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Something Fishy on Nantucket Sound

Something Fishy on Nantucket Sound

by John Prophet

Legend has it that the greatest fish story ever told came out of Nantucket Sound near the Town of Harwich. It was all about Frank Blackwell and his business partner, Larry Hansberry. Frank had an insatiable appetite for sport fishing which was well suited to their sports equipment business. He tested the new rods, reels, and lures.

The men, both in their late forties, were unlikely partners by any standards, but they were successful in spite of their differences. Larry was a quiet, unassuming man, good at numbers, athletically built, often giving in to Frank rather than prolong an argument. Frank was a consummate salesperson, stubborn, cocky, egotistical, boorish, and grossly overweight. Larry chose a simple life, less materialistic; Frank, to satisfy his desire to mingle with the rich and famous, built Blackwell Manor, a huge mansion with its own private dock on Nantucket Sound in Harwich Port.

Larry did not share his partner's enthusiasm for the sport of fishing and his interest in continuing his partnership with Frank was flagging. His expertise and interest was in hunting, mountain climbing and camping, but Frank insisted that he accompany him on his excursions.

"Good for you, good for business," said Frank.

Yeah, you just want me along to do the dirty work, thought Larry.

He hated dressing up for the part, matching his partner's outrageous garb.

"Good for business in case someone sees us," said Frank.

Most irritating was the foolish hat stuck with hooks and flies that were never used and the jacket and trousers that were better suited for an African safari. In fact, he detested all of it as much as anyone could detest anything. Nantucket Sound in clear sight of Blackwell Manor was a fair testing ground for Frank's fishing gear, but not for him.

Larry kept his ear to the ground for the local gossip; daily he checked news from the Internet on the activity on the Sound. "There's been a sighting off Monomoy, Frank, a big one" declared Larry. "Are we going out there today?"

"All in good time," replied Frank in his usual insufferable tone. "I'll be fishing the same place as usual."

"I will be fishing," growled Frank under his breath.

"What did you say?"

"It should be good fishing, but I think we should head to Monomoy."

"Stow the gear and cast off."

"All right, Frank," he responded with disdain, "but I think we should go to Monomoy."

It was a mystery to him that Frank preferred fishing near the Manor where the fish were not as robust as in other spots nor were the fish much of a challenge. Nonetheless, he carried out his duties faithfully, gritting his teeth all the while.

The routine was quite simple. Frank owned a twenty-eight foot boat that was equipped with the trappings of the inveterate fisherman. He hired a caretaker for his boat, so the only thing that Larry had to do was submit a lunch menu to the cook at Blackwell Manor. The cook delivered the food to the Manor dock at an appointed time. Larry then handled details while at sea.

On the dock, Larry reported, "Cook told me about another sighting at Monomoy, Frank. More than just a sighting." Seeing that Frank appeared indifferent to the matter, he continued. "A fisherman has been eaten by a fish."

That got Frank's attention. "Eaten by a fish?"

"Yeah, Frank. The guy caught it, but it was so large it pulled him overboard. Neither man nor fish has been seen since. Someone reported that the fish was at least ten feet long and weighed easily five hundred pounds."

"Extraordinary," exclaimed Frank, "but pure poppycock."

On hearing this, Larry held his breath and counted to ten. He showed great restraint at Frank's cold-hearted response. He opted for a more persuasive tack. "It would be extraordinary if you were the one to catch the fish and put the townspeople's fears to rest."

"All in good time," responded Frank as he had so many times. "Cast off."

They spent the day in the usual place. Frank was unusually docile, more often dozing off than attentive to the rod and reel. Larry had to sit idly by listening to the loud snoring emanating from Frank's despicable-looking, overweight body. Today, however, Larry was a gathering storm. Not only did he detest fishing and the sight of this insensitive man, he despised Frank for shirking his duty. If such a fish does exist, thought Larry, who was better qualified to catch it than Frank.

At breakfast two days later in the manor, Larry sat idly by while Frank's cook served up a silver tray loaded with a plateful of eggs, toast, and sausage. While Frank dove into the food, Larry declared once again, "Another sighting, Frank." This time his voice reflected his contempt. He continued, "Another fisherman eaten."

"What's that? What did you say?"

Frank was too involved with slicing his sausage and chomping on his eggs and toast to bother with the full impact of what Larry reported.

"Another fisherman has been eaten." Frank's reaction was far from Larry's expectations. Taking a deep breath, he said, "May I speak freely?"

"Of course, of course," replied Frank, his mouth full of food.

"I believe it is your duty to handle the situation. You're the expert. No one is more qualified than you to catch it. Besides, it will be great for business."

Larry glared at Frank as Frank kept his head down and filled his mouth with more eggs and sausage. "They got what they deserved."

Larry reached out and placed his hand on the silver tray. It was tempting to hit Frank with it. "But, do you believe that one fish should be allowed to terrorize the Sound and to run rampant?"

Frank wiped the scrambled eggs from his chin and put down his napkin. "Maybe you're right, Larry. Yes, I do believe the people will think of me as their savior and it will be great for business. I'll be a hero, won't I?"

The thought of Frank seen as a hero made Larry nauseous. "Shall I prepare for Monomoy?"

"Yes, Monomoy it is. Usual time."

"Very good."

Later, off Monomoy Point, Larry sat in silence listening to the rhythmic lapping of the water against the boat. Overhead, the sky was overcast with darkening clouds gathering in the west.

"Looks like rain, Frank."

"Harumph! A little rain won't hurt us. Not a bite for over an hour. Where is this big fish?"

