Along a lonely stretch of Massachusetts shoreline, where the Atlantic Ocean comes crashing into New England, you find America’s oldest seaport. For more than 400 years the boats of Gloucester, Mass. have headed out to sea every day — past the lighthouse and the foghorns, and even the Fishermans Monument to remember all the thousands who never came home.  But out here along the water front, and out on Cape Ann, it’s the tourism that drives activity these days. Now they come for the whale watch trips, the food, the classic old architecture and the views in every direction along the rocky shoreline. And they come back frequently to see film history.

Because Gloucester was where the tragic story of the movie, The Perfect Storm unfolded. And it’s where Hollywood came to tell the story of the Andrea Gail. The Crows Nest bar was a key part of the story — one of those classic watering holes where fishermen would gather before or after each trip out. Greg Sousa, the bar’s owner lost a good friend in the tragedy, Bobby Shatford, his brother-in-law. The crew of the Andrea Gail were just the latest in a long line of accidents at sea that by some counts have claimed ten thousand lives over the centuries of this fishing town. The Fishermans Monument was put up a century ago — a must-visit place. But all the waterfront is extraordinary in this town — it’s still a working waterfront.  At Maritime Gloucester, you can learn about the early days  — and ride classic schooners — from the days of using wind power to fish.

Gloucester has also become a great place to see whales up close. The earliest trips to see the whales here were back in the 70’s.  Cynde McInnis has been a guide for 7 Seas Whale Watch Trips over the years, and says “these incredible animals hopefully can inspire people to make a connection with the wild world.”  Whale research has become a big part of the Gloucester waterfront.

The non profit group Ocean Alliance, has set up shop in some of the most historic buildings in town — the home of the Tar and Wonson Copper Paint Factory was born in the 19th century. They developed the first anti fouling paint to keep the underside of ships clean. But the buildings were in bad shape.

But Dr. Iain Kerr — the Executive Director of Ocean Alliance raised funds to buy and begin to restore those buildings on Rocky Neck. Kerr also developed the SnotBot, a radical new way to get biological samples from whales to check their health.