Around Cape Cod: Final Float Plan

We'll depart June 19 in mid-afternoon (due to scheduled events): low tide before 2pm makes an alternative ramp necessary: Hoppy's Landing preferred for its deeper water at the ramp.  Flood begins in Woods Hole at 5:10pm, with maximum current of 2kt (favorable) at 6:38pm, followed by favorable currents until after midnight in Vineyard Sound.  Since it's 19NM from Woods Hole to Hyannis, we're looking at a late-night arrival, helped by a flood tide that begins at 7:10pm ends at 1:54am.  I will anchor in the lee (just N of) Dunbar Point.

I don't expect to go ashore at all in Hyannis, owing to the necessity of an early start: the ebb will end in low tide at 7:04am, so we'll need to be out of the harbor by then.  Once clear of the harbor, we'll head for the southern end of Monomoy Island, pass through the Monomoy Rip going round the point (maximum current (favorable) of 1.8kt at 8:35, with slack water at 11:24), and head up the east side of Monomoy in the afternoon.  Chatham Harbor, on the east side of Monomoy, is notorious for its shoals, currents, and constantly shifting bottom--unlike the well-behaved Stage Harbor on the west side.  However, we need to have Monomoy out of the way in order to have adequate time to sail the remaining distance outside the Cape in a single day.  Therefore, I plan to put in to Chatham Harbor just far enough to have access to the beach south of town by inflatable kayak.  Then it is a walk up the beach and then maybe a half mile by road to downtown Chatham.  This is the one stop I've never been to, and I want to tour around a bit, if possible.  I think we'll make a day of it, since I will need a full day in rounding the rest of the Cape and coming into Provincetown.  If entry into Chatham Harbor is too forbidding, I will drop anchor in some sort of lee, and we will head up the Cape the next morning. 

Ebb ends in Chatham harbor at 8:27am on Thurs 6/21, and on Fri at 9:06.  I presume I will need more water than current getting out of Chatham, and tide will be high at 1:35am and 2:12am.  This will be a VERY early morning, but that gives me a fighting chance of coming into Cape Cod Bay before full dark.  Tide floods into Provincetown beginning 7:26pm Thurs and 8:07pm Friday.  It would be nice to anchor nearer low tide so I don't get stuck.  Again.  I will anchor inside Long Point.  If I have time, I can go ashore there and walk the stone breakwater into the edge of town.  It's a nice walk; the open Bay to your right, salt marsh and salt ponds to your left. On the other hand, this is another long day's sail.

Provincetown's currents aren't a big obstacle, but I'll probably leave early anyway to get across Cape Cod Bay in daylight.  I will sail dead west to Plymouth Harbor, but then work up the coast to Hingham.  Since it's 24NM across the Bay to Plymouth, Hingham may wait until the following day.  If I stop for the night, I likely won't do it in Plymouth, which is tricky getting into.  I'll play this by ear, maybe stopping in a harbor I haven't been to yet.  Hingham will be another night arrival, owing to the tides: I will want the flood under me coming in, and extensive shoals in Hingham Harbor make it much simpler to come in near the top of the tide, especially in the dark.  (Don't ask me how I know this.)