By Times Staff
—
There was some high surf at Good Harbor Beach this morning, and the National Weather Service has issued a warning regarding dangerous riptides off all Cape Ann and Essex County shores for much of the day.
But beyond that, there were no signs that Hurricane Earl — downgraded to Tropical Storm Earl by the time it rolled by off Gloucester's and Cape Ann's coast early this morning — had even paid a passing visit.
"We've sent everyone home," said Gloucester Mayor Carolyn Kirk, who, along with other city officials, had works crews ready to respond if any storm cleanup or emergency responded were needed in the wake of the overnight storm.
"We don't have a single report of a power outage," Kirk noted this morning.
Earl's only visible impact for visitors may be picking up where Hurricane Danielle left off. That storm quietly passed even farther offshore earlier this week, but teamed with a central Atlantic low-pressure system, to send dangerous riptides Gloucester's and Cape Ann's way.
Those tides claimed the life of Belmont man who slipped off a rock while fishing from shore Tuesday at the Gonzaga Retreat House on Eastern Point. They also triggered a series of swimming limitations and bans at Gloucester's beaches.
Kirk said this morning that Good Harbor beachgoers are being allowed in the water today, but that lifeguards and police patrols will enforce limiting bathers to wading in only waist-deep.
Police this morning were also noting that some swimmers and surfers were ignoring the lifeguards' orders to stay safely close to shore. City officials have emphasized that the lifeguards have the backing of police, and that the lifeguards have the discretion to limit swimming as they see fit.
The swimming concerns are backed by the National Weather Service, which formally issued a high surf and riptide warning for coastal areas throughout Essex County and for other Massachusetts areas as well. The weather service cited "dangerous rip currents" from the storm that are expected to carry throughout the day, with the warning in place until 8 p.m.
Otherwise, however, Cape Ann's brush with Earl is being followed with bright, sunny skies, and local officials and businesses are looking toward a busy Labor Day Weekend.
The annual Boat Parade of Lights and Labor Day Weekend fireworks display, both scheduled for Saturday night, have been canceled — called off as Earl approached bearing hurricane status and with Cape Ann under a forma; tropical storm warning Thursday night and Friday morning.
But the Gloucester Schooner Festival, with a wide range of events planned for both Saturday and Sunday, is on as scheduled, And the inaugural Celebrate Gloucester concert, scheduled for 3 to 10 p.m. Sunday on the city's I-4, C-2 waterfront property off Rogers Street, is on as scheduled, with national recording acts Charles Neville and Roomful of Blues among the headliners.
"If anyone is planning on coming here this weekend," said Tracy Arabian of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, "they should be on their way. There's no reason not to be coming up here and enjoying the weekend."
