Long-Form Stories Salty Air

Chuck Cole: Off The Grid, On The Radio & In The Community – A Profile

Chuck Cole
Written by Brian Tarcy

WELLFLEET – Chuck Cole is of the land, and he is of the sea. There is a lot about Cole, whose family roots go back to the Mayflower, that is quintessential. 

“He’s a hippie flashback kind of guy,” said Cole’s friend, the artist/musician Harriet Korim of Wellfleet.

Chuck Cole

“They may not notice. But they notice when we are not here.” – Chuck Cole. CAPE COD WAVE PHOTO

Cole is a 64-year-old sailer, surfer, hippie, peace activist, quirky community radio host, and Mayflower descendent living in his own off-the-grid homemade yurt compound, complete with an outhouse, on land in Paine Hollow that has been in his family since 1630. 

In Cole’s own words, he has “become somewhat of an institution” on the Outer Cape.

“Anybody who resides on the Outer Cape eventually meets Chuck Cole,” said Bob Seay, of Eastham, former executive director of WOMR, the popular community radio station where Cole has had a Thursday morning program since 1984.



“He’s very active, very visible, and his roots are very deep,” said Seay. “Every town has personalities that exemplify what the town is about. He’s from the Outer Cape.”

“Anybody who resides on the Outer Cape eventually meets Chuck Cole.” – Bob Seay, former executive director of WOMR

With his shock of long gray hair, matching his long gray beard, ever-present WOMR ballcap, overalls adorned with political buttons, drums, political signs and friendly wave, Cole has every week for more than a decade taken a peace vigil to both Wellfleet Town Hall and the Eastham Windmill, just to remind folks that believing in peace matters.

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About the author

Brian Tarcy

Brian Tarcy is co-founder of Cape Cod Wave. He is a longtime journalist who has written for the Boston Globe, Boston magazine, the Cape Cod Times and several other publications. He is the author of "YOU CAN'T SELL RIGHT FIELD; A Cape Cod Novel." He is also the author or co-author of more than a dozen mostly non-fiction books, including books with celebrity athletes Cam Neely, Tom Glavine and Joe Theisman. His previous book was, "ALMOST: 12 Electric Months Chasing A Silicon Valley Dream" with Hap Klopp,who created the iconic brand, The North Face.
For more information, see Briantarcy.com
Brian is a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan with a long-running NFL predictions/political satire column connecting weekly world events to the fate of his favorite team, now at Whatsgonnahappen.com.

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