Nantucket anchorage

[Steve Laume]

Does anyone know the current status of Nantucket harbor as far as anchoring is concerned? I know I can run east in the pond and anchor there. That was one of the reasons for registaring my dink for an outboard.

I see an anchorage listed, in an older guide I have, right in the main harbor. I question weather this is still a possibility. It seems like every suitable anchorage in New England is being taken over by mooring fields.

These are the good old days, Steve.

[Jeff Barnes]

Steve,

I spend a lot of time over there in my 36, and have seen very few folks anchored....neither in the pond to which you refer, nor in the morring field of the main harbor. The latter is pretty much filled with moorings both private, as well as those available for rent from Nantucket Moorings for $60/nt. (yikes!). In addition, I have never thought the anchor holding was particularly great there...at least in the main harbor.

Jeff

[Steve Laume]

Humm... Thanks Jeff, that is just what I seem to recall hearing in regard to the mooring situation. We really don't have a $60.00 a night budget for a mooring. It looks like we will be poking our way back into the pond.

According to the charts and guide books it looks like there could be some decent anchorage areas in there. Not close to town but at least it should be quiet. I also can't imagine such an inconvenient anchorage to be too full.

Another reason the pond might not get much attention is that it only has a control depth of 3FT. We draw four but if we play the tide right I believe we should be okay.

This will be the first season that I have had an outboard on the dink and the prospect of getting to Nantucket had a lot to do with that.

Thanks for clearing up what I had suspected, Steve.

[Jeff Barnes]

Steve,

You should be OK in the pond with that depth. Little bit of a dinghy ride from there but nothing too onerous if the weather is OK. You will need to tie up your dinghy at the town dinghy dock where the harbor master is located, and walk a few blocks into town. Definitely make sure your dinghy w/ motor is registered. The environmental police in the harbor have been known to be on a mission.

Enjoy your visit...bring your wallet.

Jeff

[vjasinski]

Steve,
You can still anchor in the harbor, but there is not much room. We have anchored just east of the mooring field near buoy "13". Last summer there was room for 10-12 boats yet. You will lay to the current, which can be significant. It's a long dingy ride to the public dock, but they still offer free showers. Check in with the harbor master when you arrive at the dock.

[Steve Laume]

Free showers!!! Wait until I tell Liz. She was a little concerned about making the run from P Town to Nantucket. The tides look right if we leave around 3:00 AM. I was trying to reassure her by telling her we only have a couple of hours of night sailing. The incitement was that we would witness the setting, near full moon and a sunrise out of the ocean.

All of that pales compared to the reality of a long hot shower for her. We are definitely going to Nantucket.

Those cobble streets on the bikes should be thrilling too, Steve.

[Michael Heintz]

Steve,

I too bristle at the $60.00 mooring fees. I usally sail out there with my cousin. I love the sail from Woods Hole. It's the only time I can beat him, he has a Hughes 36........I cut across the shoals and always get there first .....I often see the bottom...kind of unnerving.

Last time there we anchored in the "pond", going port as you enter the harbor. There is plenty of water, just follow your chart or chartplotter.

There is tidal current in there so anchor carefully. A friend of mine dragged in the middle of the night. I put down a 35lb CQR with lots of chain. I have never dragged there...the CQR re sets well when you shift with the tide.

It is beautiful out there, bit of a ride to town......I prefer to stay out there and dink around...I find town way to crowded for me, although Nantucket is a beautiful place. We prefer to hang out at Martha's Vineyard, much more mellow.

When will you be there? I am heading out with my son Aug 15, off to Block and then maybe up to the Cape.

[Steve Laume]

Our plan is to not plan too carefully. That said we should be in Nantucket around the 8th or 10th of August. We will be sailing there directly from P Town.

We will definitely plan on anchoring in the pond. Even if we could find room to anchor in the main harbor I think the quieter location will suit us better.

If holding is any good at all I am not too worried. My main anchor is a 35lb CQR with the addition of 90ft of 5/16in chain this year. The chain alone seems to hold us sometimes.

