Gloucester in a Sea of Change!

Fishing and all that goes with it.The boats,the processing plants and the railway yards have sustained this harbor for generations.Some may argue that Gloucester harbor in it's heyday was the best fishing port in the world!Times have changed,fishing has evolved into a high tech industry,fish have no where to hide The stocks have been depleted.But how much so is a valid question!Science and government have had a difficult time trying to balance on what species is available to catch and what species is off limits. Toss in boundaries in an open ocean and you can bet it will never be an exact science.In the meantime other uses of Gloucester Harbor are beginning to take hold. Whale watching has been established within the last 20 years and Gloucester has become a world leader in whale research.Pleasure boating has had an up-swing,what impact the latest fuel prices has on pleasure boating may slow down things for awhile, but will never eliminate it.With at least a 10 year waiting list for slips at area marina's,Gloucester harbor has potential to make money if a public marina were built! But the biggest leap for the future is the cruising industry! Imagine.....Gloucester as a world destination! Thanks to Frank Elliott and his new Cruiseport terminal the ships are not only on the horizon.... but have already been here!

The Paint Factory

It's been there since 1860 producing marine bottom paint as late as 1985! Anti-fouling paint to keep off those barnicles,worms and any natural growths and make hulls smooth and fast. During the Civil War Union naval ships had an edge over the Confederate Navy because they were bottom coated with Gloucester Seajacket paints!
Since it's closure in the 80's the structure is showing her age. A private developer wanted to turn it into condo's but residents complained....too little parking was one argument. Too much traffic was another.Then a proposal to turn it into a "James Bond" style mansion,complete with a hidden boat house! Residents again voiced their concern. The argument now was that the Paint Factory is an icon.How can you deface an icon? What would Rockport's Motif #1 look like with an attatched garage and a picture window? Would Paul Revere approve of a three season porch and a TV dish on the roof of his house?
Ocean Alliance to the rescue,an ocean research organization dedicated to the conservation of whales and their habitat. They plan on turning the Paint Factory into their home base. The best news is the promise to keep the look of the building as it is....after improvements of it' structure that is. Sorta like the rebuild of "Old Ironsides"!

Swansation!

Swans....Big feathered long neck floating icons. Who hasn't taken a photo of them? My encounters with swans really started when I first began mooring my boat in Smiths Cove. That's when I realized they love to look for handouts.I guess with three on the water eateries,the Studio,Rudder and the Mad Fish Grille these swans have been fed well by the paying customers.Trained if you will by the sight of any well fed human being. One day back around 2003 I was able to get one of those magic "shots" of a swan purely by accident. After a day on the water with my wife and nieces and nephews, my boat looked like a cyclone hit it! You know,garbage all over,life jackets strewn about...things like that. And as every time on the water goes with the gang, poor Jay is left alone on the boat to clean up.Well this time it was a long day and all I wanted to do was go home,so cleaning was at the minimal. Throw the life jackets in the cabin,zip up the canvas,quick rinse with fresh water and head home.I can tidy up further the next morning.....and that's what I did. So the next morning I head below into the cabin and store the life jackets properly. But all over the cabin someone had spilled a whole box of Pepperidge Farms pizza flavored Goldfish! What a mess! Most intact and some crushed! Here I am on my hands & knees grabbing handfulls and tossing them out thru the cabin door. I figured I could use the broom on the deck once they where out there. While I was doing this I hear a strange sound,like someone wearing a large ring rapping against the side of the boat. I peek out towards the stern and out of the corner of my eye I see the head of a swan bobbing in and out of view! The dang bird is trying to jump in the boat was my thought! Then I see it....One of the pizza flavored Goldfish landed on the gunwhale.(top edge of the boat's side) He's trying to get it,I grab my camera and slither like a snake along the deck and wait.At first I was too low,all I could see was the top of his head. Slowly with camera raised to my eye I lift myself to the top edge. We meet eye to beek and I snap! And that's how I captured the swan eating a pizza flavored Goldfish!

Gloucester's fishing fleet struggles on

With federal mandated restrictions and the cost of fuel going out of control, Gloucester's fishing fleet soldiers on. You can still find vessels of all shapes and sizes around the harbor. Dispite the down turn, even a few new ones look for a better future.

Splash !

Going back to my database I discovered more pics of the April "07" storm.






And I can't figure if it's proper for a smile during a disaster! Senator Bruce Tarr and then Lt. Governor Kerry Healey....Now that I think of it,it must of been an election year!

Inspiration !

