CATBOAT SAILING | SKINNY WATER SERIES 2019: SHEEP PEN HARBOR!!

CATBOAT SAILING | SKINNY WATER SERIES 2019: SHEEP PEN HARBOR!!
Music: "Brown and Gold" - By View Points - If you like this song, please support the artist by purchasing it.
SO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR THAT LITTLE COVE OR HARBOR TO TUCK INTO TO GET OUT OF THAT NASTY BUZZARDS BAY SOUTHWEST WIND? MAYBE YOU JUST WANT TO TAKE A BREAK AND HAVE A CUP OF TEA, OR LUNCH, OR MAYBE EVEN A BRIEF OVERNIGHT STAY? WELL YOU’VE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE, BECAUSE IN TODAY’S EPISODE, I AM GOING TO TAKE YOU TO SHEEP PEN HARBOR.
SHEEP PEN??? WHERE THE HECK IS THAT? WELL THE ANSWER IS COMIN RIGHT UP SO STICK AROUND!!!
OUR “SAILING SKINNY WATERS” SERIES IS ALL ABOUT FINDING THOSE SHALLOW-WATER GUNKHOLING SPOTS THAT ONLY CATBOATS AND OTHER SHALLOW-DRAFT BOATS CAN GO.
I AM EXCITED (AND SAD) TO BRING YOU OUR LAST VIDEO IN THIS SERIES THIS SEASON. SAD BECAUSE IT IS THAT TIME OF YEAR WHEN YOU HAVE TO PACK UP THE BOAT AND PUT IT AWAY FOR THE WINTER.
EXCITED BECAUSE, WE ARE NOT ONLY GOING TO A SPECIAL LITTLE GUNKHOLING SPOT, BUT WE ARE GOING TO BE CHALLENGED ON HOW WE GET THERE.
SHEEP PEN HARBOR IS DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM WOODS HOLE ON NONAMESSET ISLAND. YOU WILL WANT TO GO TO YOUR CHART AND LOOK FOR MINK POINT . SHEEP PEN WILL BE RIGHT NEXT DOOR.
BUT YOU WILL NOTICE RIGHT AWAY THAT MEANS YOU WILL HAVE TO NAVIGATE THROUGH THE [WOODS]HOLE TO GET THERE IF YOU ARE COMING FROM BUZZARDS BAY
I HEARD THAT THERE IS AN INTERESTING ALTERNATIVE TO GOING THROUGH WOODS HOLE IF YOU ARE IN A CATBOAT. IT IS CALLED THE “PINE ISLAND PASSAGE”
TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT YOUR CHART RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER FROM MINK POINT, AND YOU WILL NOTICE AN ELONGATED STRING OF ROCKS WAY OVER THE THE WEST SIDE OF THE HOLE, ALMOST AT THE NONAMESSETT SHORE.
I’VE BEEN TOLD YOU CAN CUT THROUGH THIS LITTLE PASSAGE IN A SMALL BOAT AND AVOID THE CRAZINESS OF THE MAIN CHANNEL AT WOODS HOLE. AND SO BY NOW YOU KNOW ME WELL ENOUGH TO KNOW I ENJOY A CHALLENGE, AND SO I AM GOING TO GIVE IT A SHOT TODAY.
ONCE THROUGH THAT PASSAGE YOU AIM FOR GREEN CAN # 1 ON THE BROADWAY. THEN WATCH YOUR CHARTPLOTTER CAREFULLY AS YOU WIND AROUND THE CORNER STAYING CLEAR OF THE ROCKS TO THE RIGHT. THEN WHEN YOU ARE LINED UP WITH GREEN CAN # 5, YOU CAN GO RIGHT INTO SHEEP PEN. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU WILL WANT TO ATTEMPT BETWEEN THREE HOURS AFTER LOW TIDE AND 3 HOURS AFTER HIGH TIDE. ON THE OTHER HAND YOU HAVE A CATBOAT, AND IF YOU ARE LIKE ME YOU MIGHT PLAY WITH THOSE RULES OF THUMB A LITTLE BIT. SHEEP PEN HAS A SANDY BOTTOM WITH VERY FEW ROCKS, ONCE YOU GET INSIDE. SO FIND A SPOT TO THROW OUT YOUR HOOK AND RELAX. AND WHEN YOU DO, YOU WILL BE TREATED TO ANOTHER GEM OF A GUNKHOLING SPOT, WHERE YOU CAN HANG OUT OVER AND OVER AGAIN, ESPECIALLY IF YOU WANT A PLACE TO REST ON YOUR WAY TO AND FROM MARTHA’S VINEYARD

Notes and Comments from the late Dr. Jeremy Whitney
Continuing on on his route around Naushon Island, "We sail around Uncatena to reach the entrance of the [Woods] Hole, intending ultimately to move down Vineyard Sound. But first, in keeping with our leisurely vacation schedule, we plan to have a second cup of coffee in Sheep Pen Harbor. And before Sheep Pen, we have to negotiate Woods Hole. There is an interesting alternative to the "problem" of Woods Hole called Pine Island Passage. Examination of the Woods Hole chart, reveals an elongated string of rocks way over on the west side of the Hole, almost to the Nonamesset shore, ludicrously named Pine Island. There are several advantages to this option for traversing the Hole. There will be zero traffic. the water, though flowing about as fast as in the Straight, will be flat. It is definitely a short cut, especially if you are headed down the sound. The major disadvantage is that there is little room to turn should the current be too strong for you. Make sure to enter Sheep Pen Harbor exactly between the rockpile on the right and the sandy shore on the left. The chart shows a roomy entrance, free of rocks, but it would be best to enter slowly under power. Ignore the one-half foot soundings on the chart because you are going in at nearly high tide, and should have two or three feet under you. Anchor on a sandy bottom, put up the awning, and watch the passing parade over a cup of coffee

#catboatadventures
#sheeppenharbor
#hadleyharbor
#naushonisland
#elizabethislands
#catboatsailing
#catboat
#marshallcatboat
#marshall22catboat
#marshallmarine
#naushonislandtrust