Gloucester, MA. Seven Seas Whale Watch

To be honest, I really had no major interest in whale watching. I assumed whale watching involved going out on a boat for a few hours, feeling a little sea sick, and maybe seeing a very brief glimpse of a whale from a distance.

I was wrong.

We made our plans to go whale watching early on. It was pretty much on our way, and Jenn had a coworker from the town of Gloucester who suggested specifically using Seven Seas Whale watch.

I guess, in all fairness, the first 45 minutes of the boat ride were uneventful. Staff on the boat made some announcements, and did a little presentation on whales, the city, etc.

I believe the crew said that the trip was pretty much a 17 mile ride out to where the whales feed. It took a little less than an hour to get to that area.

The ride was relaxing. Many people took a nap. The hum of the boat, and the endless views of water were pleasant.

I really didn't know what to expect. For the most part, I was just along for the ride.

Then, there was an announcement that 2 whales had been spotted ahead. The boat turned just a little and went up a bit. Th entire group on the boat went from relaxed and calm to excited and anxious. Everyone jumped up.

The boat was very spacious and had 2 decks, so there wasn't as much crowding as I had anticipated. There was a pretty good view for everyone.

So, before we even arrived at the feeding ground area, we had a sighting. It was cool. You could see a tail, and the side of a whale. "That was very nice" I thought to myself." I immediately felt that I had gotten my money's worth on the trip.

The crew was bold. Instead of sticking around to watch this one whale, they announced that they wanted to get to the feeding area. I think most whale watchers would have tried to milk this sighting for all it was worth. Not the Seven Seas guys. They knew their stuff. They knew that more and better sighting opportunities were up ahead.

Well, shortly after that sighting, we saw more. Three whales were around the boat at one time! You could literally be anywhere on the boat and see a whale!

A couple of personal highlights for me included just seeing their tails hang in the air, just out of the water. Another exciting moment was when one slowly swam under the boat, and we could see him under the surface of the water. I was even able to get a great picture of Jenn with a whale in the background twice!

The crew detoured a bit a couple of times to make sure we saw all we could. Even on the way back, they mentioned a sighting on the side, and they went over so everyone could check it out.

More than once crew came over to ask us about our experience and to answer questions. The informative (but by no means intrusive) crew told us about their research. At the end of our trip, they even informed all on the boat about how many whales we saw, what they did, etc. They keep stats on this. They were even able to identify some of the whales by name!

They told an amazing story from the 70s. A little older fisherman came to their research facility. He said that he had pictures of whales he had taken going back to the 30s! He asked if they would like them. They were able to identify one of the whales they had been observing in one of his photos!

I really enjoyed spending about 5 hours with the Seven Seas crew. The boat was very comfortable and uncrowded. On the first level, there were several tables and a snack bar in an inside area. In no way did the crew or the boat feel restrictive. I almost felt like I was out with some very knowledgeable friends watching whales more than being out with a professional company.

After we got back, we stopped in the gift shop. Even the nice people running the Seven Seas gift shop enthusiastically asked about our sitings!

After watching for whales, we were advised by our local informant to check out Sugar Magnolias. Any restaurant named after a Grateful Dead song is a must stop!

This place was slammed, even though the lunch rush should have been over by the time we arrived. We were able to get a table. I had a great tuna melt and some broccoli slaw. I could have eaten a gallon of the slaw. It was easy to see why the locals love this place.

We had coffee at the Lone Gull coffee house which was very pleasant too. If I lived in Gloucester, Sugar Mags and Lone Gull would be my hang outs.

The shops around town were perfect. Lots of touristy stuff, nice shirts, postcards, etc. I really hope to make it back to this town soon.

http://www.7seas-whalewatch.com/