Nantucket Adventures: We arrive!

Well first we had to depart Kingman Marina in Cataumet and that had elements of an adventure.  It was 7:15 AM and dead low tide.  The question that Myrna and I pondered at that early hour was whether to retrace our previous route, which involved heading north and west around Bassetts Island to Wings Neck, or head south and west around the island.  The latter was the shorter distance and the "official channel" according to the dockhand yesterday.  It was also consistent with our proposed route south through Buzzards Bay to Woods Hole.

Morning in Cataumet

What caused the "question" was the paper chart.  While it clearly showed the channel markers it also showed that there was no water at low tide.  Myrna felt we should retrace our route while I wanted to use use the "official channel."  The Garmin chartplotter showed 9 feet of water in the southern channel.  Which media should we trust?

Explanatory Note: Myrna's boating resume is quite extensive involving 27 years of sailing in New England and the Caribbean.  Her chart reading skills are as good a mine and her judgment is extremely sound.  Her opinion has weight.

We settled the matter with local knowledge.  Diana recruited Tom to help us cast off and he provided the local knowledge needed to move forward.  It did not hurt that he had a boat that drew 4 feet (we draw 5).

Look close and you can see Guided Discovery on the southern route about to turn west

We proceeded slowly along the southern route and encountered no problems despite the extremely low water.  We never saw less than 6 feet on the depth sounder, which adjusted for transponder location translated into 8 feet of water at the lowest point.

The next challenge was Woods Hole, which links Buzzards Bay to Nantucket Sound.  This is a tricky piece of water due to raging currents, intersecting routes, converging traffic and often wind driven waves.  We arrived there at 9:25 AM.

View of Wood' Hole heading eastbound.  Lots of buoys

Negotiating Woods Hole requires an understanding of the lateral buoy system along with knowing where you are going.  We also programmed the chartplotter with a route through Wood's Hole, which made the passage even easier.

With Woods Hole behind us and a route programmed all the way to Nantucket, we proceeded east across Nantucket Sound.  The winds had picked up as the morning progressed resulting in inconsequential one foot waves.  However the number of boats headed toward Nantucket, many of them big and fast resulted in considerable man made wake turbulence.  Our stabilizers totally smoothed out the ride.

Below are photos of a few of the many ferries we encountered as we crossed Nantucket Sound.

Luxury Yacht headed west bound (most likely returning from Nantucket)

At 1:30 PM we entered Nantucket Harbor, past Bradley Point Light and called Nantucket Boat Basin to announce our arrival.  The dockmaster told they were very busy and asked us to approach the marina from the south east via the moorings so as not to disrupt the big yachts that were med mooring.

Nantucket viewed from the channel

The Bradley Point Lighthouse and Coast Guard Station

Luxury Yachts "Med Moored" at Nantucket Boat Basin

An old wooden Trumpy motoryacht moored in the harbor

The next challenge involved negotiating the rather narrow fairway to our assigned slip.  Here we have to give the dockmaster kudos for the best directions to a slip that we have ever encountered (and those of you who follow our travels know we have been to hundreds of marinas).

Nantucket Boat Basin.  Note the med moored large yachts on the outer perimeter

Our slip, number 1216, was located in the third fairway from the left and about three quarters of the way in on the left hand side.  We were given a stern in starboard tie.  Again we had favorable conditions consisting of a slack ebb tide with low winds.  The slip proved to be a narrow with about one foot of space on either side of the boat.  Again, the remote saved the day.  We slid into the slip without touching the pilings.  It was now about 2:30.  It had taken just over an hour from the time we announced our arrival at the lighthouse until we were safely docked.

Guided Discovery at Nantucket Boat Basin

Time to have fun.  Diana, Myrna, Kodi and I went exploring in downtown Nantucket.  I took charge of Kodi while Myrna and Diana shopped.  The Furry Kid and I had a ball entertaining passersby with Kodi's wide range of behaviors.  The invariable question is how old is she.  My response is she can tell you and the smiles are incredible when she counts out her age (6) by tapping her paw on the ground.

Shops just outside the docks

Myrna and Diana

The Social Director (Kodi) makes another new friend

Cobblestone streets in the city center

Nantucket's city center is a very unique place and thoroughly charming with its cobblestoned streets, old very well maintained buildings and a wide variety of very nice shop.  This place caters to tourists with money to spend..and they do.

Antique car carved in wood.  Only $800

Folk art windmill $3,400

At 4:30 PM we adjourned to the aft deck for a class of wine (Rombauer Chardonnay 2012) and light appetizers.  As we were sitting there we noticed a plume of black smoke just east of the marina.  I learned that a 30 foot center cockpit boat moored just outside the marina had caught fire.

Smoke indicating a fire, which was on a boat moored in the harbor just outside the marina

Side Story: Fire on a boat is scary and dangerous.  Fire in a marina is scary and dangerous on steroids. We experienced this in July of 2008 when a 45 foot Sundancer on I-dock caught fire after midnight when a canvas cockpit cover blew onto a lit citronella candle.  The 45 Sundancer was completely destroyed as was a pristine vintage 46 foot Bertram sedan with a flybridge.  A 36 foot gasoline powered express next to the Sundancer and a sailboat next to the Bertram were also severely damaged.

More details: The Chicago Police Marine Unit quickly relocated the 36 express to prevent a massive explosion had fire reached her GAS tanks.  That would have been a game changer as flaming debris would have rained down on other boats potentially igniting them.  Still more.  The Chicago Fire Department had the fire out by 3:00 AM.  At 8:00 AM the following morning the 45 Sundancer started to smoke and caught fire again.  This time the Fire Department sunk her.

Fire breaks out on the 45 Sundancer at 8:00 AM

The 45 down at the stern after being sunk by the Fire Department

Aftermath of the fire on I-dock.  The 45 Sundancer, now raised from the bottom,
and the Bertram (Honey Girl) are a total loss

We had a spectacular dinner at Venturo, a lovely gourmet Italian restaurant on Federal Street and  then proceeded to explore the city at night.  The shops were open and filled with people.  We then explored the residential district just off main street.  The homes were charming, old and well preserved.  Seeing them at night was magical.

Venturo restaurant on Federal Street

The marina was magical at dusk

Willy's Jeepster circa 1948 to 1950

The photo above is of a Willy's Jeepster.  Parked just outside the marina it brought back found memories of my first trip to Nantucket circa 1959.  I arrived here as first mate on a new 1959 65 foot Wheeler Flush Deck Motor Yacht named the Randy Boatshoe (after the boat shoe of the same name). Bobby Cohen, the owner of the yacht and CEO of the Randolph Manufacturing Company, asked me to go to the grocery store and told me to take the rented Jeepster.  Turns out it was a stick shift and I did not know how to drive a stick. Well I learned very quickly and probably destroyed the Jeepster's clutch and gears in the process.

Last Thursday, Diana and I (and Kodi of course) visited a laundromat to wash our canvas settee covers. While there, Diana struck up a conversation (resulting from Kodi performing) with a woman who turned out have been married to the son of the Wheelers who built the Randy Boatshoe that brought me to Nantucket 55 years ago.  We of course left for Nantucket the next day.  Funny how the world works.

Written by Les.