In the second of two Massachusetts articles, JULIA COPP sets off for Cape Cod in search of whales – and long-lost relatives

AFTER five days of rushing around New England, we spent the final two days of our trip in a more leisurely fashion at Cape Cod.

Cape Cod has a population of about 225,000 year-round residents, a number that nearly triples in July and August. There are 500 miles of coastline, so even in the height of summer you can almost always find a place to be alone once you've had your fill of all the water sports it has to offer.

For the first of our two-night stay, we checked into the luxurious 429-acre complex Ocean Edge Resort in Brewster, a quaint New England village of bay beaches, sea captains' homes and tree-lined streets.

This is where we'd arranged to meet up with my cousin Paddy and his family for the first time in 30 years.

Ocean Edge offers a variety of guest rooms and villas, restaurants, bars and sports including badminton, croquet and volleyball. You can party the night away with beach fires, clambakes and outdoor movies, or if you just want to get away from it all there are plenty of private beaches and secluded spots.

We left our bags and set off for the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce in Centerville where we meet up with our host, vice-president of tourism Arthur Ratsy.

Arthur is pretty famous around these parts as a font of knowledge and a lively raconteur.

What better way to spend a beautiful, sunny day than feasting on oysters and lobster at the Tugboats restaurant overlooking the harbour while hearing about beauty of whale-watching and listening to Arthur's ocean tales. Arthur says he has the best job in the world and no amount of money could persuade him to leave Cape Cod.

After lunch, it was time for our Hyannis harbour cruise around the bay. The name Cape Cod is synonymous with the Kennedy family, which has been connected to Hyannisport since the 1920s when family patriarch Joseph Kennedy bought a summer home there. The Kennedy compound is still a tourist draw today.

Back on land, Arthur took us to the JFK Memorial and Museum in Hyannis, which rank among the most popular Cape Cod attractions.

We watched a multi-media exhibit showing JFK relaxing with his family and friends, sailing on the ocean and playing football with his friends. Very poignant.

We say a reluctant goodbye to Arthur – himself a true highlight of our visit – and head back to Ocean Edge where my cousin was waiting.

Back in our room, the phone rang. It was my cousin Paddy. We arranged to meet, and I felt excited and a bit nervous. I remembered him as tall and dark and, as the eldest, he took charge of his brothers and sisters as well as my two brothers and I on our Irish holidays. Would I recognise him and still be in awe of him?

We stepped into the restaurant, looked around – and somebody called my name. It was Paddy. As we hugged, made our introductions and ordered drinks, three decades just slipped away.

My daughter Karis and her cousins slipped away, too, to a nearby party, leaving the oldies to enjoy a wonderful evening of reminiscence.

The next morning, which was our last day in Massachusetts, we said our tearful goodbyes and promised not to leave it another 30 years before our next meeting.

It was another gorgeous, sunny day and our driver Bill Hatfield was waiting to drive us to Provincetown – first port of call for the Pilgrims and the gay capital of Cape Cod. It's full of delightful craft and clothes shops, bars and restaurants, and we were there for the highlight of our trip – whale-watching.

Mick Rudd, of Dolphin Fleet Whale Watch, was waiting for us and we boarded the ship for the experience of a lifetime.

There was a presentation by one of Dolphin Fleet's naturalists and displays to view and touch, such as bone from right and humpback whales and sperm whale teeth – and then we were off out on to the ocean.

The naturalist kept up a commentary all the way – and then, about 40 minutes into our trip, he announced that we might be about to see a whale. A frisson of excitement went through the crowd and we all rushed to the side of the boat.

A hush descended – and then, with the splash of a fin and a tail, there it was or, rather, there they were – two finback whales no more than 30 yards from the boat. Absolutely amazing.

We watched entranced for about 10 minutes before they dived back down through the water and disappeared.

But it wasn't long before the announcement of more whales ahead, and three more finbacks surfaced. Mick told us they probably wouldn't go under the boat, but he was immediately proved wrong as one of the whales disappeared and surfaced on the other side of our boat. It was so close you could almost reach out and touch it.

We sailed on for another hour or so, and were rewarded a couple more times by finback whales putting on a little show for us. It was a fantastic experience and truly the highlight of our trip.

We headed back to Ocean Edge for our final night. And the next day, the wonderful and knowledgeable Bill took us to Boston for some last-minute shopping before we returned home.

We'd seen some marvellous places and met some wonderful people. We'll definitely be back.

Factfile:

Julia flew from Bristol to Boston via New York with Continental Airlines. For more details, visit www.bristolairport.co.uk or call 0871 334 44 44.

Julia and Karis stayed at Ocean Edge Resort, Main Street, Brewster: www.oceanedge.com

For more information about Boston, call Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism on 0208 290 6077 or visit www.massvacation.com

Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, Centerville: tel 508 362 3225.

Hyannis Harbor Cruise, Hy-Line Cruises: Tel 508-362-3225; www.hy-linecruises.com

Kennedy Memorial and Museum, Hyannis: www.jfkhyannismuseum.org

Dolphin Whale Watch, MacMillan Wharf, Province-town: www.whalewatch.com/dolphinfleet