Newbie to Boston: where to?

R

rwf

Member
Oct 16, 2010
232
Boston, MA
Boat Info
2008 310 Sundancer, Raymarine C80 GPS/Radar
Engines
350 Mag MPI DTS SeaCore w/Bravo IIIs
We've just relocated to the Boston area. Actually returning, we've spent most of our life here, but we didn't have a boat for our previous Boston life. We're currently at Marina Bay, Quincy (which is just south of Boston for those who have never heard of it).

Where to? We'll definitely make the run to the Cape / P-town. Eventually to the islands. But what's close to Boston for interesting:

Anchorages?

Explore by dinghy?

Dock & Dine?

Overnights?

All I've found so far in the charts are anchorages right next to channels (and no, they aren't no wake zones). We have to do better than that!

Thanks,

Rich & Peg

PS: I think the boat is actually seaworthy again. After the run up here through the gale it needed a few fixes, just completed. So we're anxious to actually have a real and RELAXING voyage.
 
Rich

Welcome Back to Boston

You would fall in love with World's End in Hingham for overnight on a mooring. Call the Hingham Harbor Master to reserve a mooring. Also Weymouth Back River for anchorage. I just came back from spending the night anchored in the cove behind Lovell's Island (water is cold) but beautiful scenery .

Dock and dine all over Boston Harbor of course. Also in Hull at the Sea Dog Brew Pub and at the Hingham Ship Yard in the Weymouth Back River.

Where do you live now?

Ray
 
Dont forget docking a Boston Yacht Haven and going into North End for dinner........Also, Salem, Newburyport, etc.....
 
wetpaint said:
Dont forget docking a Boston Yacht Haven and going into North End for dinner........Also, Salem, Newburyport, etc.....
Click to expand...

Salem, Gloucester, Beverly and Ipswich Bay are all good points on the North Shore. Until you get some experience, stay away from Newburyport by boat (by all means go by car). The mouth of the Merrimack is not for the inexperienced, or faint of heart. Between the moronic fishermen in tin boats clogging up a narrow channel, and a super fast current that can create a 6' standing wave, and heavy commercial traffic, it is not the place for newbies. No offense meant, or intended, I also wouldn't recommend Tuckerman's Ravine for a beginning skier either.

This time of year, when the greenheads are around. Braces Cove on Cape Ann just by Gloucester is a nice protected anchorage. Also do not attempt going into the Essex River to Back Beach at anything less than high tide. When we brought our boat down the Essex to bring it home this spring I estimated that at low tide the water was on the order of 2'-3' at the mouth. All of the sand that washed off of Plum Island this winter ended up down in Essex.

Henry
 
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Thanks, folks. I thought this thread was dead and just saw all the replies, I really appreciate it. Maybe Hingham this weekend.

Rich

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
 
Henry has scared me...I am selling my boat...LOL....Good advice tho...I head into Newburyport next week and local knowledge is advised....One of the toughest inlets in the northeast...Have fun in Hingham.....
 
wetpaint said:
Henry has scared me...I am selling my boat...LOL....Good advice tho...I head into Newburyport next week and local knowledge is advised....One of the toughest inlets in the northeast...Have fun in Hingham.....
Click to expand...

Hmm, a challenge... sounds like fun. I'm the nut who brought Serendipity from NY to MA in a gale, after all.

Tough inlets, though; that would be new.

Rich
 
What makes that inlet so tough? Why are the currents so strong there?
 
It is a perfect storm: Joppa Flats, Currents, Fishernman drifting in/near channel, navigation...that is the simple answer......
 
The channel is narrow and there is always a strong current. Right now at low tide it is running at almost two knots according to my Navionics app. When the tide is at full motion that doubles. At anything but slack tide there is a six to eight foot roller created by the outflow of the river hitting the ocean.

As you enter, the channel runs along a rock breakwater, about a half NM in it does a dogleg to port at a green can. This is the narrowest point in the channel and can't be shared with an out going party boat.

There is also a lot of commercial traffic with party boats and whale watch excursions, so you have to know where you are going. Between the traffic and restricted channel once you start in there is no practical, or safe, way to change your mind.

On any given day there may be 20-30 boats anchored right at the mouth fishing. Most are off to the side, but there will always be a couple morons anchored in their 14' aluminum boat in the middle of the channel.

This is a full power approach, however you will generally have to come within 20 feet of anchored fisherman. So now you are faced with throttling back and killing your wake (and being swept onto the breakwater), or waking the the morons. Keep in mind that this is also a location where people usually drown if they go in the water.

If you happen to be approaching in bad weather, contact the CG at Merrimack station before starting in, they often temporarily close the river mouth when things get too rough.

It's about 1nm of white knuckle driving, followed by a long no wake drive past the flats. Except for Yankee Homecoming week there is always temporary tie up space at the town dock that is located right downtown. There are two downtown marinas with walking distance of the town center, Newburyport Harbor Marina, and Hilton's. there is another, Yankee landing farther up river beyond the Route One drawbridge. The bridge is high enough to only be a pain for sailboats.

All of the marinas are in the river current with the slips parallel to the flow. Getting down the fairways and turned can be a challenge. If you are not up to it the dock masters will be happy to assist you. As an FYI our boat was kept in Nbypt the year before we bought it and was hit twice by boats trying to get into slips that failed to stick to the up stream side of the fairway.

All that being said, it is not impossible, just a challenge. We know a lot of people who keep their boats there, and I have to say there is a pretty high percentage of dock queens.

Starting on the 27 th will be Yankee Homecoming and that is a huge party. That week is the birthday for the USCG, and Nbypt lays claim to being the birthplace of the CG. Its a great time to visit, but slip space may be hard to find. In the past we've made reservations a year in advance.

Henry


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Wow that sounds crazy hard, do you have any pictures of it? I would love to see what the 8 foot breakwater wave looks like. Thanks for the detail.
 
JCA_9251.jpg

Here I am coming into the mouth on a calm day....
 
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