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Boat Cruises
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Patriot Party Boats Patriot Party Boats is a family-owned and operated business started over 40 years ago. Docked at the entrance of scenic Falmouth Harbor, Patriot Boats operates fishing and charter boats, natural history and Lighthouse tours and operates the Liberté, a replica of a 1750 Pinky schooner. Liberté makes four cruises a day at 11 AM, 1:30 PM, 4 PM, and 6:30 PM. Hoist the sails and help work the vessel; the fare for an adult is $20 ($14 for children 12 and younger). This two-hour sail on the Liberté is only offered during July and August. Patriot Boats also offers an excursion that retraces the 1602 voyage of the British explorer Barthol-omew Gosnold (who named Cape Cod). On this five-hour trip you'll discover unspoiled Cape Cod as you cruise to Cuttyhunk along the Elizabeth Islands. Once at Cuttyhunk, take a guided walk on the secluded island. This is a real chance to see a forgotten part of the Cape and learn the history. Tours leave Monday through Friday, noon to 5 PM. The fare is $30 for adults and $20 for children under 12. You can also enjoy a relaxing cruise along Falmouth's shoreline during a Lighthouse Sunset Cruise. See six lighthouses, four harbors, two islands, the village of Woods Hole, wildlife, and the sunset. The cost is only $15 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under. Tours leave daily in July 6:30 to 8:30 PM and in August, 6 to 8 PM. Snacks and soda are available, but this cruise is a great opportunity to pack a picnic or some wine and share the beautiful scenery of Cape Cod from the water. Last but not least are the deep sea fishing charters, which offer a great time and the possibility of catching sea bass, flounder, tautog, and scup. You can get detailed information about these in our Fishing chapter. Patriot Boats offers free parking for those boarding their boats. They also operate private charter fishing excursions; contact the number above for more information. Cape Cod Canal Cruises Many people pass over the Cape Cod Canal by car and wonder what it would be like to be on one of those boats down there. Find out! This is a great way to explore Buzzards Bay and the Cape Cod Canal. As you travel the length of the 7-mile canal, you may pass tankers, sailing yachts, fishing boats, or plush cruise ships. A division of Hy-Line, Cape Cod Canal Cruises offers trips daily in summer, departing from Onset Harbor in Wareham at 10 AM and 1:30 PM. A two-hour cruise costs $10 for adults and $5 for ages 5 to 12. A three-hour cruise costs $12 for adults and $6 for ages 5 to 12. Children younger than 5 ride free. There's a sunset cruise on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings in June through August from 7 to 9 PM; it costs $10 for adults and $5 for children. A great bargain is the family discount cruise, offered at 4 PM Monday through Saturday in season: Kids 12 and younger ride free with a parent! The fare is $10. If you want to enjoy some live music, take the Friday TGIF cruise, which has a cash bar and free popcorn, or the Saturday Moonlight and Music cruise. Both are from 8 to 11 PM, are for passengers 21 and older, and cost $13 per person. Enjoy live Dixieland jazz on the Jazz Cruise on Sunday afternoons at 1:30 PM; the cost is $13 for adults and $7 for children ages 5 to 12. The Island Queen For $10 round trip ($5 for children under 13 and free for those younger), you can take the 500-passenger Island Queen from Falmouth Harbor to Martha's Vineyard. The trip, which is available from Memorial Day weekend to Columbus Day, is a leisurely 35 minutes each way, and food service is available on board, along with a full bar. The passenger-only vessel makes seven trips each day in summer, and reservations are not needed. Take your bicycle for an additional $6. The Island Queen's summer schedule has trips from Falmouth at 9 AM, 10:30 AM, noon, and 1:30, 3, 4:30 and 6 PM. The Island Queen is also available for charters. OceanQuest Waterfront Park Here's a great opportunity to learn and have fun, with an information-packed cruise that includes a hands-on science lesson for all ages. "It is geared to the general public--the nonscientist," says OceanQuest founder and director Kathy Mullin, a marine biologist who has worked on whale watch boats for 10 years. "We take a sample of the ocean, and with that we look at temperature, depth, salinity, density, the pH, and we talk about the greenhouse effect and global warming." Passengers also get a chance to practice with a plankton tow, a trawl, microscope, and lobster trap. Cruises are offered mid-June through Labor Day. The cost is $19 per adult ($14 for kids 3 to 12 and free for those under 3). Group rates are also available. The Steamship Authority Although no commentary is provided, taking an island ferry (see our Getting Here and Getting Around chapter) is another excellent way to see the Cape from offshore. Steamship vessels depart from Woods Hole in Falmouth, offering scenic views of the Elizabeth Islands and the southeastern end of Buzzards Bay on the way to Martha's Vineyard. (In Hyannis, The Steamship Authority, (508) 771-4000, provides service to Nantucket only.)
