Weave
New Member
Anyone boat in this area? Wifey and I have mentioned this as a possible trailer trip.
Newburyport Area ?'s
- Thread starter Weave
- Start date
Coral Reefer
New Member
Weave,
My wife and I trailored our F-16 jet boat for about 8 years in the North Shore, we lived in down town Newburyport. There is a very nice boat ramp right down town on merrimack street, behind a huge renovated brick building, you can't miss it. Very busy ramp though, so get there early on weekends.
This is a great town, loved living there, it depends on what you want from boating. You can get to the ocean through the Merrimack outlet (can be tricky), you can even get to Ipswich & Gloucester throught the backside of Plum Island (even trickery), but if you want to go there, we would just launch from down town ipswich.
The Merrimack is great in the early spring/summer and late summer/fall for finding shelter from the cold winds during these times of year, and anchoring and enjoying a day on the boat. during the hot summer months we head to the beaches. We would routinely go to Cranes, back side of plumn island, or evem Wingersheak. Whats great is they are all 10 minutes apart by boat once your out there, or hours by car. we would always pick the beach with the best conditions when we went out.
As you can see, i can ramble on, as we know these areas alot after 8 years of trailering.
coral Reefer,
My wife and I trailored our F-16 jet boat for about 8 years in the North Shore, we lived in down town Newburyport. There is a very nice boat ramp right down town on merrimack street, behind a huge renovated brick building, you can't miss it. Very busy ramp though, so get there early on weekends.
This is a great town, loved living there, it depends on what you want from boating. You can get to the ocean through the Merrimack outlet (can be tricky), you can even get to Ipswich & Gloucester throught the backside of Plum Island (even trickery), but if you want to go there, we would just launch from down town ipswich.
The Merrimack is great in the early spring/summer and late summer/fall for finding shelter from the cold winds during these times of year, and anchoring and enjoying a day on the boat. during the hot summer months we head to the beaches. We would routinely go to Cranes, back side of plumn island, or evem Wingersheak. Whats great is they are all 10 minutes apart by boat once your out there, or hours by car. we would always pick the beach with the best conditions when we went out.
As you can see, i can ramble on, as we know these areas alot after 8 years of trailering.
coral Reefer,
Weave
New Member
I appreciate your rambles! We are actually targeting a destination where we may trailer and venture a short way by boat to some nice beaches, etc. The admiral really enjoys the beach and I would love to be able to incorporate a day on the boat with being able to hit the beach.
When I was younger, my father used to dive in the Wingersheak beach area. How far is that from the Anisquam(sp) area and do you have any experience there or are you farther north?
When I was younger, my father used to dive in the Wingersheak beach area. How far is that from the Anisquam(sp) area and do you have any experience there or are you farther north?
Coral Reefer
New Member
If you want to go to beaches on the north shore by boat, then you can't get any better than this area. This area being IPSWICH BAY. What makes it all great is that you can choose on any given day 4-5 different beaches by boat, all less than 10 mintutes apart by boat. So if the wind is comming from the east (ocean) than you can choose the back side of plumn island, or the back side of the souther tip of Cranes beach. if the wind is comming from the west, over the land, then the northern tip of cranes beach (Castle hill) is full of boats, or you can choose a sand bar or two right off of cranes beach. Whats great is getting no large waves on rolling onto the beach so you can get stuff off easily.
Anisquam and wingaersheek are actuall about 200 yards apart, but over an hour by car apart. They happen to be on opposite sides of the Anisquam river which splits Gloucester from the rest of Cape Ann, and Wingaersheek is full of boats on any given day.
With trailering your boat, the trick is to launch and get there. Like I said, we used to do it from Newburyport, but it was a bit far away, and very dependent on good conditions, as you would have to go out into the Atlantic and travel 6 miles on the outside before you got to Ipswich Bay. So we got used to driving 20 minutes south on Rte 1a to the ramp in downtown ipswich. When you launch here, you can get to the Bay from the Ipswich River and you pass Castle Hill beach, back side of Plum island on your way out, and the South side of Cranes iand Wingaersheek are 10-15 minutes away. There is a ramp in Essex, but we never went that far south. As for Anisquam/Glaucester, we had relatives there, so we did bring our boat a few times. There is no public ramp in Anisquam, just a private yacht club ramp. The town has a very nice public set up at the High School, but this is on the other end of the Anisquam river, and you have to go "slow speed" the whole length of the river, so no great time savings.
