The Islands- They are closer than you think, but just as hard to get to.

I lived on Cape Cod for one summer back in 2003 as the head instructor of a sailing program on Wings Neck Trust. While very beautiful, that summer was one of the toughest for a Twenty-something guy with a hope for socialization. If you're a family man with a brood in tow its a great place to use up of few precious days of summer, but being locked on a spit of land in the North Atlantic for a whole summer without a thing to do other than show little rich kids how to sail is mind numbing. So while there I tried to find stuff to do and that lead me to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. But I thought that was it.

I did not know that when they say the "Cape and Islands" they actually are talking about a chain of Islands that trail off the upper Cape back towards Long Island Sound. No doubt these Islands are a remnant of one of the last Glacial periods and although I'm no Paleo-Climatologist, it sure looks to me like the Cape and Islands all share a common thread in their formation along with Long Island.

But there are a few hidden gems in that island chain that have been hidden in plain sight since the days of steam and sail. Yesterday I got to see one of them.

I always wanted to do semester at Sea when
I was in school, but the money was never there.
Imagine my surprise when I was told we were
parked right next to it? http://www.sea.edu/

In the heart of the Elizabeth Islands,  as they are called, is a Family compound of sorts that is protected by the Forbes family. This is the family that is also responsible for the college program, "Semester at Sea" where college kids spend a full semester training aboard a tall ship for college credit.

Where you launch from, complete with great big "private access only" signs, you can see the tall ship, but you would not know its also part of a Family Foundation that owns the private car ferry on private property that is only open for the private families that runs out to Naushon Island where 24 private homes sit to serve the Forbes Family privately. Did I mention its exclusive?

The Island is strait out of the 19th century with winding cow paths and silver shingled estates. If you can imagine the McMansions of the Outerbanks, clad in classic New England garb and plopped in the middle of Sturbridge Village, you would likely have Naushon Island.

The Island is maintained by the family trust and managed by a staff of full time equestrians, sailors, grounds keepers and house servants. They also have a heard of sheep, goats and cows who are tasked with keeping the forests tamed and the grass below waste level and its been that way since the Mid-1800's when the patriarch of the family, JM Forbes, bought it for his family using his fortune derived from the Opium trade- Gotta love those Boston 19th-century Entrepreneurs! Don't you Kennedy?

There is no pavement on this Island. The paths are strait
out of the 19th century. 

To get on the Island you have to know a family member and be invited. Once you've have proved your on the inside, they will allow you to board the ferry from Woods Hole and take the 25-minute ride out to the Island.

Once on the Island, your on foot from there unless you decide to use one of only a few select modes of efficient transport from place to place on Island: Golf cart, boat or for the slightly more adventurous I imagine, horseback. And its charming, but you'd never know about it unless you were part of the upper echelon.

Reminding me of M. Night Shyamalan's thriller "The Village", the Forbes family has worked to keep this Island a secret in plain sight and maintain its private rugged nature as a retreat from the trappings of the mainland. There is no grocery store, no package store, not even a place to pick up a few essentials. If you don't bring it with you, you wont have it. And that's how they like it.

They have brought some modern convenience to the Island though. Electricity abounds from 540 solar panels that replaced three GIANT diesel generators that are now kept in a cow shed as back up.

The Bow of the Cormorant, a 25-passenger car
ferry owned by the Forbes Family. 

It really is a great convergence of sustainability and comfortability with a good dose tortured self-deprivation thrown in to demonstrate their classic New England stoicism. They really have it all figured out, but after more than 150 years of trying and a limitless budget, they should don't you think?

I'm not gonna say though that it should be opened for all. It is lovely the way it is and you can see it if you know where to go. Vessels from all over are allowed to moor for free in the Harbor as long as they don't step on the Family Island or get too out of hand. And the line gets long when a Hurricane bears down on the Cape as its one of the best hurricane harbors in New England. Storm surges blow right past the Island with little to hold them back making it ideal to stow your boat to avoid the unavoidable. If you do think you'll find a spot though when the wind does blow, you'd be wrong because the locals know well where to hide from a hurricane after 300 years. But if the sun is shining and you have the vessel to travel, there is one perk while anchoring in a Harbor that is only accessible to the few- The Family allows boaters to stretch their legs and walk their dogs on the smaller "Bull Island". Just watch out for the landmines and bring your baggies.

And one other point- the tides or more to the point the currents, will blow your hair back. They actually have a modest 3-5 foot tide, but the full North Atlantic files past the Island twice daily and so the currents are amazing to experience and not to be taken lightly.

Channel Markers are said to bury in the surf
on the worst of the currents. The day I was
there was a full moon and it looked like
Niagra Falls to me.

Other than not being open to anyone but the few, less developed than the other ports of the Cape and Islands and downright scary on a full moon tide, Naushon Island is a treasure of an island in New England. And like any good treasure, its hidden under lock and key. But if you know the password, you can crack the code and enjoy a great adventure for few days before you tuck into the Vineyard to break the boredom. But then again, maybe being stranded on a spit of land in the North Atlantic with nothing to do but ponder the meaning of life is your thing? God Bless- you can have it!