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Massachusetts · Martha's Vineyard · Dukes County · Edgartown, Massachusetts

Cape Poge Bay

also known as Cape Pogue Bay, Cape Poge, Cape Pogue, Cape Poge Gut

advanced onlyhigh crowds

Nearby Sengekontacket Pond 8 km · Katama Bay 9 km · Waquoit Bay 20 km · West Dennis Beach 35 km · Chapin Beach 40 km · straight-line distance

Seasonno season namedthe months riders and schools nameHow windy10.5-14 knotsmixedLaunchsmallaccess rules on record, belowWaterbay23.5°C in summer · 15 things riders flagLevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level sectionSchools2named at this spotFrom the airportno transfer time publishedMartha's Vineyard Airport (MVY)

When it fills in

In summer the regional pattern is a clear daily one: wind is at its lightest around 10 or 11 in the morning, builds through the early afternoon, peaks between about 4 and 5 pm, then eases through the evening. Outside summer the wind is gradient and can run at any hour. The measurement comes from the Nantucket Sound buoy, not from inside the bay, and the sea-breeze swing on the shore is usually sharper than it is offshore.

Cape Poge Bay sits on Chappaquiddick Island, off the eastern side of Martha's Vineyard, and the riding is inside a protected low-lying bay that goes flat when it lines up. Getting there is the hard part.
Boat is the best way in; the launch is a small designated area near Cape Pogue Gut, and land access to the Gut only works at low tide, on the days it is open at all. The bay sits in and beside refuge habitat, with shellfishing, aquaculture gear, shorebird nesting, hard tidal flushing and heavy summer boat traffic.
Cape Pogue works in every wind direction and SW can run 5-10 knots stronger here than the rest of the island, though which directions are onshore or offshore at the current designated launch is unconfirmed. Beginners should skip it: the launch is small, closure-prone and tide-locked, and there is nobody out there to help.
Check the bird closures and talk to island riders or a school before you commit to the crossing.

The wind

Direction

beachwater
cross-shore

Kite sizes

567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

mixed

fills in: In summer the regional pattern is a clear daily one: wind is at its lightest around 10 or 11 in the morning, builds through the early afternoon, peaks between about 4 and 5 pm, then eases through the evening. Outside summer the wind is gradient and can run at any hour. The measurement comes from the Nantucket Sound buoy, not from inside the bay, and the sea-breeze swing on the shore is usually sharper than it is offshore.

Typical strength

No measurement inside the bay. The nearest long-run instrument, a buoy in Nantucket Sound about 20 km east, averaged 10.5-14 knots by month across 2022-2024, sitting at or above 12 knots for 37-63 per cent of all hours depending on the month and above 15 knots for 17-42 per cent. November through March are the strong months and June and July the weakest. A south-westerly also runs 5-10 knots harder over this bay than over the rest of the island. Buoy readings are taken low over open water, so treat these as a floor rather than a forecast.

Clean and consistent. Low surrounding land and few trees let the wind run across the bay without breaking up.
November through March is the windiest stretch, with monthly means near 14 knots offshore and half or more of all hours at 12 knots or better. June and July are the lightest months and depend on the afternoon sea breeze. September and October make a good shoulder, and they fall after the shorebird closures lift.
Set against that, the summer months are the ones with boat traffic, shellfishing and access pressure, and there is no local coverage of a wind season at all. The figures are regional buoy statistics, not a bay measurement.

The quiver, in words

Nothing local is published. Sized off the regional wind record, a 75-85 kg rider covers most of the year with a 12 m for the 12-15 knot days that make up much of the season, a 9 m for the 18-22 knot range, and a 7 m for a winter or spring blow.The south-westerly bonus over this bay means the kite that felt right elsewhere on the island will often be one size too big here. Indicative, not a local report.

Direction to shore

The near-circular bay gives a side-shore setup somewhere in most directions, but kiting is confined to the designated area. The exact direction-to-shore at the current launch is unconfirmed.

Dominant direction

Works in every wind direction, and SW can blow 5-10 knots stronger here than the rest of Martha's Vineyard. No independent best-direction list is confirmed.

Forecast

Next three days, from Windfinder · full forecast

Month by month

  1. Jan84
  2. Feb87
  3. Mar83
  4. Apr78
  5. May66
  6. Jun50
  7. Jul58
  8. Aug46
  9. Sep54
  10. Oct62
  11. Nov82
  12. Dec80

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

  1. 17Jan5°
  2. 17Feb4°
  3. 17Mar5°
  4. 15Apr9°
  5. 13May14°
  6. 12Jun18°
  7. 12Jul21°
  8. 11Aug22°
  9. 12Sep20°
  10. 13Oct17°
  11. 16Nov13°
  12. 15Dec8°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

MonthForce 4+KnotsFromAirWater
Jan84%16.5 ktW2.2°C5.4°C
Feb87%16.5 ktWNW2.4°C3.9°C
Mar83%16.5 ktWNW5.3°C5.1°C
Apr78%14.8 ktWSW9.4°C8.7°C
May66%13.1 ktSW13.7°C13.5°C
Jun50%11.8 ktWSW19°C17.6°C
Jul58%11.9 ktSW23.7°C21°C
Aug46%11.2 ktWSW22.5°C21.6°C
Sep54%12 ktENE19.3°C20.4°C
Oct62%12.5 ktWSW14.8°C17°C
Nov82%15.6 ktNW9.4°C12.6°C
Dec80%15.4 ktW4.8°C7.9°C
modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

bay

Standing depth

Shallow in a lot of the bay but over-head through much of the center, and quite shallow near the inlet at low tide.

