Tim wrote:

I live about an hour or so from cape cod. I recently upgraded my 1972
runabout to a 14' jet boat, small for the ocean but decent size for the lake
I'm on. I'm intrigued by the thought of being able to cruise around cape cod
bay a little bit and find some secluded beaches, marinas to stop at or check
out the shore line. Of course we'd be interested in doing some tubing and
other water sports also. I'd probably plan my day according to the weather
and would only go out on calm days. I've never had my boat in the ocean
before but I'll definitely get the proper equipment and training before any
attempt at it but just wondering if this is doable or are there restrictions
to just pulling up and hanging out on a sand bar or secluded beach? Any
good websites?
I'd also be interested in maybe checking out Boston harbor or similar
places, what type of restrictions are there?

Thanks

Tim,

I have been boating on the bay for over 25 years. Half that I owned
small 14 foot runabouts.

I have skied, tubed, surfed, fished, watched fireworks, picnicked, etc,
etc, off them. Yes- you do have to pay attention to the conditions,
since a little wind will raise a chop on the bay. It makes travel a
little bouncy, even in a heavy 19' four winns "v-hull" As for
regulations around water activities, there is probably a distance you
must stay off the shore line for skiing, etc. Besides there are many
mooring obstacles close to shore. Some towns patrol the shore making
sure you have minimum gear like life preservers, fire extinguishers and
the likes. They also look for intoxicated drivers!

If you are out around the lower cape bay area, there are some jack-asses
with beach front property that seem to think they own the beach or even
the water directly in front of their eroding property. Although they
can go jump in the bay, a confrontation with said jack-asses can be a
damper on boating day. There is plenty of beach front on the bay to hang
out on, but as for secluded beaches in our area, there isn't much.
Meaning there are secluded beaches, but plenty of other boaters enjoy
them!(Jeremy point, Great Isl. area come to mind, but have some
dangerous
shallow shoals near)
Remember that the weather and conditions can some times be
unpredictable. Pay attention to the tides, as most bay harbors/boat
ramps are only accessible a couple hours either side of high tide. I
have seen boaters get stranded around secluded areas and I have missed
the tides once or twice trying to get back into a harbor! We went out
last weekend from Orleans on smooth water to Jeremy Pt, but it was quite
choppy on the way back. I know that Welfleet Harbor has an ice cream
stand, and restaurants open for lunch/dinner. There are probably other
harbors to visit like this, but I have not been to them.

I would suggest checking with the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce for more
on boating regulations by town.

enjoy


chris....

ps pardon spelling errors in first post if it propagates! :-)