Boston Boating Blog

Donna and I took off on Friday to head for Martha’s Vinyard. The seas were with us, but the weather was a bit of a challenge. We got to the marina at 10 AM and it was nice and sunny and by the time we got out to Hull, you couldn’t see 1/4 of a mile. It took me a while, but I programed the GPS while drifting to the mouth of the Cape Cod Canal and we were off.

It was very exciting when we got there. Here are some things we saw along the way… We saw the Borne Bridge, Another bridge I don’t know the name of and as we made it through the canal we also saw the ship for the Mass Maritime Academy. (9/13/07 – I have since been educated that this bridge is called the Train Bridge and The Cape Cod Canal RR Bridge which spans the south western end of the canal is one of the largest vertical lift bridges in the world with a lift span of 544 feet, a total span of 806 feet and a high water clearance of 136 feet (in the normal up position). Built between 1933 and 1935 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the purpose of maximizing both marine and rail movement… – Thanks for the info!)




Next we cruised through Buzzards Bay and saw an interesting ship as well as a small marker in the middle of the bay.

Next we went though Woods Hole. Everything they tell you about it is true. Very “squrily” I watched a Sea Ray in front of me almost loose it’s back end in some very trubulant water but the skipper got control and came out of it okay.


Next it was off to Oak Bluffs Marina. It was an easy 30 min cruise across to the Vinyard and we were there. We were able to get a slip and after some tricky “pylon” parking we were in and ready to hang out. I will say, there is nothing as exhilarating as taking a trip like that and successfully getting to your destination. It was a great adventure. Here is a photo of our spot…

That night Donna’s friend Catlin showed up and we all went to dinner. The next day we took off for a tour around the Island from our good friend Doug…

Doug and his wife have a place on the Vinyard so it was very cool for them to show us around.

Doug, Donna and Catlin all jumped into the water for a dip to cool off. Then we cruised around the island a bit more and then headed for home.

That night, Catlin had gotten all of us tickets to see Ben Taylor (son of James Taylor and Carly Simon) play some of his music. It was AWESOME!

After checking buoyweather.com earlier in the day, I realized that we should probably head home tomorrow as Monday there was a small craft advisory. So, on Sunday, we got up, had some breakfast and then headed back to Boston. This time it was Donna, Catlin and myself. Another fantastic ride. We had a lot of fun and the trip was great. On the way back we saw some cool boats in the canal and we saw “Codzilla” the BHC boat out of Boston Harbor. I think Donna and Catlin had a nice time too.

It is sad to say but the boating season is slowly drawing to a close. We have over 200 hours on the boat this summer, which is unbelievable if you ask me. I am in hopes that we keep in in the water until Nov 1. We have made a lot of great friends this summer at the marina and in our boating travels this summer it will be missed.

I will add more to our blog over the winter. I plan on going to Boat Sales school for Cobalt. It should be a lot of fun and any excuse I can get to hang out around boats during the winter will be great. I also plan on going for my Captains license this winter so I will keep you all posted.

But, for now, as my dear old dad always says, Keep it off the Rocks!