Where is the fish? thought Larry. How could it not be here at Frank's beck and call.

Suddenly, Frank's fishing pole bent nearly to the water and the reel screamed as it whirred at an alarming rate. "I've got him. By god, I've got him," he yelled.

Larry's face turned ghostly white as a huge fish burst forth from the depths of the Sound, suspended itself six feet in midair then plummeted into the water sending spray over the boat and rocking the boat in its wake. Its dimensions exceeded all reports.

Frank stood up in the boat, arms tensed to do battle. Larry, on the other hand, had another idea. He, too, stood up, but with a different objective in mind. He stumbled forward, arms outstretched and caught Frank square in the middle of his back. With little effort, he knocked Frank off balance and shoved him over the side.

The stubborn Frank hit the water like a boulder holding onto the rod for dear life. For a moment, his huge body looked like a sperm whale skimming across the surface of the Sound. Then, the fishing line relaxed and he sank out of sight. A pale red blotch appeared on the surface of the water. Frank was no more.

Gleefully, Larry started the engine and steered back to the dock, taking his time so he could savor the moment. He was tempted to scream with delight but he kept himself under control. When he reached the dock, he dutifully stowed the gear and pranced to the Manor kitchen with an extra perkiness in his step.

"You're back," said the cook.

"And so I am, and happy that I won't be going out again."

Larry told the cook about Frank's demise.

"It's been a long time you've thought about it, Larry."

With a grin, Larry declared, "That it has. I call it my Manor fish destiny. And that's good for business." 

John M. Prophet is a Co-Chair of the Harwich Cultural Council & Clerk of The Friends of the Harwich Cultural Exchange Centers, a 501(c)(3) organization.  He is the author of five Casey Miller mysteries; has chaired two writing groups at the Brooks Free Library; is an active member of Sisters in Crime, & The Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators. John holds a Masters degree in Special Education from Boston University. He lives in Harwich with his wife, Ellen. Visit John's website here and his Historic Harwich blog on CapeCodToday here.

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The Outer Cape Steps It Up

 Environmentalists and concerned citizens meet despite Noel

by Liz Argo 

Step It Up 2007 dawned Saturday, November 3rd, giving light to rough seas and gale winds on Cape Cod. In Wellfleet, amidst the violent weather of a spinning down hurricane, the National Day of Climate Action was heralded by a sunrise vigil at Coast Guard Beach. At first light, a small band of climate action heroes fought their way down to the water's edge despite the buffeting winds and soaking rain of Hurricane Noel to create a photo opportunity that recorded their Earth flag whipped by the wind against a backdrop of raging seas and flying whitecaps. What must the group have thought, finding themselves kicking off the day's Global Warming events, challenged by the daunting weather of a hurricane?

 But the driving rain and high winds didn't seem to keep Lower Cape Codders from coming out to hear about energy alternatives presented by the Wellfleet Town Democrats organizer Sheila Lyons. Over 60 people, including Congressman Delahunt's representative Mark Forrest, attended the free forum at the Wellfleet COA to hear Cape Cod Commission's Clay Schofield join Wellfleet Group's, Curt Felix and Loud Fuel's, Kabral Tasha in leading the group through an explanation of Biofuel opportunities now readily available on Cape Cod.  One such opportunity introduced by Curt Felix and echoed by Kabral Tasha in his capacity as a vendor of the fuel, is the switch to Biodiesel as a home heating oil alternative. It was made clear by Curt Felix that the switch to Biodiesel B20 (a 20% blend) can assure 20% of the fuel you consume is not extracted out of the ground by oil cartels and multinational oil corporations and can reduce many air emissions by 15-20%. In answer to the audience, Felix and Tasha were quick to point out that the switch has no negative ramifications beyond a slightly higher price tag.

"...in wildness is the preservation of the world." - Henry David ThoreauAs vials of biodiesel went around for attendees to see and smell, the group was also told about new less polluting automobile fuels that some cars and many busses are running on now. Clay Schofield told of the efforts at the county level to change over the county's fleet of diesel engines to burning biodiesel. Currently the National Seashore's Flex busses are running on a biodiesel blend and Schofield cited savings of $36,000 to the National Seashore, not to mention the elimination of over 15 tons of CO2, after switching to the blend last year.

Bill Worthington, the Truro appointee to the Cape Light Compact introduced Kevin Galligan, the Cape Light Compact's Energy Efficiency Program Manager, who asked for a show of hands to illustrate how many of the group utilize compact fluorescent light bulbs. The group revealed itself to be composed of typically thrifty New Englanders, with all hands in the air. Galligan gave the eager group additional handy energy conservation pointers, including a caution against plasma TVs, noting that the energy consumption of a plasma TV is more than quadruple the electrical consumption seen in the TVs of yesteryear. He advised looking into LCD brands for future TV purchases.

Safe Harbor's Gordon Peabody wrapped up the forum by presenting some of the innovative renewable energy solutions we may see coming soon. Vertical axis turbines, recycled grey water systems for home toilet flushing, and recycled plastic computer parts to replace the stones in septic systems were just some of the innovations Peabody presented.

The mood of the room was upbeat and the group was fully on board. Some of the audience had solar systems already pumping green, renewable energy into the grid and many already burned biodiesel blends to heat their home. So it was not a hard sell when the group was asked to show their support for the movement by pressing their forefingers into a green stamp pad and raising them on high. The sea of green pointers waving in the air told a tale against a backdrop of rain lashed windows as the remnants of Hurricane Noel raged outside. The Step It Up 2007 effort to bring congressional leaders around to making the critical changes necessary to reduce global warming was clearly a success at the Wellfleet COA.