Ever since I can remember I was always interested in boats and ships of all types. Through the years I've collected books covering from the early days of sail to the navies of the world past and present. It didn't matter if it was a tramp steamer from the early 20th century or a modern luxury yacht. Growing up in Gloucester seeing the frieghters arriving in port brought an air of excitment to know here is something that travels the world's oceans coming to my home.The fishing vessels of all types and their different riggings made Gloucester harbor a symphony of it's workings. The wonder of a vessel when it's "high and dry" on the railways never ceased to amaze. Seeing a Fitz Henry Lane painting for the first time took my breath away. I could see from the light the angles and detail here is someone who shared many of my visions. I would wonder if Lane was alive today if he would he use a camera? Perhaps not,his talent was on canvas,but I bet he wouldn't hesitate to use one now and then. I guess that's what I see before I snap a picture....a Lane painting....sort of!

Wildlife!

Marine wildlife that is. Cape Ann sitting right smack dab in the Atlantic Ocean is teaming with critters of all shapes & sizes.Drawn by food,migration and who knows what else, all you have to do is look up down and around and there they are.

A Surreal night...

Just about 11:46 PM December 14 2007 as I was sitting at my computer I heard a call for a possible fire at 80 Middle Street over my police scanner.As usual I paid little attention to the call,most being a false alarm such as food on the stove.A few minutes later a call from the first responders indicated that a resident smelled smoke in the building.Shortly the firemen announced there was indeed smoke present and they would begin to look for the source. No more than 5 minutes went by and next I hear was: "Fire knocked down,looking for extension". Still, I wasn't sure of the exact location of the fire but was glad all seemed under control. Then I hear what really got my attention."Thermal imaging is showing fire in the floor below me and ceiling above"! Then I hear that there are 20 units in the building. "We are evacuating the residents". That's when I knew it was the Lorraine Apartments! GFD struck the second alarm. No more than a minute or two the 3rd & 4th alarms were sounded."We have a person trapped and are trying to get a ladder up" was the call I heard next.That's when I got up and went over to my bedroom window and looking across the harbor toward city hall was an ominous orange glow in the sky.Grabbed my camera,coat and gloves and headed downtown.Driving along E. Main St my attention was towards town and not the road! My senses kicked in,somehow I was driving on auto pilot! As I passed Camerons,a local night spot the orange glow was filling the sky. And out front were patrons oblivious to the conflagration!I almost felt like shouting out "Don't you know the city is about to burn"! It was a surreal feeling,awake on the edge of a nightmare.My next thought was where to park.I didn't want to get too close and take a chance of getting trapped by the fire apparatus. And not too far away....it was cold out,about 25 degrees. I ended up parking in the Gloucester Co-op Bank parking lot. By the time I got behind the apartment building, fire had busted through the back from floor to floor.Within 20 minutes back decks collapsed onto the Temple Ahavat Achim. The Temple was doomed. Fire worked it's way under the eaves charging the space with heat and fire. Smoke billowed from the temple roof,then fire. It was cold,I couldn't wear gloves and use a camera.But watching the efforts of the firemen I hardly noticed my own discomfort. My attention soon shifted to the Sawyer Free Library. Within feet of the Temple it would take luck and skill of our firefighters to save it. Burning embers were falling all around.If it weren't for the snow covered roofs,all of downtown would be in peril.Now I see the embers are heading to where I parked my truck.These were not just sparks falling from the sky,these were large hunks of flaming matter!About 2 AM,that's when I had seen enough and head home. Much was lost that night but one thing grew strong....the spirit of Gloucester! An outpouring of help for the victims came from all corners of our community and beyond!

May is here!

With the month of May now on the table it's time to think Summer! I wonder what this season will bring? Gas prices sky rocketing it's gonna be a challenge to get out onto the water. Signs of a slow boating season are in the want ads. Used power boats for sale is saturating the market.In the meantime I gotta get off my duff and start prepping mine. Last week it's winter cacoon was removed,interior washed and bimini and side curtains installed. The grunt work is yet to begin....painting the bottom! A necessary chore to prohibit marine growth.Using an ablative paint will keep those miliage robbing barnicals and gunk from sticking to the hull.Timing is the key,an ablative paint is a soft paint.Run the boat and anything clinging to it washes away.The trick is to launch the boat 16-24 hours after painting.Allowing the paint to be exposed to air any longer will harden the surface and loose it's affectivness.A no rain weekend and if possible temps at least in the 60's is what I'm hoping for....we'll see.
Anywho,time to look at summer's past: