Sightseeing in Massachusetts

Massachusetts has been putting boats to sea longer than it has been a state, and the coastline shows it: Boston Harbor's working depths, Cape Cod's long sandy hook, and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket standing offshore. Counting the islands, the shoreline runs over 1,500 miles: enough for a lifetime of sailing routes, powerboat runs, and quiet anchorages. Lighthouses and old port towns line the way. You can hug a protected bay, punch out into the open Atlantic, or settle into the calmer water of Buzzards Bay, and each choice asks something different of the boat and the skipper.

The water around Cape Cod deserves its reputation. Cape Cod Bay offers calmer conditions and the chance of whales; the Atlantic side is open ocean, honest and exposed. South of the Cape, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket are the marquee stops: Edgartown and Nantucket Town harbors run thick with transient traffic in high season, and ashore there's fine dining, boutiques, and beaches that stay wild a short bike ride from the docks. The passages between the mainland and the islands demand attention: tidal currents run hard and the shoals move.