'Nother Wreck On The Beach

Captain Blair Perkins alerted me to a wreck he saw on the beach at Moneymoy today. She was moored off the second pier all winter. We'll see how long she stays there at Monemoy littering the beach. My guess is that the owner is long gone and will not clean up his mess.

Blair also noticed that the Sargent sustained more damage over this past storm. Her house and topsides are all gone now.

Here's what the Sargent looked like at the end of this past January-

This boat has been an extreme hazard to navigation for over three years now. Perhaps it will take someone getting killed to get this wreck removed.

The Cricks down by Sayle's Seafood is always a good place to bird watch if you are into that kind of thing. Today I spotted a Great White Egret hunting for it's meal along the edge of the marsh.


I went out to Sankaty this afternoon to survey the damage to the new man-made bluff project from yesterdays storm. It wasn't too bad. Minimal damage but we never got the strong ENE winds that were predicted. There were several laborers there today filling long coir bags with sand and then sewing them up. These bags are huge and very long. Can you imagine the hazard to navigation these bags will pose when they get washed out to sea during the next storm? I am getting reports from people that several coir bags from the first man-made bluff project at Sankaty are still being washed up and littering our beaches. What a mess. And a damn shame, too.

Any Erosion At Sankaty Today?/New Boat Ramp Concern

Anyone been out to the bluff at Sankaty today? Was there any damage to the newest man-made bluff project they are working on out there? I'll go out tomorrow and survey any damage from this storm.


New problem at the Children's Beach boat ramp. I was down there this morning and noticed a load of gravel that had washed up from the lower portion of the ramp up to the blacktop portion of the ramp. This happened overnight during a very minor northeast wind.

New Boat Ramp Woes

While I was down at the new Children's Beach boat ramp this morning, two officials from the DPW arrived and took measurements. I guess the Town is receiving a lot of complaints from boaters that the ramp is not working. One of the officials told me that the pitch of the ramp is 10% from his calculations. I am not sure what is going to be done if anything in the future to correct this problem at the ramp. here's another shot of them taking measurements-


Captain Blair brought his boat, Shearwater back from the yard at Providence, RI yesterday. He told me he had a wild ride. He said there were 12' seas off Block Island.


Anyone know what these two brand new machines are? I spotted them at the parking lot at Hoicks Hollow late today. I'm thinking they have something to do with the 'Sconset beach preservation project.

Here's the logo on the side of the machines-

Click on the picture of Brant Point Light Below-

Nantucket Waterfront News

F/V Donna Marie

If you're into fishing boats, there is a little sea scalloper that can be seen down around the docks. Her name is Donna Marie. She's an old wooden Novi. Her homeport is Gloucester, MA but she spends a lot of time here at Nantucket. She usually ties up at the end of the Town Pier but recently she's been seen laying at the fuel dock at the Boat Basin.

Here's a shot of her cutting house complete with a fancy fluorescent light-



A raft of Eider Ducks seen off Sankaty today. I have never seen these ducks here so late before. I thought they would be on their way up north to breed by now. it looks as though the males in the picture are molting. Or could there be another specie of duck mixed in?
By the way, when I shot the above picture today, I noticed several coir bags littering the beach between Sankaty and Codfish Park. God help the poor boater who gets one of these coir bags wrapped up in his propellor.

What Is Going On Here?

I was down at the Children's Beach boat ramp late today and noticed a serious problem. About half way down the ramp, there was a pile of gravel and a 15'' deep hole between two of the slabs of concrete. Here's a picture of the hole. It's kind of hard to see. Click on the pictures to enlarge.


Does anyone know what is causing this? Discuss.