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Eventide This classic Cape Cod catboat makes about six trips daily out of Hyannis Harbor from mid-April through November. You have your choice of harbor cruises, a starlight cruise, and a nature cruise to the Pine Cove Wildlife Sanctuary in Lewis Bay that departs at 10:15 AM. Other cruises include a Hyannisport cruise at 12:15 PM and 2:15 PM; a 4 PM blue-water cruise; a 6 PM sunset cocktail cruise and an 8 PM starlight cruise. The 34-foot Eventide, which has a 38-foot sloop-rigged mast, carries up to 22 people and is available for private parties. It can sail in only 30 inches of water, allowing it to get very close to the shore and attractions such as the Kennedy Compound and local lighthouses. Cruise prices are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, and $5 for children less than 90 pounds (Capt. Marcus Sherman explained that he goes by weight rather than age because Coast Guard regulations use 90 pounds as the cutoff for wearing a child's lifejacket). Call ahead for reservations. When you arrive, look for the sign of the cat. Hyannisport Harbor Cruises Hy-Line offers cruises of Hyannisport Harbor on board the Patience, a 1930s Maine coastal steamer and her replica, the Prudence. You'll see the Kennedy Compound in Hyannisport as well as Squaw Island, Great Island, the Hyannis Yacht Club, and Point Gammon Lighthouse. Depending on the season, the schedule includes four to 17 trips a day between April and October. The cost for a one-hour cruise is $10 for an adult, $5 for ages 5 to 12 and free for children 4 and younger. In summer, there are also four evening music-and-cocktail cruises for $13, and a Sunday ice cream cruise for families, which costs $11.50 for adults, and $6.50 for children 5 to12. In summer, cruises are offered from 10 AM to 8 PM; in spring and fall, the last cruise is usually around 4:15 PM. On Mondays and Wednesdays in summer, the boat line offers a lobster roll luncheon cruise for $16 for adults and $8 for children 5 to 12. Reservations are a must for this popular, 75-minute cruise. Hy-Line also has special excursions and regular ferry service from May to October to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. The company also offers an Around the Sound full-day cruise ($39.50 for an adult, $20.25 for ages 12 and younger) that includes stops on both Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, and offers a bus tour of each island. The ferry returns to Hyannis between 9 and 9:30 PM. We wouldn't recommend this tour to the elderly or families with young children, as it can be exhausting; but if you absolutely must squeeze in a visit to both islands in one day, this is the way to do it. Water Safari The only river cruise on Cape Cod, Water Safari takes you over the gentle waters of the Bass River, Grand Cove, and Weir Creek on the Starfish, a custom-built, flat-bottomed vessel. You'll see Cape wildlife such as egrets, herons, and terns, along with gorgeous riverfront estates, windmills, and a lighthouse, with commentary by the knowledgeable Capt. Cliff Smith. Cruises run from Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day, with four trips a day from late June through Labor Day (11 AM, 1 PM, 4 PM and 6 PM) and two trips a day in spring and fall (11 AM and 1 PM). Refreshments are available on board, including a full bar. The cost for a 90-minute cruise is $12 for adults and $7 for children. Group rates are available. Reservations are strongly recommended, and you should plan on arriving 20 minutes before the boat is scheduled to depart to claim your tickets.
