Sanwich, MA to Boston, MA

We had a nice stay in Sandwich, MA.  Our meal at the Fisherman's View on Wednesday night was wonderful.

Beet salad, salmon roll, and clam chowder

Scallops

Salmon

Thursday morning July 4th we pulled up to the fuel dock to top off the tanks before heading to Boston.  Keith was chatting with the dock master about fishing for lobsters and crabs.  The dock master said he had a trap there just behind his office and he went to pull it up to see what was inside.  There were 2 nice sized lobsters in the trap and he asked if we would like to have them.  Obviously we said YES!!  He gave us the lobsters and we threw them in the cooler.

Our cooler after topping off the fuel for Southern Style

Our cruise to Boston was excellent.  The wind was light and the seas smooth.  I watched for lobster pots and kept watch while Keith put out 2 fishing lines.

Keith hooked into something and we were all excited for several moments; however it threw the hook before he was able to get it to the boat.  Despite fishing much of the way to Boston, he did not catch anything.  Maybe next time.  His Massachusetts recreational fishing license was easy to get on line and inexpensive (unlike the dockage in New England).

One of the lighthouses we passed on our way to Boston

Boston in the distance

Cruise ships in port downtown Boston.  The ship with its stern to us is the QEII

Sailboat tour in the Boston harbor area

USS Constitution

     The USS Constitution is one of the oldest warships in the world.  She was commissioned and named by George Washington in 1794, and built at the Hartt's shipyard in Boston between 1794-1797.  She is a wooden-hulled heavy frigate with 3 masts.  The ship measures 305 feet long, 43.6 feet wide, and weighs 1,500 tons.  The main mast stands 204 feet tall.  Its copper bolts and fittings were forged by Paul Revere.  It gets its iron-like strength from the triple layers of dense pine and oak used in the construction of the hull.
     The USS Constitution fought in numerous battles in the war of 1812.  She earned the nickname "Old Ironsides"after her battle with the British ship HMS Guerriere on Aug. 19, 1812.  During the battle several cannon balls hit the USS Constitution and simply bounced off the ship's sides.  The crew noticed this and declared the sides must be made of iron.  The ship's officers and several press publications started using the Old Ironsides nickname, and the name stuck.  She defeated a total of 5 British warships during the war of 1812.
     After the war she served in the Mediterranean.  Then in 1840, the Navy renovated her; and she was sent on a world tour between 1845-1846.  She stopped in ports in Brazil, Madagascar, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Hawaii, and Mexico.  During the Civil War she served as a training ship for the US Naval Academy.  The USS Constitution was retired from active duty in 1881.  The ship was then used for housing sailors at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine until she was designated a museum ship in 1907.  She is still a fully-commissioned Navy ship, and makes several trips into Boston harbor each year.  July 4th is a big event where she does a 21 gun salute while passing Fort Independence on Castle Island at the mouth of Boston Harbor.  She also does a 17 gun salute as she passes the US Coast Guard Sector Boston, the former site of Hartt's Shipyard where she was built.

Our marina is adjacent to the Constitution.  Tonight, once we got tied up, we cooked our lobsters and threw some steaks on the grill to celebrate our Nation's Independence.  Tomorrow, July 5th, we have the day to spend exploring Boston.