Wood End Lighthouse Gets a Coat of Paint

The very tip of Cape Cod has two similar lighthouses. They are the Long Point and Wood End lighthouses and are accessible only on foot or by boat. Every few years they need a coat of paint and this is the year. The video crew from the Cape Cod Times accompanied the painting volunteers to the Wood End lighthouse for this year's paint job. Enjoy!

 

Dozens Of Rare Whales Spotted - Video

The endangered right whales are back. They are early (they arrived in late February) and they are plentiful. So plentiful that they have become somewhat of a problem for boaters, who must stay at least 500 yards away. They (the right whales) seem to love our beaches as much as we do, hanging just off-shore between Race Point and Long Point in Provincetown. Close enough to be seen and heard by land-bound beachgoers.

Check out this video from Channel 5, WCVB, in Boston.

World War II Sunken Treasure

Treasure hunters are believed to be on the brink of recovering an estimated $3 to $5 billion in platinum, diamonds and possibly gold from the wreck of a British merchant steamer, the Port Nicholson, sunk off the coast of Cape Cod by a German U-boat in June 1942. The wreck is about 50 miles east of Provincetown in 700 feet of water. This may turn out to be the exciting story for 2012. Read the story on the Cape Codder website... Here.

Another article, with a lot more information, can be found on the SubSea World News website...Here

The 2011 Great Provincetown Schooner Regatta - Sept 2nd to 10th

The 10th annual Great Provincetown Schooner Regatta is an annual sailing and educational event that honors P-Town's maritime history, as one of the oldest and largest fishing ports in New England, and the great natural resources of it's harbor and Cape Cod Bay. The event promotes public awareness of the important role that Schooners, Cape Cod Catboats and other historic vessels played in our unique economic and cultural history.

In addition to historic vessels, all classes of modern sailing vessels are invited to participate in various races. There are individual races for Catboats, schooners, and other classes of boats. The Fishermen's Cup Challenge will take place September 6th. This is a schooner-only race from Gloucester to P-Town, commemorating the 1907 Lipton Cup race, when the schooner Rose Dorothea of Provincetown was victorious.

This should be a lot of fun, depending somewhat on the weather. The events spans 9 days, with many, many different things to do, including stuff for landlubbers. There is even an 'art-boat' exhibition. Check out their website at http://www.provincetownschoonerrace.com/.

Edward Hopper P-Town Painting On New Stamp

In just a few days, August 24th, the US Postal Service will issue a new postage stamp commemorating Edward Hopper as one of America's premier artists. The stamp depicts Hopper's "The Long Leg" painting, done in 1935, of a sail boat and P-Town's Long Point Lighthouse. The first day ceremony will be held in Provincetown. The original painting hangs in the Huntington Library, near Pasadena, California.

Interestingly, the Huntington's website states that the lighthouse in the painting is the Stage Harbor Light, in Chatham and the American Lighthouse Foundation (and the USPS) say its the Long Point Light. After staring at the photograph on the ALF website, my vote is with P-Town.

2011 - Big July 4th Weekend Ahead!

This coming weekend, anchored by the 4th of July, on Monday, is a big weekend on the Outer Cape. Check out these activities...

Orleans -

• Friday - July 1st - Fireworks at Rock Harbor (rain date July 2th). These fireworks will be easily viewable from Skaket Beach (Orleans) and First Encounter Beach (Eastham)
• Monday - Parade - 10 AM - from Eldredge Parkway to Main Street

Wellfleet -

•  Monday - July 4th - Parade at 9 AM

Provincetown -

• Monday - July 4th - Parade at 12 Noon on Commercial St
• Monday - Fireworks at dusk (9 PM-ish)

Photo of the Day - Dune Shacks

A friend, Leslie R., went up to Provincetown today and hiked in the Provincelands, in the National Seashore. The 'famous' dune shacks are so picturesque. Check out Leslie's Facebook photo album. The photo below is cropped from one of her photos and shows the dune shacks in context.

