On a frigid winter’s day during a powerful nor easter in 1952, an oil tanker, the Pendleton, snapped in two 10 miles off the coast of Chatham. They didn’t manage to issue an SOS, but a couple hours later, the two pieces of the tanker were picked up on radar. The Coast Guard launched a daring rescue using the CG36500 with a crew of only 4 men. All but one of the Pendleton crew was saved. Years later, a movie, The Final Hour, was made about the incident.
Our first stop yesterday with Marc was Chatham beach where we got the big view of a sandbar, the first obstacle for the Coast Guard to navigate during blinding snow and 60mph winds.
And oh by the way, you might take great care in swimming here at any time of the year.
Later in the morning, Marc took us to Rock Harbor in Orleans to see the CG36500 used in the rescue.
I have walked that Chatham sandbar many times on our retreats in the spring before any other people set foot out there. We were boated out to the end of it between Monomoy and South Beach. It is so quiet, peaceful and untouched. many of the hundreds of poems I have written were created out there. I’m so glad you got to see a part of my world and my history. <3
A beautiful area.