We returned to Bob and Sally's for a couple of days R&R and to have a good look around the local area before heading south. People pay a lot of money to stay on Cape Cod during the summer and we are fortunate enough to have friends who welcome us with open arms any time we like - how lucky are we!

The weather on the first morning was rainy but warm and humid. We decided to watch a movie about a local event from 1952, before heading out to see where the action took place. The movie was "The Finest Hours", about a Coast Guard rescue of the tanker 'Pendelton' that had been cut in half by one of the fierce winter storms that batter the coast. This rescue took place at Chatham, just a few miles from where we are staying. The rescue is remembered as the US Coast Guard's most daring sea rescue. We loved the movie and the rain had stopped!

First stop was the Chatham Fish Markets where several modern day Coast Guard vessels were moored. We watched the fishing fleet unload their catch and saw playful seals hoping that some fish would fall overboard. Chatham is located on the elbow of Cape Cod and is surrounded by water on 3 sides. It's landmass extends out to sea as the most easterly point in Massachusetts.


We then drove on to the US Coast Guard Station where all the action of the movie started. In the winter of 1952, New England was battered by the most brutal storm in years. In the early hours of February 18th, two oil tankers split in half because of the storm and the poor quality steel they were built from. The movie we had watched told the story of the rescue of 32 men from the SS Pendelton by the Coast Guard Lifeboat 36500 skippered by Bernie Webber and his crew of 3. The lifeboat had to negotiate the treacherous Chatham Bar to get to the damaged ship. The mission successfully rescued 32 crew from the Pendleton and returned them to safety on a lifeboat that was only designed to carry 12. The rescue lifeboat was not at the Coast Guard Station but there was plenty of information to inform us of the actual rescue.


US Coast Guard Lifeboat 36500 is moored beside a wharf in Rock Harbour, so of course we had to visit there as well. Rock Harbour is on the other side of Cape Cod's elbow. We found CG36500 moored beside the wharf and wondered at how such a small vessel and a crew of only 4 could have achieved such an incredible rescue.


After a full day of site seeing we headed back to the house where we had a delicious dinner of shrimp on the BBQ followed by a hot tub in the back yard. A great day!

Plan for our last day with Bod and Sally was to drive to the end of the Cape and visit Provincetown, or P- town as the locals call it. Provincetown is on the very tip of Cape Cod and is a blend of narrow streets, art galleries and restaurants. Provincetown has been selected by the National Historical Society as one of the top 12 historic places in the USA. We happily wandered the streets until we found our spot for lunch - The Lobster Pot. We feasted on fresh lobster cooked in a variety of ways as we looked out on to the harbour.


We drove up to the very end of the Cape and admired the views from The Red Inn and checked out the first landing spot of the Pilgrim Fathers on November 11, 1620. After another full day of checking out Cape Cod, it was back to Brewster to prepare for our departure in the morning. We took a couple of photos of local architecture, the most famous being The Crosby Mansion just around the corner from Bob and Sally's. We have thoroughly enjoyed our catch up with our friends and have made plans to meet up again in 2018 in Australia.