But as winds of 90 mph were predicted by evening, the event organizers decided to postpone the rest of the day's activities. Thus, the "Walk With Me, Henry" hike was rescheduled for Sunday at 1:00.

As most Cape Codders know from experience, the day following a violent storm often dawns brilliantly sunny with the only testimony to the intensity of the previous day apparent in the thick leaves and fallen tree limbs littering the ground; that is to say, the only testimony beyond the electricity-less state in which many Cape Codders often find their home and businesses to be left in. Sunday, November 4th was no exception. So, under a beautiful sunny sky, attendees made their way back to resume the postponed activity, the 1:00 "Walk With Me, Henry" hike. The trip entailed weaving their way around flashing electric repair trucks with buckets dangling overhead as crews worked to restore electricity. Road closures and the absence of traffic lights made navigation an added particular challenge.

But once again the Cape Cod climate change crusaders were undeterred. An enthusiastic group of 25 hit the beach with banners and flags unfurled, optimistic about their efforts to swing the nation's leaders' focuses towards confronting serious climate change jeopardy.

While Harriet Korim, the organizer of the "Walk With Me, Henry" hike event, snapped pictures of the beach walk to be posted on the national website, www.stepitup2007.org, she made this comment.  "We've much to learn from Thoreau's quote, 'in wildness is the preservation of the world'. It is even more important today than it was in the 1850's. To honor Henry Thoreau's insight, we'll walk as close to being 'in Henry's footsteps' as we can. But with the rate of erosion we've already experienced on Cape Cod, that of 3 feet per year, Thoreau's footsteps have long since disappeared underwater."

Returning from the hike, the Step It Up group was ready to head over to the much anticipated potluck.  But the scaled down hurricane finally compromised even this group's forward motion. Without the restoration of electricity, the Wellfleet library was compelled to postpone the Sunday night pot luck event. Hurricane Noel dealt the final blow. Without electricity the library couldn't play the presentation, "Can We Do Anything about Global Warming?"

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Globe book review today had a big error in it

Co:author of Cape Wind - the book, alerts our readers
Bob Whitcomb's "day-job" is VP and Editorial Page editor of the Providence Journal

By Bob Whitcomb 

A note to CapeCodToday readers from Robert Whitcomb, co-author with Wendy Williams, of Cape Wind. There was a generally delightful review in the July 5 Boston Globe:

"This is not your typical beach read. It isn't light. It isn't even fiction. It is, however, a genuine page-turner, and if it is true, it is also a laugh riot." We thank The Globe for its attention to this book!

The review engages in some sloppy reporting in suggesting that Massachusetts shoreline property owners only own down to the high-tide markUnfortunately, as Wendy Williams notes in her blog,  the review is marred by misinformation at the bottom, which Globe  books editor James Concannon told Wendy Thursday morning that he would soon correct.

The review engages in some sloppy reporting in suggesting that Massachusetts shoreline property owners only own down to the high-tide mark.  The usually estimable Goldberg cites this as her one and only specific example of what she calls  “sloppy research’’ in the book.

As Wendy notes, in Massachusetts, “property owners own down to the mean low tide mark, although, according to the state's attorney general, some owners even dispute this, claiming that they own all the way down to the low low tide mark. We suspect that this seemingly petty point is one reason why so many of the world's wealthiest people live on Nantucket Sound -- they have the legal right to keep people from even walking along the beach in front of their houses. ‘’ 

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Nantucket Sound, Mitt Romney and Energy Independence

Nantucket, Mitt Romney and Energy Independence
Romney's schtick: The United State depends too heavily on foreign oil

By WENDY WILLIAMS, Huffington Post

It may simply be too ironic to ignore. Last week, former Massachusetts Governor Willard Mitt Romney told reporters at a private fundraising event in Corona, California that the nation needed to strive for energy independence.

Romney's schtick: The United State depends too heavily on foreign oil.

And in the July issue of Foreign Affairs, Romney writes: "Energy independence will require technology" that reduces our use of oil. Among the technologies mentioned by the former Bay State governor -- wind turbines.

Were the governor to claim he supported energy independence to a Massachusetts audience, he'd get laughed right out of the state.

Every voter who has followed the perilous progress of Cape Wind, the nation's flagship offshore wind project proposed for Nantucket Sound (summer home of many of Romney's campaign financiers) knows that, if it weren't for the governor, the project might well have been built by now.

Throughout his four-year term heading up the Bay State government, Romney's behind-the-scenes stalling tactics were both legion and legend. Indeed, when a long-time state employee blew the whistle in public on the endless delays engineered by Romney and his partners in crime, Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Kennedy's Congressman, Democrat William Delahunt, the woman was perfunctorily fired.

When the project's proponent, Jim Gordon of the Boston-based Energy Management Inc., first proposed the project in 2001, he said he hoped to get the turbines in the water and turning by 2004.

Then Mitt Romney became governor. Romney's motto in Massachusetts was not NIMBY but NIMTOF -- Not In My Term of Office. As governor, his opposition to any and all wind power was relentless. Although the Bay State has excellent wind resources, both on land and at sea, during Romney's term of office only three commercial-scale wind turbines were erected in Massachusetts, comprising only about three megawatts of power.

And these turbines appeared in spite of -- not because of -- the governor.

"I've seen wind farms," the governor said at an Army Corps of Engineers federal hearing on Cape Cod. "They're not pretty."

How's that for energy independence?

When it comes to wind power, Romney has made quite a show of leadership here in New England. In our book Cape Wind, just published by PublicAffairs Press, we devote several chapters to discussing Romney's behind-the-scenes attempts to stop this project.

