A Voyage Through Massachusetts, Mid-August, 2011. Leg 6- Plymouth to the Cape Cod Canal East Entrance.

It was a short visit to Plymouth and yet I did get some fine treatment from Captain Miles Standish and Governor Bradford amongst others.

Fishing vessel heading out of Plymouth, a vessel quite different from most of
the other vessels I saw heading past.  Most of the other fishing vessels were
lobster boats.  This does not look like a lobster boat.
A friend here in Newport, RI where I write this a month and a half
after the fact told me it's probably a tuna boat. 
That explains the bowsprit I reckon and the tower. 
The Plymouth apparently approved anchorage much of the time
sucks due to the big wakes thrown by the vessels passing nearby. 
Photo by Captain Bill Podzon, copyright 2011.

I may have stayed longer in Plymouth if the anchorage were not so rough.  Ah, but my nomadic blood kicked in and wanted out.  Sometimes I view Plymouth, Massachusetts and Newport, Rhode Island as sister cities.  I also view Narragansett Bay and San Francisco Bay as sister bays.

This photo was taken shortly after pulling up anchor.
The Plymouth Beach spit of land crosses diagonally from right to left.
In the upper left is nearly the north end of Plymouth Beach. 
I'm heading diagonally towards the left. 
The tide is low in this photo. 
In the left center of the photo is the spark plug
style lighthouse called Duxbury Pier.
Behind Duxbury Pier lies the Saquish Neck
part of the Gurnet. 
Photo by Captain Bill Podzon, copyright 2011.

The tides are pretty extreme in Plymouth.  I know I've written that before but it's worth mentioning again.  It's about a 9 1/2 vertical range the tide in Plymouth.  Look at the previous photo.  Imagine the water about 9 1/2 feet higher.

Looking aft from about the same location as the previous photo.
Downtown Plymouth is to the far right.
Plymouth Beach to the left.
Photo by Captain Bill Podzon, copyright 2011.

Buzzing out of Plymouth Harbor via ye olde outboard.  No wind, lack of patience, and lack of local knowledge inspires the burning of the Arabian liquid fire.  My anal retentive militant environmentalist side sometimes snaps into the opposite direction.  I would rather sail though, it is more fun, when there's wind.

Plymouths coveted breakwater with the town behind.
The Plymouth Rock monument thing is at the far left.
If you look closely you can see Mayflower 2 about a
third of the way from the left-- brown wooden sticks, etc.
It's also quite obvious that the 9 1/2 foot tide is low.
Photo by Captain Bill Podzon, copyright 2011.

Here's a similarity of Plymouth and Newport beyond the fact that both towns are seaside resorts.

Plymouth has "Plymouth Rock".
Newport has the "Mystery Tower".
The historical significance of both of these things is heavily skewed, or skewered, or.  Both of these things are a big draw.

Standish Monument atop the hill with
red nun buoy #2. 
I think this red #2 begins the Duxbury
Channel, an offshoot of the Plymouth
Harbor channel.  I could be wrong though, but
I might be right. 
Photo by Captain Bill Podzon, copyright 2011.







Duxbury Pier.  Looks more like a spark plug style lighthouse
than a pier to me.  I suppose it could be called the Duxbury chicken, or the
Duxbury individual retirement account, or, well, I hope you get my drift.
These folks hanging in the scaffolding were grinding away, maintaining.
Photo by Captain Bill Podzon, copyright 2011.

After passing the Duxbury Pier, this is a somewhat wide angle view
looking west back towards Plymouth.  Very smooth seas.  No wind. 
Maybe Cordage Park smokestack in the distance.
Photo by Captain Bil Podzon, copyright 2011.

Cape Cod Bay seems alot smaller than I used to think it was.  Plymouth is only about 13 nautical miles north of the canals east end.  Provincetown is less than 20 miles northeast of the canal.  Driving a car to P-town from the canal is a lot longer distance than the direct route by boat.  Maybe that's why Cape Cod Bay seems smaller than it used to back in the days when I got around Massachusetts by car.

Looking east heading out of Plymouth harbor
 from about the same location as the previous photo. 
Lobster boat pointing north and a schooner heading south.
Photo by Captain Bill Podzon, copyright 2011.

Plimoth Plantation as viewed from about 3 miles out to sea on a clear day.
Photo by Captain Bill Podzon, copyright 2011.

Sailboat off Manomet Point with the Sandwich Power Plant in the distance.
Manomet Point lies about 1/3 of the distance from Plymouths' Gurnet Point to
the Cape Cod Canals East Entrance. 
The smokestack tower of the Sandwich Power Plant is probably the most prominent landmark.
Photo by Captain Bill Podzon, copyright 2011.

Plymouth Nuclear Power Plant, located north of Manomet Point. 
Photo by Captain Bill Podzon, copyright 2011.

Red buoy #12 off Manomet Point. 
Notice the water flowing around the buoy,
a favorable current for the direction I'm going
which is towards that smokestack in the distance.
Photo by Captain Bill Podzon, copyright 2011.

Go with the flow sailor!  Yeah, and favorable currents are more often than not right up there with favorable winds.  Why fight mother nature?  The Mayflower took about 66 days to sail from Plymouth, England to Cape Cod.  Many ships of her day took even longer.  Returning to England I think the Mayflower was underway about a month.  Half the time as the westbound trip, probably thanks to the prevailing westerlies and the gulf stream. 
Not having a boat packed full of families may have also aided in the swiftness. 

The Sagamore Bridge comes into view as the wind picks up a bit.
Photo by Captain Bill Podzon, copyright 2011.



Same schooner as seen earlier.  The wave crossing the photo almost appears as a shoal,
but in fact it's the wake of a powerboat that passed just before snapping the shutter.
Photo by Captain Bill Podzon, copyright, 2011.



Schooner enters the Cape Cod Canals East Entrance.
The Scusset Beach Jetty appears to the right which the
schooner is about to disappear behind.
Photo by Captain Bill Podzon, copyright 2011.

I'm just about to enter the Cape Cod Canal located
to the left of the Scusset Beach jetty. 
Remember the saying, "red-right-return".
This red buoy and the red tower will be on my right as I return from sea.
I love the wind turbines!!!
Photo by Captain Bill Podzon, copyright, 2011.



Cape Cod Canals East Entrance.
Photo by Captain Bill Podzon, copyright 2011.






Cape Cod Canal traffic lights near the east entrance to the canal.
Green lights mean all vessels are permitted to transit.
The rules regarding yellow or red lights can be found in
the Eldridge Tide and Pilot Book.
If you travel the Cape Cod Canal in your own boat, it is
highly recommended to monitor VHF channels 13 and 14.
Photo by Captain Bill Podzon, copyright 2011.

Scusset Beach Jetty, beach-goers, and the Sagamore Bridge
Photo by Captain Bill Podzon, copyright 2011.

Fair Winds

Captain Bill