West Wind

There's a new boat to join the commercial striped bass fishing fleet this summer. Captain Bob Rank splashed his boat, "West Wind" this morning. She's a 25' Downeaster boat powered by a 225 horsepower four stroke Yamaha outboard engine. Bob used to fish out of a smaller Aquasport boat also named the West Wind. Here's a picture of that boat while I was down off Sankaty back in 2001 commercial bass fishing. I came upon Bob in the thick fog fighting a big bass-


Bob has been fishing for bass commercially every summer for I'd say over thirty years now. He started out in Madaket fishing out of a B boat. He's got his new boat set up nicely with a wheelhouse he adapted to the boat himself. Here are a few more pictures of the West Wind-

Will This Stop Mother Nature?

I was out at Sankaty late this afternoon and took a look over the bluff. I noticed a huge, long coir bag on the beach. It looked to be about 100' long and about 3 or 4 feet high. This is going to be an extreme hazard to navigation when the next storm takes it out to sea.

Click on the picture below to enlarge.
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Click here for George Riethof's pictures from Sankaty

Done! (But is it useable)?

Looks as though the new Children's Beach boat ramp is finally done. I am down there every day, sometimes twice daily talking to boaters. Everyone I have talked to says that the new boat ramp is simply not working. I was there a few days ago an hour after high tide and witnessed the launch of a 19' Mako boat. A 19' Mako draws less a foot of water. The owner of the boat backed the trailer down until the back tires of the truck were about an inch or two under water. Standard procedure for a successful launch. The boat could not be launched. He got back in the truck and backed down the ramp again. This time his rear truck brakes were half underwater. Still no go. It took three men to pull the Mako off the trailer. One on the dock pulling on a stern line, one on the dock pulling on a bow line and the third guy standing on the tongue of the trailer pushing the bow. Mechanics are going to be very busy this year replacing brakes. I am not going to risk destroying my truck brakes to launch my boat. I'll be using the ramps in Madaket.

Straight Wharf At Sunrise

The best time of the day to visit the waterfront is at sunrise. Nobody is around except me and one or two other waterfront prowlers. There are some great picture taking opportunities to be had at that time of the day. I was down at Straight Wharf this morning and noticed a few charter boats have been splashed.

Problems At The New Boat Ramp

Looks pretty grim. I was at the ramp yesterday an hour after high tide watching two locals having a VERY VERY VERY difficult time hauling a 20' Grady White boat. They were not able to get their trailer down the ramp far enough to get the rollers underwater.(See picture) The only way they were able to get the boat on the trailer was to have one person in the boat giving the outboard motor almost full throttle ahead while the other person struggled to crank the winch on the trailer. I am hearing more and more reports from people that the new ramp is not working out well. I'm afraid we will have to live with this.

A Tribute To Chief Lucey

Chief Lucey retired from the Coast Guard yesterday. She was in charge of Station Brant Point. The guys at the station made the above and hung it on the lighthouse for all to see. Lucey will start her new job as assistant harbor master in June.

What's Going On With Sankaty Light?

Click on picture to enlarge.

When I was out in 'Sconset today, I spotted something on Sankaty Light. Upon closer inspection, I saw what appeared to be lengths of wooden strapping held together with wire encircling the middle part of the Lighthouse. Anyone know what this is all about?
Discuss.

Children's Beach Boat Ramp Progress

I shot the above clip early this morning of the new Children's Beach boat ramp. I was told that it will be completed by May 15th. At the rate they are going, I don't think they will meet that deadline. The finger piers are yet to be completed and they are still working on the bulkhead up by the parking lot. They most likely will have to stop the project before Summer and come back in the Fall and resume work. I have spoken to several people about this new boat ramp. Some are having no trouble at all launching and hauling a boat and others are having a very hard time with the ramp. It seems that there is enough water to launch a small boat. There is simply not enough water to launch a big boat with a deep V hull. One guy I spoke with yesterday owns a 23' Regulator boat. He told me he had to back his truck so far down the ramp that his back bumper and wheels were underwater so his boat would float off the trailer. I don't know what the solution to this problem with the new boat ramp is but I know I will not be using it to launch or haul my boat. I will be using the ramps out at Madaket.

