Hingham Adventures: Hurricanes and Homes

There is no question that this has been a quiet time for this blog as another 21 days have passed since the last article.  And it's certainly not for a lack of material.  The cause, which is good, is constant activity all of which has been great fun.  Even the weather has been cooperative (until today).

I can thank Hurricane Arthur (Category 1) for the time to write.  At noon on Independence Day Arthur was just south and east of Cape May New Jersey heading northeast at 22 knots.  Arthur's sustained winds are 80 knots with gusts up to 100.  The eye, at present, is 20 nautical miles in diameter.   Arthur had previously made landfall over night on North Carolina's Outer Banks (Cape Hatteras) as a Category 2 Hurricane.

Hurricane Arthur along with frontally associated rain along the east coast

Arthur's northwest quadrant is forecasted to hit Cape Cod just east of the Cape Cod Canal with sustained winds of 30 knots and gusts to 50.  The forecast for Hingham calls for rain for much of Saturday resulting from a stationary front along the coast with heavy rain later this evening as Arthur passes as a tropical storm over the Cape. Light winds are forecasted for the Hingham area.

This is particularly good news for Guided Discovery as she will not have to ride out a hurricane.  However, if the forecast changes and Arthur's track moves further west we are still at very low risk.  First and foremost because of our location.  Hingham Shipyard Marina is situated in a hurricane hole.  Notice in the photo below that the marina is surrounded by land on all sides.  To the north and south the waterway is narrow. Also to the north is a high rise condominium complex providing shelter from the north wind.  To the east and west the hills provide shelter, which coupled with the limited fetch (i.e., open water on both sides being less than a mile) ensure that waves will not attain enough height to become destructive.

Explanatory Note: Fetch is a measurement of distance that indicates how far wind has traveled over open water. The distance wind travels over water before meeting an obstacle, like a shore line or reef, is the fetch of the wind.  Basically, the longer the fetch the larger the waves

Wind is the driving force behind waves.  When wind blows over water friction pulls the surface water along in the same direction. The water gains energy from the wind and waves form because the water is being compressed by the wind.  Once a wave accumulates enough energy and grows to a certain size it will bump into the wave in front of it which will cause it to gain height. By gaining height a wave exposes its surface to the wind and gains more energy.

Additionally, the pilings that secure the docks are 10 feet above high tide reducing the risk of docks breaking loose from storm surge.  This is not to say that there is no risk,  High winds can cause boats and docks to get loose and create projectiles out of debris.  

So in addition to being a wonderful place to stay for the summer, Hingham Shipyard Marinas is also a safe place in the event of bad weather.

Now to our Hingham adventures.  First occupied in 1633 as Bare Cove by English settlers, Hingham is today a "bedroom" suburb of Boston with a population of 22,157.  This is definitely a wealthy town. According to City-data.com the median household income was $102,364 in 2010 as compare to the State of Massachusetts at $65,339.  The estimated median home and condo value was $651,000 as compared to the State at $323,000.  Single family homes average $809,334.

The demographics jump out as you drive through Hingham or cruise the coastline.  The homes are consistently beautiful and there few that are rundown.  Many of those that are on the water are simply extraordinary (rivaling anything on the ICW is southern Florida).  There is also a good number of Mercedes, Audi and BMW along with the occasional Rolls Royce, Bentley and Maybach.  According to Wikipedia only 2.7% of the population is below the poverty line.

Tour by the Shore - All proceeds donated to charity

So when Diana suggested we participate in Hingham's "Tour by the Shore" (June 8) house walk I was all in. Together with my sister, Myrna, we spent the afternoon visiting six designer homes.  They were spectacular.

Here are some of photos:

Spectacular view of Grape and Slate Islands

The garages of the house in the photo below

The next article, Hingham From the Water a cruise that Kodi and I took on the tender and some photos of the beautiful homes that line the Hingham shoreline.

Written by Les.