I’m going to be on Nantucket next week for a few days. Any particularly good/safe place to get in a couple miles of OWS?
Never been there- so I don’t really have a concept about the Island.
Do I bring my road bike? or is it better to just rent a beach cruiser/mt bike kinda’ steed?
Check in w/ these guys/girls as they’re a really great bunch…
http://www.nantuckettriathlonclub.org/
OR
https://www.facebook.com/NantucketTriathlonClub
I have done a lot of training on the island and can give you the following tips:
Have fun.
thanks for the info.
OK- I found Jettie’s on the map. Looks like a long straight 4+ mile coastline with beach all the way. So, you can always just swim to the shore and step out, fix you goggles, etc, and then hop back in. Looks nice.
Water appears to be in the mid-60’s. I’m a pussy. I’ll be bringing my wetsuit 
Thanks for the run suggestion too. Although that’s always easier to find. Plus, I’m visiting a friend there and she’s a runner.
Perhaps I won’t bring my bike then.
its been about ten years but they have a very nice pool at the high school and have public swim for a fee.
I was there this last weekend. There are a ton of paved bike paths but probably not the best for high speed road riding. Just rent a cruiser and zip around the island - it’s good enough. For swimming, there are some great lakes scattered here and there that I jumped into with a wetsuit. I found the best collection of lakes along Cliff Rd. and Madaket Rd. (west of Nantucket). The oceans on the Southern side of the island are pretty choppy for an OWS. The beaches around Nantucket are a bit better but have more boat traffic.
Also, there is a great network of grassy trails right where Madaket and Cliff roads meet up. I only explored it a bit, but worth looking at more if you decide to run from town.
Hi, We have regular open water swims that meet at 6:00 AM at Monomoy beach on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays. Usually there are folks swimming from 1-2 miles. A wetsuit is recommended as the water is in the 60’s right now. Also, We have a great cycling group. We meet most mornings ( Saturday, Tuesday, Thursday at a minimum) at 6:00am at the rotary. The group consists of triathletes of all experience and abilities and roadies from cat 2-5. The rides can be pretty “spirited”. The poster above missed out on some great group riding. We ride on roads with very few vehicles and really only use the bikepath on the main road, Milestone road, as the sight lines are good. Shoot me a PM if you want more details, and enjoy your trip!
Jake Allegrini
Based on your description, you were probably swimming in the landfill resorvoir. With all the options for swimming on Nantucket’s beautiful beaches, that one is probably not ideal.
Bahahaha! Hindsight is 20/20, but honestly I’ve swam in much worse. The one I swam in was a mile or two East of the landfill and smaller than the one next to it. Still, I’m not sure if I will change my “all lakes in New England are swimmable” mentality just yet
Rent a cruiser and take a ride to the Cisco Brewery for happy hour
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Rent a cruiser and take a ride to the Cisco Brewery for happy hour
Oooh. I love a good IPA. Looking forward to that.
Hi, We have regular open water swims that meet at 6:00 AM at Monomoy beach on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays. Usually there are folks swimming from 1-2 miles. A wetsuit is recommended as the water is in the 60’s right now. Also, We have a great cycling group. We meet most mornings ( Saturday, Tuesday, Thursday at a minimum) at 6:00am at the rotary. The group consists of triathletes of all experience and abilities and roadies from cat 2-5. The rides can be pretty “spirited”. The poster above missed out on some great group riding. We ride on roads with very few vehicles and really only use the bikepath on the main road, Milestone road, as the sight lines are good. Shoot me a PM if you want more details, and enjoy your trip!
Jake Allegrini
Thanks Jake. I’ll be on “Vacation”- so 6am may not really exist, but if I get up on Friday and I can find Monomoy beach… it sounds like fun.
That said, a friend of mine who lives there found me a team for the Iron Teams Relay that needs a Swim/Run leg person, so I’m all over it! I’ll be racing! yippie!
I won’t be bringing my bike. I think it’s gonna’ just be beach cruiser riding for the few days I’m there, which is cool. If I get in a few swims and runs, I’ll be happy.
Sounds good! I’ll see you at the Chicken Box for the post race BBQ! I’ll be the one with a beer in one hand and an 18 month old in the other…
I was about to post about the iron team relay, looks like fun but is it doable without a support person? I was going to ride over from the cape, grab the 6:30 am ferry, and borrow a board from a friend on island (who can’t support) the website says the organizers will drop off my shoes and bike at the different spots, does it work pretty well, or am i gonna be hunting for my gear at each transition?
Btw for swimming in the lakes,i have never seen more snapping turtles than when kayaking in one of the south shore lakes
Might want to stick to the lakes…
Once at the brink of extinction, seals have been untouchable since the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (MMP), and were virtually unseen in the U.S. until the 1980s. Since then, the animals have ‘re-colonized and established a year-round presence,’ according to Waring. Muskeget Island, roughly 20 miles off Cape Cod, in the Nantucket Sound, is the largest seal pupping colony in U.S. waters
Might want to stick to the lakes…
Once at the brink of extinction, seals have been untouchable … the Nantucket Sound, is the largest seal pupping colony in U.S. waters
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/...e-cod/#ixzz2Wf7F6HSY
Before I read the article, I was thinking, “so what- seals don’t eat humans”. Oh, right. they attract the sharks. Hey, it’s not like I’ll be wearing a wetsuit that makes me look just like a grey seal or anything…
Hopefully it works like hiking in the woods with a group and coming across a bear. You don’t need to outrun the bear, only your friends.
I disagree…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwno0rwS87c
aren’t they just like big dogs that can swim really well?
I’ve played with sea lion pups while scuba diving… that is until the daddy Sea Lion came up and barked in my face. Anyway, I thought that all things considered, he was pretty nice about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW9SbaydAzM&NR
I’m probably more fearful of jellyfish than I am of sharks or seals. I guess, kinda like running/cycling and being more afraid of bees than bears or dogs.
OWS is to swimming in a pool, like running outside is to running on a treadmill. hmmm. I guess OWS in a rough ocean is like mountain/trail running?
I previously recommended Steps Beach or Jetties. You very unlikely to see seals at either of those beaches and they are both totally safe for swimming. There will be a lot of children swimming at either of these beaches on any nice day, so that should give you an idea.
Seals are an “issue” on other parts of the island, and I have seen sharks in Madaket harbor, but you aren’t going to be swimming there.