Nantucket 2024 – Getting Here

I’m very excited to be writing you here in Nantucket aboard Amazing Grace. As you may recall, last year at this time, Amazing Grace was on a ship in the South Pacific and we were in a cottage at the Nantucket Boat Basin.

We ended up leaving Tuesday at 9:45 amid perfect weather all the way to Nantucket.

Before I report on our first day, I think it’s worth a brief sidebar on how we ended up arriving on Tuesday and some of the nuances of booking dockage at the Nantucket Boat Basin.

If you don’t book dockage, you may want to skip to B-ACK Yard BBQ.

Nantucket Boat Basin – No Longer a Bargain!

Back in 2017, Doc Ruel told me about his annual visit to Nantucket just before the rates went up – typically the week before Father’s Day. Our first visit was in 2018, and we paid $1.25/foot to stay in the Marina, which was a ridiculous bargain.

Those were the good old days. Since then, Father’s Day weekend has gotten progressively busier. My friends blame the recent surge in popularity on me for reporting on this rare Nantucket Bargain in 2019.

The people who run Nantucket Boat Basin aren’t dumb, and they’ve matched their rates with the newfound demand.

The deep discount rate now ends June 12.

And its no longer $1.25/foot.

Then there’s another uptick for Father’s Day Weekend until June 19.

The Boat Basin had been sold out the past three Father’s Day weekends, so I think the price is fair.

NBB Rates

The other wild card when it comes to booking NBB is their onerous cancelation policy.

Guests canceling their reservations more than 30 days prior to their scheduled arrival date will be refunded 90% of their deposit. Cancellations or arrival/departure changes made within 30 days of scheduled arrival date receive no refund.

– Nantucket Boat Basin website

Booking Strategy

The higher rates and punitive cancellation policy, combined with the fact that getting here by boat requires a 25-mile run in the open ocean, demands a Booking Strategy.

Thus far, the only nights in mid-June that sell out are Friday and Saturday, so I sent my booking request for Thursday through Sunday into NBB directly in January (Note: You cannot book NBB on Dockwa until May 1, but you can book directly starting New Years Day.)

I’m happy spending up to a week here, but I really don’t want to slog across Nantucket Sound in a 20-knot So’wester.

I blocked my calendar from the Tuesday before until the Monday after Father’s Day and watched the weather looking for the first good day to make the 50-mile run to Nantucket.

Tuesday Arrival

To a certain extent, the old adage “If you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it” applies to most things in boating, but money is money, and I’d rather pay less than more, so if the forecast for Tuesday looks good, that’s our Day One.

And last week, the ten-day forecast for Tuesday, June 11, started looking great, so I emailed NBB and added Tuesday and Wednesday to my reservation at the $3.75/foot rate.

We are scheduled to depart Sunday but may extend if the weather dictates.

B-ACK Yard BBQ

We docked around 12:30 and headed off for lunch. Mrs. Horne wanted a salad; I just wanted a good meal. We started down Main Street checking menus outside restaurants. BYB had a Caesar, and that was all it took.

We sat at the bar, and Jacob served us. I showed him the photo we took in 2022, and he just laughed.

Mrs. Horne played the dice game and managed four 4’s. It’s a local game played with six dice. You bet a dollar and have three tries to roll six of a kind. Seems impossible, but someone wins every couple of days.

We stuck to our favorites for lunch.

One day, I think I’ll have dinner there.

There was little wind, so after lunch, we cleaned the boat. Mrs. Horne struck up a conversation with a guy who ran the fishing boats for one of the mega yachts docked Mediterranean style off the front dock.

The crew for all the megas talk, and we learned that 164’ Annastar booked the entire season at NBB for a mere $700,000.

Far from a full detail, Amazing Grace looked pretty spiffy when we finished cleaning.

Next up – Nantucket 2024