Having spent a lot of time on the water this summer, it’s come to my attention that about 25% of boaters either don’t know or don’t respect the Boating Rules Of The Road. I’m not talking about a couple of yahoo’s in a 20′ center console; I’m talking about 50′ Sportfisherman, Commercial Fishing Boats, and Island Ferries. While a good knowledge of the Rules of … Continue reading Boating Rules of The Road and Buzzards Bay…
Dave Kaiser (owner – Mattapoisett Boat Yard) texted me Tuesday and asked me how to estimate the tidal currents in the Cape Cod Canal. I haven’t a clue, so I decided to research it and put it on My Buzzards Bay for anyone else looking for answers. An unfavorable tidal current isn’t a big deal for Vigilant. With our 715 HP Cummins, the only impact … Continue reading Understanding Cape Cod Canal Tidal Currents (with Daily Charts)
There are plenty of ports all over the world with crazy weather, but I can state categorically that Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound represent a unique climate challenge that one seldom finds anywhere else in New England. Growing up on Buzzards Bay and boating in our 12′ dory or the 15′ Thunderbird, we simply “toughed it up” and slogged through whatever the bay threw our … Continue reading You Don’t Need a Weatherman to Know Which Way The Wind Blows!
Every fan of gunkholing wants to know as much as possible about the depth of the water under their boat. And although Buzzards Bay is generally deep, there are a few spots where you really want to see what lurks below just to be on the safe side. When I ran twin outboards, it was pretty easy. I’d simply trim them up until the skegs … Continue reading Forward Looking Sonar – The Garmin PANOPTIX
Welcome to My Buzzards Bay 2018! Although I’m enjoying a steady dose of 80 degree days here in the desert of Southern California, my mind is regularly drifting toward the 2018 Boating season, which is scheduled to begin on Vigilant in late April. Our last trip was October 20th and although I’ve begged the boys at Mattapoisett Boat Yard to share their stories of late … Continue reading Dockwa The Disrupter!
If you have a boat of any size, you know what I’m talking about. You’re Living the Dream, the wind is in your hair as you bask in the shimmering sun dancing on the waves, the smell of sea air fills your nostrils, and suddenly, the Sh*t hits the fan and you’re immersed in a high stress drama. Most often it occurs during departures and … Continue reading Why is boating full of drama?
This is a post from a few years back that I originally reported on my Peases Point website. It reminds us all just how serious boating on Buzzards Bay can be!
I was heading over to the town pier to pick up Sue and 6 friends for a short boat trip and lunch at The Chartroom. I was about a mile due east of The Point when I spotted what I first thought was debris floating in the water.
As I got closer, I realized it was the bottom of a small aluminum skiff completely capsized with 4 men trying to hold on and two young children clinging to the hull and no one was wearing a life jacket and the youngest child, who looked 5, was crying uncontrollably.
Suddenly, all those years of watching Deadliest Catch came rushing back to me. I cut the engines and lowered my stern ladder. I then shouted over and asked “is everyone accounted for?”
They said — “yes, please save us.”
I grabbed the VHS and hollered out my best “PAN, PAN, PAN, this is the Mean Kitty. I am approaching a small skiff capsized, one mile east of Peases Point Mattapoisett. 6 souls on board — 4 men and 2 children, all accounted for, no life jackets, need help, I will attempt to rescue immediately.” Continue reading “Rescue at Sea”
There are a number of great destinations that require a trip up the Cape Cod Canal; Onset, Sandwich, Plymouth, Barnstable, and Provincetown. In fact, I find the canal itself to be a destination on certain days. My Garmin Autoroute does an excellent job of steering a perfect course around the graceful bends approaching the bridges, it’s almost always calm, and the 10 MPH speed limit … Continue reading A Secret Everyone Should Know – The Old Canal
There is a new hazard that unfortunately is becoming more commonplace along the south coast; I’m talking about Fish Traps! The first time I saw one of these was off Mattapoisett Neck. They now appear off Sakonnet and south of the entrance to Newport. The traps in Mattapoisett and Sakonnet are close to shore which means you’ll probably be going slow and easily spot them. … Continue reading Beware of Fish Traps!
Yesterday, Mrs. Horne and I decided to head over to the Sail Loft in Padanaram for a late lunch (or was it an early dinner). I love Sunday afternoons at the Sail Loft because one of my friends Ken Richards and Neal McCarthy always perform from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. I also love it because it one the few free Dock and Dines on … Continue reading The Dreaded 4 Piling Back-in Slip!
