Bewitched in Salem

Port Washington, New York to Salem, Massachusetts

Day 1: Wednesday, June 8th

We had a pretty relaxed morning as we didn’t feel in too much of a rush to leave Port Washington. After spending several days re-provisioning, doing laundry, and filling up on diesel, we were ready to take off and continue the sail north along the Eastern United States coastline. Our sights were set on Salem, Massachusetts, a smaller town of about 40,000 people just a 20-minute drive north from Boston. We had met a friend almost 10 years ago while diving in Cozumel, and met up with him again while cave diving in Florida in December of 2019; he lives with his wife in Salem (Mike and Annie)… a perfect reason to visit! Pulling anchor around 8:45 AM, we made our way out of Manhasset Bay and into the relatively wide-open space of Long Island Sound. The skies were sunny, the water was flat, and at first the sailing conditions were great – we were reaching speeds of up to 7.5 knots with winds on the beam, just glorious! Unfortunately, it didn’t last for long before the wind died on us. You know what that means… motor show! We took advantage of the extremely flat seas and Paul made tacos – a first for passage dining. We had a delish lunch while slowly making our way N/NNE. By the evening, we had a brand-new experience aboard as the fog started to roll in. It ended up feeling like we were sailing in a cloud; it was so foggy and misty that we could barely see ahead of our bow… a little freaky considering it was at night! It made for a very wet and cold night, but the fog cleared up completely in the morning.

Day 2: Thursday, June 9th

Today was a sporty day of sailing to say the least! After the foggy mist burned off in the morning, the next adventure was just around the corner. Exiting Long Island Sound and heading towards Block Island Sound, we were completely exposed to southerly North Atlantic swells (nothing to stop the waves between us and Dominican Republic). Unfortunately, since the swells were coming from the south they ended up being right on our beam, making for an incredible rolly experience. We had about 3-4m swells, which were some of the biggest we’ve ever sailed in, and winds gusting upwards of 30+ knots. Dropping the mainsail completely, we sailed only using a reefed headsail and we were flying along at speeds upwards of 7+ knots. We later came to find out that there was actually a small craft advisory for the time and area we were sailing in! It was a long, somewhat cringy, very rolly 14 hrs… but at least we were fast! Paul also ended up catching a fish, which is pretty par for the course, even though the weather was crap. The closer we got to Cape Cod, the more the swells started to dissipate. Once we were behind the Elizabeth Islands and nearing the entrance to the Cape Cod Canal, the swells were almost completely gone but the winds remained, pushing us along still only with the headsail. Once we reached the entrance to Cape Cod

Canal, it was like a reprieve from the storm with perfectly flat water to welcome us. It felt like being back on the Intracoastal Waterway as we sailed through the canal with gorgeous mansions and green spaces on either side; we also went under three more fixed bridges. There was a decent current of about 2 knots pushing us along (thank goodness, it would’ve been awful to fight against it!) so we were through the 11nm canal in about 1.5 hrs. Once we exited the canal into the bay of Cape Cod, we were greeted with more relatively flat water… such a blessing after a harrowing day! We had a beautiful sunset and a star-lit night with no fog (hooray!) and only about 65nm left until we reached Salem. The night sail went smoothly, and we arrived to Salem harbor on Friday morning with the sunrise and another 219nm under the keel.

We had originally planned on sailing to Boston, but with friends in Salem it was a no brainer to visit them. Mike and Annie were incredible hosts and tour guides, and spoiled us to the best of Salem’s sights and eats. We enjoyed burgers and bacon mac n’ cheese at the Lobster Shanty, perogies and kielbasa sausage at Notch Brewery, avocado eggs benedict at Red’s Breakfast, and fried chicken & jalapeño sammiches at the Marina Beer Garden on the wharf. My personal favorites were the sweet side of Salem – soft serve ice cream dipped in a chocolate glaze from The Dairy Witch, and homemade cookies from Goodnight Fatty’s! The cookie experience was on point amazing. They restaurant is only open three

nights a week, and they have three new cookies each weekend with flavors only announced at 5:00PM on Friday evenings. The weekend we visited they had a peanut butter drumstick cookie, a midnight dark chocolate éclair cookie, and a white chocolate root beer cookie. SO GOOD!!! We went to Goodnight Fatty’s multiple nights with no regrets.

Walking around downtown Salem was a treat as well; with so much of the tourism centered around witches and the occult, there were shops galore themed around the supernatural. The Salem Witch Trials took place over a span of 3 months in 1692 and were the most extreme trials in the United States. 19 people were killed, and hundreds more accused and imprisoned on charges of witchcraft. We visited the

Witch Museum, which was an interactive narrated experience about the Salem Witch Trials. It was very interesting to hear how it started, and how it just got completely out of control.

One of our favorite days in Massachusetts was our visit to Gloucester, a nearby town just further north along the coast. We were invited onto a fishing & diving vessel, Daybreaker, to tag along with Captain Fran while our friend Mike and his buddy Sang went diving. Mike, Sang, and Fran all had turns diving down to about 30m searching for scallop beds. It was such a cool experience to see them at work. First, the boat was taken to a nearby pinned GPS location (super secret!) where scallop beds had been found on past dives. Then, divers suited up in drysuits to combat the 6-degree water – chilly!! They took grab bags with them, large mesh bags with a metal closure that, once full, could be sent to the surface with use of a lift bag. When these lift bags popped up to the surface, it was our job to maneuver the boat close enough to grab the bags and hoist them onto the deck. The bags would be FULL of snapping scallops! Paul and I then learned how to properly shuck a scallop from Fran, a very humble and kind man whom I would describe as an expert fisherman in his trade.

Fran, Paul, and I worked together to shuck all the scallops the divers collected. It ended up being about 25 pounds of fresh scallop meat once we were finished – four heaping large Ziploc bags full. It was such a neat experience being out on the boat with them, learning how to shuck scallops, and then later that evening, enjoying bacon wrapped maple syrup glazed scallops for supper! Talk about a perfect combination of ‘farm to table’ eating plus absolute decadence.

We had a wonderful time in Salem, and were truly spoiled by Mike and Annie. These superhosts pretty much dedicated 96 hours to making sure we enjoyed our stay; from taking us to breweries, dessert hot spots, and the best local restaurants, to lending us their car for errands, their washer/dryer and unlimited hot showers… their hospitality was unparalleled! It truly made being in Salem feel like we were visiting family. We’re so grateful the timing worked out we could see them, especially since they left for a big diving trip to Newfoundland shortly after we arrived.

From Massachusetts, we were really torn whether we should sail straight to Halifax, or if we should continue up the coast to explore Maine. We’ve heard nothing but good things about Maine from people who have visited in the past – the rugged coastline, scenic anchorages, incredible hiking opportunities, amazing local seafood and fishing villages, and more. But when we started to hear the same sentiments from total strangers, it solidified our decision! Literally every single person we spoke to said that going to Maine was a no-brainer. It seemed like we’d be fools to pass up the opportunity when we’re so close, so Maine it is! It’ll be quite a short journey to our first anchorage in Maine in Penobscot Bay near Rockland – only about 135nm from Salem, or just over 24hrs of travel. We look forward to some speedy downwind sailing and getting to see for ourselves the beauty of Maine before departing to Nova Scotia.

Until next time, The Bewitched Beatons