I know what you mean about those shoals that are well off shore. You expect it to be shallow near land. I went around Monomoy last year and there were a few spots that puckered me up a bit. At one point I was trolling a fish line and it snagged the bottom!

We tend to like the beaches more than the towns we visit. I have only ever been to Nantucket once before and that was when I was 16. There are not enough intact brain cells left to remember much about the place. Liz has never been there so we will be going to town at least once.

This is going to be big fun, Steve.

[Joe Myerson]

I don't want to alarm anybody, but a friend spent some time at the far end of the pond last year. He said the greenheads were so bad that he had to pull up anchor and pay for a mooring closer to town.

Just a thought.

[Michael Heintz]

Hey Steve,

Sounds like your anchor rig will do just fine!!!!! Where do you think you might go from there?

Egartown on the vineyard is a nice town to visit. You can anchor back in Katma pond. Nice anchorage, from there you can dink to the ocean beaches NICE!!!!!

Anchoring outside is also very nice provided the winds are not out the North.

Lot's of nice shops that I'm sure Liz would like

[Joe Myerson]

Hi Mike,

Have you been to Edgartown since the breech opened up in the Katama end of South Beach?

I'm asking because I plan to sail there in September. When I spoke to the harbormaster earlier this year, he said the currents passing through the harbor are so strong that the Chappy ferries had to install larger engines, and that coming and going can be a bit trickier than they used to be.

--Joe

[Ron M.]

Be very careful if you sail this area, especially the Nantucket Sound side near the small islands. It shoals very quickly and the water gets thin in a hurry. I've kissed the sand a few times out there.
________
Adventurer

[Michael Heintz]

Joe,

I have not been there this year yet, however I have been there since the breech. Indeed the currents are much stronger and yes the ferries did put in new engines. It's strongest right at that point where the ferries cross, so it can be tricky. However it's been like that for years, although now more so.

The good news is that the pond is "open".... for a few years they closed it to anchoring due to the pollutents us boaters put into it.... never mind all the new gigantic houses being built with the runoff from the fertalized lawns :0) They would let you in if the wind was out of the north and outside was not an option. Now however no excuses the pond is flowing with good clean water.

The good news is that you really are not affected by the currents in the anchorage. It's a lot of fun to go over to the breach and ride the tide in. Don't think I'd ride it out

[Steve Laume]

I hadn't considered Edgartown. I was thinking we would go to Vineyard Haven as I am pretty familiar with it. Edgartown harbor looks very cool, especially now that it has broken through.

After Nantucket we have no definite plans. A lot will depend on how much time we have left and what the weather forecasts are like.

We have gotten ourselves into a situation where we stayed too long at the fair before. A train to catch and sitting in Cuttyhunk with some nasty head winds. We are going to try not to get into that position this trip. It always seems like the further we go the behinder we get. We would do much better it there were no deadlines to meet. wouldn't we all?

I have all our routes and departure times pretty well worked out to coincide with the tides until we get to Nantucket. At that point we will refigure and wing it on the home bound trip.

Seeing the shops in Edgartown will intrest both Liz and I. We might do a good bit of looking but I doubt we will do much buying at Edgartown prices. Those damn cheap sail boaters!

I am back to the boat every other day this week to make final preparations. The salt water foot pump gets finished up tomorrow.

Thanks to all for all the good advice on the islands and shoals, Steve.

[Michael Heintz]

Steve,

I much prefer Edgartown, at Vineyard Haven I find the mooring field in the "inside" harbor why to close and crowded. The outer harbor is very rock and roly with all the ferry traffic.

Another great spot is Menemsha on the other side of the island. Great small fishing village. Call the harbor master at 7am on day of arrival to reserve a spot inside the harbor. They currently have 2 moorings inside and allow 3 boats per. Otherwise there are moorings out side, it can get roly out there. Once in, dink over to Larson's fish market to order your lobster, they'll cook it crack it and have it ready at the given time. Their selection of fresh fish is awesome. This side of the Island has the best sunset of all.