Spot Name: Cape Pogue Bay
Country: USA
Region: Northeast
State: MA
Area: Martha’s Vineyard
City: Edgartown
Location: Extreme northeastern part of Martha’s Vineyard, actually part of the island of Chappaquiddick.
Street: None
Weather:
Description: This is perhaps one of the best places to kite in Massachusetts, perhaps in all of New England. Cape Pogue Bay is approximately 2 miles in diameter. It is picturesque in all directions. The land is very low lying. There are very few trees and only a few structures. The spit of land which is Cape Pogue comes around almost a complete 360 degrees to form one of the most beautiful circular kiteboarding playgrounds anywhere.
Given its geography there is no risk of being dragged downwind and swept out to sea at Cape Pogue Bay. There is always a lee shore within 2 miles or so. You essentially cannot lose a kite, a board, or even a friend. Moreover, as a protected bay with low surrounding land, and relatively shallow water, the fetch for wave action is extremely short, while the wind just screams over the bay. As a near perfect circle there is always a beach to set up on with a side shore breeze, or pick off shore, as many of the locals do, with no downwind risk you can kite comfortably along the shore putting on a show for your non-kiting friends and if something goes wrong, the worst you have is bit of a walk of shame.
The water is relatively shallow in many spots but over your head throughout most of the center of Cape Pogue Bay. The depth of the water can be quite shallow near the inlet to the bay at low tide, boaters beware.
Another issue with Cape Pogue Bay is the Plover, a bird. Its nesting areas are protected by some wildlife conservancy. They employ people to drive around on 4-wheelers to harass kiters among others. They come to tell you where you can and cannot set up your kite. You’d think the Plover would be a lot more bothered by the noise and carbon emissions of the 4-wheeler’s, than by the occasional kiter surfing the same wind and waves as the Plover. The Plover “police” are dogmatic, more bark than bite, a little Barney Fife-ish, equipped with threats of big fines but no ticket writing or arrest power, riding their 4-wheelers they appear more human hater than environment lover. Tolerate their nonsense, move if they tell you, ignore them as much as you can.
Access: This is a problem for many kiteboarders. Cape Pogue Bay is on a part of the island of Martha’s Vineyard called Chappaquiddick also known as Chappy, yes this is the place where Ted Kennedy ran a car off a bridge and Mary Joe Kopechne died. You have to fly or take a ferry boat to get to Martha’s Vineyard. Then you have to take a separate ferry to Chappy. The ride is just across the Edgartown Harbor but the wait on a busy summer afternoon can be a long one. Fun fact: the Chappy ferry is called the “On Time”, with no schedule it’s easy for the ferry to be always on time. After you get out onto Chappaquiddick you can drive to any number of spots to walk out onto Cape Pogue but it’s best to have a four wheel drive vehicle, have paid for beach access, and drive out onto the beach. The other primary way to access Cape Pogue Bay is by boat, but there is one tiny little problem with that … you have to have a boat. Lastly you can opt to be a multimillionaire, buy a house out on Chappaquiddick near Cape Pogue Bay, and then just walk down some idyllic lane to get to the beach. All in all it is a huge pain in the ass to get there but Cape Pogue Bay is well worth it once you make the trip.
Services: There are no public bathrooms or other facilities at Cape Pogue Bay. Even shops and restaurants are essentially unheard of on Chappaquiddick.
School: Sky High Kiteboarding.