MUNICIPAL PRIDE
With a great spot on Nantucket Sound, Saquatucket Harbor Municipal Marina
in Harwich Port, Massachusetts, welcomes boaters who plan ahead.
by Nick Torelli, Offshore Magazine
The Saquatucket Harbor Municipal Marina in Harwich Port, Massachusetts, is
so popular that the waiting list for seasonal dock space is over ten
years. Transient slips, however, are easier to come by. With advance
reservations, visiting boats can stay there from three nights to two
weeks in season. Boaters should call in April to secure their slot.
The marina occupies virtually all of the ten acre Saquatucket Harbor on
the southeast side of Cape Cod. Its Nantucket Sound location is convenient for boaters who
enjoy cruising and fishing the waters between Long Island Sound and the upper reaches of New
England. The facilities here are updated and well-maintained- which may explain why the
waiting list is so long.
In season, the harbor is very busy, and the marina is home to a healthy mix of boats
including party, charter and commercial fishing boats and two charter sailboats. An
80-passenger ferry offers quick 90-minute cruises to Nantucket. The harbormaster maintains
three boats- for pump-outs and patrols. The fleet of pleasure boats rounds out the field
with a power-to-sail ratio of three to one.
Boaters new to the area should bear in mind that the channel, while not long, is narrow
and falls between two 400-foot jetties. Though the channel is dredged every other year, be
sure to avoid three-foot depths on the shoals east and west of the inlet and make your
approach from the south. The well-marked channel will lead you pst a mooring field to port
to a flashing red marker "6" on the east jetty. Once inside, the fleet lies dead ahead.
The harbormaster runs Saquatucket Harbor Municipal Marina from a cedar-shake house in the
classic Cape Cod style. The grounds are landscaped and dotted with picnic tables, but most
of the property is given over to parking. The floating wooden docks accomodate yachts up to
60 feet long and are in very good condition-all the pilings were replaced last year. Water
and 20- and 30-amp electrical hook-ups are available.
The heads and showers- located in an
L-shaped addition on the main building- are handicapped accessible and impeccably clean.
Some concierge services are provided, such as mail and package handling and faxing.
Round-the-clock security, while hardly necessary in this quiet area, is comforting
nonetheless.
The marina does not offer engine or hull repair services, but mechanics are on call nearby
and are welcome to service any craft in the facility. A marine store is just steps from the
entrance. Boat brokerages and dealerships are located within walking distance.
The marina discourages grilling on the grounds or docks due to fire regulations, but a
popular family-style restaurant, Brax Landing, is right outside the gate. Thompson's Farm
Market, an upscale grocery, is across the street.
Beaches on both sides of the harbor are available for swimming and sunning, and
surfcasters can try their luck from the stone jetties in the area. Route 28 runs right past
the facility. The local neighborhood consists of one-family residences and vacation homes,
but the village of Harwich Port is expanding down to the harbor. For now, though, the shops
in the village are a short walk away, and the marina is working with the town on a plan to
extend the sidewalk for the entire route. Sports enthusiasts will find tennis courts and
golf courses nearby. A small airport is about four miles from the harbor in Chatham, and
taxis and rental cars are just a phone call away.
This boating facility opened in 1970. Harbormaster Tom Leach, who might now be
considered an "old timer" by some, was hired in 1973 and was the youngest harbormaster in
the state for many years. Leach, an accomplished saltwater sailor and a high school sailing coach, is credited with expanding the harbor
and its marina into the largest municipal facility on Nantucket Sound. He wears many hats
in the community, serving on six local committees and maintaining an information-packed web
site for the harbor at:
www.town.harwich.ma.us/harbor
Harbormaster Tom Leach and son USCGA Cadet Tom Leach
by Nick Torelli, Offshore Magazine
The Saquatucket Harbor Municipal Marina in Harwich Port, Massachusetts, is so popular that the waiting list for seasonal dock space is over ten years. Transient slips, however, are easier to come by. With advance reservations, visiting boats can stay there from three nights to two weeks in season. Boaters should call in April to secure their slot.
The marina occupies virtually all of the ten acre Saquatucket Harbor on the southeast side of Cape Cod. Its Nantucket Sound location is convenient for boaters who enjoy cruising and fishing the waters between Long Island Sound and the upper reaches of New England. The facilities here are updated and well-maintained- which may explain why the waiting list is so long.
In season, the harbor is very busy, and the marina is home to a healthy mix of boats including party, charter and commercial fishing boats and two charter sailboats. An 80-passenger ferry offers quick 90-minute cruises to Nantucket. The harbormaster maintains three boats- for pump-outs and patrols. The fleet of pleasure boats rounds out the field with a power-to-sail ratio of three to one.
Boaters new to the area should bear in mind that the channel, while not long, is narrow and falls between two 400-foot jetties. Though the channel is dredged every other year, be sure to avoid three-foot depths on the shoals east and west of the inlet and make your approach from the south. The well-marked channel will lead you pst a mooring field to port to a flashing red marker "6" on the east jetty. Once inside, the fleet lies dead ahead.
The harbormaster runs Saquatucket Harbor Municipal Marina from a cedar-shake house in the classic Cape Cod style. The grounds are landscaped and dotted with picnic tables, but most of the property is given over to parking. The floating wooden docks accomodate yachts up to 60 feet long and are in very good condition-all the pilings were replaced last year. Water and 20- and 30-amp electrical hook-ups are available.
The heads and showers- located in an
L-shaped addition on the main building- are handicapped accessible and impeccably clean.
Some concierge services are provided, such as mail and package handling and faxing.
Round-the-clock security, while hardly necessary in this quiet area, is comforting
nonetheless.
The marina does not offer engine or hull repair services, but mechanics are on call nearby
and are welcome to service any craft in the facility. A marine store is just steps from the
entrance. Boat brokerages and dealerships are located within walking distance.
The marina discourages grilling on the grounds or docks due to fire regulations, but a
popular family-style restaurant, Brax Landing, is right outside the gate. Thompson's Farm
Market, an upscale grocery, is across the street.
Beaches on both sides of the harbor are available for swimming and sunning, and
surfcasters can try their luck from the stone jetties in the area. Route 28 runs right past
the facility. The local neighborhood consists of one-family residences and vacation homes,
but the village of Harwich Port is expanding down to the harbor. For now, though, the shops
in the village are a short walk away, and the marina is working with the town on a plan to
extend the sidewalk for the entire route. Sports enthusiasts will find tennis courts and
golf courses nearby. A small airport is about four miles from the harbor in Chatham, and
taxis and rental cars are just a phone call away.
This boating facility opened in 1970. Harbormaster Tom Leach, who might now be
considered an "old timer" by some, was hired in 1973 and was the youngest harbormaster in
the state for many years. Leach, an accomplished saltwater sailor and a high school sailing coach, is credited with expanding the harbor
and its marina into the largest municipal facility on Nantucket Sound. He wears many hats
in the community, serving on six local committees and maintaining an information-packed web
site for the harbor at:
www.town.harwich.ma.us/harbor
www.town.harwich.ma.us/harbor
Harbormaster Tom Leach and son USCGA Cadet Tom Leach