Yes, there really is a giant seahorse in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts. We had no idea either.
We were quite pleased with what a nice stopover Mattapoisett made. A comfortable harbor with excellent holding, there is also a nice dinghy dock with heads and some restaurants and shops within an easy walk.
And of course, a giant seahorse with an odd little park attached to it.
Without recounting the entire history of this awesome bit of Americana, apparently it used to be an icon for the “Seahorse Gift Shop”, one of many such places that dotted Route 6 on the way to Cape Cod. The construction of I-195, while a boon to many businesses and people on the Cape was the death knell for many businesses on Route 6, including this one. After many years of debate after the property was donated to the town, it was decided to restore and preserve the seahorse while making the rest of the property a small park.
It wasn’t our original intent to come to Mattapoissett, we were aiming for Woods Hole on Monday, in order to avoid the Northerly winds that were expected Monday evening. Cuttyhunk is one of our favorite spots but the normally comfortable anchorage outside the harbor is dreadful when the wind blows from the North.
So we set sail on Monday with some fresh breezes to Woods Hole. Our clearly out of date Cruising Guide indicated a sizable anchorage with good holding. The reality was quite different, as there was no apparent anchorage anywhere that could be reached with an 8′ draft, nor were there moorings available for a boat our size. After circling the harbor (with it’s treacherous currents) for a few minutes of indecision after we realized there was no place to stop we reversed our course out of Woods Hole and back to Buzzard’s Bay. There we broke out the charts and (other) cruising guides and decided Mattapoissett looked comfortable in a Northerly, had some facilities, and was progressing us further towards Maine, not away from it.
The sail over was a blast – close reaching in 15-20 knots, right in Evenstar’s sweet spot for a short but invigorating sail.
As it turns out we were good to leave Cuttyhunk, the wind did shift to the North as some thunderstorms came through. An impressive light show with some rain to wash off the salt. After weeks of preparation we are beyond caring though as we are safe in our home in a comfortable anchorage, catching up still on our rest.
Had we stayed longer we could have caught a farmer’s market and some other local activities in the coming days. This is clearly a nice place for a short stopover, and perfect for what we were looking for.
We passed a restful day in the harbor, while some friends visited and we girded our loins for the upcoming trip to Maine.
