Sunset cruising out along Nantasket Roads

The conditions became ideal last night for a nice sunset cruise out to open water, with calm seas, clearing skies and very calm seas. I travelled out the Nantasket Roads channel, and ended up parking about a mile offshore of Hull to watch the sunset last night.

While I was out here, I thought of a potential danger than I should have added to the recent post about top dangers to avoid in Boston Harbor. This would be Harding Ledge, an isolated rock outcrop off Nantasket Beach. While fairly well marked, this ledge is such a danger as it is in a very open place. Boaters leaving Boston Harbor for a trip to the south shore or Cape Cod may feel like they are in fully open water and may become complacent once they get outside of Allerton Point in Hull. Harding Ledge lies just beyond.

The chart clip below gives some perspective of the location of the ledge (right center) relative to Nantasket Roads and Hull:

Again, this should just be used as a reference point and not for navigation. See the NOAA disclaimer and refer to the official version for Navigation. Safe boating!