Cuttyhunk Again

[markstephens]

Four of us paddled out of Woods Hole yesterday for Cuttyhunk. The ferry across Woods Hole Passage was the toughest part of the day, as the current was running at max ebb as we departed. That warmed us up, and we started down Vineyard Sound in Pea-Soup fog, (or peanut butter, if you are of the Yukon Cornelius school). The fog was so thick that we had to stay close to shore so as not to get run over by power boats plying the sound. As a result, we could not get out into the strong ebb current to get much help for the ride down the Elizabeths. We had a light wind in our faces to keep us cooled off as we paddled.

By the time we reached Pasque Island, the visibility was about ten yards. We could hear plenty of boat traffic in Quicks Hole, but we kept hugging the rocky shore to stay out of the way of anybody running around out there. We inadvertantly paddled most of the way up through Quicks Hole, hugging the shore, which was the only thing we could see. Finally the fog lifted enough that we could then cross Quicks over to Nashawena Island. We had added a good two miles to our paddle by the partial circumnavigation of Pasque.

The fog dropped back down and we only knew we were approaching Cuttyhunk by the sound of the bell buoy outside Cuttyhunk Harbor. Then, like lost Atlantis, the thriving metropolis (year-round population 70) rose out of the fog before us. We eventually landed at the town pier just after 1 o'clock. It took us four and a half hours to get there given our snaking along the shore and lack of help from the ebb current.

After seeing the sights, stretching, eating, grabbing an ice cream cone, we started back around 2:45. The fog had lifted off most of the Sound and we were in good time to catch the flood current back to Woods Hole. Eventually, we could even see Martha's Vineyard across the way, and the guys had some scenery to look at on the 17-mile slog back. We caught a fair tide, with a 5 knot tail-breeze, and averaged about 5 knots on the return trip. We snuck into Hadley Harbor through West Gutter after a bit of play in the currents there, then back to Great Harbor in Woods Hole. 36+ miles for the day.