Since 2001 Romney has stated relentlessly that Nantucket Sound, where the Kennedy family lives, is a "national treasure." This body of water, which possesses one of the most technically perfect offshore wind energy sites in the nation, is too "special" to be the site of a 468-megawatt wind energy project which would supply almost all of Cape Cod's electrical needs and which would clearly, because of the configuration of the New England electric grid, decrease the use of Cape Cod's oil-fired behemoth, the Cape Cod Canal electrical generating plant.

Absolutely no science supports Romney's claim. The project has received an almost squeaky-clean environmental bill of health. There is nothing unique about Nantucket Sound, environmentally speaking.

Socially, of course, is another matter. The richest people in the world own summer properties there, including many of the former governor's major campaign supporters.

Should Romney become the presidential nominee, voters will have to decided for themselves to whom Romney will give his greatest allegiance -- Americans who both need and want energy independence, or his wealthy Nantucket Sound financiers and his long-time friends, the Kennedy family.

This appeared today in the Huffington Post here.  We reprint it with the permission of the author.

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Do as I say and not as I do, Cape Wind review

Sub title; How I Killed America's First Offshore Wind Farm by EMK

Cape Wind

Peter Schweizer Do As I Say (Not As I Do) is a brilliant expostion of liberal hypocrisy. The Kennedy family all by itself provides substantial material for Peter's book. For example, Schweizer discusses Ted Kennedy's opposition to a wind power project on Nantucket Sound that would apparently impair the view from the Kennedy family compound six miles away. Not in his backyard!

Peter's book has a serious point. Peter argues that the behavior of notable liberals conflicting with their professed beliefs shows their beliefs to be "ultimately self-defeating, self-destructive, and unworkable."

Alex Beam is a Boston Globe columnist with whose work I am unfamiliar. The current issue of the Weekly Standard carries Beam's very funny review of Cape Wind: Money, Celebrity, Class, Politics and the Battle for America's Energy Future on Nantucket Sound by Wendy Williams and Robert Whitcomb. Unfortunately, Beam's review is restricted to subscribers.

Cape Wind is the 24-square-mile, turbine-powered electrical power project to be built in Horseshoe Shoal that is discussed in Schweizer's book. Cape Wind chronicles the opposition of wealthy Cape Cod residents and Martha's Vineyard islanders such as David McCullough, Walter Cronkite, and all manner of Kennedys, Mellons and Duponts to Cape Wind:

The Mellons and the DuPonts have summered on the Cape for a lot longer than former cable TV salesman Jim Gordon has been a millionaire, and, naturally, they have powerful friends. Cue the pathetic marital opportunist Sen. John Warner, who nominally represents the people of Virginia. Blubbering to the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee, Warner invokes his first, pre-Elizabeth Taylor, wife: "A wonderful person who is still a very dear and valued friend. . . . She does have a home on the Cape. I was actually married there."

The wonderful woman in question is Catherine Mellon, daughter of Bunny, the widow of Paul Mellon. Bunny, who is the first person named in Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's will--Jackie left her two Indian miniatures, by way of thanks for Bunny's help in redesigning the White House Rose Garden--is an ardent Cape Wind opponent. In the book, she accuses a lawyer who does not hate Cape Wind assiduously enough of being a "traitor to your class." That's language you expect to hear on Masterpiece Theater, not in George W. Bush's America.

The authors relate how, pace President Bush, Cape Wind has proved to be a uniter, not a divider. Outraged by the shenanigans on Capitol Hill-not only Warner, but also Alaska's notorious "bridge to nowhere" congressman Don Young have tried to throttle the child of Aeolus in its watery crib-such unlikely bedfellows as Robert Novak, the Washington Post, and the Washington Times have leapt to Cape Wind's defense.

How rare for Sun Myung Moon's scribblers, to say nothing of Rupert Murdoch's salarymen at Fox News, to find themselves allied with the merry pranksters from Greenpeace, who have injected some badly needed humor into the Cape Wind imbroglio. Greenpeace produced an ad showing a roly-poly senator standing knee-deep in salt water, brandishing a wooden mallet. As wind turbines surface, the senator smashes them down, Whac-a-Mole style, complaining that "I might see them from my mansion on the Cape." Fox News commentators Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes loved the ad, and gave it air play.

Greenpeace teased Robert Kennedy Jr. during an anti-Cape Wind photo op and infiltrated a Ted Kennedy book-signing in Washington. While the senior senator from Massachusetts signed copies of America Back on Track, replete with predictable complaints about the country's energy policy, Greenpeaceniks handed out dummy book covers to people waiting in line. Their alternate title: How I Killed America's First Offshore Wind Farm.

I ask you, where is the respect?

Beam devoted a Globe column to the book in "Dirty politics, clean power on the Cape." Also of note among Beam's recent columns is "A silent springtime for Hitler?"

Powerline News is a group of lawyers who offer trenchant observations on 21st century America. The main site is here. This article was originally posted here.

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Out & About

Out & About: A visit with the Cape Cod Young Professionals

by Teresa Martin, CEO of the Cape Cod Technology Council

I was Out & About this week to a networking event that belies one of the myths of Cape Cod. Yes Virginia, there is a vibrant professional community comprised of people who aren't planning on retiring any time soon!

One evening last week I found myself sipping wine at Chatham Bars Inn and enjoying the energy of some 60 or 70 people at the Cape Cod Young Professionals networking evening. Guess what -- this is the same great energy you find in Boston or in any other place with a vibrant up-and-coming population.

