Cape Cod Boating: power boating, sailing, canoeing and kayaking
[SIXTIES SURF MIDI]
[SIXTIES SURF MIDI]
Cape Cod boating in every Bay, Harbor, River and many Coves is supported by Marinas, boatshops and boatyards. Check out the
marina listings in the town of your choice. Power boating, sailing and kayaking is, of course, in a seaside
community like ours, the most popular passtime. Marinas and the Boat shops that support them provide for needs as disparate as outboard work and sailmaking, ferry service and rentals. There is room and service around the Cape and on the
Islands for 80' cruising sailors and TransAtlantic rowers.
In addition to commercial
businesses, the towns themselves provide public landings in many saltwater locations
and on almost all freshwater ponds.
The weather of the Cape is such that the ocean rarely freezes and the harbors
and rivers remain open year 'round. Ponds do sometimes freeze over in January but
caution is the rule as ice rarely exceeds 6" in even the coldest years and 1" to 2" is more the rule. The prevailing wind is So'West at about 14 knots in mid-day. This is varied by the onshore breeze of warming day and the cooling offshores of night. Fog is common in summer as the warm air of the land mass is blown over the cooler waters of the ocean. (Most common on the East side or Atlantic waters from Chatham to P'town.) The backside of most storms in the area become Nor'Easters as the wind backs the compass, making the Bay and Ocean rougher after a storm than the sound.
Tidal set or currents are variable but can be significant at: the West end of the Sound, Pollock Rip off Monomoy, Race Point and the mouths of the larger bay systems. Canal tides are unique to the area and charts should be secured from the Corps of Engineers (or Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay) and considered when making predictions.
Power boaters have many opportunities to explore new freshwater ponds from town landings, to follow estuary rivers upstream
to their source or travel the coast from town to town or to the Islands for day trips and excursions.
Cape Cod Bay is a very flat and gently sloping bay of large proportion, sheltered from the
prevailing southwest wind by the Cape itself. Access to the Bay is from the Cape Cod
Canal, directly from Boston to the Northwest and from the Cape northside Harbors.
Access from north coast harbors to the Bay, like
Barnstable and Rock, are significantly effected by low tides so timing should be
considered when launching and hauling. Many boaters consider the "top" of the tide, three hours each way, the safest and most useful navigation times in the Bay. If you are on the Bay as the tide falls, watch out that you don't get grounded between bars while you are enjoying the fishing. Deteriorating sea surface conditions on the Bay occur when the wind backs or veers to a northerly direction. Watch for it.
South and East coast harbors such as Woods
Hole, Hyannis, Stage and Nauset are deep enough leading to Nantucket Sound
and Buzzards Bay and are usable on all tides. Nantucket Sound is about 25' deep, home of a few
wrecks and a few well known rocks but otherwise a beautiful open reach of semi-protected
waters south of the Cape to the Islands. There are large ferries that navigate Woods Hole and Lewis Bay (Hyannis). These don't turn or stop quickly for small craft. Keep clear!
The Islands offer protected bays and anchorages on their north sides and the Atlantic on the south. Shorelines may be rockier than expected but that bodes well for the fishing. Check the coastal pilots for tidal currents to be safe. Ebbing tides flowing westerly against So'West prevailing winds can set up 10' standing waves at the rips! Extreme caution should be taken when negotiating near rips, expecially at mid-tide. The passage from Cotuit to the Vineyard is short enough for even small craft to easily navigate if sea conditions permit.
The Atlantic Ocean is just that, the edge of the big deep. The Break in North Beach off Chatham light is the "popular" route to water from Chatham's Pleasant Bay on the East side (Outermost Marina also offers access via Monomoy Flats and Stage Harbor via the inside route around Monomoy). The Break is well bouyed but wise boaters navigating this channel would do well to take a look first from the high ground of the Chatham Light overlook. Current can be strong, waves square and confused and sand bars close by. Mid-tide passages are the most problematic. Watch for fog and be considerate of the passage of commercial craft. Don't fish or anchor in the channel. The ocean itself is usually much smoother than this channel but if the channel is intimidating don't take the risk of being caught on the "outside" in poor conditions. Remember, if you are outside and the sea conditions are deteriorating, the break will be even worse with following breaking seas easily reaching 6' tp 10'. (At times like this the safer route between Monomoy and South Beach and into Outermost Marine or to Stage Harbor may be more than just prudent.)
