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Cape Cod Life?
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rollerrider



Joined: 17 May 2003
Posts: 100

PostPosted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 8:05 am    Post subject: Cape Cod Life? Reply with quote

Thinking about the possibility of summering in Cape Cod. Maybe purchasing a small inland home. Maybe for retirement. Would Hyannis be the most economical? How accessible is windsurfing on the cape? Seems crowded in season. Maybe I should just stay where I am on lake Erie but wind here is only once a week on average and not an all day event. I check the forecasts often and the cape gets it more often (well duh its the ocean). But anyway I'm just looking for some windsurfer's input. Thanks.
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mat-ty



Joined: 07 Jul 2007
Posts: 7850

PostPosted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 9:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am sure many of the Cape Guys will chime in. I live north of Boston and hit the Cape at least 20 times per year. I know the Cape pretty well , but I am still learning about secret spots all the time. In my humble opinion you would be hard pressed to find better wind or variety anywhere in the US.( I am sure I will get some shit for that statement, but stand by it). You are surrounded by four bodies of water, Cape Cod bay, Atlantic , Nantucket Sound, And Buzzards Bay. You can always find a direction that works, and wind can usually be found if you are ready to jump on it. Flat water inlets and marshland to open ocean wave and swell. Best months are April ,may, sept, oct, nov. There is tons of wind in the colder months dec, jan, feb , march. Most winters we will get warm spells in those months.
If you lived on the Cape and could react fast you could sail 4/5 times a week , except for maybe the dead of summer.
Throw in the Vineyard , Nantucket , Horseneck, Duxbury, and the options are of the charts.
I have friends that have logged in 70 days so far this year, I am at almost 40.
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jpeter



Joined: 18 Oct 2009
Posts: 352

PostPosted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 12:37 pm    Post subject: Cape Reply with quote

Sailing is great, winters damp and cold, spring is cold, summer is humid, fall is nice.

Watch your neighborhoods, especially in Hyannis, If you see a low home price, it's likely in a bad area. expect to pay 180k for a cottage, 300k for a house in a "good" area.

JP
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rollerrider



Joined: 17 May 2003
Posts: 100

PostPosted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 8:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes I heard about those hoods where the kite people have taken over. But up here in Buffalo we all get along well with only one or two shootings a day. All kidding aside I think a cottage would be best cause I don't think I would spend winters there.
So which beaches do windsurfers go too the most and are they crowded or I guess on windy days maybe not.
I need to get to the cape a couple times this summer and scope it out.
Thanks for the info.
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mat-ty



Joined: 07 Jul 2007
Posts: 7850

PostPosted: Tue Jun 24, 2014 9:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Kalmus and West Dennis are the most popular with windsurfers. No kites at Kalmus till after 5pm in the summer. Plenty of room even on crowded days.
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flaherty



Joined: 01 May 1997
Posts: 437

PostPosted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 5:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would suggest renting a place ,first. maybe for the summer , or a month.
Cape Cod is great. To me the towns are very different. One thing to look at is the taxes vary widely, from town to town. Also having a second home, is not all that it's dreamed to be. I did own a condo , in Hyannis for a few years.
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amarie



Joined: 25 Aug 2003
Posts: 233
Location: Corpus Christi, TX

PostPosted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 11:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ditto on the previous comments about comparing taxes and looking out for bad areas in Hyannis, and trying renting first. To add to that, a tough thing for me living on the Cape was beach fees. A sticker at resident rate is only good for one town, which might be pretty small and not offer the full variety of conditions you want to sail, or might have very restrictive rules about where you can launch. The non-resident rates to sail in any other town were prohibitive (at least to me at the time, living on a student budget). Lately we're talking hundreds of dollars for each town's season pass and maybe $18-20 for a day visit. I became an expert at ways to sneak into the various launches, but it got tougher all the time and some of those tricks no longer work due to barriers and rules added in the past decade, and extended gatekeeper hours. Of course the access issue just applies to in season.

For what it's worth I'll add that I was a lifelong Cape resident but moved to Corpus Christi, TX. I've experienced more than double the amount of sailable days and at least half the cost of living, very little traffic, plus more variety in sailing conditions. This isn't in any way to slam the Cape, still one of my favorite places on earth, one of the most beautiful places I know, great for sailing, and somewhere I still visit each year. But just adding another perspective on what's out there if you're looking at retirement options and ever decide the Cape might not fit what you wanted. Good luck in your search!
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boardsurfr



Joined: 23 Aug 2001
Posts: 1266

PostPosted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 11:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Beach fees can actually go up to $25 per day on weeekends, which really hurts. But they are collected only between Memorial Day and Labour day. 9 months of the year, all beaches are open and free! The best sailing of the year is outside of the summer season, anyway. September-November are still warm enough to sail without gloves.

We moved from the Boston area to Cape Cod 2 years ago, and absolutely love it. We sail year-round - I got 145 session last year, most of them planing (yes, we sail in light wind, too). During the summer, we mostly stick to Kalmus. Works fine, since it's mostly SW in summer, anyway. The rest of the year, we add 14 more beaches to mix it up.

Before moving, we checked out Corpus, SPI, Maui, and the Gorge before deciding on Cape Cod. One of the things I love most is the vast variety of sailing conditions you can find here - from perfectly flat water for speed and freestyle to B&F to waves for SUP sailing and wave sailing. Outside the summer season, there are more than 10 different launches, each with it's own character, within a 40 minute drive.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 1:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

flaherty wrote:
having a second home, is not all that it's dreamed to be.

I spent many years seeking and evaluating an ideal second home on the water's edge. I am VERY happy with the one I finally chose. The wind blows almost every day I'm there, the sailing is great, there is a very broad range of venues near it, the taxes are dirt cheap, I don't worry about break-ins when it's not in use, its mortgage interest was deductible, I can actually choose the weather there within reason, and its clone is readily available to most people at very reasonable prices. I think everyone who wants a second home or cabin should add this option to their short list.

It's made by Winnebago.
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amarie



Joined: 25 Aug 2003
Posts: 233
Location: Corpus Christi, TX

PostPosted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 9:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dang, $25? I remember when I thought $8 was steep for beach access, and $18 seemed out of control Smile

A motor home does sound awesome. Makes me daydream about how I really need to figure out a job where I can work remotely Smile
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