Buzzards Bay Marthas Vinyard area

Mischief Managed

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Planning a 4ish day trip there at the end of September. Looking for a recommendation for a place to launch and park my rig for the duration. Will be coming from the north on 495, so something convenient to 495 would be ideal. Also looking for ideas for places to visit by boat, good anchorages, and marinas to stay in. We like to eat out, walk around villages, visit historic sites, etc.
 

tpenfield

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Not too much on the Cape Cod side of the bay that is good for a transient slip plus a village to walk around. Kingman marina in Bourne/Red Brook Harbor has a popular restaurant (Chart Room) but nothing else near there.

There are some harbors off of the canal that may be good for a few hour tie-up and walk around town.

You planning on overnighting on the boat?

if you get out to the vineyard, then the Black Dog wharf or Oak bluffs would be good. Oak bluffs is more lively.

we are thinking about a trip to the Vineyard on the 22-23rd of this month.

When are you going to be on the Bay? maybe we can meet up out on the water.

I’d also ask on THT and check TripAdvisor for some recommendations and reviews.
 

Mischief Managed

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Would love to meet up. I haven't a clue yet where I'm going, never been to the area. I've lived in New England for 49 years, been exploring the northeast by boat for over a decade, been to dozens of countries, been to 42 states, and have never been to Cape Cod, weird, huh?

I hear Onset is nice, but some say otherwise. New Bedford seems to have a lot of transient options, but I have not heard great things about the city...Just made the decision to go to the area last night, so have not done much research yet.

We tend to spend every other night in a transient slip on trips like this, but we are flexible and can handle fewer nights in a slip without much hassle.We would be OK to spend every night in a slip too, we are pretty flexible. We don't have a dinghy, so a mooring is not much better than anchoring, from a logistical point of view. Town dock access for an hour or two during the day is a big plus for us and we would love to be aware of all the places where that is an option (even if it's not free). Active Captain is sometimes lacking in info about this kind of stuff.

We walk several miles a day when home, so walking a bit from the boat to town is not a problem, but our preference would be to tie up for the night in a transient slip near stuff to do (mostly eating), if possible.

We'd like to have following seas for the trip back to the ramp if things get rough, so a ramp downwind of the prevailing winds would be ideal.

I realize this is a comprehensive wish list, we really aren't that high-maintenance, just using this is thread a brainstorming session...
 

tpenfield

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The prevailing winds in the Bay are from the South West. So from Cuttyhunk to the mouth of the canal. Afternoon chop is 2-4 feet on most days. September is often milder for wind/waves as the temperatures are cooler.
 

tpenfield

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Found this website that's pretty neat: https://mybuzzardsbay.com/dock-and-dine/

That is a good resource, and I agree with what’s said. The Mexican place in Falmouth center is unbelievable- usually you can’t get near the place, but in late September you will probably be OK.

overnight slips may be a challenge, but Kingman (Red Brook Harbor) would be a good bet, and the Vineyard Haven (Black Dog, etc.)

We usually hang out at Bassett Island for beaching and boating. ( near where Kingman is located)
 

capecodtodd

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My thoughts drift to the Vineyard and Oaks Bluff that has a really happening harbor there and the town stretches from it with several places to stay and eat and the "campground" to stroll through. There is a bus that you can hop on and off that will take you to the other towns so you can check them out.

In Cape Cod bay I can only think of Provincetown that has a lively town and an active water front. There are several marinas spotted along the bay but outside P Town and Wellfleet there is not much to do within walking distance once you dock your boat.
 

tpenfield

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I like staying in Vineyard Haven (Black Dog Wharf) and taking the bus over to Oak Bluffs and/or Edgartown where there are more shops, restaurants, etc. I think the buses run fairly late into the evening.

I'l be going there this weekend :)
 

tpenfield

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Great pictures. I have not spent much time at all in and around Mattappoisett or other areas on the NW side of the bay, but your photos of those areas look great.

How did you like the sight of those buoys coming through Wood Hole? Definitely want to stay in the channel.

We could have met up with you, but we had out-of-town guests for the weekend.
 
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Mischief Managed

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Great pictures. I have not spent much time at all in and around Mattappoisett or other areas on the NW side of the bay, but your photos of those areas look great.

How did you like the sight of those buoys coming through Wood Hole? Definitely want to stay in the channel.

We could have met up with you, but we had out-of-town guests for the weekend.

My first time through Woods Hole Passage was east bound in the pouring rain with a big slow ferry crossing from left to right, a big sport fisherman on-plane behind me, and a fast cat ferry coming at me at speed through the curvy portion of the passage (we passed each other at #7 can). It was pretty tense, but the tide was slack so current was a non-issue, and I was able to stay on plane because I had studied and pre-plotted the route and was confident that I knew where to go. The second time was in bright sun and with no other traffic, so it was easy but the current was crazy and made it very interesting.

Mattapoisett and Marion are lovely little villages to walk around, but there's not a lot to do. We really liked the Mattapoiset anchorage which was in the middle of a giant mooring field, well-sheltered from most weather, quite far from shore (so pretty private relative to houses) and had ridiculously good holding in 10 feet of water and no weeds at all. There are a couple of floating docks with a free 1 hour time limit that's enough time to walk around and see the lovely homes there/grab a latte at DD. Marion also has a 1 hour free dock. Wareham and Onset have more to offer tourists business-wise, but are not as pretty as Mattapoisett or Marion. They also each have a free 1 hour dock.

We were very disappointed trying to find a place to dock for a few hours to explore the city then watch some football at a sports bar in New Bedford. Maybe it was due to being late in the season, or the 1 PM Patriots game, but nobody wanted to let us tie up. Some didn't even answer the radio or phone. We ended up racing up the bay to Taylor Point Marina (where we launched the boat at the start of this trip) so we could grab a transient slip and use our truck to drive to a local watering hole just in time to watch the Patriots crush the Phins. It turns out Taylor Point Marina is awesome and inexpensive. The showers and bathrooms were spotlessly clean, the docks are excellent, the grounds are manicured like a park, and the regular customers and staff were super helpful and really friendly. We will stay there again for sure. It's also really convenient to the canal walk and a mom and pop Thai restaurant.
 
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