The dividing line between Nantucket sound and the Atlantic is Monomoy Island in Chatham. This wildlife sanctuary bar of sand is upwards of five miles long, the southern tip half reaching Nantucket from Chatham Light. Monomoy is a popular boating site for its clam flats on the west, Striper shoals on the north end and Pollock Rip. Pollock Rip, located off the southern end of Monomoy is considered the most dangerous navigable water north of Cape Hatteras. Tidal currents can exceed three knots and standing waves, rips, can be more than ten feet high. Three to six feet is usual. This is because a lot of water rounds Monomoy and the depth changes from as much as 150' to as little as 6', suddenly. The boater should exercise due caution in this area. Most boaters come here for the Striper fishing which is fairly consistent in the rips.
Sailing:The prevailing wind being Sou'west, the Islands are a beat to windward for the sailor in
the Sound and an easy run back to the mainland. Waves in the Sound run 1'-3', seas are variable depending upon whether the tide is setting into a stiff breeze or not. Seas can build to an uncomfortable 10' and leave the sailor beating to windward and hobby horsing until the whole crew is green. Check on conditions before committing to a lengthy passage.
For
Sailors, the season starts either on January 1, when some (such as Ian) slip their slip to
start the year with a toast to the sea, or with others found aboard their Frosties
manuevering for position in a January breeze. Regattas and races entice competitors and
partyers. Check out the Figawi on Memorial Day and Sails 'round the Cape in July. All
the Bays have boat class associations, from Turnabouts to Marshalls and there is wind enough for all in the
third windiest place in the country.
Canoe paddlers have more ponds and river systems, over three hundred,
than they could explore in a lifetime. And while it may be a bit windy, it is usually calmer
at dawn and dusk, the best time in a canoe. Don't overlook the saltmarshes, miles of
shallow water, shore birds and barrier beaches offer the canoeist a ready escape and easy
travel if you judge the tides right. The Kayak may be the ultimate tool in the maritime community. Capable of travel in a scant two inches of water, stable,
efficient and nearly weatherproof; the Kayak transports paddlers to the very tops of river
systems and even across the Sound to the Vineyard.
The more adventuresome might dare the surf
if their eskimo roll technique is sufficiently good. With the exception of breaking waves,
the Kayak has the run of the Cape despite wind, tide or current.
In addition to travel and exploration, the Kayak is a very effective base for waterfowling and fishing,
just about anywhere and anytime. A local guide may be just the ticket to show you around at first or lead you to the action.
Using the Kayak to approach Eider and Scoter in the
Bays, to sneak up on Canadas out of the morning sun or to jump puddlers in the creeks is
almost too easy and provides for easy retrieves (you'll surprise more game turning corners at low tide than high). Sliding across the flats in your kayak for a silent
approach to spooky fish and then hanging on to a big Striper or Bluefish for a Nantucket sleighride
is another eyeopener you can find on your own or with a guide. You can even collect a few clams or crabs for lunch without even
leaving your seat. Don't forget the collection bag and the camera!
Kayaks are available to rent too and there are even a few trips offered through rental places and guides to the new adventurer.
Still under construction.
Fishing is concentrated along rips, and at rocks and wrecks. Stripers, Bluefish, Scup, Tautog and Fluke are available. Nearer the Islands, you can find Bonito and a few Spanish Mackeral if you are lucky.
Conditions elsewhere on the Cape can be calm and sleepy while ten foot rollers are coming into the East Coast of the Cape from a distant storm. Be aware of sea and surf conditions before venturing out onto the ocean. And watch for ocean surface changes and deteriorating conditions (like backing winds or sudden and absolute fog). The East side has great fishing for Stripers, Bluefish, Mackeral, Cod, Tuna, Etc. There is plenty of room to stretch and you can travel from P'town to Monomoy or Spain if you want. Most boating is within sight of Chatham or Nauset lights.
The canoe is probably the best choice for inland boat on the Cape. Even the largest ponds are small enough to circumnavigate in a few hours and a few have small interconnections to other ponds and rivers most easily explored by a shallow running canoe.
REMEMBER if you are canoeing from September 15 to May 15, you must wear a PFD!
(Note: if you plan to fish, bring two anchors or else the wind will drive you crazy. Rentals are also available.
PFD's are the law and prudent from September 15 to May 15 for Kayakers.
Return to Cape Cod Outdoors.