Myth: Cape Cod is only for retirees. Fact: There's a growing community of people who are choosing the Cape as place to work, live, and call home. They are smart, they are educated, and they are striving for career growth and personal connections. And they want to show that they are here.

Note to all those folks who whine about "lack of workforce" - you need to open your eyes and ears and stop hiding behind the myth that there's no one under the age of 50 worth knowing.

As frequent readers have observed, I often find myself hearing repeated phrases that seem to cluster together and form a sort of theme of the week. This debate about how to attract and retain young professionals to our region has been showing up on and off for the past several months, and showing up in enough different places that I think it qualifies as one of those hot buttons.

In some cases, the refrain takes the form of "we can't hire young doctors," while in others it sings "my business can't find educated entry level professionals." And let's not forget the ever popular "my son/daughter/cousin/brother" doesn't feel welcomed here and moved to Boston/New York/Providence.

What we really suffer from in our region is a lack of watering holes. No, no, not the places where you do Jell-O shots, thank you very much, but the kinds of places where people gather and are visible.

In gathering, people come to realize they aren't alone in their occupations, goals, and decision to commit to our region.

And, the more who gather, the more others are attracted to the watering hole and pretty soon it becomes clear that there is a very alive and healthy community of people who have chosen to create a future here.

Once this happens, outsiders can look in and say - hey, this is place we can find others like us. And insiders can look and say, "hey-cool, we made the right choice and we don't have to defend our decision to live here because all these other great people like us have made it too."

I may sound a little flip here, but that's part of the negative perception about young professionals in our region - the invisibility mindset that we, as a region, tend to fall into. In order for our region to grow and prosper, we need to stand up and be counted!

That's part of what CCTC is about too - about standing up and proudly saying that we are building companies that make smart use of technology, that we are using innovation to transform existing business and create new business and new ways of doing business. It's about proving that the region is about more than "cranberries and beaches" as the US Dept of Commerce person said to me last fall at a conference, as she wrote off the entire area in one dismissive statement. (yeah, yeah, that comment still makes me want to jump on my soap box!)

Having a vibrant "young professional" community is an important part of the mix in developing an innovation economy. There's a level of risk-taking, hunger, and determination that people have earlier in their careers and that's part of the mix of what makes start ups grow into companies, pushes companies into new ways of working, and sets the stage for a diverse place for all kinds of people to set down professional, economic, and personal roots.

Cape Cod Young Professionals says that in the year since its launch, it has more than 300 people who signed up. And that's barely tapping the surface if the response I've been encountering is typical. Everyone I mention it to has a similar reaction: First, there's a look of disbelief, followed by a look of excitement and then the question: When's the next meeting?

Curious? Check it out at www.capecodyoungprofessionals.org (The Cape Cod Young Professionals also have a blog here at CapeCodToday.com).  

And instead of just repeating the ugly mantra that people come to the Cape to fade away - look around in awe and excitement and celebrate all the people who choose to come here to create lives, careers, businesses, and a future.

Teresa Martin is CEO of the Cape Cod Technology Council and may be reached by email here.  The Cape Cod Technology Council (CCTC) is a membership based non-profit that promotes technology and business on the Cape, Islands and Southeastern Massachusetts.  Learn more about the organization here.  Click here if you are interested in becoming a member.

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Ever wonder what to wear on a cruise?

By Heidi Allison

Packing light for a cruise vacation has always been a challenge.  And considering most cruise lines now offer a greater mix of formal, informal and casual evenings at sea, it has become that much harder to choose the right clothes for a voyage.

What exactly does "resort casual" mean?  How formal is "formal" dress?  Does one really have to bring an evening gown or tuxedo on a cruise?  Is there anyplace on board where one can dine wearing shorts, t-shirts and bathing suits?

"Proper dining attire varies from ship-to-ship, depending on the itinerary and length of the voyage," said Bob Levinstein, president of CruiseCompete.com.  "The typical one-week cruise usually has 1-2 formal nights. All major cruise ships issue a daily briefing to update their guests on what to wear during the evening hours.

"During the day, ships have more dining options than ever, from poolside snack bars to casual buffets to more traditional, sit-down meals in the dining room - all designed to meet a variety of lifestyles and tastes."

The following summarizes the dress codes and suggestions for a number of the most popular cruise lines:

Carnival Cruises
Formal dress or resort wear is required in the dining room.  Proper formal attire includes a tuxedo, suit and tie, or sport coat, tie and slacks.  For women, evening gowns, cocktail dresses and pantsuits are appropriate.  Casual resort wear includes sport shirts and slacks, dresses, skirts and pantsuits.  Shorts, t-shirts and bathing attire are not permitted in the dining room during dinner.  Dress requirements for children in the dining room are the same.  For those guests who do not want to dress up, the Lido restaurants are open nightly, with the exception of the last evening of the cruise, and have a more casual dress code. 

Princess Cruises
During "smart casual" dining evenings, guests should dress as they would for a fine restaurant at home.  This includes pants and open-neck shirts for mean, and skirts/dresses, slacks and sweaters for ladies.  T-shirts, shorts, halter tops and jeans are not permitted in the dining room and shoes must be worn at all times.  Formal evenings in the dining room require a tuxedo, slacks with dinner jacket, or suit for men.  Women should wear evening gowns and cocktail dresses.  

