Falmouth/Woods Hole Launches

[DrWind]

With the easterly wind forecasted for the cape. Does anyone know any beaches in Falmouth which allow windsurfing. I have typically gone to West Dennis or Kalmus. But I can see that Falmouth/Woods Hole may be better due to being more exposed to that wind direction.

Forecast wind is E 20-25 Gusts 35.

Lars

[tcwolf]

Yes. There is a nice launch off of Oyster Pond Road. There is a parking lot right at the beach. If you go to google maps you'll see the access road start where it is labeled "beach road". I usually launch there to sail over to the Vineyard on a southwesterly. It's a southeast exposure...

[tcwolf]

I realized you might be confused so I marked the launch on a map:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=105035906656086323343.0004723b22e44cb0086ed&ll=41.534989,-70.642294&spn=0.004778,0.00825&t=h&z=17

[scooper]

Looks like a nice spot, side shore in SW. Does it ever get waves?

[tcwolf]

I can't recall ever going there on an easterly. On a southwest it is flat on the inside with some very big rollers half way to the Vineyard. Come to think of it, on a big easterly, you'd probably lose the beach (its narrow) and have to launch from the rocks -- yuk.

[sailingjoe]

In a NE, the wind is good on the Buzzard Bay side at MBL Beach. You will experience serious shore break in high winds, though, and the shoreline is full of large rocks. The lot is small, but never full in big wind. However, a Falmouth sticker is required in season. The neighboring private beach remains available to windsurfers when sunbathing, etc. prevents launching. As to Sound side sailing, there are rather tricky currents off that shore. Experienced sailors prefer Chappy and other bay side launches.

[scooper]

I meant waves in SW wind. That way the wind is sideshore to the waves, perfect for jumping and wave riding.

It would require waves from an offshore storm, like we've had a lot of lately, (often S or SE swell), or some locations have wind waves that wrap around as they hit the beach. It sounds, from your response like neither of these thing happen there. Martha's Vinyard may block any offshore swell.

Those big rollers half way to the Vinyard sound nice! It looks like 4 miles to the Vinyard though. Do you make the crossing by yourself?

[wavedawg]

I have sailed in the sound, with opposing wind and waves. makes for some big chop. water is about 80 ft deep, with lots of current, so take a cell phone. if you break down you will get flushed like my friend steve did a few years ago. he was picked up by the coast guard couple miles away.
no ground swell, islands are in the way. Surf drive, just up the road, works for SE. The MBL beach, known to locals as Stony Beach(wonder what inspired that name?), is great in NE, but too much north gives you no running room to get out. too much east makes it gusty and fluky. Great launch for NE, tho.
For a real thrill try woods hole with opposing wind and tide, just watch out for the steamships, and keep a chase boat nearby!

[tcwolf]

I always sail to the Vineyard with a friend. Though there is a fair amount of boat traffic in case of a break down, I wouldn't want to be by myself. On a good southwesterly, it really doesn't take very long. You do have to make sure the wind is going to stay up.

As long as I'm giving away secret spots I'll offer up one more.

West Island. This is absolutely one of the best off season launches in Mass. Go to the park at the end of the island. Launch to the east (by the WWII lookout tower). Flat on the inside - huge on the outside. The Outside is a bit like Forest beach with sand bars creating large waves. I have had the best fall sessions on this launch. Sail on southwest 5.0 or better. You won't forget it -- it is very beautiful. West island is probably the most exposed launch into Buzzards Bay, so the wind offshore is pretty close to the Buzzards Bay buoy meter. iWindsurf recently put a meter there, so you will also get direct reads now.

Have fun, and let me know if you go there....

[DanWeiss]

As one who sails on/from the Vineyard, I spend a TON of time in Vineyard Sound and have sailed the crossing at many different points. Essentially, from West Chop to Woods Hole is about 4.5 miles. It is an easy sail for the advanced windsurfer except in very windy and choppy conditions when the combination of wind and current can make the chop something truly to behold.

A breakdown in the middle of the Sound just plain sucks. The current is pretty strong and one can be flushed down the Sound toward Gay Head or across the mouth of Vineyard Haven Harbor then Hedge Fence and out into Nantucket Sound. This is when boat and ferry traffic can be your friend as it has for me on several occasions over the decades.

I'd also point out that we are blessed with two USCG stations in very close proximity as well as Otis Air Force Base if things really hit the fan.

It's best to sail with a buddy if you intend to play in the super-seweet chop and huge swell that rolls down Middle Ground whenever the wind and current run counter to each other. That is, SW wind with an ebb tide and NE wind with a flood. Middle Ground was an honest to goodness island of its own during the Colonial period and MV Islanders often used it as a grazing pasture. At low tide, parts of Middle Ground are within a few feet of the surface. As the water flows across the shoal it creates standing waves and significant upwelling. Often these combine to make a smooth dragstrip for top speed before hitting these waves that are not running directly with the wind but come to you almost side shore. It is a very funky treat in the midst of a sea of windward ramps. You can find these mostly in the area about 1 mile out, north of the Lake Tashmoo inlet (jetties) and the smaller jetties to the north called Mink Meadows.

The Vineyard Sound is one of my favorite places to sail in the world. In the summer SWerlies that make Kalmus famous, the Sound can get truly awesome, with nearly mast high swell formed by a strong ebb tide. The water is pretty warm (65-70) during the summer and the air temp can be in the low 80's. The most magnificent days are when those conditions occur near a full moon as the tide runs very strong and you can sail much smaller gear without the need for great upwind power.

My MV time consists mostly of weekends, but if the conditions match up, the Sound calls my name. Anyone who wants to sail across to meet, just give me a call or drop me an e-mail. We can meet 1/2 way (hard to do) or I can sail across to meet you and am happy to give a tour of Middle Ground. Just bring enough money for a ferry ticket for a return trip if the wind craps out.