Sailing around Boston

[MartyB]

We just sailed our Catamaran from the Caribbean to Boston. We are new to the area and got a slip at Charlestown Marina for the summer.

We are looking for ideas for day sails or overnight trips when friends come visit. There are many islands as you enter Boston. Any good tips on where to anchor for lunch and overnights in the area?
Thanks for your recommendations !

[dfelsent]

https://www.bostonharborislands.org/boating/

You can anchor off most islands as well.

Day or overnight trips, outside Boston-
Scituate - you will need a mooring or slip, not sure about room for a cat
Provincetown - a hoot. Moorings, slips, anchorage all available. Overnight trip. Or do it as a day trip by fast ferry from long wharf. You get to long wharf by taking the mbta charlestown commuter ferry. Or walk the entire way along the waterfront. https://www.bostonharbornow.org/what...re/harborwalk/

Marblehead - mooring or dock only. Lousy in north or east as the harbor mouth gets bouncy, and with a cat on a mooring that is where you will be. Colonial era town, big yacht clubs, 2500 boats in the harbor
Manchester - anchor outside. Very tight inner harbor. You can go ashore on Misery island if you have a trustees of reservations pass.
Salem - slips,moorings, and an anchorage at the mouth. Nice place to visit. Busy harbor.
Plymouth. Very busy powerboat harbor, long way in and out.
Gloucester. Anchorage and city moorings. Great place to visit. Not quiet because it is a very commercial harbor. I’d go there for sure.
Hingham - Worlds End is beautiful. Overnight anchoring restrictions.
Wellfleet - not been there in years. Never by sea. looks ok, you will be far out and a quiet town by Cape standards

[MartyB]

Thanks for the eloborate answer!
Can you overnight on anchor around the Boston Harbor Islands?

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by MartyB

Thanks for the eloborate answer!
Can you overnight on anchor around the Boston Harbor Islands?

You definitely can. They are a lot loud with day trippers on small power boats during the day, but settle down at night.

[dfelsent]

^^^^
What Chotu said!

[BrianInBoston]

Yes, there are many places to spend the night around Boston Harbor. In no real order:

1) Moorings at Peddock's Island, George's Island and Gallops Island. All are on Dockwa, no cash payments possible. There are also balls at Spectacle Island, but the traffic wakes and airplane noise make that more of a lunch and hike stop for me.

2) Anchoring along east or west side of Long Island. You'll sit with current here, and it reverses every 6 hours and 15 minutes. Boston normally has a 10-12' tidal range, so watch your depth.

3) In settled weather, anchoring off Wollaston Beach in Quincy Bay is nice, no current, no wakes. But it's shallow and you'll be out from the shore quite a ways and exposed in most winds.

4) Further out there is the NW shore of Great Brewster Island, and west side of Calf Island. Both can be explored by dinghy onto a beach. No waves, pretty calm.

5) Way out is the north side of Middle Brewster. Wake up to the sound of hundred of seagulls and salt air. Only issue is the amount of old fishing gear and lobster trap lines on the seabed that can foul your anchor.

6) Inside Hingham Bay there is room on either side of Bumpkin Island, and the west side of Grape. This bay is shallow in many spots, and is best entered on flood current at Hull Gut or West Gut.

All of these place are within 5-9 miles from downtown and the inner harbor, so can be done as a lunch day sail too. Have fun, Boston is a fabulous sailing area!