Break At Esthers

Took a ride out to Madaket today to check out the break at Smiths Point/Esthers. It's about 200 or so feet wide. When I was there, the tide was rushing out very strong. If this cut stays open, it will make a nice short cut for guys running down to the backside of the Island from Madaket. Here's a picture of the cut George Riethof took from the air. Thanks, George!

Click on any picture to enlarge.


Here's another picture of the break-

There were a few seals lazing around on the beach there. Here's a few shots of them-









Here's a video clip I took of the above seal-


The old Egg Harbor boat that was taking a beating at the old Shipyard finally sank the other day. Too bad, she was a nice old boat.

Death of an Old Girl

The old Egg Harbor boat has succumbed to a watery grave.
Pictures later tomorrow.

Storm Damage

I went out today and grabbed some shots of the storm damage to Sankaty Bluff. Also there was an Egg Harbor boat getting smashed apart at the old Shipyard this afternoon. Click on any picture to enlarge. Enjoy.









Click On The Picture Below

Nantucket Waterfront News

Storm Aftermath

I went out to Baxter Road this morning to observe the storm damage to the man made bluff. It was horrific. A huge section of the man made bank was lost last night. When I was there, I observed hundreds and hundreds of 12' pressure treated four by four pieces of wood floating around and drifting to the north towards Hoicks Hollow and Great Point. The site was littered with empty coir bags. Several sections of terrace measuring between 20 and thirty feet in length were floating dangerously out to sea. The people responsible for building this bluff have an enormous clean up on their hands. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of pieces of lumber and huge sections of terrace are going to be littering our beaches in the next several days. Also, there are hundreds of empty coir bags drifting around offshore endangering birds, whales and fish not to mention boats transitting the area. People don't realize how bad this is until they go out there and see it for themselves. I took the above clip of the man made bluff project this morning about two hours before high tide. Here are some pictures I took-

This is looking north towards Sankaty Light. Notice all the sediment in the water and how far it extends out to sea.

Here a large section of the man made bluff was washed out to sea leaving several empty coir bags behind. These empty coir bags will eventually break loose from the beach and drift out to sea.

This shot is a section of the bluff that had at least two sections of the terrace removed by the waves. As I said before, these terrace sections are between 20 and 30 feet long.

This picture was taken from the Polpis Road looking towards the opening of Sesachacha Pond. Notice the waves breaking over the dune into the pond. Sorry for the poor quality of the picture.

UPDATE: Children's Beach Boat Ramp

The completion of the new Children's Beach boat ramp has been delayed yet again. This time until the 27th of this month. This past friday they removed the cofferdam and flooded the ramp. I was down there today and everything looks fine except for one thing. It looks to me that there isn't enough water to launch a boat in the new ramp. The pitch looks to be much too shallow. I was there this afternoon about an hour after dead low tide and there was only a foot and a half of water in the ramp. Not nearly enough to launch a boat. At high tide, it looks as though you would have to back your vehicle half into the water to have enough water in which to launch your boat. I hope I'm wrong about this but I've talked to several other people and they all said the same thing, there doesn't seem to be enough water in the ramp at either tide to launch a boat. If anyone has been down to the ramp lately and think differently, please leave a comment in the comment section.
Here's a picture of the new ramp I took today-
Click on any picture to enlarge.

There are several nesting pairs of Ospreys I've seen around the waterfront lately. Here is a pair I saw at Jackson's Point this week-


Batten down your hatches and check your ground tackle. There's a pretty good easterly coming.

Click here for the latest marine weather forecast

Getting Ready

Things are finally starting to get busy around the waterfront. Two mooring companies are putting moorings in the water. The crew above was working off of Francis Street Beach today setting gear. It's very difficult to load the moorings which are stored on shore into boats without the use of the children's Beach boat ramp which is not completed yet. You have to go to Grey Lady Marine and use their facility for the time being.

Speaking of the new boat ramp, your guess is as good as mine as to when it will ever be done. I was told by a marine official that the new ramp would be ready by this Sunday, April 15th. I'm not sure they will meet that deadline. I'm thinking it will be ready to use my early May. Three quarters of the concrete slabs have been laid in place and a small part of the finger piers are built. Here's a picture of the construction I took yesterday-


There was a little buoy tender working off Brant Point late this afternoon. She was replacing buoys 11 and 13 when I grabbed her picture-
Click on the picture below.

Nantucket Waterfront News

M/V Iyanough Problems?

The very first day the SSA's M/V, Iyanough arrived here, I noticed large areas on her hull and superstructure that looks to be dimpled. I'm not sure if dimpled is the proper word or not. I took the picture below this afternoon. I circled the dimpled areas in red-
Click on any picture to enlarge.


