so we walked inside.  Mass had finished and the sanctuary was almost empty.  We were awed by the magnificent interior.  Great columns of simulated golden marble (an Italian process called scagliola) bore sculpted images of angels and saints more than six feet high.  The ceiling was frescoed with biblical scenes and there was a huge three-dimensional depiction of the Christ Child with St. Anthony at the end of the apse, surrounded by numerous pipes for the 1912 Casavant Frères organ.  Large stained glass windows, in the clerestory and on the main level, had multiple scenes from stories of Jesus and the Saints. It was a surprise to see such baroque splendor in New Bedford, an obvious reminder of the considerable prosperity of the area in times past.

Fairhaven is smaller and much more pleasant than its neighbor across the river.  There are many lovely private homes, large churches, spacious parks, and beautiful trees.  Fortunately, our marina is well-located and our bicycles can easily take us to nice restaurants and small shops.  I plan to use mine often to see more of Fairhaven while David is in Texas.