The Elizabeth Islands extend southwest from the southern tip of Cape Cod, dividing Buzzard’s Bay to the north from Vineyard Sound to the south. While eleven of the thirteen islands are privately owned by the Forbes family, the island of Cuttyhunk, located at the far western tip of the archipelago, is public.
The island itself encloses a nearly landlocked bay. Once through the narrow, shallow entrance channel, the bay offers excellent protection against winds and seas from any direction. Combined with its proximity to the mainland, this means that Cuttyhunk is often packed completely full of boaters during the peak summer season.
Lucky for us, Madrone is heading southward late in the season. Only a handful of the 50+ mooring balls were occupied, and we had plenty of room to anchor behind them. We roamed nearly all of the small island, and we only ran into two other people on the streets. Year-round residents, they congratulated us on doubling the population of the island….
