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Published: August 21st 2013
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Saturday is another sunny morning. We are continuing to head “Down East”. Today, we are going to Salem, located on what is known as “Boston’s North Shore”. We head due North past the imposing Minots Ledge Lighthouse and then out across Massachusetts Bay. Boston is to our West about 15 miles away, shrouded in light mist.
From a distance, the two massive chimneys of the Salem power station provide a good point to aim for. But this is not a good navigation strategy when you get close to shore because the direct route goes through, or over the top of, Marblehead Neck ... :-)
The waters outside Salem Harbor are littered with small islands and large rocks. There are so many different channels and channel markers that it is quite confusing, even with GPS and good visibility. We choose to follow one of the larger and better-marked channels, heading for the Brewer’s marina at Hawthorne Cove, where we pick up one of their moorings.
By this stage in our journey, you might be forgiven for thinking that just about every port in New England counts as one of our “Favorite Ports”. We do, of course, make an effort
to revisit our favorite ports and we skip many less favored ones.
But I think it fair to say that Salem is not a favorite port. Salem is a very strange town. It is one of a ring of twenty or so towns that comprise or surround Greater Boston, forming its commuter belt. It is also, together with its near-neighbor Marblehead, a big sailing center as well as a seaside resort. But its main claim to fame is that a dozen young women were executed for witchcraft here in the 1600’s. And the town uses this fact relentlessly as a tourist attraction. It is very strange to walk through the pleasant, modern, slightly dull shopping plaza in mid-town and find half a dozen shops and “museums” dedicated to witchcraft, the occult and piracy. It all seems more Disney than New England. Tarot Card Readings, we note, cost $20 for fifteen minutes or $80 per hour. We hope that "Doug" gives really good advice ... :-)
All this hype does draw in the tourists. The waterfront around Pickering Wharf is jammed with people and the restaurants there, overlooking the water, are typical large waterside restaurants geared to tourist families.
But their waterfront decks are so attractive that we dine there anyway. Of the three big restaurants on the wharf, we prefer “Finz”, which is the least crowded, at least in the afternoons when we usually eat. Clams-on-the-half-shell are superb.
Salem is the farthest “Down East” we will go this season. From here, we plan to turn round and visit Boston. Then we will head back in stages to East Greenwich. We stay here in Salem for three nights.
The first time we visited here on Pavane was almost exactly two years ago. We were heading back from Maine and had made it as far as Gloucester when Hurricane Irene headed up the East Coast. We made a dash into Salem and Brewers Hawthorne Cove found us a strong mooring and helped us attach a second “just in case” pair of mooring lines before we stripped the decks, stowing everything down below and then jumping into a hired car. Pavane rode through the tail end of the hurricane with no damage. We, on the other hand, stayed the night in a hotel with no electricity!
The mooring field here in Salem in not an attractive New England
harbor. The main view from Pavane is the massive power station, and its massive coal-pile, on Salem Neck ... :-)
This Sunday, we walk into the town center and find a brand new restaurant called “Opus”. It has been open for only three weeks. The barman tells us that it is the eighth restaurant opened by the North Shore Restaurant Group and this is their last restaurant, the group having put into it all the lessons learned from their other restaurants. It is certainly a spacious, distinctive-looking place with an enormous yellow bar. A small dish of mixed beets with apple and Manchego cheese is perfect. We like the place so well that we return for dinner on Monday night, when we get a chance to sample their big menu, which consists primarily of 50 small dishes. We like this style of dining and we enjoy both the creativity and the quality of the cooking in the half dozen dishes we select. Here are three dishes we specially enjoyed: 1. Vegetable samosas. 2. Two perfect divers scallops on shaved fennel 3. Roasted fluke and littleneck clams with English garden peas in broth.
We are planning to anchor in
Boston Harbor when we leave here, so we go to “Milk & Honey, a Green Grocer” on Church Street. This little place stocks a modest selection of gourmet foods and provides everything we need for a good dinner.
On Tuesday morning before leaving, we walk into town for coffee and morning pastries at “A&J King, Artisan Bakers” on Central Street.
This is where we have been for the “next” few days ...
Tuesday, Aug 20 - Anchored off Bumpkin Island in Boston Harbor MA
Wednesday & Thursday, Aug 21 & 22 - Constitution Marina, Charlestown, Boston MA
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