Seeking advice for sailing the Elizabeth Islands south of Cape Cod

[Snowdog2]

Hello,
My wife have never gone far in our boat, and are planning our first real sailing trip. We were originally planning to sail from where we live, near Provincetown on Cape Cod, across the bay through the Canal and to the Elizabeth Islands, but we decided instead to trailer our O'Day 19 to the somewhere on the south side of the Canal and start there.

Does it does it make more sense to stay on the west side of the islands than the east side going to and from Cutty Hunk with stops along the way, as far as tides and currents, places to to enjoy, access to supplies and restaurants, etc. or does it matter? If we would be better off on the western side, I will need to find a place where we can launch the boat, and then leave the car and trailer for about 5 days. If I stay on the east side we can leave from East Falmouth, but then as I looked at different options, I wondered if it would be better launching from the west side of the mainland, somewhere south of the Canal northwest of Woods Hole and be able to enjoy some of the territory between the Canal and the Islands. If I do that, I need to know where would be a good place to launch. Being a small boat, I think I would prefer not to go through Woods Hole, based on what I have read about it.

That is my second question, where to launch if I want to launch south of the canal, to come down starting northwest of Woods Hole. I hope that is clear
Thanks.

[jpr_jpr]

....I think I would prefer not to go through Woods Hole, based on what I have read about it.




What did you read about?

[Snowdog2]

shoals, rocks, strong currents. I only have a 5 hp engine. I would definitely need to time it right.

[jpr_jpr]

Do the sharks in this area give you pause when you are in such a small boat? I thought maybe that is what you meant.



I'd like to get a laser, sunfish, or other small boat and trailer it down to the cape to putter around and learn how to sail. With all of the shark sightings, it makes me a little hesitant to be in such a tippy and exposed boat.

[hlev00]

I love your ambition and also your consideration of reality. Don't try to do it all at once. If it goes well you can always come back again and try to bite off more.

With a Rhodes 19, you are better to launch down this side of the canal (I am in Marion MA). It would be a long sail down and back. However staying on your side of the canal you could explore Wellfleet and Barnstable, but maybe you've already done that.

Woods Hole is easy at slack tide but that is a very small window. Any other time you are better to avoid it, especially your first few times. There are probably some really nice spots you could get into with a Rhodes 19 that I can't get to with my 5'7" draft. How many miles do you figure you would try to make in a day?

In the eastern end of Buzzards Bay some nice little harbors are Hadley (just outside woods hole), Quissett, Red Brook Harbor,Marion and Mattapoisett. Maybe you could add West Falmouth but I've never been in there. It does look like they may have a public ramp so worth checking into. Buzzards Bay can get pretty "sporty" when the seabreeze builds on top of the prevailing SW winds. 15-20kts is pretty typical in those conditions. That may limit you in how much along the Elizabeth Islands you try to go. Between Hadley and Cutty Hunk there aren't really any good overnights in most conditions.

I am happy to help with other ideas on either side of "The Hole".


Harry

[Snowdog2]

Hi Harry,
Thanks for your reply and offer of help. We are determined to do this. I don't think we will have a set amount of miles per day or even any requirements of where we end up going. We don't have a Rhodes 19, but rather and O'day 19. Not a common O'Day, only 500 ever made. Its a pretty stable boat with a cuddy, with a 7'9" beam and slower than a Rhodes. I am returning to the original idea of just sailing out of Truro and sailing the 20 miles to the canal. Seems like it would not be any quicker to take the boat out of the water and trailer it down there with all the break down and set up and driving, but a lot more relaxing and enjoyable to sail. So that is my thinking now. I am looking for where to moor or anchor on the other side of the canal. Also where to moor or anchor on this side of the canal to let our dogs out, and in case our timing is off and we need to wait out the tide to go through the canal.
On the south side of the Canal, I am looking at either Port Independence near Onset or Phinney's Harbor. It is very challenging to figure this out. Next stop probably next day would be Quisset, and Hadley Harbor after that. And that is as far as I've gotten so far. We have flexibility when to leave and will base it on the weather, in early September. I will look into your other recommended locations, as well as any other thoughts you have...thanks again.