Holland America
Comfortable, relaxed clothing is appropriate for designated "casual" evenings.  This includes jackets and optional ties for men, and dresses or pantsuits for women.  T-shirts, swimsuits, tank tops and shorts are not allowed in the dining room, Pinnacle Grill, Lido Restaurant or public areas during evening hours.  Swimwear is suitable for dining at the Terrance Grill near the pool.  On formal evenings, suits and tuxedos are suggested for men, although jackets
and ties are welcome; women wear cocktail dresses and gowns. 

Crystal Cruises
The Crystal dress code applies to all public areas of the ship after 6 p.m. Proper attire for formal evenings includes dresses and gowns of fashionable length for ladies, and a tuxedo, dinner jacket or dark suit and tie for gentlemen.  Infomal attire is appropriate for most nights on board the ship. 
     For ladies, evening dresses, cocktail dresses or pantsuits are fine.  Men should wear sport coats and slacks, with ties optional.  Casual nights are based on days in port and the time of departure.  On casual evenings, more relaxed attire is appropriate, including casual dresses and pantsuits for women, sport shirts and slacks for men.  Jackets and ties are not required.

Celebrity Cruises
Whether an intimate table for two or an elaborate table for many, appropriate attire is part of the overall evening dining experience on Celebrity cruises. 
     Formal night attire includes a tuxedo, dinner or dark suit for men and evening gown or fancy dress for ladies.  Informal nights feature a jacket and tie with slacks for guys and informal dress or pants and blouse for ladies.  Gentlemen are welcome to wear a sport shirt and slacks, while ladies can wear a pantsuit or sporty outfit, on casual nights.  Specialty restaurant dining requires a jacket and tie for men and dress or pants and blouse for women every night.  Jeans, shorts and casual daywear are allowed in all dining venues before 6 p.m.    

Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Shipboard attire on Regent Seven Seas Cruises ranges from informal wear to "Country Club" casual to formal attire.  Country club casual (resort-style attire) is fine for daytime on board the ship and ashore, but shorts are not appropriate after 6 p.m. in any of the public rooms or lounges.  Depending on the itinerary, evening attire also can be country club casual, informal (sport coat and tie recommended for men), or formal (black tie optional).  The dress code for Alaska, Bermuda and Tahiti sailings is always country club casual.  Bathing suits and beachwear is not allowed in the restaurants at any time.

The Yachts of Seabourn
Guests aboard the luxury ships of Seabourn experience the special atmosphere of formal evenings and the more informal ambiance of other nights.  On formal nights, tuxedos and dark suits are appropriate for men; evening gowns or other formal attire are recommended for women.  Elegant casual evenings feature slacks with a jacket over a sweater or shirt for men; sundresses, skirts or pants with a sweater or blouse for women.  Casual wear is welcomed in the Veranda Café on evenings when dinner is served there.  This includes slacks and a sweater or shirt for gentlemen; skirts or slacks with a sweater or blouse for women.  

Cruise Complete
"Dining on a cruise ship is unlike any other vacation experience," said Steven Gelfuso, president of CruiseBrothers.com.  "During a typical cruise, people have many choices and can dress accordingly.  Most guests relish the idea of dressing up on formal nights for an evening or two of world-class food and entertainment at sea, while other nights they may feel more comfortable in a more casual dining setting.    Either way, each night of a cruise is  memorable."     

As with any vacation planning, cruise travelers should check with their Cruise Compete agent to determine the specific dining attire requirements for the ships they are traveling on.  The daily news bulletin posted by most cruise ships during voyages also includes the appropriate dress code for the evening's events.

In 2006, Cruise Compete was named as one of the "25 Best Value Travel Sites" on the Internet by Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine.  In addition, Washington Post Online listed CruiseCompete.com as one of the 36 Web sites that consumers "should know of" when planning a vacation.  Cruise Compete can save consumers time by finding the agent with the best deal for them.  Consumers secure quotes for cruise deals from multiple travel agencies without having to contact each one separately.  To date, more than 350,000 customers have accessed yhe site to request cruise quotes from more than 200 member travel agencies around the country, and agents have provided more than 1.5 million quotes to consumers.  CruiseCompete, LLC, is an independent company not owned by or affiliated with any travel agency. 

Read these other stories by Ms  Allison;

• Finding a Berth on a Sold-Out Cruise Ship
• Cruising Made Easy 
  

Heidi M. Allison-Shane is an international consultant and entrepreneur with a world class client list including accounts like Pepsi Bottling Group, Ford Motor Company, CoreComm, CruiseBrothers.com, CruiseCompete.com, AllisonTaylor.com and CareerBrain.com. Although she is specialist in the Tourism industry, she has managed projects for numerous Fortune 100 companies throughout the world including Africa, Antarctica, the Caribbean, Canada, Europe, Mexico, Asia, and South America. Ms. Allison-Shane has strong New England roots both here and in New Hampshire and Maine and has traveled and lectured extensively with Lars-Eric Lindblad, who pioneered expedition travel - or Eco-tourism," including the first expeditions to exotic locations such as Antarctica, Bhutan, China, Easter Island and the Galapagos. See her website here.

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Chatham wealthy use new approach to fight beach erosion

(THIS IS A SPOOF)

CHATHAM, Massachusetts. This seaside town on Cape Cod is a haven for retired Fortune 500 CEO's, but there is one woman who isn't impressed with their multi-million dollar second homes--Mother Nature.

"When we bought this place we had probably fifty yards of beach between us and the ocean," complains Edward "Ned" Hahlstrom, former president of Alliance Pharmaceuticals. "Now when friends ask us how close we are to the water, I tell them about two years," he says with a mirthless laugh as his third wife Trina, a stunning blond with an aerobics trainer's body, wipes a sniffle on a diamond-encrusted tennis bracelet.