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Cape Cod Museum of Natural History During the summer months, the museum offers day and overnight trips to Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, a 2,750-acre wilderness area off the coast of Chatham. The refuge is a birder's paradise and home to a year-round population of seals. Beginning each May, the museum offers a four-hour tour of the smaller of the two islands making up Mono-moy Refuge. This tour focuses on the many rare, endangered species in our area and costs $40 per person with a minimum age requirement of 13. CCMNH also offers a more strenuous six-hour tour of the islands, both North and South Monomoy, for $65 per person; this one is also restricted to those over 12. If you're coming with younger children, consider the tour of Nauset Marsh, which is one of the largest salt marshes on Cape Cod.Aboard the Nauset Explorer, a 28-foot motorized catamaran.You'll have two hours to see many shorebirds, find out what lives beneath the sea as a naturalist pulls aboard lobster traps; and learn about the history of this area, which French explorer Samuel de Champlain sailed into in the 17th century. A great family trip, the cost is $40 per adults, and $25 for children 13 and under. The museum also offers naturalist-escorted overnight cruises to Monomoy Island. Participants get to sleep in the keeper's cottage attached to the 1820 lighthouse (on mattresses provided by the museum). Since the island has no electricity, lighting is provided by gas lanterns. What could be more rustic? The cost for this unforgettable experience is $200 per person. If it's seals you want to see, the museum offers seal cruises off Chatham Harbor and around Monomoy Island, where thousands of gray seals and harbor seals winter and linger during the summer months. Harbor seal cruises run year-round in an open boat, so bundle up, but people usually forget all about the cold when they see these beautiful animals. From October to May cruises are scheduled for Sundays; in June and then again in September through October, tours take place on Saturdays and Sundays; during the summer months they leave Tuesdays through Saturdays and costs $30 for adults and $25 for children, who must be at least 7 years old. If you'd like a tour where you do some of the work yourself, sign up for one of the Museum of Natural History's guided canoe or kayak trips. The trips are offered several times a week in season at a number of different sites, including rivers, ponds, inlets, and bays, many of which are not accessible by any other means (see also the entry in our Boating and Watersports chapter). All equipment (canoes, paddles, life jackets) and a snack are included. The cost is $25 for a solo or $50 for a tandem kayak. Canoes are available for $50. All tours and cruises require pre-registration.
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Cape Sail Capt. Bob Rice offers half-day, full-day and overnight charters aboard the 35-foot Southern Cross Cutter Sabbatical along with sunset and moonlight cruises, from May to October. He also offers overnight trips to Nantucket. Exclusively for private charters, this lovely boat can accommodate up to six passengers; call for rates. If being out on the water makes you yearn to pilot your own boat, talk to the patient and experienced captain about private lessons--he offers both basic and advanced courses. Catboat Charters From May to October Capt. Jack Bradley sails his 22-foot traditional catboat Jubilee in Nantucket Sound on half-day, full-day and two- to three-hour sunset cruises. He also does overnight cruises to Nantucket. The Jubilee offers a smooth, comfortable ride to the six passengers it can accommodate, courtesy of her catboat design with a beam half as long as her length. Capt. Jack does not mix groups and will take a minimum of two people for a sail. The vessel is equipped with an auxiliary diesel engine. Troll fishing for blues and bass can be made part of the charter. Capt. Bradley has been sailing these waters for some 55 years; at age 11 he charged 50 cents per person for an hour's cruise in his first sailboat. Today, he charges $40 per person for a half-day sail and $75 per person for a full day sail. Beachcomber Boat Tours Chatham's surrounding islands are home to numerous species of shore birds, and Beachcomber's exciting two-hour cruise is a perfect way to see them. An onboard naturalist will fill you in on these and other creatures living in or near the beautiful Stage Harbor and the Monomoy Island National Wildlife Refuge. The list of creatures includes seals too. Once out of the harbor, you're likely to see them, frolicking in the water or sunbathing on the barrier beach sandbar--truly a sight to behold. