WOODS HOLE – Once all the crowds are gone, a trip on the Steamship Authority from Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven on Martha’s Vineyard becomes a much less hectic affair. Standing on the deck admiring the view requires winter wear. Nonetheless, on a recent trip, blue skies more than made up for the inconvenience of a severe chill in the air.
Docked in Woods Hole, the ferry deck offers a birds-eye view of the massive construction project ongoing in Woods Hole’s harbor as the Steamship Authority continues its project to dredge out the harbor and construct a third ferry slip.
Once underway, the white-capped waters of Vineyard Sound barely registered on the massive Island Home ferry. But watching the rolling surf out the ferry windows served as a kind of meditation on the 45-minute trip to the island.
As it leaves the harbor, the ferry offers exceptional views of the prominent cliffside house nicknamed “airplane house” on Juniper Point, and, further down the coast, Nobska Light.
On Martha’s Vineyard, we ate breakfast at the iconic Black Dog Tavern, admiring the masts of the majestic Shenandoah schooner moored conveniently not far from the beachfront restaurant. Then we hiked the 6-minute walk up Lagoon Pond Road to the new Martha’s Vineyard Museum, housed in an impressive building that was once a Marine Hospital and later a summer camp.
Coming and going, we admired the Rascal, a picturesque railcar-looking barge, that now serves as a workshop, according to a local gallery owner.
The ferry ride home featured sunset views reflected in the windows of Woods Hole buildings.
For more photos from across Cape Cod, please see Scenic Cape
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