We ventured outside the hurricane barrier about 2 1/2 to 3 hours from New Bedford Harbor to a little island, Cuttyhunk, at the western end of the Elizabeth Islands, a chain of islands extending west from Woods Hole in Falmouth,. This island is close to Cape Cod (Woods Hole), Martha's Vineyard (8 miles) and a little further, to Nantucket. On a clear and bright sunny day, one can see from the Bourne Bridge connecting the mainland to Cape Cod, down the shore line to Rhode Island. The trip was great, beautiful weather, motoring at about 6.5-7 knots, for approximately 14 miles total.Several ledges, Phinney Rock, Great Ledge, and Wilkes Ledge to name a few, appear along the course to Cuttyhunk forcing the skipper to stay alert to keep the boat in deeper waters until you reach Penikese, a small island in front of Cuttyhunk, and the mouth of Cuttyhunk Harbor. There are two separate mooring fields to use in the Harbor, some in shallow water. We decided to bypass these and go in to Cuttyhunk Pond. Incidentally, Penikese was formerly used as a leper colony, then a home for troubled boys.
Once in the harbor you can see an opening leading into Cuttyhunk Pond with moorings and dock slips to the very small town of Gosnold. Cuttyhunk Island is part of the town of Gosnold. We arrived on a Friday afternoon after the busy summer season and made our way through the narrow and shallow channel to the pond. We picked up a mooring, had dinner on the grill then dinghied into town for a little tour. Gosnold has under 20 residents in the winter, yet offers Library, Schooling, Methodist Church, Post Office, Town Meeting Hall, and Cuttyhunk Market. During the summer the town swells with seasonal residents, both on land and in the water. There are rental homes and apartments during the season plus Cuttyhunk Fishing Club Bed & breakfast Inn, and Avalon( The Inn at Cuttyhunk). Many homes are multigenerational dating back to the early 1900's. Cuttyhunk Ferry brings visitors to the Island at 9:00 am and leaves at 3:00pm weekdays for New Bedford. One needs to check with the Ferry company for weekend times. Transportation on the island is mostly by 4 wheel ATV's and golf carts, or bicycling or walking. There are very few cars or trucks on the island
Cuttyhunk Island has a small beach, a great harbor, good fishing, some beautiful hiking trails- I have pictures from the top of the hill.
Shellfish Farms "Floating" Raw Bar delivers to your boat. Cuttyhunk Oysters delivers meals to your boat also. Cool!!
There are a few other places to eat, Cuttyhunk Corner Store, and of course, Ice Cream.
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