I have a ton of experience, as we beached our boat for 8 years in this area, so i can tell you there is a ton to learn. Many factors take into making your ultimate decision ever time you go out. The tides are huge, the sand bars a bit shifty, winds and tides affect the waves big time, and it can look different every time you go out. The Green Heads can be a bear, etc. The conditions at each beach can be different from the other on the same day, this is what makes it great, and challenging. Don't go without a paper chart, and if your beaching it, definatley have two anchors, one for the front, and one for the back, and plan on constantly pulling in our letting out your boat as the tides come and go fast.
But hey, we did it with a 16' jet boat for 8 years, and loved every minute of it.
good luck.
Anisquam and wingaersheek are actuall about 200 yards apart, but over an hour by car apart. They happen to be on opposite sides of the Anisquam river which splits Gloucester from the rest of Cape Ann, and Wingaersheek is full of boats on any given day.
With trailering your boat, the trick is to launch and get there. Like I said, we used to do it from Newburyport, but it was a bit far away, and very dependent on good conditions, as you would have to go out into the Atlantic and travel 6 miles on the outside before you got to Ipswich Bay. So we got used to driving 20 minutes south on Rte 1a to the ramp in downtown ipswich. When you launch here, you can get to the Bay from the Ipswich River and you pass Castle Hill beach, back side of Plum island on your way out, and the South side of Cranes iand Wingaersheek are 10-15 minutes away. There is a ramp in Essex, but we never went that far south. As for Anisquam/Glaucester, we had relatives there, so we did bring our boat a few times. There is no public ramp in Anisquam, just a private yacht club ramp. The town has a very nice public set up at the High School, but this is on the other end of the Anisquam river, and you have to go "slow speed" the whole length of the river, so no great time savings.
I have a ton of experience, as we beached our boat for 8 years in this area, so i can tell you there is a ton to learn. Many factors take into making your ultimate decision ever time you go out. The tides are huge, the sand bars a bit shifty, winds and tides affect the waves big time, and it can look different every time you go out. The Green Heads can be a bear, etc. The conditions at each beach can be different from the other on the same day, this is what makes it great, and challenging. Don't go without a paper chart, and if your beaching it, definatley have two anchors, one for the front, and one for the back, and plan on constantly pulling in our letting out your boat as the tides come and go fast.
But hey, we did it with a 16' jet boat for 8 years, and loved every minute of it.
good luck.
Henry Boyd
Well-Known Member
- Apr 24, 2007
- 6,014
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Weave,
Newburyport is a super town, but the Merrimack can be a killer (literally). Traversing the mouth can be nasty at any time before low tide. Cruising Guides recommend newbies contact CG Merrimack Station before entering the river for a condition report. The first weekend in August is Yankee Homecoming (the Coast Guard Birthday) and the city throws a (birthday) party with street entertainers and fireworks.
Good choices for launching Ipswich Town Landing - good parking but get there early, and try to avoid dead low tide. We can get up and down 1 hour either side of low, so you should be able to cut it a little closer.
At the mouth of the Ipswich you can go left to go up Plum Island Sound to Newburyport, but most of Plum Island is a Federal Wildlife Habitat and landing is definitely off limits.
There are two ramps in Essex, one is the town ramp and parking is very limited. The other is at Essex Marina and they charge a small fee for parking.
Both locations will require a short and scenic cruise down river to Ipswich Bay. The Essex Estuary is our favorite as it is wide open with lots of places to anchor and hang out. The Annisquam river can be a pretty (but enforced no wake trip) with lots of places to stop.
For the next couple weeks you want to stay away from this area because we have a local fly known as the greenhead. They are big, slow and when they bite they draw blood. Nothing stops them except clothing. Good news is they are an annual crop and will be gone soon.
PM me if you want some more info.
Henry
Newburyport is a super town, but the Merrimack can be a killer (literally). Traversing the mouth can be nasty at any time before low tide. Cruising Guides recommend newbies contact CG Merrimack Station before entering the river for a condition report. The first weekend in August is Yankee Homecoming (the Coast Guard Birthday) and the city throws a (birthday) party with street entertainers and fireworks.
Good choices for launching Ipswich Town Landing - good parking but get there early, and try to avoid dead low tide. We can get up and down 1 hour either side of low, so you should be able to cut it a little closer.
At the mouth of the Ipswich you can go left to go up Plum Island Sound to Newburyport, but most of Plum Island is a Federal Wildlife Habitat and landing is definitely off limits.
There are two ramps in Essex, one is the town ramp and parking is very limited. The other is at Essex Marina and they charge a small fee for parking.
