Turnabout is fair play, right? The 1841 whaling ship embarked on 37 voyages, pursuing whales in an era where young boys put to sea and returned (if they were lucky) older and far more life savvy than when they set out to find adventure and a few coins for their pocket.

First a bit of background on the world’s last wooden whaling ship, now about to end her 38^th voyage that took her from Mystic, CT to Boston, MA with stops along the way at Newport, RI, Vineyard Haven, New Bedford, MA (where she was built), Provincetown, MA and Mass Maritime Academy at the western end of the Cape Cod Canal. She left New London on June 15 and we’ve dogged her in hot pursuit ever since our July 8^th departure. We’d heard that her New Bedford homecoming was so incredible, jubilant and emotional that they didn’t want to let her go.

The reality is that we had no idea we’d be close by in Buzzard’s Bay until a week into our voyage when we read that she’d be sailing (in the broad sense ) back down Buzzards Bay in late July and our rough itinerary put us there right at that time. Weather permitting, we’d be on scene ready to shoot kindly with a camera and not those incredible harpoons her crew wielded, hell-bent on whale blubber.

The Morgan’s days began in New Bedford, a town synonymous with ships, whaling and all manner of commercial fishing. She is America’s oldest surviving commercial vessel and since 1941 has welcomed tens of thousands of Mystic Seaport visitors aboard.

As kids growing up in Connecticut Russ and I both visited the Seaport with our families; the Morgan being a top attraction. In the 1960s she was not floating.

Circa 1964, from Rackliffe family slides- the Morgan at Mystic Seaport

Fast forward to late 1990s/early 2000s when we would visit the Seaport by car and even better, by boat. The Seaport has room for 20-30 boats at two different dock locations within the compound. Many summer weekends boats gather for an arranged rendezvous so you’ve got to plan ahead to reserve space.  Not only is being right there very cool and convenient, but for youngsters the best time is after the Seaport closes and they have the run of the place.

After Quisset sailed 13nm up to Red Brook Harbor and got a close-in mooring at Parker’s Boat Yard. These balls are well-spaced with double pennants, many with a float and pick-up whip. We prefer no whip because they hit the dolphin stays at the bow so you have to be perfect in your approach. I’ve learned to use the boat hook to pull the whip closer and not wait for it to be in that two foot space where the stays meet up with the screecher pole. Between that, our two anchors and the seagull stays, grabbing a mooring ball is always a challenge. This doesn’t include dealing with the whip/float thing and the boat hook which I can’t get out of my way fast enough.

Parker’s Boat Yard at Red Brook Harbor

Eye-catching design on the Boat Yard’s building

We didn’t do much here, mostly thanks to rain on Sunday and a very windy Monday. The Morgan was due to sail out between Monday and Wednesday and we were thrilled to learn that Tuesday was the day. We now had her in our sights with a fully charged camera.

Our first glimpse of the Charles W Morgan being towed down Hog island Channel from Mass Maritime.

Tuesday kicked off a bit windy but by 10am was only around 10kts out of the SW. Good for all the boats who’d be out in the Bay with the ship but looking iffy for the Morgan to be able to sail. By scanning various VHF channels, we heard that she’d head out at noon slack tide.

The Morgan in Buzzards Bay- showing the most sail we got to see

An old classic rides along with the majestic whaler

Tug Sirius towed the Morgan (drawing 14ft) down Hog island Channel across the flats (wherever that is) and on to New London. This info came from the tug to Canal Control as she departed. We dropped the mooring lines and followed the snaking channel out past Bassetts Island and into the Bay. Many boats of all makes, shapes and sizes came out to follow along with the old whaler.

The crew looks like spiders in a net after a fruitless attempt to sail

Tug Sirius and her charge continue on without us

I will have to admit that when we learned the Morgan’s five-year restoration plan would include making her able to sail, we had mixed feelings leaning toward the negative.

