2010 Islands trip is booked

[JV II]

I just booked my Boston-Plymouth-MV-ACK trip for August 6-15. Brewers in Plymouth and the ACK Boat Basin took faxes. Oak Bluffs was done online. I just have to wait until 3/1 to do Nantucket Moorings.
The plan is to leave Boston on 8/6 for Plymouth and overnight there at Brewers. The next day, we'll head directly for Oak Bluffs where we will stay for 4 nights. After that we'll hook up to a mooring in Nantuck Harbor and leave the boat for 2 days to stay on shore. The last 2 nights will be on the boat in the Boat Basin.
Now, I just have to get my new edition of Eldridge to check the tides and time the tides and currents through the canal, Wood's Hole, and Nantucket Sound. The last 2 years I did this with favorable tides in all areas for both directions. Lucky for us, the week we picked last year was the only one that it didn't rain.

 

[wetpaint]

Why are you staying two nights onshore in Nantucket? Are you then going from Nantucket to Boston (home)? Sounds like a great trip.

 

[JV II]

Why are you staying two nights onshore in Nantucket? Are you then going from Nantucket to Boston (home)? Sounds like a great trip.

My dad will be there with his wife in their summer home, so I have to do the right thing and stay with them for 2 nights. Anyway, it will allow us to do the laundry. One year we paid for the 4 nights in the Boat Basin and didn't stay on the boat. We learned our expensive lesson that year and decided that in future visits we would be 2 nights in the house and 2 nights on the boat. We plan to go straight through from ACK to Boston on Sunday 8/15. That's the plan anyway. I can always stop somewhere overnight if necessary. We planned on going straight through last year, but a storm caused an overnight in Plymouth.

 

[bushway9172]

I just booked my Boston-Plymouth-MV-ACK trip for August 6-15. Brewers in Plymouth and the ACK Boat Basin took faxes. Oak Bluffs was done online. I just have to wait until 3/1 to do Nantucket Moorings.
The plan is to leave Boston on 8/6 for Plymouth and overnight there at Brewers. The next day, we'll head directly for Oak Bluffs where we will stay for 4 nights. After that we'll hook up to a mooring in Nantuck Harbor and leave the boat for 2 days to stay on shore. The last 2 nights will be on the boat in the Boat Basin.
Now, I just have to get my new edition of Eldridge to check the tides and time the tides and currents through the canal, Wood's Hole, and Nantucket Sound. The last 2 years I did this with favorable tides in all areas for both directions. Lucky for us, the week we picked last year was the only one that it didn't rain.

Oak Bluffs to Nantucket, are you able to skip right over those shoals, or you have to go around? Just curious.

We've done Falmouth - Nantucket, and were able to skip right across. Since it was our first time, we followed some friends that have made the trip a bunch of times. It was a little nerve-racking to see the depth go from 80 feet to 2.5 feet. :wow:

 

[JV II]

Oak Bluffs to Nantucket, are you able to skip right over those shoals, or you have to go around? Just curious.

We've done Falmouth - Nantucket, and were able to skip right across. Since it was our first time, we followed some friends that have made the trip a bunch of times. It was a little nerve-racking to see the depth go from 80 feet to 2.5 feet. :wow:

I've skipped over the outer edge of the shoals. You do get a noticable change in the surface. It gets quite bumpy. As soon as you feel the bumps, you know you're in it. I agree it can make you very nervous to see the depth decrease and see bottom through the polarized glasses. It is best to take an arc around the outer edge of the shoals, but I don't think you really need to be so far out that you are in the shipping lane.

 

[bushway9172]

I've skipped over the outer edge of the shoals. You do get a noticable change in the surface. It gets quite bumpy. As soon as you feel the bumps, you know you're in it. I agree it can make you very nervous to see the depth decrease and see bottom through the polarized glasses. It is best to take an arc around the outer edge of the shoals, but I don't think you really need to be so far out that you are in the shipping channel.

Yeah, it's definitely a bit tricky.

 

[wetpaint]

I do this route 2-3 times a summer and I never hit less than 10 feet of water at low tide........I stay south of Horseshoe Shoal, North of Hawes Shaol, and north of Tuckernuck shoal.........If you stay on the south line of the main channel you will always have 20 plus feet of water......Yes it adds 20 minutes to the cruise, but..................