New England / Nantucket
12 Guests
10 Guests
Nantucket Harbor
Coatue
Madaket Harbor
Great Point anchorage
Polpis Harbor
Tour the Nantucket Whaling Museum
Bike the path to Sconset
Visit Great Point Lighthouse
Stop at Cisco Brewers
Walk the historic cobblestones of Main Street
Siasconset (Sconset) village
Brant Point Lighthouse
The Old Mill
Jethro Coffin House
Great Point Lighthouse
Late May through October covers the main charter season, with June through September the warmest and busiest months on the island. Guests chartering later in the season should keep an eye on hurricane risk, which rises through August and September, and it’s worth building some flexibility into the schedule for weather.
Fly into Nantucket Memorial Airport (ACK) directly or via Boston (BOS), or take the ferry from Hyannis, about an hour by high-speed boat or just over two hours on the traditional crossing. Many guests combine a flight with a ferry, arriving on the mainland and taking the boat across for a more scenic approach to the island.
Nantucket Harbor works well as a base close to town, with Coatue offering shelter just across the harbor and Great Point a quieter overnight option in settled weather. Madaket, on the island’s western end, is another option for guests looking for a change of scenery partway through a longer stay.
Three to five days is typical, enough time for the harbor, a bike ride to Sconset and some flexibility for weather, though many guests extend their stay if they’re also planning to visit nearby Martha’s Vineyard or the Cape. A shorter overnight stop also works well for guests already cruising the wider New England coast and looking to add Nantucket to a longer itinerary.
Yes. The Nantucket Shoals extend for miles southeast of the island, a network of shifting sandbars that were once marked by lightships stationed offshore for over a century due to how dangerous they were to shipping. Local pilotage and up-to-date charts matter here more than in most New England harbors, and it’s worth confirming your captain’s familiarity with these waters before finalizing a booking.