Spring’s arrival in New England was unusually slow and I am dreaming of summer. Lately I’ve been remembering a wonderful day that I spent on Chappaquiddick last summer. The small strip of land is sometimes a peninsula, sometimes an island and part of Martha’s Vineyard. Visiting Chappaquiddick is an escape to a New England coastal paradise.

I spent an afternoon and evening on Chappaquiddick with my friends Rita and John. They rented a house on Chappaquiddick for two weeks last summer. I was on Martha’s Vineyard while they were there and I had a lovely, relaxing visit with them at their temporary “home away from home.”

To get to Chappaquiddick (called “Chappy” by the locals), I got in line for one of the On Time Ferries in Edgartown. While the ferries run continuously on summer days, there are often lines of cars, with hour-long waits. I stopped at a local coffee shop and picked up a latte for the wait.

When it was my turn to drive onto the boat (which holds about 3 cars), I was, unfortunately, the first person driving on. You can tell the Chappy “natives” from the rest of us by the way that they confidently pull up to the front of the boat, which is a gaping open space leading to the harbor waters. They quickly pull forward all the way to the front, slowing down at the very last minute, inches from the drop into the water. Not so experienced, I tentatively crept forward as the person loading the boat impatiently waved me ahead (these boats need to be “on time” after all).

When the handful of bicycles and “walk-ons” were loaded, the boat lurched forward and in a matter of minutes, we had crossed the water and were docking on Chappy. In those minutes I had great views of the Edgartown harbor and its lighthouse.

At the Chappy dock, I drove off the boat onto the only paved road on the island and headed past the local beach club with its whimsical striped cabanas.

The approximately 3-mile long island has lots of sandy dirt roads, with views of scrub oaks and pines, grassy meadows, salt marshes, ponds, and beautiful beaches. There are some homes, but it is far less populated than most of Martha’s Vineyard. There’s one really small general store with a few supplies. Everyone brings what they need over on the boat.

I took a quick drive from one end of the island to the other. It was a beautiful day and I was treated to horses grazing in sunlit meadows, beautiful stone walls, swans floating across ponds and an egret showing itself off in a marsh.

I headed to one of the beaches to meet Rita and John. In the peak of summer, it can be difficult to find a parking spot. I had to wait a while for one family to leave, so that I could take their parking spot. While waiting in the car, the views were not hard on the eyes. I looked out at ponds and beautiful marshes.

Parking spot secured, I had a beautiful walk past the ponds and colorful kayaks to the beach.

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in our beach chairs and enjoying the ocean breezes.

At the end of the day, the sun was long, casting a deep orange glow on the inky water and the sea grass covered dunes. The sandpipers raced along the water’s edge. Beach visitors traded places, as families headed home for dinner and the sunset watchers arrived to sip wine and enjoy the quiet of early evening. It’s a magic time of day.

While it was tough to leave that magical spot, the day wasn’t over.

Back at the car, I heard the calls of baby ospreys in a nearby nest. They wanted more food from Mom and Dad, who obliged.

On my way back to Rita’s and John’s place, I took a quick detour to the ferry dock to catch the sun on the harbor.

Boats headed out of the harbor for sunset sails.

Ferries carried day trippers (and locals wanting to dine out) over to Edgartown.

I headed back to have dinner with Rita and John.

Good stuff was happening on the Weber as we sipped one of John’s cocktails and enjoyed early evening!

As we waited for the fish to cook, we were treated to a glimpse of the moon.

Later that evening, I was the only person waiting for the ferry back to Edgartown. I parked in the middle of the boat, not bothering to pull up to the front, happy to declare myself a visitor.

If You Go

Unless you take a boat to Chappy from the mainland when visiting Chappaquiddick, you’ll need to get yourself to Martha’s Vineyard first. There are several ways to get to the island including flying or taking one of several boats.

• The Steamship Authority is one of the main providers of transportation to the island.
• Here’s a link to the Chappy Ferry schedule.
• I recommend visiting the beautiful and tranquil Japanese-style Mytoi Garden on Chappaquiddick.
• Schedule a trip to the Cape Pogue Lighthouse and Wildlife Refuge on Chappaquiddick.

Related Posts

For more Martha’s Vineyard trips, you might enjoy these posts:

• Lighthouses of Martha’s Vineyard
• A Capella Music on Martha’s Vineyard
• Shopping at the West Tisbury Farmer’s Market
• Favorite Things Number 1 (photos of spring 2017 on theMartha’s Vineyard)
• Favorite Things Number 7 (photos of fall 2017 on the Martha’s Vineyard)