Dune Shacks in the Provincelands

Provincetown - The Hard Way

Before the railroad line was built to Provincetown, the body of water that we now know as Pilgrim Lake as simply an extension of Cape Cod Bay. There was no Route 6, or 6A. The route to P-Town from Truro and the rest of the lower Cape was overland around the back of the current Pilgrim Lake. This route wasn't much different then as it is now - huge sand dunes, blowing sand, stiff winds, and a wildly shifting route.  The video below was done by the Cape Cod Times. I found it very interesting!  This walk isn't to be done on the hottest days, or by anyone not capable of walking several miles in soft sand.

Pilgrim Monument - Holiday Season Lighting

The Annual Lighting of the Pilgrim Monument, which celebrates the Pilgrims’ First Landing in America at Provincetown on November 11, 1620, is one of Cape Cod's most beautiful traditions and one that is supported by Pilgrim Monument members and friends. The official Lighting Ceremony took place on November 24th and the lighting will continue through New Year’s Day. If you get to Provincetown and stay until after dark, you'll surely notice the tower - it's really cool!

Check out the photo, taken today by one of my clients. Thank you Stephanie!  If you'd like to donate to the tower's lighting, go to the Pilgrim Monument's web page....Here.

The 2010 Great Provincetown Schooner Regatta - Sept 3rd to 11th

The Great Provincetown Schooner Regatta is an annual sailing and educational event that honors P-Town's maritime history, as one of the oldest and largest fishing ports in New England, and the great natural resources of it's harbor and Cape Cod Bay. The event promotes public awareness of the important role that Schooners, Cape Cod Catboats and other historic vessels played in our unique economic and cultural history.

In addition to historic vessels, all classes of modern sailing vessels are invited to participate in various races. There are individual races for Catboats, schooners, and other classes of boats. The Fishermen's Cup Challenge will take place September 7th. This is a schooner-only race from Gloucester to P-Town, commemorating the 1907 Lipton Cup race, when the schooner Rose Dorothea of Provincetown was victorious.

This should be a lot of fun, depending somewhat on the weather. The events spans 9 days, with many, many different things to do, including stuff for landlubbers. There is even an 'art-boat' exhibition. Check out their website at http://www.provincetownschoonerrace.com/.

The P-Town Pilgrim Monument Is 100 Years Old!

The Pilgrim Memorial Monument was dedicated in 1910 to commemorate the landing of the Mayflower in Provincetown Harbor and the signing of the Mayflower Compact. The Compact was America's first democratic constitutional document assuring equality and justice for everyone.

This week, on August 5th, they will be re-dedicate the tower. There will be a full day of activities, starting with a parade, the re-dedication, a concert and fireworks. Check out the day on the Monument's website.

A Live Whale in Chicago??

There was a scheme to capture and drag a live whale to the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair, known as the Chicago Columbian Exposition, where it was to be installed in a large tank to be viewed by the fairgoers. This strange story had it's origins in Provincetown, where Captain Amos Chapman was going to capture a whale live, then tow the creature through the St Lawrence River and 4 of the Great Lakes to Chicago.

Thankfully, he couldn't find (& capture) a whale in time.  Read this bizarre story in the Barnstable Patriot... Here.

Big July 4th Weekend Ahead!

This coming weekend, anchored by the 4th of July, on Sunday, is a big weekend on the Outer Cape. Check out these activities...

Orleans -

• Friday - July 2nd - Fireworks at Rock Harbor (rain date July 5th). These fireworks will be easily viewable from Skaket Beach and First Encounter Beach (Eastham)
• Saturday - Parade - 10 AM - from Eldredge Parkway to Main Street

Wellfleet -

• A complete weekend of fabulous activities - antique car parade, 5-mile run, dancing on the pier, and a 'regular' parade through town.  Check out their weekend on the Wellfleet town website....Here.