[Snowdog2]

JPR_jpr, No concern about sharks when I am in the boat. The Oday 19, has a pretty substantial freeboard and a cuddy. It is nowhere near as small as a sunfish. A couple of weeks ago we did have a large shark follow our boat maybe 5 to 10 feet behind us for a couple of minutes. I am guessing it was a great white, but I am not sure. At first I thought it was two sharks, but realized it probably was one with a front and rear dorsal fin (the back one moving side to side and the front one fairly steady. I was hoping he was not interested in joining us in the cockpit (and he wasn't fortunately) The first thought my wife had was "I think I want to sell my paddle board". And then it just took a left and disappeared under the water. We only saw the fins. This was about a mile or so from Provincetown.

[hlev00]

Thanks for correcting me on boat type. Makes more sense.

You will definitely need to time the canal. The other thing to be aware of is when you come out of the west of the the canal the current should still be flowing out into the bay. If the SW breeze is over 15kts (maybe less) you get some real nasty standing waves along Hog Island. If you have any doubt duck into Onset to wait for the tide change. If you've been going all day from Truro and the Canal, you'd probably want to do that anyway. Watch the chart and buoys carefully there. They are just a little tricky where the ATNs for the main channel and the onset channel come together. There are moorings in Onset but in September you should find plenty of anchorage space. You didn't mention a dinghy but I trust you will have a dink to get ashore. If you have a motor on the dinghy, there is a nice estuary to explore. The town has some food including ice cream.

If your at risk of not getting a favorable current through the canal, the marina at the east end has transient slips and as I understand a very good restaurant too. We keep meaning to stop but haven't yet. Or, you could probably spend a night in Brewster. We draw too much but I expect your O'Day 19 would be fine. Check charts and tides though as my understanding is that what looks like open water dries out at low tide.

Be sure to hit up Red Brook Harbor. Either anchor or rent a mooring. You can dingy to Basset Island. We have also dinghied to Parkers Boatyard and gone for a walk in nearby conservation land. Check with Parkers first but they probably won't care. The Chart Room restaurant at Kingman's is good.

Are you familiar with Active Captain? It is a crowd sourced cruising guide website that is also supported in Navionics and some others. It has lots of great information about the various anchorages. It is now owned by Garmin but is still free. https://activecaptain.garmin.com/en-US/


Harry

[TideTime]

I owned a 1981 O'Day 19 and had many enjoyable days sailing Pleasant Bay and Nantucket Sound although I never ventured through Woods Hole and into Buzzards Bay. I had a 7.5hp Mercury on the boat and it was adequate. Will you have charts and/or GPS on board? You probably want to plot waypoints in advance and pick your weather window as Buzzards Bay can get pretty sloppy. You will also want a copy of Eldridge's Tide & Pilot (or at least take notes with you)

I did take my O'Day 26 through the Cape Cod Canal (with favorable tide) on cruise from Newburyport to Stage Harbor in Chatham (not in a single day of course). We stayed in Situate Harbor, Onset, Hadley Harbor, and through Woods Hole to Osterville, and Stage Harbor. Like you, I was concerned about passage through Woods Hole, and waited in Hadley Harbor for a favorable tide. You are correct in that your 5hp outboard will not get you through Woods Hole against tide. However, you need not be all that concerned about the passage as the Merrimack River at Newburyport poses a far more significant challenge. BEST WISHES!

[SV.StellaMaris]

SnowDog2. Harry provides some good advice for transiting the canal and harbors on the Capeside of Buzzards Bay.

When we were were younger (and more foolhardy….or could we say daring) my husband and I took our 22’ Bristol through the Cape Cod Canal from BB to CCB and back again. We had a 9.9 hp outboard, and carefully charted our course with the tides. So that wasn’t a problem.

We weren’t underpowered, and were making good time with the current. But we still had to move aside and let a huge cargo ship overtake us that was moving very rapidly. We didn’t have a working depth sounder at the time, just a handheld Garmin GPS. So it was challenging to know how close we could move toward the rocks that lined the canal.

I can still feel the lump in my throat as I remember that lumbering hulk of metal gaining on us between the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges, and then wondering if we had time to get to the coast guard station and pull over safely. We did. But I vowed never to go through the canal again until we were better equipped.

So….if you go through the canal, definitely make sure you follow the advice for the currents. But also make sure you have a working radio and depth sounder. AIS transmission would be helpful too. I hadn’t realized it at the time, but those big ships have very limited visibility for small craft directly ahead.

