Courtesy of the Kingston Public Library Local History Room.

When the town of Kingston bought a new boat for the harbormaster, they had a contest to name it. My wife submitted the name INDEPENDENCE after the boat depicted on the town seal.
Well I’ll be darned. She won! The prize was a tour of picturesque Kingston Bay (and surrounding waters) in this gorgeous, spankin’ new vessel: a 23 foot Parker. It was a perfect late August afternoon that featured warm sunshine, large fluffy white clouds, and practically no humidity to speak of.

The Jeffrey S. Bonds Pier.

The newly dedicated Jeffrey S. Bond Memorial Pier was looking downright spiffy. Our harbormaster host greeted us warmly and we hopped aboard the sturdy new boat.     “Wow! Still has that new boat smell,” I commented after sticking my head into the cabin. Harbormaster Denis Carvalho started up the big 250 horsepower Evinrude E-TEC engine.
“I can barely hear it,” I said.
“Two stroke,” Denis said proudly.
“Nice. I love the power of a two-stroke.”
“Wicked hole shot, so much better than the four strokes.”
“Way lighter too,” I commented. It’s funny, in California this motor would be illegal, as are all two stoke engines, but Evinrude did such a good job with this E-TEC series, it won awards for its low emission levels. Personally, I’m glad they bounced back from the brink of extinction after the FICHT fuel injection debacle. The century old company went bankrupt in the year 2000, probably from honoring the warranties of many bad FICHT equipped engines. They were rescued by the huge Canadian conglomerate Bombardier. Evinrude has been going strong ever since.

Harbormaster Denis Carvalho at the helm.

We cruised out of the Jones River and zoomed through Kingston Bay into Plymouth Bay. Denis was very knowledgable about the aquaculture that seems to be springing up everywhere, a testament to the excellent quality of the water.

Shellfish Constable Francis Ferioli and Archivist Susan Aprill.

Town Clerk Paul Gallagher and the Duxbury Pier Light (Bug Light)

The tide was high so we were able to cruise a mile or two up the historic Jones River. At low tide, almost all the water drains out, leaving the boats resting in the mud. Unlike the mooring fields in Wareham, divers are not needed to inspect the moorings here.

The Town Landing at the mouth of the Jones River.

I can’t remember the last time I was driven around on someone elses boat. At first I didn’t know what to do with myself. I figured it out after a while and found a handy grab-rail on the starboard side, the high gunwale made a nice seat too. All in all, it was an enjoyable day on the water. I got a good feeling about motor vessel INDEPENDENCE. Long may she serve the beautiful seaside community of Kingston, Massachusetts.

Your humble blogger aboard Independence.