Cuttyhunk Fireworks 2024

This wonderful weekend began with a 4:45 AM wake-up call on a January day at our California winter home.

Yes, Cuttyhunk Fireworks Weekend is one of the most iconic events on Buzzards Bay, but you can only experience it if you set your alarm for the morning the Marina opens for booking and click through Dockwa very quickly!

The weekend forecast never looked great, but it generally showed clearing skies in the afternoon and through midnight.

It actually turned out far better.

The seas were sharp and choppy but generally passable at 25 MPH.

Miss Daisy was on board but taking it all like a real trooper.

Cuttyhunk Mooring Madness

We are a 100% Dockage Boat, but I recall the tranquility of mooring or anchoring overnight. We’ve done a little rafting along the way, and it is exceptionally fun if you have the right crowd.

The Harbormaster allows boats up to 50’ to tie up the piling moorings and up to three to raft.

Dockage is reserved and paid for via Dockea at $4.50/foot plus $30 for 30 amp or $50 for 50 amp electrical service.

The Marina also offers moorings in the inner harbor, but they cannot be reserved.

All town moorings inside the harbor (limited to vessels 50′ in length) are first come, first served. Town moorings cannot be reserved through Dockwa. If you want an inside mooring, pick up any town blue and white mooring ball with a grey metal shaft which is clearly marked “Cuttyhunk Town Rental” (avoid private moorings) and sit tight until the mooring collector comes out to collect your fee.

– Cuttyhunk Marina Dockwa

Cuttyhunk has a very limited and fluid economy. The businesses on the main dock are perennial, as is the General Store. Everything else may or may not return each season.

I mention this because there are two private mooring businesses in the outer harbor that may or may not still be operating.

According to my research, Jenkins Moorings, (508) 996-9294, operates the outer harbor southwest of Bell #6 or Frog Pond Marine, (508) 992-7530, northeast. I don’t believe you can reserve these either.

The Cuttyhunk Town Wharf

We were assigned Slip 26, which is probably the best slip for a boat our size, but the only help we got from the marina was limited.

Cuttyhunk is a fixed pier with pilings spaced about eight feet apart. The tidal range is about four feet, so we can only access the dock through the side door.

In July, we discovered that lining up the side door with the ladder is perfect. Not only does it facilitate boarding, but it also squares up the stern with the northmost piling.

Cuttyhunk Day Crowd

Cuttyhunk is busy every summer weekend, but even more so on Fireworks Weekend.

In addition to the annual fireworks display, there is also a street fair from 4 to 6 p.m.

Lunch on the Barbie

The easiest meal to prepare on Amazing Grace is without a doubt hot dogs on buttered New England-style rolls.

We upgraded our wieners to a full meal with a couple of orders of fries and O’Rings from the Lobster Shack.

After lunch, we took advantage of our prime dock site to socialize with other folks visiting the little Island.

The first visitors were three guys on kayaks paddling around and drinking beer.

Pete said he was considering buying a Maritimo M55; I think he’s looking at Mac Attack (currently off the market but might be back).

Mrs. Horne struck up a conversation with Wayne lounging on the back of his trawler.

Despite the hailing port on the transom, KAMEHAMEHA has never been to Hawaii. Wayne loves Hawaii and named her after the Maui King.

As we sat up on the Skydeck, we noticed a very nice Duffy 35 go by. Peter suddenly shouted: “I think that’s my cousin Medideth.”

They circled back, and sure enough, it was…

There was plenty of action on the water near the wharf.

Sophisticated Dinner Onboard

As mentioned before, the dining options on Cuttyhunk are limited, so I decided to prepare one of my simpler dinners for Mrs. Horne and Peter – Hot Italian Sausage Cacciatore.

It was delicious but involved too many pots and pans!

It was inspired by a Cacciatore I had a Monty’s in Leominster decades ago.

It’s very simple recipe:

• Pan grill hot Italian sausage and yellow onions.
• Toss pasta with chopped garlic EVOO, and Grated Parmesan.
• Top with fresh shredded Parmesean Reggiano.
• You can upgrade the dish with Italian Peppers and Fresh Basil

The Fireworks

Perhaps the only drawback to Slip 26 is that it’s rather far from the fireworks.

It was still a great performance…

The Fishing Club Breakfast

The closest thing to a restaurant on Cuttyhunk is the Fishing Club. It’s a private club that was originally just a Sunday morning thing but now serves breakfast every day in July and August.

We typically arrive at 9:30 and have to wait 30-40 minutes for a table. On Sunday, we arrived at 8:30 and got a fantastic table with views of Vineyard Sound and Gay Head.

I’ll be doing an update report in a few days, but in the meantime, here are some of the dishes we enjoyed.

The Avalon is up the hill from the Fishing Club and offers visitors an excellent B&B on Cuttyhunk.

The Cape Wind Collapse

In theory, I like the idea of windmills in locations with consistent wind and solar farms in the desert, but the big Cape Wind Project in Nantucket Shoals is turning into a made-for-TV disaster movie.

A few weeks ago, one of the blades broke off and ended up on Nantucket beaches. On Sunday, we ran into Duane Lynch, who showed me a piece of the blade he picked up on the beach in Cuttyhunk.

As I went to touch it, he said, “Stop. It’s full of fiberglass splinters, and you’ll be itchy for days.”

He said the kids were picking them up all along the beach and getting splinters. He was trying to get the Selectmen to send out a warning.

BE ADVISED – If you see anything like this, do not touch it!

By Sunday morning, the wind at the BB NOAA buoy was reporting 20 knots, but it was dead downwind to Onset and had a very smooth ride home.

Next Up – In Search of A New York State of Mind