Newport RI to Nantucket

[sweet red]

I am looking for your experienced opinions for the best route and timing (duration of travel) to make the trip from Newport to Nantucket. We are on a 63 ft Viking motor yacht with a 5 ft draft. Cruise about 10 knots. We have Sept 11 and 12 booked at the Nantucket marina.

We will have 4 "never been on an ocean boat before" guests on board, and in that respect, Id like to make it in a couple of hops. I think 6-7 hours out at one time might be a bit much for first timers. Especially since we are not stabilized. They all have plenty of Minnesota lakes boating experience, but no big water.

At first, I thought we could overnight at woods hole, but the website says they can only handle up to 50 ft. What about Martha's Vineyard? It is a vacation, so an excuse to visit either place is a welcome respite from the full path across to Nantucket.

Also, any opinions on the September timing? In San Francisco, September is the month most likely to have good, clear weather. I have no knowledge of New England. All I know is the majority of tourists are gone after Labor day, but everything is still open during our planned visit.

BTW: still bruised from east coast sticker shock. $5/ft/night is a big number, just to float in your waterspace for a night!

Thank you in advance for your insight.

 

[doc g]

I could comment on anchorages but not marinas, if you will anchor out.........Pat

 

[Pascal]

I haven t been up there in 4 years but have done that run many times with a non stabilized johnson 70 skylounge (that means top heavy )

Yep... $5 a foot !!

My favorite stop, and all our guests, is cuttyhunk. Really nice little island and the cheapest dockage in the area ! It cuts down the trip.

A great acenic anchorage can be found in Hadley Harbor off woods hole. Food lunch or overnight stop. more room just outside but I have anchored inside a couple of times and just enough room for our 70 feet

Personally I don't really like MV, vineyard heaven isn't that nice although edgartown is pretty.

Most harbors have moorings and launches so you don't really have to dock. I really prefer a mooring in nantucket as the boat basin is really crowded with people walking by all day and no privacy

It can a rough run between Newport and Nantucket... First between Newport and Martha s vineyard with easterly swells I have often gone up buzzards bay and then thru woods hull to shorten the distance in open water

Also depending on winds and current it can't be rough leaving woods hole and north of vineyard

Finally the last few miles into nantucket can be rolly with esaterly swells

Weatherwise early September is still nice but it gets cold quickly in the second half. Also keep an eye on tropical systems at that time of the year

 

[oscarvan]

Pascal said it. Study and understand tides and currents in this part of the world.

I've seen 7 foot tall rocks disappear (just) under water, and some of the buoys with it.

Strong currents opposing strong Ocean swells or winds make for very nasty water.

And yes I know you got lots of horses, but 4-5 knots of current in some places is nothing to mess with, especially if you're fighting them.

September brings some of the most beautiful conditions. The heat of August is gone, and the days are still long enough to enjoy them. The colors on land start getting pretty and the pumpkins are starting to get full grown. That said..... a nasty low is a nasty low.

If your experience level is limited and you're going to do this water on a big boat I would seriously consider bringing a skipper who really knows the waters. It may very well be the difference between an adventure and an ordeal for you and your guests.

 

[GJH]

There is occasionally room for transients at Cuttyhunk if moorings aren't your thing (they were ours). Not much to do there but beautiful hiking; we loved it.

Another alternative is Memensha on the south side of MV, very pretty and quaint; again not a lot of big boat transient room so call ahead (in calm weather we anchored off the beach)

Personally, we liked MV and yes even Vineyard Haven just fine, better than Nantucket, which was still extremely busy and hectic after Labor Day. Oak or Edgartown are fun stops as well. No direct expereince here in any of the marinas involved, we were inveterate anchorers and moorers. We kept our boat based in Westport Harbor Mass one summer and explored the area extensively. There are a lot of other nice options depending on your cruising style and preferences.

If you have non- ocean goers on board, my advice is not to go in bad weather, depending on wind direction and tide it can get dang rough, as we learned on one trip to Nantucket the same dates as you contemplated.

 

[Pascal]

Pascal said it. Study and understand tides and currents in this part of the world.

I've seen 7 foot tall rocks disappear (just) under water, and some of the buoys with it.

Strong currents opposing strong Ocean swells or winds make for very nasty water.

And yes I know you got lots of horses, but 4-5 knots of current in some places is nothing to mess with, especially if you're fighting them.

.

Current itself is not an issue. You may get a knot of it between MV and the mainland but with the wrong wind, it will kick things up

The only place were the current is indeed ripping at 3 to 4 knots is in the woods hole cut. But still not an issue for power boats, although be very careful in the turns not to get pushed out of the channel... Indeed the rocks are unforgiving

But going thru woods hole at least once is well worth it.

 

[GJH]

Speaking of currents in Wood's Hole..

 

[oscarvan]

Yup, that's the way I remember it, in fact I saw them dip under.

 

[sweet red]

Thanks every one. All great info. We like mooring. I find some places unwilling to accommodate our size on a mooring. I'll certainly investigate. Love the photos above, thank you very much. Looks a lot like the washing machine we often encountered heading under the Golden Gate Bridge out of San Francisco. If the weather is inclement, we'll forego the trip as a courtesy to our guests. Nantucket fees (which are pre-paid) are non-refundable at that point. Hoping for a decent window.

 

[lbkjj]

Consider the town docks in Falmouth MA, just across from the Vineyard. They have end t docks that will accommodate your boat, it's a charming town and new dockage is only $1 a foot after Labor Day.
You can take a ferry from there to the Vineyard ( 45 minutes) for a day trip and tour Falmouth by foot another day.

 

[lbkjj]

I would recommend going up Vineyard Sound and avoiding Buzzards bay and Woods Hole. That's the route the fast ferry takes from Quonset ( near Newport) RI.

 

[sgharford]

BTW: still bruised from east coast sticker shock. $5/ft/night is a big number, just to float in your waterspace for a night!

How about this for sticker shock - $4.75 million for dock on Nantucket:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/busines...hes-million/fIZGCDnVOkmnn8kI5AxgrM/story.html

 

[Bob Bradley]

So our 2016 NE Rendezvous won't be in Nantucket?