I went out to check out the Sesachacha Pond opening this afternoon. It was still flowing out nicely. The ditch took a turn to the north at some point between today and Sunday when the pond was opened.
Click on picture to enlarge.

Remembering Peter Miller

Peter Miller died in a fire at his home today. He was 80. Peter was a fixture down at the waterfront for as long as I can remember. We all called him Peter Puck. I don't know how he got that nickname. Most every day you could find Peter sitting on a bench behind my scallop boat on Straight Wharf. It could be 10 degrees and he'd be sitting there all day. When I came in from scalloping, Peter would be there on the bench. We would talk about scalloping and how good it was years ago. Many people don't know that Peter was a banker once a long time ago in New York City. For some reason his life took a downward turn and he discovered the bottle. The last time I saw Peter it was late one very cold day this past January. He had fallen on the dock and was unable to get himself back up. I just happened to be there and discovered him. I helped him up, dusted him off and offered him a ride home. He said no and that he had to go to the A&P to go shopping. Your battle is over, Peter. May you rest in peace.

Sesachacha Pond Opened To The Sea

I went out to watch the opening of Sesachacha Pond to the sea this afternoon. It was a successful opening.






An old salt chum of mine sent me this picture of the break at Smith's Point he grabbed from an airplane-

Alabama

Any rag boat fans, the schooner, Alabama is here tied up at the east face of Straight Wharf. I went down at noon time to have a look see. Not sure why she's here and she didn't appear to have any sails. Here are a couple more pictures-




Click here for info on the Alabama


The little western rigged sea scalloper, Donna Marie was tied up at the Town Pier today. I spotted her working off Sankaty yesterday.


Today was the day the new Children's Beach boat ramp was supposed to be completed. They have a ways to go. The finger piers along each side of the ramp are not finished and the bulkhead on the south side of the ramp is not completed. The ramp is open which is good news. Here's the crew working on the bulkhead today-


George Riethof e-mailed me a link to some pictures he shot from his airplane the other day. It shows the hundreds of coir bags from the man made bluff that collapsed at Sankaty last week littering the beach at Surfside and Nobadeer. Thanks for the pictures, George!

Click here for George's Pictures


Click on the picture below.

Nantucket Waterfront News

Click here for a picture of the dragger, Lady Of Grace which was raised off the ocean bottom this week


Coast Guard press release regarding the above Lady Of Grace photo

Mess On Beach/Hummock Pond Opening

I went to Cisco Beach to check out the Hummock Pond opening this afternoon and was shocked and dismayed at what I discovered out there. Hundreds of coir bags from the man made bluff project at Sankaty that collapsed last week were littering the beach as far as the eye could see in both directions. I can only imagine the hundreds of bags that are on the bottom of the ocean waiting to be snagged by commercial bass fishermen. How many boats will be in danger of these bags getting wound up in their wheels (props)? Here are a couple more pictures of the coir bags littering the beach-



After going through the obstacle course of coir bags on the beach, I finally made it to the opening of Hummock Pond-

Beautiful Day At The Waterfront

Beautiful day to be around the waterfront today. It felt almost like Summertime. The above shot was taken at Brant Point looking down the main channel. There was hardly any boating going on today. The new Children's Beach boat ramp is not completed as of this writing. It is open to the public, though. I have not personally witnessed anyone attempting to haul or launch a boat in the new ramp but I have heard stories of people that had a great degree of difficulty hauling and launching in the new ramp yesterday at high tide.

Here's what the ramp looks like now. I took the picture on Friday. Notice the piers have not been completed yet.


I'm not sure when this project will ever get done. Hopefully it will be completed by Memorial Day when the boating season really starts to get going here.

Here are some more scenes from today-

Children's Beach Boat Ramp

Just got back from the new ramp. It was dead low tide and there was approximately 8-10"[EDIT: 30" of water. Sorry for the confusion] of water depth in the ramp. I need at least three and a half feet of water depth to launch my boat. I don't know how this new ramp is going to be usable.

Discuss.