If you decide to trailer to BB, Wareham River has a State boat ramp that should accommodate your trailer. I believe there are also ramps in Mattapoisett, Fairhaven, and New Bedford. I’m not sure about ramps on the Cape side. Bit with the right weather it’s a lovely half-day sail across BB to Quissett, one of our favorite harbors. Hadley is nice too, but can be crowded. And that leaves Cuttyhunk. There aren’t many other places to stay overnight there that are sheltered.

Looking forward to hearing what you decide and how your trip goes.

[bae4360]

Originally Posted by Snowdog2

Hello,
My wife have never gone far in our boat, and are planning our first real sailing trip. We were originally planning to sail from where we live, near Provincetown on Cape Cod, across the bay through the Canal and to the Elizabeth Islands, but we decided instead to trailer our O'Day 19 to the somewhere on the south side of the Canal and start there.

Does it does it make more sense to stay on the west side of the islands than the east side going to and from Cutty Hunk with stops along the way, as far as tides and currents, places to to enjoy, access to supplies and restaurants, etc. or does it matter? If we would be better off on the western side, I will need to find a place where we can launch the boat, and then leave the car and trailer for about 5 days. If I stay on the east side we can leave from East Falmouth, but then as I looked at different options, I wondered if it would be better launching from the west side of the mainland, somewhere south of the Canal northwest of Woods Hole and be able to enjoy some of the territory between the Canal and the Islands. If I do that, I need to know where would be a good place to launch. Being a small boat, I think I would prefer not to go through Woods Hole, based on what I have read about it.

That is my second question, where to launch if I want to launch south of the canal, to come down starting northwest of Woods Hole. I hope that is clear
Thanks.

There is a good boat ramp with parking in Padanaram in South Dartmouth. You have to go thru a swing bride to get out. There is also a good boat ramp in Westport, MA. These ramps are on Buzzards Bay.

Waquiot Bay has a ramp on route 28 with parking. The Bay is deep but the entrance is not deep. Lake Tashmoo on the Vineyard is very protected but a shoal entrance. I have sailed a 23 foot trailer sailor in Padanaram and also to Tashmoo. Waquiot is on the South side of Cape Cod in Falmouth, MA.

The best passage thru the Elizabeth's Islands is Quick's Hole between Nashawena and Pasgue Island.

[jpr_jpr]

Originally Posted by SV.StellaMaris

We weren’t underpowered, and were making good time with the current. But we still had to move aside and let a huge cargo ship overtake us that was moving very rapidly. We didn’t have a working depth sounder at the time, just a handheld Garmin GPS. So it was challenging to know how close we could move toward the rocks that lined the canal.

I can still feel the lump in my throat as I remember that lumbering hulk of metal gaining on us between the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges, and then wondering if we had time to get to the coast guard station and pull over safely. We did. But I vowed never to go through the canal again until we were better equipped.

So….if you go through the canal, definitely make sure you follow the advice for the currents. But also make sure you have a working radio and depth sounder. AIS transmission would be helpful too. I hadn’t realized it at the time, but those big ships have very limited visibility for small craft directly ahead.
.

I've driven over the canal bridges hundreds of times for almost 50 years and I don't recall seeing a cargo ship...... until a few weeks ago. I played out your scenario in my head immediately when I saw it. Those ships take up 1/3rd if not over half of the entire width of the canal. I've often thought it might be fun to take a boat through the canal, which I know can be perilous, but now even more so with your scenario.

Are there cargo ship tracking apps or sites that would help with planning?

What do you think the minimum sailboat size and appropriately matched motor should be to go through the canal?

[Snowdog2]

SV StellaMarris,
I may just not be thinking, but I don't know what the initial stand for (BB, CCB). Thanks for the suggestions of where we can park should we decide to start on the south side of the canal. That will be a last minute decision. Right now looking at West Falmouth Harbor, but I still need to research more. Your post will help. Thanks.

[Snowdog2]

SV.StellaMarris, OK, got it. Buzzards Bay and Cape Cod Bay. LOL

[Oohla]

I did not see mention that prevailing winds are from SW. Buzzards Bay (North of Elizabeths) is easier than Vineyard Sound (South of Elizabeths) is more difficult because of strong tidal currents. That size boat figure average SOG of 5 knots best. Heading SW multiply rhumb line distance by 150% to account for tacks. Figure tack angles of 50 best case. Cuttyhunk is really too far away for a small boat.

Winds from the North can be a problem