Hahlstrom was never known as a pushover during his business career, and he and his friends aren't taking the problem of beach erosion lying down either. They're fighting back with hand-to-hand combat, scooping up sand from ashtrays at luxury hotels around the world and bringing it back to their shorefront property where they hope to stall or even turn back the tides that will push all of Cape Cod into the Atlantic over the next 200 years.

"The sand in hotel lobby ashtrays is the purest in the world," says Jacques Mauritain, editor of Upscale Travel magazine. "Most people don't smoke anymore, so it is virtually ash-free, and it doesn't have disgusting slimy goo from clams and oysters like real sand."

Environmentalists claim the transfer of sand from hotels to beaches is not the "win-win" solution that the rich believe it to be. "Removing sand from these ashtrays will decimate the 4-star hotel desert rat, which is an endangered species," says Walter Fricke, executive director of Citizens for a Cleaner Cape Cod. "As it is, they--the rats, not the rich people--are reduced to living off Junior Mints and red licorice they find in the lobby shop."

Year-round residents of Chatham, who tend to be much poorer than the wealthy who spend their summers here, say they resent the fact that the rich can turn back the inexorable forces of nature that they are subject to. "I also resent the fact that this guy Hahlstrom's got a bodacious babe of a wife and then he goes and buys her a pair of perky little artifical ta-ta's to boot," says third-generation oysterman Carl Weathers as he eyes Trina getting into her Jaguar. Anything else? a reporter asks.

"I resent the fact that his expensive Portugese water dog is humping my schnauzer, and I'm gonna end up feeding the pups."
_______________________

By Con Chapman 

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Martin Slobodkin dies at 85 - so many parties, so little time

Editor's Note: Since 1946, Martin Slobodkin spent his summers in Provincetown, frequenting gallery openings and concerts every night. In 1975, he and his wife at the time, Reva Poor, wrote a gossip column for the predecessor of the Provincetown Banner, the Provincetown Advocate. He was also a regular letter-writer to the Advocate and Banner, usually an excuse for him to write a pun in response to his friend Jackson Lambert’s column.  An inverterate party-goer, Norma Nathan in the Boston Herald once wrote that "Martin would go to the opening of an envelope." Despite his encyclopedic memory and wit, no one ever heard him utter a mean word about another person. His endless stream of jokes and stories ended on October 6, and his like will not soon trod these country lanes again.

Heart of the City: A profile of Martin Slobodkin, Boston's inveterate partier, aging in body, not in spirit.

The joke was that Martin Slobodkin was going to kill himself with all his partying. Actually, it wasn't a joke so much as it was a prediction. Slobodkin a sherry-drinking, bicycle-riding, skinny-dipping man about town in the 1960s and '70s was going to die young. His liver, it was believed, just couldn't keep up.

"We should leave shortly, darling," Slobodkin says one recent evening in his Cambridge apartment. His third wife, Teresa Craig, looks at the clock on the wall. It's still 45 minutes before the start of the Rotenbergs' annual holiday party in their elegant town house on Beacon Hill. Craig tells Slobodkin to cool his heels. It's still too early to climb into their lime-yellow Saab convertible and head across town. Slobodkin sits and waits.

He's 85 now, going on 86 he will tell you, and his life is not the same as the one party photographers documented decades ago. His hair is gray, his body slowly slipping away from him. He curses his bad back and the surgery that laid him up recently. His contemporaries are dead or dying.

But take no pity on Slobodkin. He doesn't want it. Doesn't need it. The man is not only alive; he is living. He may not attend 40 parties a week like he did in his heyday. Yet he is still going to parties. Still moving about the crowd, regaling them with stories and witty one-liners. This is still Slobodkin's town, and life for him has never been better. These, he says, are the happiest days he's ever known.

"I've learned to finally relax," Slobodkin says recently from his apartment overlooking the Charles River, winter sunlight coming through the windows. "I'm not chasing that brass ring on the merry-go-round of life. I've attained contentment. It took a long time to get here. But I attained it."

Not that life was so bad before. It wasn't, not by a long shot. There he was at cocktail parties, balls, brunches, benefits and wild galas that raged late into the night beneath twirling disco balls. For a time in Boston, Slobodkin got invited to almost everything. And he did his best to at least make an appearance. People expected it after a while from the man the newspapers called Boston's full-time bon vivant. A premier partier. A social lion on the prowl in the city.

"Parties," he told the Globe in 1973, "are my life."

It hadn't started that way. Born in Malden in 1920 as the son of Russian immigrants, Slobodkin went to Harvard University, graduated, then went off to be a medic in World War II. When he came home from Europe, he took over the family's publishing business, married his high school sweetheart, Salem, and moved to Cambridge. It was a good life. Salem was a poet. They knew writers, had parties. But it wasn't until his wife died of cancer in 1964 that Slobodkin, lonely and grieving, began accepting invites night after night.

"The ubiquitous Martin Slobodkin. He used to be absolutely everywhere in this town," recalls Smoki Bacon, the cohost of "The Literati Scene," a Boston community television show, and herself a fixture on the social scene. "He was out morning, noon, and night."

By the 1970s, magazines, including People, called Slobodkin to get the scoop on goings-on about the city. He became a fixture and a character. He wore a monocle now and then, and his facial hair was unforgettable. Slobodkin had perfectly sculpted burnsides.

Women loved him. These days, they still often ask Craig, his wife of seven years, how she hooked him. "I've even had men come up to me and ask, `How'd you do it?' " Craig says.

