Making for Quissett

Chart #13230, #13235

Approaching Quissett from the west in Buzzards Bay, use the large blue standpipe in Falmouth and the smaller brown-colored standpipe in Woods Hole as your guides. Head for the large standpipe from areas to the south and east. From the west, head just to the south of the large standpipe. As you approach Quissett, you notice two large rocks to the north of the entrance (they resemble sand dunes and are located due south of two cupolas in Sippewisset).

A red-lighted buoy marks the outer entrance to Quissett Harbor. If you are unsure of your ability to navigate a narrow channel under sail, or just cautious by nature, you should start your engine well away from the buoy, lower and secure your sails. On weekends, there is a lot of sailboat traffic, usually 12 ½-foot Herreshoffs and other small boats under sail heading to the outer harbor for a race or coming home from one, as well as larger cruising boats and motor traffic.

The channel, well-marked with red nuns and green cans, is crooked. Don't try to shortcut the markers – you'll hit hard on rocks and sand that jut out underwater from the "knob" on the hill, a spit of land jutting out from the inner harbor at Quissett.

Local mariners advise you to hug the red nuns close, then cut across from the first nun inside the harbor entrance to the second green can. Keep an eye on your depth sounder (if you have one) and, by all means, stay in the channel at this point.

Once inside, you can head towards the head of the harbor where the Quissett Harbor Boat Yard maintains a dock for short visits, as well as a dinghy tie-up area. You can radio ahead to the boat yard on Channel 9 to obtain permission to tie up at the dock (there's six feet of water at low tide at the dock) or get an overnight mooring.

If you're just interested in lunch, find an empty mooring just after making the turn to the north. Generally, if you have not tied up at a private mooring, you can stay in Quissett for an hour or two, enjoy lunch and a trip ashore to explore the "knob" and the beaches on Buzzards Bay beyond it. It is recommended that you do not anchor in this area, because the moorings are yellow polypropylene line shackled to several cable runs on the bottom, and your anchor could foul on them. Overnight moorings cost about $24 a night.

You may want to try to anchor inside the bight on the south side of the channel, but this area can get rough in any wind but a southwesterly. There are rocks, so post a lookout as you search for a place to anchor, and keep an eye on your depth sounder.

At the boat yard, you can get water and ice, but no fuel. There is a public telephone, but there are no slips, laundry or showers and no stores or other attractions of a busier port. The village of Woods Hole is located about a mile-and-a-half away, a good hike on foot, but worth it.

If you are staying in the harbor, you can take your dinghy ashore and climb one of the many narrow paths to the well-traveled pathway out to the "knob," a high point that juts out into Buzzards Bay on the north side of the harbor and provides an excellent view up and down the bay on a clear day. There is also a small beach area on the north side of the "knob," with clean, clear water and, on windy days, a good surf. Caution: wear socks – deer ticks may be present. Pets may be brought ashore on a leash, but examine them for ticks before returning to your boat.

Kayakers often take their boats around the knob, so be on the lookout for them as well as for any traffic coming in and out of the channel. All of the houses on the shores of Quissett are privately-owned – the large manse with the flag hoisted high belongs to the National Science Foundation, and conferences are often taking place there. The NSF maintains a float and a small dock for dinghies and sailboats belonging to their members.

The Quissett Yacht Club maintains a building in the northeast corner of the inner harbor, but they offer little in the way of amenities. They sponsor many of the small boat races that take place inside and outside the harbor on busy summer weekends.

A large red "junk" lays in the harbor about halfway down. It is often occupied by its owner who does not mind if you take your dinghy on a tour around his boat. Beyond this large boat is an outcropping of rocks – beware of these when trying to get a mooring.