Provincetown -

• Sunday - July 4th - Parade at 11 AM on Commercial St
• Sunday - Fireworks at dusk

Blessing of the Fleet & Portuguese Festival

This coming weekend is the annual Provincetown Portuguese Festival and the Blessing of the Fleet. In fact, this will be the 63rd annual "Blessing". There is a complete weekend, starting Thursday, June 24th, through Sunday, June 27th, with the Blessing of the Fleet.

The highlights are an all-you-can-eat clamfest (Friday at 5PM), a parade on Commercial Street on Saturday (at 3PM) and the Blessing of the Fleet at 1PM on Sunday.  Go the the Festival's website for a complete schedule. This annual festival has many fun events for all ages. Go see!

This Week Is Restaurant Week

This week (May 17th to May 23rd) is Restaurant Week on Cape Cod. It is a perfect time to check out a few of the restaurants that you've not had a chance to try, for one reason or another. During this week, these destination restaurants are each offering you a special three-course exhibition menu for you to select from. The cost of dining from any of these special menus will be fixed at a low price of just $25 or $35, depending on your choice of restaurant. There are restaurants across the entire Cape, from Woods Hole to P-Town.

Be sure to visit their ‘Restaurant List’ to check out each location’s menu, pricing, and contact information. And so, with a roster that includes many of the finest dining destinations the Cape has to offer, and no passes, tickets, or coupons required to receive the full benefits of these events, there is no reason you should miss out on this wonderful opportunity. The list (with a map) is Here.

HMS Somerset III Resurfaces After 232 Years

The British warship HMS Somerset III, which played a key role in the Revolutionary War, has washed ashore (more correctly - resurfaced) after 232 years. The ship sank in November 1778 off the Cape. Parts of the ship's hull are evident in the sand off Provincetown. In 1775, Paul Revere slipped past the ship before beginning his ride to Lexington to warn the colonials that the British were on the move. (Remember - '1' if by sea...?).

One new aspect of this 'find' is that the National Seashore is using satellite mapping and digital imaging to preserve both the location and design of the Somerset III for future study.

Go to the article in the Boston Globe to read this fascinating story.

Yankee Magazine - Spring on the Outer Cape

I love it when the Outer Cape is featured in a national magazine. This time it's Yankee Magazine's March/April edition. Yankee ran an article highlighting the Outer Cape's wonderful off-season early Spring. The article starts it's journey in Orleans, with Rock Harbor and Nauset Beach and ends in P-Town, touching Eastham at the National Seashore Visitors Center and the Nauset Trail, and ending at P-Town's MacMillan Pier. Read the article, entitled "The Cape Wakes Up" ...Here.

An Author Visits Provincetown

Last month it was Eastham and Wellfleet - this month it's P-Town. Cape Cod author, Christopher Setterlund, has a series of articles that he calls "In My Footsteps", one of his recent visits was to Provincetown. Christopher visited several of P-Town's tourist locations, including the Pilgrim's Tower, Commercial Street, the Old Harbor Life Saving Station, and the Long Point Lighthouse. Check out the article on the In My Footsteps blog.

Long Point Lighthouse - To Be Restored

The restoration of the Long Point Lighthouse and its keepers' house is a project that's time has finally come, we think. This lighthouse is at the very tip of Cape Cod, in Provincetown. The lighthouse, hopefully, will be used for overnight stays, as the Race Point Lighthouse keepers' cottage is today. Read the story in the Cape Codder...Here.

Annual Lighting of the Pilgrim Monument

This coming Wednesday evening, November 25th, Thanksgiving eve, will be the annual lighting of Provincetown's Pilgrim Monument. The official lighting ceremony will be from 5 to 7 PM at the monument, followed by refreshments and entertainment. The event will be free to all.

The monument is 252 feet tall and sits atop the highest hill in P-Town, bringing the top to an elevation of 350 feet above sea level. The Pilgrim Monument was built between 1907 and 1910 to commemorate the first landing of the Mayflower Pilgrims in Provincetown on November 21, 1620, and was dedicated by President William Taft in 1910. The 100th anniversary of the dedication will be August 5th, 2010.