She laughs. She doesn't know. She lived in New Hampshire when she met him in 1993 and hadn't heard anything about the legendary Slobodkin: how he swam naked almost daily as a member of the L Street Brownies in South Boston, how he navigated city streets on a Peugeot 10-speed, how he emerged at night, perfectly coiffed, behind the wheel of his bright yellow Porsche 914.

"People would say, `How could you manage three parties in the same night?' Very easy," Slobodkin says. "I had an accurate watch, a fast sports car, and an unquenchable curiosity. The only problem was finding a place to park."

Back in his apartment in Cambridge, Slobodkin looks up again at the clock on the wall. "Let's go, darling," he says to Craig. It's a Saturday night in December, the night of Michael and Karen Rotenberg's party. Slobodkin says it's "the high spot" of the season, and he's all ready to go in his pinstriped suit and Brooks Brothers cologne. Again, Craig tells him to wait. The party, she reminds him, doesn't start until five.

Slobodkin leans back, bides his time, and begins singing Irish folk songs. It was how he wooed Craig, 65, years ago. He called and left messages, singing songs that she would find later and treasure. The man was older, yes. But he had not lost his touch.

"What a character," says Craig.

"It was true love," says Slobodkin.

"Even though we broke up for a year?"

"Well, we don't talk about that."

Now, finally, Craig relents. They can leave for the party. They bundle up, walk outside, and slide into their Saab. They drive across the river and into Beacon Hill. This, the Rotenbergs' affair, will be their second party of the day. And, just as Craig had feared, they pull up outside just as the clock strikes five.

"That's all right," Slobodkin assures his wife. "Good timing." Sometimes he likes to be the first one there. Other times he likes to be the last to leave. After years of going to parties, he knows just what he wants to do and how to work a room.

"I hope we're not too early," he says, greeting the hosts inside.

The Rotenbergs assure him that they're not. He gets a gin and tonic, then another. The empty town house begins to fill up. Seared duck gets passed around on crostini, and Slobodkin loses himself in the crowd.

He doesn't get as many party invites these days. But it doesn't matter that much to him anymore. Just waking up every morning, he says, is sufficient cause for a grand celebration.

"I don't believe in the hereafter," Slobokin says. "Therefore, I've got to get as much as I possibly can out of this life here and now. I want to enjoy every moment of every day to the fullest and hurt as few people as possible while doing it."

Heart of the City is a weekly series profiling people around our neighborhoods. Have a subject to suggest? E-mail Keith O'Brien at keith@keithob.com

Read Martin's obit in The Provincetown Banner here, and comment below.
Martin on YouTube, see here.

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More water

It is raining today, to the distress of Wellfleet’s tourists.

Downtown this afternoon I observed the crowd in slickers and raincoats, exploring our shops and art galleries. The water I want to discuss is not falling from the sky, however. It is the water we drink, groundwater, partially replenished by rain. I wrote a letter to the editor of the Provincetown Banner, inspired by an article in the August 17 issue:

“Thank you for last week’s 'Study finds hormone-disrupting chemicals in groundwater.' I obtained the article Kahrin Deines mentioned and intend to give it to the Wellfleet Board of Health. We all know Barnstable County has a very high cancer rate. Now here is something we can do to lower it. Stop throwing chemicals down the drain! What we put into our septic systems inevitably ends up in our groundwater. I use non-toxic Seventh Generation washing powder for laundry, but what about my neighbors, whose wastewater runs underneath my green bed & breakfast? They may use detergents and detergent contains alkylphenol, “a synthetic compound that mimics estrogen’s structure.” Kahrin Deines’ article indicates a community effort may be needed to lower the incidence of cancer in Barnstable County. Household cleaning products can be hazardous to health.”

Today I sent the study to members of the Wellfleet Board of Health, asking whether they would favor a campaign to inform Wellfleet’s population on the benefits of environmentally-friendly cleaning products. The Banner is conducting an online poll this week about whether or not its readers would be willing to switch. It will be interesting to read the conclusions.

I also contacted Chris Swartz, author of the study mentioned in the Banner article, to ask whether Pur filters eliminate alkylphenols. I would like to share here his response:

“I cannot tell you with a certainty backed by actual data that a PUR or any other activated carbon filter removes alkylphenols (which are a class of chemicals – there are many within this class) because there is no data that I could find. When companies test these products for their removal efficiency, they look at it from the perspective of regulated pollutants – those that EPA has on the list to monitor under the Safe Water Drinking Act. Alkylphenols are not on this list. They are currently unregulated.

I went to the PUR website and found this list of removed contaminants:

Although we cannot endorse any product specifically, the two-stage filter looks like it would remove alkylphenols, as the chemical properties that control the removal of alkylphenols from water fall with the range of other organic chemicals such as pesticides, benzene, etc.) that are removed.

The three-stage removes an even wider range of chemicals for greater peace of mind, but this is only available as an add-on to the tap and as a separate side tap (go to the product section in the Website to see all products available). It doesn’t look like the three-stage is available as a dispenser if you wanted that convenience."

Chez Sven already uses the two-stage. I will buy the add-on, three-stage, too. We have been full all summer. I attribute part of our success to being green. Guests do care. I would love it if all the bed & breakfasts on the Cape stopped using products that are detrimental to the environment. They could take baby steps, the way we did. Start by switching to Seventh Generation washing powder, for instance.

What visitors can do is be more discerning. Ask your waitress whether the restaurant serves water from the tap, or uses activated carbon filters. At your hotel or bed & breakfast, request linens washed in environmentally-friendly products.

Together we can make a difference, and perhaps reverse the cancer statistics on the Cape.

This Blog originally appeared here. 

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