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for children 5 to 12 years old. Children under 5 ride for free. Reservations are recommended. Parking is limited at Stage Harbor, so the Beachcomber offers a shuttle from Main Street, Chatham. Beachcomber Boats also offers a boat-to-the-beach, a shuttle service between from the town fish pier on Shore Drive and Chatham's outer beach on the Atlantic Ocean. Shuttles leave from the fish pier docks regularly every 15 minutes throughout the day in July and August. A round trip shuttle costs $10. Outermost Harbor Marine This is the place to go for seal cruises and shuttles to South Beach from late June through mid-September. The beach shuttle, which runs on demand from 8 AM to 4:30 PM daily, costs $10. Seal cruises, by reservation, are $16 for adults and $8 for children under 12. Eco-Tours of Cape Cod Add the finishing touches to a great day on Cape Cod with a relaxing sunset cruise on Nantucket Sound aboard one of Eco-Tours custom-built touring boats. Observe from a different perspective what a diversity of natural beauty the Cape has to offer as you cruise the water of Chatham off Monomoy Island Wildlife Refuge. Pack a picnic basket and enjoy the peace that the end of the day brings. The two-hour tour costs $18 for adults and $12 for children 5 to 12; little ones 4 and under ride for free. Reservations are required; call the number listed above. Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary In the summer, the Sanctuary offers three-hour naturalist-led marine-life cruises aboard the Naviator. Cruise from Wellfleet Harbor into Cape Cod Bay to look at some of the marine creatures that live in the sea. The cost is $23 for Massachusetts Audubon members and $28 for nonmembers; there's a $5 discount for children younger than 12. Three-hour tours of Nauset Marsh are offered from May through October. For hands-on fun, take the kids on the family cruise around Nauset Marsh. This two-hour trip, offered several times a week, is done at low tide, so you can get out of the boat and explore tidal pools, dig for shellfish, and see other sea life. The family cruise is $25 per person and $20 for members. You can also take seal and seabird cruises around Wellfleet Bay on weekends in November. Wellfleet Bay also offers tours of North Monomoy Island from May through November for $30 for nonmembers and $25 for members; travel time is 20 minutes round trip, with two and a half hours spent walking around the island.. If you're up for a longer trip, take one of the Sanctuary's tours of South Monomoy Island. These run four or seven hours--boat travel time is 90 minutes round-trip. The cost is $55 ($50 for members) to $60 ($55 for members). From April through November, the Sanctuary offers frequent seal cruises off Chatham, during which you can explore the coasts of South Beach and the Monomoy Islands for harbor seals and gray seals (the latter are more common in summer). The cost is $35 ($30 for members) for a 90-minute cruise. Seal cruises are also available all year long; call for details. Also call for specific times for any of the above-mentioned cruises, as schedules vary according to the day of the week. Naviator In addition to fishing charters (see our Fishing chapter), Capt. Rick Merrill offers seasonal hour-long evening harbor cruises and a weekly marine-life cruise in conjunction with the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary (see above), on his 49-passenger vessel. Call for the schedule. Erin-H Capt. Robert Hussey runs five- and eight-hour and all-day charters on his 36-foot Erin-H from mid-May through the end of September. Up to six passengers are taken at a time; call for rates. Schooner Hindu A replica of the seaworthy schooners that sailed out of Provincetown during the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Hindu offers four two-hour sails a day in summer on Cape Cod Bay, at 10 AM, 1 PM, 4 PM and sunset, plus romantic moonlight cruises during full-moon periods May through October. Sails are $20 for adults and $10 for children 12 and younger. Flyer's Boat Rentals, Inc. In business more than 50 years, this boatyard offers hourly shuttles between town and Long Point, the very tip of the Cape (see our Beaches chapter), on a 24-foot float boat. The cost is $10 round trip or $7 one way. Shuttles run daily in summer. Bay Lady II This 73-foot vessel, which boasts 2,230 square feet of sail, will take you on a two-hour sail across Provincetown Harbor and into Cape Cod Bay. Choose from morning, afternoon, and sunset sails, priced at $10, $12, and $15 respectively. Sailing times are 10 AM, 12:30 PM, 3:30 PM and sunset. If you fall in love with the experience, ask about the frequent sailing discount and come back for more! Children younger than 12 sail for $6. The schooner sails daily from mid-May to late October; reservations are recommended. Provincetown Harbor Cruises This company offers gentle 45-minute trips around the harbor aboard the Y & C. These are gentle, laid-back cruises, perfect for the very young and the elderly. Tours run from late June to Labor Day, and depart every hour on the hour from 11 AM to 7 PM. Prices are just $5 for adults, $4 for senior citizens, and $3 for children.
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