“A Three- Hour Tour….”

My goal when venturing into a region that I have previously not been exposed to is to try and get as much information as possible and to do that I try and find a source that has the most credibility.

          In Gloucester, Massachusetts, home of the oldest fishing fleet in North America, my goal was far surpassed when I chanced upon Harold Burnham and his schooner Ardelle.

          When it came to taking the fam on a cruise in Gloucester Harbor well, it didn’t get any better than Harold and his boat. While I am sure that there are other very nice enterprises out there that can provide one with a memorable experience, I am equally sure that very few, (none!) that has the heritage and knowledge of Harold Burnham, Master Shipwright, and multi-generational wooden ship builder.

          Harold built the Ardelle along with other classic Gloucester fishing schooners in the next town over, Essex. Essex has been the site of a plethora of shipyards since the 1600’s so that line runs deep and true when it comes to the building of traditional (read seaworthy!) Gloucester sailing vessels.

          Upon our arrival at the docks of  Maritime Gloucester, we were heartily greeted by Harold and K.D. his “First Mate” of sorts. K.D. holds a Master’s License for up to 50 GWT (Gross Weight Tons) ships and needs a few more “days” of sailing to get her Sailing (wind-powered) Endorsement on her license. Harold is her “instructor” and can sign off on her logbook of experience. When she has the required number of days, she will be eligible for the Coast Guard exam. From the looks of things, she will have no problems passing with the proverbial ”Flying Colors”, a term which coincidentally, has a nautical genesis to it. Back in the day, when ships went to sea for battle, they would return to port with their flags flying to indicate a successful voyage and lowered if they had been defeated. Hence the term ‘Flying Colors“ has been used to describe something that has been completed very successfully!

          K.D. took charge of the embarkation and skillfully backed us out of the berth and into the harbor with one long blast on the horn indicating “getting underway”, followed by three short blasts (backing up). A small pleasure power boat apparently did not understand the meaning of the signals and while there was no danger, probably should have “gave way” and let us proceed first.

          No worries, all part of the learning process.

          Once we had cleared the dock area K.D. turned the helm over to Harold and enlisted the help of the “crew”, namely Augustus, Adelaide, and Eleanor in hoisting the jib and sails. The kids are starting sailing lessons at the Manchester-by-the-Sea Yacht Club in a few days, and I told Harold to “put them to work”! Donny and Hilary also joined in and soon the sails were catching the steady breeze out in the harbor.

          While K.D. and the “Maties” were engaged in the hoisting of the sails, Harold greeted and shouted salutations to practically every boat that we passed. It seems that Harold is about as well known around here as anyone can be. In fact, he built (or owned) any number of the vessels that we passed, each with a story unto itself.

          Our voyage was steady and relatively calm, much to the satisfaction of those on board that suffer from a possible case of motion distress. On our way out, K.D. engaged her ‘crew’ with a lesson in knots and had each one successfully tie a “Daisey Chain” which keeps a long line neat and tidy while allowing you to un-do it with just one pull on the bitter end, kind of a disappearing knot as it were.

          We had watched the weather forecasts all week long hoping for promising conditions for this outing. The Weather Idiots had the day not looking good at all and we kind of inched our way through the week, checking the forecast as we went along. Luckily, the Maritime Gods, namely King Neptune and his Court, smiled favorably on us and we had perfect weather for sailing. The lesson here is to not pay any attention to the Prognosticators of Doom and just go about your plans!

          The weather was so good that we passed the end of the harbor jetty and out into the open ocean until we rounded the Queen Ann’s Cow buoy, (a local term) named because the sound that it gives off is not unlike the mooing of a cow. This is accomplished by a bellows arrangement inside the buoy that rise and falls with the action of the waves.

           It sounded very content. 😊

          On our return to the harbor proper, a seagull alighted upon the shoulder of K.D.

          This was “Mooch” a friend of theirs that has an affinity for Cheese Doodles which K.D. was more than happy to provide. Seagulls are very opportunistic eaters, which was very well illustrated by his presence on the Ardelle. When some of their friends and acquaintances suggested that they may want to feed Mooch some thing a little more nutritious, Mooch promptly rebelled.

          So, Cheese Doodles it is!

          As we got close to port, we passed Ten-Pound Light which was familiar to me from the movie “The Perfect Storm”. Ten Pound Island was the home of Winslow Homer, as a lighthouse-keeper, and you can see the replication of the rocks and environs in some of his art.

          K.D skillfully guided us back to our berth with Harold giving helpful suggestions along the way, such as, the best way to utilize a spring line in bringing the boat in and snugging it up to the dock.

          Fond farewells were exchanged and Harold and K.D. mentioned that they don’t remember ever having a better-behaved group of kids on their boat, a nice compliment indeed.

          So, when you come to Cape Ann, look no further than the Ardelle and Harold, et al, to provide you with a wonderful nautical experience on the waters of historic Gloucester, Massachusetts.

          And say Hi! to Mooch for us!