NAHANT — The weekend was a bittersweet one for boaters, who gathered alongside tow crews at Nahant Wharf Friday and Saturday to haul and store nearly 30 vessels in preparation for winter.
“It’s a sad day,” said lifelong resident Bruce Bennet, who was there Friday to secure his recreational boat, Excalibur. “It’s the end of the season.”
For dedicated sailors, each October’s haul-out marks the end of the summer season and the start of yet another New England winter.
Although a practical event that allows local fishermen and recreational boaters to take advantage of cheaper towing costs offered by the town, Nahant Harbormaster Rob Tibbo said the day does come with a sense of finality for many.
“I think for many, many people in Nahant, the change of seasons is marked by the boats being hauled out and by the boats being launched,” he said.
Luckily, Tibbo said, the annual haul-out provides multiple benefits to residents, including the option of storing larger boats at the wharf during the off-season.
“We have a pretty good-sized parking lot here, and it’s not real busy during the winter so it gives the opportunity to store boats locally while at the same time bringing in some money for the town,” he said. “The logistics of a sailboat make it difficult to move because someone has to come in with a crane and lift the mast out, and then the boat would have to be moved with the mast out, and then you’d have to do all that again in the spring.
“We avoid all that by offering this additional opportunity to Nahant residents.”
As they worked to secure their boats in the rain on Friday morning, several boat owners noted that while it’s difficult to have to pack up their vessels for the next several months, it’s a necessary move as the weather becomes more and more unpredictable and hurricane season nears.
Some cited last month’s storm as an example, during which a 50-foot, wood-hulled trawler broke free of its mooring and drifted across the wharf, damaging several smaller boats in its path.
“This is actually (happening) a little bit later than we like it to,” said Pete Dickinson, owner of the recreational boat, Stormy Petrel. “The October storms are here. Even last night the weather was pretty rough.”
Thankfully, Tibbo said, spring is never too far away.
“One day you’re looking out at an empty harbor, and the next day you’re looking at a harbor full of boats,” he said.