Both locations will require a short and scenic cruise down river to Ipswich Bay. The Essex Estuary is our favorite as it is wide open with lots of places to anchor and hang out. The Annisquam river can be a pretty (but enforced no wake trip) with lots of places to stop.
For the next couple weeks you want to stay away from this area because we have a local fly known as the greenhead. They are big, slow and when they bite they draw blood. Nothing stops them except clothing. Good news is they are an annual crop and will be gone soon.
PM me if you want some more info.
Henry
Weave
New Member
PM's sent....Thanks guys!
sebagoman007
New Member
Weave;
As a resident of Ipswich for over 25 years I can assure you that what both coralreefer and Henry are telling you is all true. The mouth of the Merrimack can indeed be treacherous, it seems like at least one boat gets broached every season. At half tide (incoming) there's actually a standing wave at the mouth as the two currents collide which makes for a very dicey proposition. Henry's absolutely right about aiming for low tide. He's also not joking about the greenheads. They may be slow, but it seems they can be flying in a half a gale! We have a saying around here that they like a piece of meat with their drink. A greenhead bite will literally bleed afterwards! Nasty critters for sure, and they're approaching their peak right about now. They'll start to peter out in another couple of weeks.
All those beach spots mentioned are indeed as advertised. Should you decide to try out Plum Island Sound (back of Plum Island) beware of the sandbars. Middle Ground is covered at high tide but exposed at low. There's also a fairly large sandbar at the mouth of the Ipswich River. You can beach a boat at the extreme southern tip of Plum Island. Whether there or out behind Crane's Beach, you really need to be aware of the currents, especially at half tide. Both are parts of pretty large estuaries draining through fairly small inlets so the tidal current is pretty strong. When anchored off, if someone was swimming we would usually stream a cushion or other float off the stern for at least one or two boats length, in case the swimmer got overpowered by the current. The bottoms are all sand for the most part, so getting an anchor to hold is not a problem, as long as you allow enough scope.
Wow, I did ramble on a bit, but it is a great area in which to boat and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Let me know when you decide to come out, and if the planets are aligned maybe I can buy you a beer. (Yeah Henry, I know I've been saying that to you since I joined the forum, but it WILL happen someday......)
Best of luck in your cruising adventures!
Cheers,
Bill
As a resident of Ipswich for over 25 years I can assure you that what both coralreefer and Henry are telling you is all true. The mouth of the Merrimack can indeed be treacherous, it seems like at least one boat gets broached every season. At half tide (incoming) there's actually a standing wave at the mouth as the two currents collide which makes for a very dicey proposition. Henry's absolutely right about aiming for low tide. He's also not joking about the greenheads. They may be slow, but it seems they can be flying in a half a gale! We have a saying around here that they like a piece of meat with their drink. A greenhead bite will literally bleed afterwards! Nasty critters for sure, and they're approaching their peak right about now. They'll start to peter out in another couple of weeks.
All those beach spots mentioned are indeed as advertised. Should you decide to try out Plum Island Sound (back of Plum Island) beware of the sandbars. Middle Ground is covered at high tide but exposed at low. There's also a fairly large sandbar at the mouth of the Ipswich River. You can beach a boat at the extreme southern tip of Plum Island. Whether there or out behind Crane's Beach, you really need to be aware of the currents, especially at half tide. Both are parts of pretty large estuaries draining through fairly small inlets so the tidal current is pretty strong. When anchored off, if someone was swimming we would usually stream a cushion or other float off the stern for at least one or two boats length, in case the swimmer got overpowered by the current. The bottoms are all sand for the most part, so getting an anchor to hold is not a problem, as long as you allow enough scope.
Wow, I did ramble on a bit, but it is a great area in which to boat and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Let me know when you decide to come out, and if the planets are aligned maybe I can buy you a beer. (Yeah Henry, I know I've been saying that to you since I joined the forum, but it WILL happen someday......)
Best of luck in your cruising adventures!
Cheers,
Bill
Weave
New Member
Hey guys....What's the best way to get an idea if the dreaded greenheads are still around the area?
sebagoman007
New Member
At your service, sir!!
http://www.thetrustees.org/pages/1220_daily_conditions.cfm
The Trustees of Reservations own and operate Cranes Beach in Ipswich, among a whole bunch of othe properties in MA.
Cheers,
Bill
http://www.thetrustees.org/pages/1220_daily_conditions.cfm
The Trustees of Reservations own and operate Cranes Beach in Ipswich, among a whole bunch of othe properties in MA.
Cheers,
Bill
