Fog

Tuesday, 15 July

Ah, the age old questions remain to be answered: is the glass half empty or half full? And then, of more immediate interest aboard Steadfast, does fog keep you stuck in port or provide unexpected opportunities?

Given the day, the crew believes the latter in each case.

This old girl guards the entrance to Manchester-by-the-Sea, one of many stately homes that rim the harbor.

You know already that many Manchester homes, while not on the scale of the “cottages” of Newport’s Bellevue Avenue, are impressive. Discretion prevents disclosure of family names of note today but know that the late Gen. George S. Patton called this home and held membership in Manchester Yacht Club.

What was built for coastal defense now stands as a giant yard ornament in someone’s backyard.

Tucked among the homes on the harbor’s east side is a five-or-six-story structure one might think is a decommissioned light house. Research reveals, however (it’s amazing what you can learn from the launch skipper, akin to a big city cabby), that the tower is one of many along the New England coast built by the Defense Department during WWII. They were manned by spotters watching primarily for German U-boats that might be prowling the coast. As with others, this tower has long since passed to private owners.

David Strathairn as William Seward

There also was a conversation at the pier with the great-great-nephew of William Seward. There was a movie about Seward a couple of years ago starring David Strathairn as the Secretary of State. For some reason, it was called “Lincoln” but anyway, it turns out that Skip recently moved from Manchester to a home in Bristol, Maine. With Steadfast now generally headed in an easterly direction, Skip has offered to provide intel on harbors and anchorages Down East.

The day then allowed time for another trip to the provisioner, in this case to procure various libations.  The forecast promises more time tomorrow to study charts, gather intel and ponder deep philosophical questions.

For now, though, it’s clear the glass is more than half-full.

Steadfast out.