Maria Surf Check, Horseneck Beach

We went to Horseneck Beach in Westport MA on Thursday to check out some of the long distance surf rolling in from Hurricane and then Tropical Storm Maria.

We picked a great day for it, amazing late September weather. I'd have gone swimming if I thought that I would have survived it.

The wind was cutting across the waves, rather than pushing behind them. Didn't seem to slow 'em down much...

Did make the waves a bit messy, but they looked good.

Tropical Storm Maria is steamrolling East out to sea, but she should throw swells back at Massachusetts for a while. She'll be soaking Irishmen as a non-hurricaney low pressure area by Monday.

There's a High Surf Warning through Friday night's 6 PMish high tide for SE facing beaches.

There is also concern over rip currents, although we turn more Fall than Summer Friday and Saturday, and no one is swimming if it is 50 degrees and raining.

When I was a kid, a storm like this would wash up 50 lobster pots for the locals to raid. They switched to metal pots in the late 70s, and storms don't beach as many of those.

Westport was on some Hawaii 5-0 ish Thursday...

I didn't see any surfers, as the surf was pretty messy. Someone told me maybe Rhode Island.

May be Outer Cape tomorrow and Saturday for waves...

Westport had 6 and 7 foot waves at times.

Good show, Maria!

South Coast Surf Check, 8/30/17

There's a storm offshore, and our business had us on the South Coast today... so why not check out the surf, so you don't have to?

We started off in Fairhaven, heading down Sconticut Neck Road to West Island. That tower is for, depending on when you ask, watching out for U-Boats, fire control, storm viewing (if I can break into it at the right time) and Art.

This is/was the fringes of "Potential Tropical Cyclone 10," for all you weather geeks. The NHC is no longer issuing advisories on it, and it was heading out to sea by the time I got to the sand. We strolled down to the beach, and the seas were riled up...

... but nothing terrible. The storm curved more East than Northeast, and her effects were somewhat lessened around here. I'm pretty sure that there's still a High Surf Advisory for south and east facing beaches. Bourne has a warning, Plymouth doesn't.

Hoppy's Marina was a bit blue, but otherwise calm. The storm that sent me out today will be hitting Atlantic Canada by the time you read this. If you want the big storm, your best bet is Tropical Storm Irma, which is SE of the Cape Verde Islands. Harvey may also rain on us, but nothing like in Texas.

We then rolled the dice on Horseneck Beach in Westport, which was also pretty calm.

Nothing says "end of summer" like a vacant lifeguard chair on a grey-sky beach, huh?

Horseneck Beach has her curves, just like any other lady. The sea favors some spots of a beach with better surf. We walked down a half mile and seas were more camera-friendly.

The little dot between the building and the chair is a very patient surfer.

This was probably the best wave I saw today.

My man, honing some skills, taking what he can get...

Cowabunga!

Gooseberry Island, also in Westport, was more wind friendly, but the storm was moving away quickly and it was time to go to the presses.

Harboring: Archives (Still Growing)

Marshfield

Barnstable

Padanaram

Cataumet

Kingston

Fairhaven

Cohasset

Westport

Hyannis Port

Onset

Hull

Monument Beach

Hingham

Sandwich

Marion

Weymouth

Harwich Port

Swansea

Duxbury

Somerset

Buzzards Bay

Chatham

Plymouth

Clouds, Fair And Foul

Today was a very nice day, so we thought we'd bring you some clouds... just in case you missed all of our storminess recently.

I lifted this one from a Westport article.

Nothing like 150 yards of visibility when you're tooting along at 75 mph, taking pictures...

Let's have some more blue sky...

The next 4 were taken about 30 seconds apart in the same thunderstorm...

... and this one was taken in happier times.

Harboring: Westport

Our Harboring series is all over Westport, hitting hard like a personal-use lighthouse...

They need a better sign, especially for a well-off town...

You can see Quint setting up shop in one of those places...

Be careful to not end up on the mud flat when you're heading home.

The Back Eddy area...

Tree Fence

Corner of the bay...

Fisherman's Rock and the Route 88 bridge...

If you define your yard with a stone wall that you could shoot British from behind, your yard is going in Cranberry County Magazine, player... a lighthouse driveway marker overgrown with ivy doesn't hurt your chances, either.

Crab Trap

It's never good when the French show up... you also never want to sail on the Second Chance in any language, because you have to wonder what happened to the boat he had his first chance with.

My lower income readers may be pleased to know that rich people play Skill Crane for boats with real cranes. 

Vera, the dinghy...

I was this far, so I hit the map and steered my car to the far southwest corner of our coverage area (Brayton Point) . I enjoyed the view from the road.

Free commercial for TowBoatU.S.

Solar boat...

You can have the No Spin Zone, I'll take the No Work Zone in the tony harbor with the barbecue grill.

Westport Sky

I never pass up a Floating House pic.

I gotta wash my mother***ing Jag-you-arrrrrrr...

golfa ragusa...

Just like when you or I get a 10 propane tank surplus, one's thoughts immediately go to making a Yard Centipede.

If you can catch lobsters off the dock, you save a lot of gas money and wear/tear on the vessel.

U.S.S. Snoopy

Buoys, you say? Just happen to have some right here.

In case you were ever wondering how buoys were shipped... now ya know.

A few potted plants add a sort of yard to your houseboat.

That boat got the handicapped spot.

Ain't we all?

Little Boat Row

Not the best shot, but...

Haftime II