Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and beyond
After the Carnival festivities wound down, we switched gears to prepare Moment for a week long sail through the Elizabeth Islands and beyond on August 23rd.
On the first day, our guests Michael, Lisa, and Scott arrived in Provincetown to get settled in, see the town and provision Moment for our cruise. We shared a fantastic seafood meal at Cafe Heaven.
On the second day, we had a delicious breakfast in town at Post Office Cafe, then motor sailed through the Cape Cod Canal with a stop in Sandwich for fuel and water. On the fly, we decided to spend the night just south of the canal at Bassetts Island, Cape Cod. The adverse wind and current were creating quite a chop that made our decision quite easy. We watched a glorious sunset and allowed the winds to settle overnight.
On day three, we were up and at-em early to get on the road to Nantucket. At Woods Hole passage, we unfurled the Genoa, cut engines and had a beautiful broad reach to Nantucket. Upon arrival, the guests brought their things to a house they were staying at for a couple nights and got changed for a sunset cocktails overlooking the harbor. After an amazing sunset, we dinghied across the harbor to have dinner at the famous Nantucket Lobster Trap restaurant.
On day four we had a special behind the scene tour with the Nantucket Whaling Museum’s Chief Curator, Mike Harrison. We learned about Nantucket’s rich history, especially related to the whaling industry. After enjoying some of the fruits of Nantucket we decide to stay an additional night to see even more.
On day five, we took a rented car out to the Skonset Bluff walk, which allows the public to walk through the back yards of the historic Skonset estates situated on a high bluff looking south at the Atlantic Ocean. Via a connection of the guests, we feasted two of the three nights at one of the early 1800s built captain’s homes in downtown Nantucket. There were fresh tuna, oysters, steaks and summer vegetables galore!
On day six, it was time to depart Nantucket and catch an unusual westerly breeze to Vineyard Haven, Martha’s Vineyard. This was such a glorious sail that took us on a broad reach the whole way and into Vineyard Haven’s tiny inner harbor jam-packed with historic wooden boats and well kept modern classics. Our afternoon took us on a public bus to Edgartown, one of the Vineyard’s other settlements that has high-end manicures homes, lovely shops and restaurants. After a delicious dinner, we returned to the boat for an early night.
On day seven, we had a one hour motor over to Woods Hole. Here we took the Woods Hole Yacht Club mooring and explored the museums and dining of this marine biology and history centered town. Woods Hole is the home of Woods Hole Oceanographic Research Institute which is responsible for much of the world’s deep sea and marine science endeavors and paving the way for new discoveries about our existence.
On day eight, we took the morning in Woods Hole to visit the Science Aquarium and Woods Hole Historical Museum before setting off to Plymouth. We had a nice sail up Buzzards Bay and from Cape Cod Canal to Plymouth. We had dinner just as the sun was setting and arrived under the cover of darkness. After a couple drinks and recounting what a great week we had, we all went to bed early.
On the last day, Moment took on fuel, water and bid fairwell to the guests at the local marina. It was a 4.5 hour motor sail to return back to Provincetown in time for a sunset sail!
Interested in joining us for an unforgettable multi-day excursion? Check out our availability online or send us an email at sail@momentsailing.com to inquire