The restoration nears completion in June 2013. Look carefully, you can see her behind all that scaffolding

When the moment arrived, even though she wasn’t sailing, it was an emotional moment to be part of such a successful and glorious 38th voyage. Apparently she was towed overnight into New London where she will remain for a short time before heading back to her Mystic Seaport home. My understanding is no further sailing plans are in the wind, but don’t be surprised to hear about a 39th or 40th someday. A lucky ship like the Morgan still has a lot of life left in her.

Harbor view from dinghy dock

Quisset Harbor a mere four miles north from Hadley not only put us firmly on the Cape but also into another gold star harbor. The name Quisset finds its roots in the Native American name meaning “star of the sea.” Quisset is home to the Quisset Yacht Club, a club founded in 1912 for amateurs who adore the pursuit of the perfect sail. The snug harbor is filled with Quisset Harbor Boatyard moorings yet the landscape is surrounded by rocky beaches, bird sanctuaries and wooded hills that offer plenty of exploring opportunities. We picked up a QBY mooring, launched the dinghy and headed over to the crowded dinghy dock. The harbor is essentially two harbors; the outer is larger and more exposed to the Buzzards Bay opening, while the inner is tucked in at the harbor’s head with maybe three dozen moorings, only a few QBY ones for guests. On our trip south from Maine in 2010 after picking up Ortolan, we stopped here. As lovely as our memories recalled; the mooring cost is only $30.

A short walk to Woods Hole Road where the trolley that runs every 30 minutes between Falmouth and Woods Hole stops.

We rode the blue trolley into Woods Hole

Ask people what they know about Woods Hole and the answers will run the gamut from: it’s where you catch the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard; it’s the start of the Falmouth Road Race; the entrance has a wicked current; it’s where Matt Hooper, the “Jaws” shark expert was from, to; Jack Rackliffe spent some time there didn’t he? 🙂

While Hooper was a fictional character and Jack moved away to California, their place of employment, The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, is very real and well-known. It’s America’s largest independent, not-for-profit oceanographic institution. Close to 1,000 employees work in 54 buildings and labs around 219 acres in Woods Hole. Every few steps takes you past a WHOI building, however; room still exists for a few shops, restaurants and a bustling grocery market.

Sailboat departs Eel Pond during the bascule bridge scheduled opening time

Eel pond sits behind all the building frontage and we enjoyed a view of the crowded pond during lunch at Shuckers. To enter the pond you must pass through a 30ft wide channel spanned by an incredibly quiet bascule bridge. During the day the bridge opens every half hour for boat traffic. Incoming has the right of way and the traffic lights at each end indicate when you can proceed. We watched the process several times as the bridgetender manually swings the gates into place that stop traffic, the bridge raises so quietly you can’t hear it, the boats come in first then those who are leaving exit through, the bridge closes and the bridgetender steps out to swing the gates open for cars and pedestrians.

The Woods Hole Science Aquarium- one of the oldest public aquariums in the country and the cost is “donation only”. The aquarium opens at 11am and that is feeding show time! We and an enthusiastic crowd watched as the marine lady put harbor seals Bumper (age 7) and Lucille (age 12) through their paces which included teeth brushing and ring toss return. Bumper is nearly blind but finding and returning the ring was a cinch.

The seals get their fish food- Lucille is on a diet though and gets less fatty fish

Seals can’t walk like sea lions can. Bumper did his best for the crowd

Talk about fantastic, survival mode camo

The Woods Hole Historical Museum is up the street from the Steamship Authority docks. We missed the morning boat building session but received a personalized tour from our guide who queried us greatly about the cruising life he envied.

We learned why barber poles are red and white,

Before Woods Hole became a research center, its residents prospered via farming, fishing, whaling and shipbuilding. In the mid-1800s, Penzance Point was home to the smelly Pacific Guano Company which processed seabird dung with fish meal from local menhaden to produce organic fertilizer. Talk about a fowl and foul odor!!

After hopping back on the trolley- the driver going past our stop- we got back in time to see about 15, 12ft Herreshoffs  return from a race in the Bay.

The evening’s sunset gave Menemsha a run for her money. Looks like the sun is nestling into a nighttime pillow.