www.mvy.com
Harbors & Marinas
Check today's tides and weather in our daily report.
Notes About Vineyard Haven Harbor
Vineyard Haven Harbor, also known as Tisbury, is our main seaport and one of the many harbors you may wish to visit. This harbor and connected ponds form a most fragile aquatic system. In spite of ever increasing use and misuse by man, the harbor remains an important spawning and feeding ground for several species of edible fish and bait, while the lagoon and Tashmoo pond provide an excellent locale for breeding and harvesting shellfish. All heads must be sealed in Tisbury waters.
Free Pump Out Service
Free pump-out service is available to mariners in Vineyard Haven Harbor, Lagoon
Pond and Lake Tashmoo. To hail the pump-out boat in the harbor or lagoon, call
Vineyard Haven pump-out on channel 9 between 9 am and 5 pm, seven days
a week.
Moorings
Tisbury town moorings are available on a first come, first served basis, $30.00
per night. Contact the Harbor Master on channel 9. Town moorings are two-ton blocks
with heavy chain and are maintained regularly. They are to be used at boat owner's
risk. Please run generating plants and engine power equipment between 9 am and
9 pm only. Private moorings are available to rent outside Vineyard Haven inner
harbor. Contact V.H. Launch Service on channel 72 or V.H. Marina on channel 9.
Dumping
Please don't do it in Tisbury waters. Only "gray water" (from showers,
laundry and bath) and dishwater without food particles may be dumped within three
miles of shore. No plastics overboard. Dumping is subject to fine and arrest (up
to $25,000 for each violation). Dumpsters and recycling bins are provided at Owen
Park and Lake Street for mariners' convenience. Please clean up after your pets
on the beach. Children and adults use these beaches for swimming and play.
Town Dock at Owen Park
The dock is intended for temporary tie-ups only. Water is available any time.
Boats may tie-up to the "T" at the end of the dock for up to 15 minutes
with no charge. The Harbor Master or one of his assistants will collect $3.00/hour
for boats tied up at the dock between 10 am and 4 pm; $5.00/hour for boats over
25 feet. After 4 pm the charge is $1.00/foot. Overnight dockage is only accepted
after privately run marinas are full. No charcoal grills, barbecues or other open
fires may be used on the dock or aboard any boat tied up. No generating equipment
units on a vessel may be used while the vessel is tied to the dock, or rafted
to another boat tied to the dock. Caution: The depth at the end of the dock is
7 feet during times of low water.
Fuel
Fuel is available at the Vineyard Haven Marina and the Tisbury Wharf Co. in Vineyard
Haven Harbor and at Maciel Marine in Lagoon Pond (gasoline only).
Anchorage-Ferry Channel
Please note the wide ferry channel designated on the map. Anchorage is allowed
outside the inner harbor, to the northeast of the fish pier or outside the breakwater
well away from any moorings. See map for designated anchorage areas.
Dinghies
Dock at Owen Park Town Dock or the Steamship Dinghy Dock, each on the north side
of the pier. Dinghies may be beached north of the Owen Park pier. Please do not
beach on property marked private. The Steamship Dock is just feet away with taxi
stands, pay phones, public restrooms and the Tisbury Business Association information
station. In Tashmoo, dock at the Lake Street Landing. The landing has a ramp,
pay phone and beach area for dinghies.
A Few Cautions
Tisbury's waters are busy. Vineyard Haven Harbor traffic continues well into the
night with Steamship Authority ferries making regular runs from Woods Hole and
the Schamonchi coming from New Bedford. Fishing boats and fuel barges also regularly
traverse these waters. So be careful, especially when maneuvering in your dinghies
at night.
Speed is limited to 4 mph in Lake Tashmoo, the inner harbor and in the Lagoon Bridge area. The no wake zone includes all the area out to buoy #6, in the harbor, and all areas within 150 feet of moored or anchored boats, floats and swimming areas. Lake Tashmoo is headway speed only; most of Lagoon Pond is also headway speed only.
Water Skiers: You are only allowed to ski down the mid-channel of Lagoon pond and in the outer harbor well clear of moored boats.
Shoaling commonly occurs in the channel leading into Lake Tashmoo, and in other areas of the Lake. Be especially watchful during times of low tide. Lagoon Pond is well marked, but shoals quickly in some places outside the channel.
Let your land legs do the walking
Tisbury is a mariner's dream. Everything is within walking distance. Buy groceries,
go the post office, spend the night in a real bed, eat out, see a movie, walk
to the library, go to church, rent a bike, ride a tour bus, catch a taxi, ride
Tisbury's shuttle bus, shop for supplies and souvenirs. All these conveniences
can be found within minutes after landing.
