When the wind is blowing from the west, Sandy Bay can be a calm anchorage with the only waves made by passing lobster boats leaving their wakes.
There is a small harbor through the jetty to the South of Sandy Bay, and when the weather is blowing from the east, Sandy Bay can have some nice size swells, so you may want to call the harbor master and see if there is room for you there.
The harbor masters in Rockport do a great job of controlling the anchorage in Sandy Bay, while still being very friendly as well as accommodating.
I like to anchor off of the beach, as close to shore as possible in order to use the land to break the wind as well as to stay away from the lobster traps.
The first thing that I like to point out is the cannon ball in the church steeple. Bear Skin neck was attacked by the British during the war of 1812. There may be more evidence of that than I know, because I like to go ashore and catch a meal at Ellens Resteraunt, or Flavs Red Skiff then walk along Bear Skin Neck, check out the shops and maybe stop for a coffee, and some pastry, or an ice cream.
Rockport can be quite crowded on the weekends so I prefer week day visits if going by car, there is always plenty of room for boats even on the weekends, and there is a lot less stress there than out at the Isle of Shoals.
Rockport is a great choice of a destination forCaptain Ed's Sailing and we try to go out there a few time each summer.
In 2 short weeks the Bella Donna should be in the water, I hopefully will be spending more time on the Sarah Maria while it is on its mooring in Amesbury, and less time on the farm. I will be able to pay more attention to my business from there as well as my friends.
Living on the boats will give me a chance to take care of some nit picking problems, while making both boats more livable.
