Cape Ann Images: From The Fort to the Weather!

Why I created this......

Born and raised in Gloucester, Ma fishing gets in your blood. Surrounded by the sea, kids here have a boat almost as much as kids elsewhere have bicycles! As I grew older my fishing ambitions gave way to what's around me. Although I still "drop a line" every so often, my attention wanders to the majesty of the natural light that make this place so special. Never is each day the same. The subjects may be the same but the light from the sea & sky will morph the subject into a form of art. For that reason artists have been drawn to these shores for several hundred years, they followed the light painting and sketching these surroundings. What artists capture with paint on canvas, I attempt to capture with a click.....if I'm lucky!

I guess that's a sort of Fish'n!

Jay Albert

Jay Albert 2025 all rights reserved

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Monday, February 27, 2012

From The Fort to the Weather!

On my last post I highlighted a very unique neighborhood in Gloucester made up of homes and businesses. Times change like the weather, what worked yesteryear may not work today.The entire harbor's potential is vastly under utilized, mired in zoning regulation and a fishing industry struggling against government restrictions. The DPA or Designated Port Areas restricts waterfront property for marine related industry only. And here's the problem. The old Birdseye plant is situated on a beach, no deep water provisions for dockage. Because of this the property sits outside DPA regulations as opponents cite DPA uses as a means to stall the hotel proposal. One aspect of the DPA uses is the federal Coastal Zone Management Act which stipulates a waterway and associated waterfront that have been developed for commercial navigation. The Birdseye plant clearly does not front a navigable waterway! The Coastal Zone Managements goal is to“preserve, protect,
develop, and where possible, to restore or enhance, the resources of the Nation's coastal zone.” This is a case where a neglected building has out lived it's intended usefulness and now presents a burden to the community. As I see it a hotel would be an asset to the downtown area(a short walk away)with tourists and business men and women providing an economic "shot in the arm" that would lead the way to a more vibrant downtown and community as a whole. With that being said a hotel development here needs to assure that the neighborhood continues to thrive. The Fort is the living heart and soul of Gloucester's fishing heritage. And that's why tourists come to Gloucester....A real working waterfront made of real hard working people!

Morning sunburst over Salt Island.