The Buzzards Bay Float-in, hosted by the Northeast
Fleet and fellow CDSOA members Melissa and Rich Abato, will
take place Saturday and Sunday, July 22-23
at Mattapoisett,
MA.
Fleet
communications will be on VHF Ch. 16 and 72.
Please monitor these channels during the event.
Hail “Cape Dory Fleet” or “Mahalo”.
Mattapoisett
Harbor is a beautiful port that’s easy to
enter. It’s entrance is wide open to the southeast but
offers good protection from the summer’s prevailing southwest
winds.
From Nye Ledge (G”13” Fl G 4s BELL)
it’s a straight northwesterly course right into the harbor.
When you get to RN “4” you’ll
have to stay inside the channel to avoid the ledges but after
RN “6” the harbor is wide open
and deep.
Note Mattapoisett Light on Ned Point
off to starboard as you enter the harbor and head for the northern
mooring field off the complex of large gray/blue buildings at
Mattapoisett
Boatyard. Contact the boatyard (VHF Ch.
68, 508-758-3812), let them know you are with the “Cape
Dory Group”, and you’ll be shown to your
mooring.
Figure 1. Mattapoisett Harbor Chart
(Visit Maptech.com)
MBY moorings are $25 per night.
Services available include marine store, rest rooms, showers,
dinghy dock, fuel, water, ice, pumpout, launch and full yard
services. They do not allow rafting on the moorings, but will
have a mooring for everyone that registers by the 18th (unless
of course 200 boats show up).
Please call or e-mail
Melissa to make arrangements for a mooring as soon as possible.
www.mattapoisettboatyard.com
If you’d rather anchor, there’s limited space
in the southeast side of the harbor outside the mooring fields.
Use the tide tables for Newport. High tide at Mattapoisett
Harbor is 11 minutes later; low tide is 20 minutes later. Mean
tidal range is about 4 feet.
Upon arrival, don’t forget to contact Melissa and Rich
aboard their Cape Dory 36 Mahalo (VHF
Ch. 72) and let them know you’re there and whether
you’re anchored or on a mooring and where. They will be
in Mattapoisett Friday evening, around 6:00 p.m. or so, and
all day Saturday.
Figure 2. Mattapoisett Harbor
This is an informal event and crews will gather aboard Mahalo
for afternoon snacks and a potluck dinner. So bring some snack
items to share with the rest of the group in the harbor and
the fixin's for your favorite beverage. Then it's potluck for
dinner. No, we don't throw everything into one pot and whatever
comes out is dinner, but whatever you bring it’s what
we'll have.
Also, at the town dock, there’s an ice cream stand and
right across the street you’ll find the Kinsale
Inn (formerly the Mattapoisett Inn), where people can
hangout in the bar and/or restaurant.
If everyone’s amenable, let’s do breakfast together
on Sunday morning before heading out! We can decide during the
event whether we want to do this or not.
See you at the float-in,
Melissa and Rich
