Kalmus Beach

In strong onshore winds, Old Silver on the Upper Cape is a popular wavesailing venue with a shallow area that’s ideal for beginners on calmer days. When it’s really busy, windsurfers launch next door at the Sea Crest Resort beach. Despite also facing the mainland, Chapaquoit Beach is one of Cape Cod’s best wave spots – when the wind hits 25+ knots it gets mast-high waves, but SW is bolt onshore. Watch out for submerged rocks and canal boat traffic, and keep away from the jetty where large boulders lurk just below the surface. A permit is required to launch in July/Aug. Nobska Lighthouse is a sandy beach on the channel between the Cape and Nonamesset Island. Tidal currents make it challenging and sailing isn’t officially allowed before 4 pm – but when it blows, sunbathers aren’t a problem. The shingle beach at Trunk River has an area reserved exclusively for windsurfing with great flat water sailing and views of Martha’s Vineyard in the distance. While Craigville Beach on Nantucket Sound bans daytime windsurfing and kiting in high summer, adjacent Kalmus Beach is probably New England’s most popular windsurf spot thanks to dependable SW thermals. It’s perfect for speedsailing by the outer breakwater or bump-and-jump in the channel – ferry wakes make great ramps! However, you must buy a daily or weekly access pass. West Dennis Beach offers two alternatives, either the rivermouth (tidal) or outside in a large bay. 'Bird Shit Island’, 1.5km offshore, picks up some nice swell at mid-tide in SW winds. Launching is strictly limited to the west end of the beach by the jetty. You could try the downwinder to Hardings Beach which is full of sunbathers in summer. Leaving Nantucket Sound for the Atlantic, the water gets a couple of degrees colder and the conditions more challenging. The Cut is excellent for jumping but losing kit is common here in the strong ocean currents and waves. It’s safest on a flood tide or nearby in the enclosed Jackknife Cove. Le Counts Hollow is a classic beach-break with potentially demanding conditions that works in occasional spring and autumn north-easterlies. The popular Corporation Beach on the North Cape can also get huge – NW is best, even with the gnarly shorebreak. Launch from the designated channel and watch out for some big submerged rocks left of the launch. Unfortunately it’s only legally rideable in spring and autumn, and even then at a price. The same rules apply at Mayflower Beach where the waves are somewhat smaller, high tide and NE winds are best. Chapin Memorial Beach offers year-round access and is a great place for learning to ride waves, ideal in NE or NW winds. The waves break further out while near the beach it’s generally super-flat for carving turns, although the shallows dry out at low tide – and there’s always limited parking, so arrive early! You can play in front of the East Coast elite’s exclusive villas on the island of Martha’s Vineyard off the Cape’s south coast. The flat-water spots Sengenkontacket Lagoon, Cape Pogue Bay and Katama enjoy consistent SW summer thermals while the western half can offer challenging waves. Further offshore on Nantucket, only Pocomo on the north coast has enough wind in summertime – although even here a strong SW day is possible. And when a hurricane passes by all the region’s spots can fire!