Eric
I’m very familiar with these cruising grounds and have a few suggestions. A trip outside and around Cape Cod is not advised unless you have good crew and are familiar with the area. There are strong currents and frequent fog. It can be a dangerous trip. If you chose to head that way, P’Town isn’t really convenient. It takes a long time to work around the end of the cape and into the harbor and just as long to get out. There are no safe harbors on the outside of the cape. A more relaxed trip would take you through the canal in both directions. You need a minimum of two weeks for a trip such as this.

Assuming that the weather is good and the wind is from the south or west, Rockport is a good place to stop. There is a nice anchorage outside the main harbor off the beach. There’s a public dock for dinghy tie-up close by and there are a number of interesting art studios tourist traps nearby. We usually get take-out lobster from the local fish market on bearskin neck. Don’t even consider this anchorage if the wind might come around to the north or east however.

From there, you could go through the Anasquam Canal and through Gloucester harbor. This is a very entertaining trip. Watch the boat traffic through the railroad bridge and respect the current at the Gloucester end through the drawbridge. If you are nervous about manouvering through the congested canal, go around Cape Ann and down the coast.

Any trip on the south side of the cape is dependent on the current. There are places where 5kts or more is not uncommon. You need some kind of current computer or current charts to time your trip. You must make the current at the Cape Cod canal, otherwise you’ll be wasting your time and fuel. The current switches in your favor at about 1pm on the 6th. The first anchorage on the Buzzard’s Bay side of the canal is Onsett. A trip from Cape Ann to Onsett is pretty tiring, close to 60nmi just to the canal entrance. If this is too long a leg, I recommend stopping at Plymouth Yacht Club for a mooring.

The waves in Buzzard’s Bay can get huge in the afternoon when the SW wind whips them up. If possible, Hit the waves early in the morning when the wind is usually calm. Hadley’s Harbor makes a good anchorage.

The options and choices for a trip like this are too numerous to list in an email. Call me if you want to discuss plans.

Rich – 603-493-3330