A Wander at the Port, New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA

 

Once a world famous whaling era seaport, today it is home port to hundreds of commercial fishermen. It was a nice place to wander on this cold but clear winter day - the random public can get very close to the boats.



There was very little visible activity and boats were tied up four-deep to the wharf in some places. My presence did disturb the silhouetted gull above who had been resting on a piling.



The bright red of the former Nantucket Lightship makes for a nice reflection.

A visual jungle of cranes and cables and fishing infrastructure.



There is something dramatic about the color red on a boat hull that always draws me in. Note that "Hunter" was formerly named "Casa Blanca."

Merrill's Wharf, New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA

I wandered about the wharf in New Bedford on this fine summer day. My eye was particularly drawn to this robins-egg-blue boat. I don't usually see that color in a working fleet.



Some boats sport a fancy fresh paint job......



.....and some don't.



But all are undergoing constant maintenance to keep them sea-worthy. (There is a man working on the boat at right - hard to see him in the jumble of this viewscape).



This Nantucket lightship is one of a fleet of vessels built since the 1850's used to mark the hazardous Nantucket Shoals about 40 miles out at sea from Nantucket - sort of a sea-going lighthouse.



I was visiting at midday so all the boats were in port. They are back from the sea and their early morning work. Merrill's Wharf was completed in 1847 and is the longest wharf in New Bedford's port.



Nice visuals wandering around this mostly public area. New Bedford, MA, was formerly one of the world's most important whaling cities during the 19th century, today a busy fishing port.



And some are far from home.

South Coast, Wareham, Mattapoisett, New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA

This peaceful inlet is at the town line between Wareham and Bourne. The southern coastal area of Massachusetts, generally speaking, is characterized by a series of irregular finger-like bays extending into the land mass from Buzzards Bay.

Fall leaves in Mattapoisett.

High-tech, low-tech, and no-tech near Ft. Taber Park in New Bedford.

Repositioning brought a more interesting array of light poles.

A favorite dream job of little boys everywhere - operating the lifting crane.

 Using the crane to replace the main beams on a waterfront dock in New Bedford.

A downtown New Bedford classic red block and brick building.

Boats at Dock, New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA

The boats at the State Pier in New Bedford offer great color, angles, lines, and light for a photographer.  In the mid-1800's, New Bedford was both the whaling capital of the world and one of the wealthiest cities in the United States. Although whaling is long gone, the town is still a vibrant working port city.  

Perhaps even more noteworthy than its whaling past, New Bedford was a safe haven on the "Underground Railroad" to provide protection to slaves escaping northward in the 1800's. The residents had big hearts and minds - slavery was wrong, they knew it, and many took action to help.

Unlike the generally smooth coastline of much of Massachusetts, the "South Coast" area is characterized by a series of irregular bays.

The 6th largest city in Massachusetts, New Bedford is home to a diverse population which includes a high concentration of Portuguese descendants.

Bird's Eye View - Part 4, Onset, Mattapoisett, New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA

Part 4 of my flight travelogue continues immediately west of the canal over the picturesque town and bay of Onset.

Continuing southwest from the Canal area, the southern coast of Massachusetts is a series of jagged bays and peninsulas.  This area shown above is southeast of the town of Mattapoisett. Mattapoisett - I always like the sound of that name. It is said to have been a Native American term meaning "a place of rest."

And reaching the town of New Bedford, we turned north over the city and harbor for the final leg towards Plymouth Airport. Late afternoon sun made for interesting shadows over this neighborhood.