| Nantucket a Playground For Tiara Owners
Boating, in Nantucket, is serious business. To get from the mainland to the island, 30 miles away, you need a sturdy craft that handles well in a steady chop.
Part of the attraction of Nantucket Island, beyond its romantic history, gorgeous scenery, beaconing shoreline and tradition of quality, is that the place can be defined in so many different ways: Retreat Playground Focal point of early American history Shoppers' paradise
Maritime center Visitors to this pristine paradise some 30 miles off the Massachusetts coast, quickly discover the diversity Nantucket has to offer. Visit all three lighthouses: Great Point Lighthouse, Sankaty Head Lighthouse, and Brant Point Lighthouse, which was originally constructed in 1746 and was the second lighthouse built in America. These illustrate how the past and present combine comfortably here. What was once the world's whaling capital, is now a major vacation resort.
You might be a botanist or ecologist for a day and investigate the dynamic richness of the dunes, the beaches and the marshes. Even in this harsh, salty environment, exquisite plants have flourished and actually help to stabilize the shifting sands. Early settlers used the fragrant bayberry that grows here to scent their homemade candles.
Which brings us to the maritime tradition that is captured in a number of historic references?even a whaling museum that was formerly a spermaceti candle factory. It is here that you will see fine scrimshaw, paintings of the whaling industry and the skeleton of a 43-foot finback whale. You will also find that Nantucket was home port to the Beaver and the Dartmouth two Rotch family ships that participated in the famed Boston Tea Party. The Rotch family building is still here on Main Street and houses the Pacific Club.
Surf fishing for blue fish is a popular sport on the island. There are 10 public beaches. Each person who visits the island, naturally develops his or her own impression. From his perspective, about an hour away across Nantucket Sound in Osterville, Peter Maryott sees Nantucket Island as a major destination for boaters and relatively wealthy vacationers, who spend a month or two escaping the mainland hustle. Maryott is vice president and general manager of the 120-slip Oyster Harbors Marine, whose well-earned reputation on Cape Cod, Massachusetts and beyond has grown out of a long tradition of building, selling and servicing high quality sportfishing and cruising yachts. "I'll tell you," he says. "If you're going to Nantucket from Cape Cod, you can expect there will be at least a foot chop. It can be rough. You need a good boat, 29-foot or better, and Tiara is right for the job."
Once you arrive in your Tiara, you will find some of the finest marina and mooring accommodations on the East Coast and the most amazing yachts in the world docked at the Nantucket Boat Basin. They come in all sizes. You'll feel at home in your Tiara. And on land, there's always something going on first-rate galleries, live music, theater and more athletic outdoor activities, including miles of scenic bicycle paths to get you deep into the island, away from the tourists who are content on Main Street and the beaches. There are at least 10 public beaches - each one better than the next. And, of course, if it?s fishing you like, you'll find a plentiful supply of blue claw crabs, oysters, bay scallops, bluefish, striped bass and quahogs. There are rules for catching each, and for some there are limits and seasons.
The Nantucket harbor has been the life-center of commerce since the early whaling days when the industry flourished here. The on-land accommodations range from exclusive to accessible. You can rent a cottage, find a guesthouse, a bed and breakfast, or indulge yourself at some of the more luxurious hotels and inns on the island. Among those, Cliffside Beach Club and the Wauwinet are especially appealing. Travel and Leisure magazine picked the Wauwinet as one of its top-ten vacation retreat choices.
Down on Main Street, you feel as if you have been thrust back in time. There are more than 800 fully maintained houses that were built between 1740 and 1840, most at their original setting. You wonder how the early settlers lived. Look around. The cobblestone streets and narrow lanes are for real.
If you're seeking family fun that's more in line with the new millennium, keep an eye on the Chamber of Commerce's annual schedule. A film festival, fine wine festival and annual sandcastle and sculpture event are among the highlights.
Whatever you do you are bound to be captivated by Nantucket a uniquely American destination with more variety than you'll find at any vacation spot within hundreds of miles.
IMPORTANT CONTACTS:
Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce
(508) 228-1700
www.nantucketchamber.org
Oyster Harbors Marine
Osterville MA
(508)428-2017
www.oysterharborsmarine.com
Nantucket Boat Basin
(800) NAN-BOAT
Nantucket Town Pier
(508)228-7260
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