Here's a closer shot-


I'm not a shipbuilder and I have never aspired to be one but something doesn't look right. I have never seen a ship dimpled like the Iyanough. Is this common practice in today's shipbuilding? I'm surprised they let her out of the yard looking like this. Is there anyone here that is familiar with shipbuilding that could provide some insight on this? If so, please leave a comment in the comment section. Thanks.

I added a new feature on the left. Click on the picture for a weather radar of the east coast.

Stranger In The Boat Basin

Click on any picture to enlarge.

This past Sunday morning, there was a strange boat in the Boat Basin pictured above. She was a police/fire boat from Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard. Not sure why she was here. She left at some point during the afternoon. Here's another shot of her-

Does anyone know why she was here?

I was out at Sankaty last week and saw the little black survey boat which has been tied up at the end of the Town Pier for the last several days. She was working about 1/4 mile offshore. The apparatus on her bow was lowered into the water. I'm thinking this has something to do with the 'Sconset Beach Bluff Project. Here's a picture of the boat working off Sankaty-


And here's a shot I grabbed a few days ago of the new SSA fast ferry "I Won't Go"(her new nickname) as she was headed outbound down the main channel-


Click on the picture below. It's a collection of a few of the blog pictures. Eventually I will work on removing the duplicates.

Nantucket Waterfront News

Ida Lewis

On the way in from scalloping today I spotted the Coast Guard buoy tender, Ida Lewis working out in the sound. I went out and got a closer look. The crew had just hauled the "NB" buoy out of the water and were working on it on the deck. The "NB" buoy is the first buoy you come to as you enter the main channel. It is sometimes referred to as the fairway buoy. Here's a close up shot of the buoys on deck. Notice how large they are when they are out of the water.

And here's a shot of the Ida Lewis stern-


Click here for info on buoy tenders

FINALLY!!!

Click on any picture to enlarge.

They are finally starting to build the concrete portion of the Children's Beach boat ramp. I was down there at the site today and saw the above two sections have been laid in place. I think they are making the sections off-Island and bringing them over by trailer truck on the freight boats. Here is another view of the project-

Shouldn't be long now when they wrap up this project that seemed to take forever.

I investigated that little black boat today that has been in here at the end of the Town Pier on and off. She looks to be a research vessel. Her name is Wolf River. No documentation numbers were visible on her hull and I could not see where she was homeported. Are research vessels exempt from documentation? Here are a couple of pictures of her. Notice in the second picture, the strange apparatus on her bow. I'm thinking it could be a sonar unit which can be lowered into the water?



I spied another research boat tied up on Straight Wharf recently. Her name is Carol Leigh. I believe she's a 25' Parker. Not sure what she is researching either. Here's her picture-


The western rigged scalloper, Miss Maria was at the Town Pier today also. When I was there checking out the Wolf River, her catch was being offloaded and sold to a local fish market. I heard the price paid to the fishermen for sea scallops is $6 per pound now. That is down from a high of $9 earlier this year.
Here's a shot of the Miss Maria-


Only one bay scalloper ventured out in Town today. And one went out in Madaket. The strong wind today kept most of the guys on shore. I know of two people who got their 5 bushel limit of scallops one day this week. Tomorrow is the last day of the commercial bay scallop season.

Warmer weather is right around the corner. The charter boat slips along Straight Wharf will soon be filled-

Nice Morning Out On The Water

Click on any picture to enlarge.

It was a beautiful morning out on the waterfront today. I was a little late getting out to the scallop grounds and caught only part of the sunrise. Most of Nantucket is still asleep and never gets to see scenes like these.


The sun was at the perfect height as it reflected off the church steeple making it appear to be on fire.


There are still scallops to be had out there. And there is a respectable amount of seed scallops for next season. Here's a shot of a few adult scallops I dredged up in one of my secret spots. Not bad for this late in the season.


There was a good sized flock of Brant following me around all morning, feeding on the eel grass I dredged up.


Friday is the last day of the commercial scallop season. I will go once more before it's over.

As I was heading in, this scalloper was heading in as well.


Her name is Casa Blanca. She's a regular visitor here. Don't let the net reels in her stern fool you. She's not a dragger. She is currently sea scalloping. The red, western rigged scalloper, Sheriff, arrived early this morning and tied up at the end of the Town Pier. There is another small boat at the end of the Town Pier. She came in yesterday. She looks to be a pilot boat but I'm not sure. I'll investigate tomorrow.