Tides

Land access to Cape Pogue Gut only works at low tide. Riders get stranded at the point when the tide comes back and shuts the way out. The water near the inlet is shallow at low water.

Temperature

23.5°C summer · 3.5°C winter

Currents

Powerful currents flush the bay. No kite-specific current rating is confirmed.

4–22°C water
Protected natural bay on Chappaquiddick Island, inside Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge. Roughly circular, about 2 miles across, with low land all round, short fetch and flat-water riding. Sandy shoreline, wide salt marsh, a salt pond, bird nesting habitat and shoals near Cape Poge.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced
The bay is protected and can go flat, but this record marks beginners false: access is small, low-tide constrained, closure-prone and preferably by boat, and overuse, shellfish, nesting birds and safety keep coming up locally.

The scene

What riders come here for

flat waterfreeridespeedremote sessionsboat-access kiting
Remote and quiet, and very sensitive about access. The local argument is over sharing a fragile refuge between boaters, shellfishers, property owners, instructors and recreational kiters.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

2 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: small

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Sengekontacket Pond, 8 km

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

No public kite rescue. With boat access preferred, bring your own support or be fully self-sufficient. The island kiting protocol treats the kite as both flotation and the way home: kite leash as the primary safety system, no board leashes, and no riding further out than you can swim back.
The bay is near-circular, so a lee shore is normally within about two miles whatever the wind is doing, which reduces the odds of losing a kite, board or rider without removing them. That is geography, not a rescue service.
Edgartown's harbourmaster is the on-water responder for town waters; there is nothing on the beach and no phone signal to rely on out at the Gut.

Launch

Launching from the 17-acre windmill-house parcel is prohibited, and access has been confined to a small designated area near Cape Pogue Gut. Boat is the best way in. Driving needs a Trustees beach permit when the track is open, and bird-nesting closures can shut it.

Space

small

Hazards riders report 15

  • limited launch space
  • high-tide access cutoff
  • bird nesting closures
  • shell fishermen
  • aquaculture gear
  • Small designated launch area.
  • No launch from the windmill-house parcel.
  • Low-tide-only land access to Cape Pogue Gut, with possible high-tide cutoff.
  • Bird nesting closures and sensitive refuge habitat.
  • Piping plovers, least terns, American oystercatchers and gull rookery habitat at Cape Poge Elbow.
  • Shell fishermen with right of way.
  • Aquaculture gear including rafts, cages, upwellers, buoy fields, floating lines and oyster farms.
  • Crowded boat traffic near the Gut in summer.
  • Powerful tidal currents flushing the bay.
  • Shallow inlet areas at low tide and deeper center water.
Rules & access
  • 2026: launching from the windmill-house parcel is prohibited; land access to Cape Pogue Gut is only available at low tide; boat access is preferred; driving is possible only at certain times with a Trustees beach permit and can be closed by bird-nesting restrictions; kite only in the designated area at the Gut, staying roughly 200 yards off the beach; do not leave spare kites inflated on the beach; do not block the beach or vehicle access with gear; check bird-nesting closures before going, and the Cape Poge Elbow section stays closed to kiting until shorebird nesting season ends around August 31; shell fishermen have right of way; keep at least 150 feet from shell fishermen, fishermen working from boats and aquaculture gear.
  • 2020: Edgartown selectmen let Cape Poge kiteboarding continue that season while planning a further review of overcrowding and commercial versus recreational use.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Rider tips

  • Check bird-nesting and beach closures before you book the boat; the Cape Poge Elbow section stays shut to kiting until nesting ends around August 31.
  • Come in by boat if you can, and never assume you can drive or walk in at any tide.
  • Keep the beach and the 4x4 track clear of kites and gear, and do not leave a spare kite inflated on the sand.
  • Stay 150 feet off shell fishermen, working boats and aquaculture gear, and give shellfishers the right of way.
  • Plan your own rescue and your own way home before you rig; the tide can close the land route behind you.
  • Do not launch from the windmill-house parcel.
  • Ride a kite leash and no board leash, and stay inside the distance you could swim back.
  • In summer, aim for mid to late afternoon: the wind is at its weakest late morning and peaks around 4 or 5 pm.
  • September and October are the sweet spot, with more wind than midsummer and the nesting closures behind you.
  • The refuge gatehouse only staffs 9am to 5pm from Memorial Day to Indigenous People's Day; outside that, nobody is checking or helping.

Getting there

Airport

Martha's Vineyard Airport (MVY) is the island airport; Boston Logan (BOS) and ferry connections through Woods Hole/Falmouth or seasonal ports are the wider gateways.

Route

Ferry or plane to Martha's Vineyard, on to Edgartown, then the Chappy ferry or a private boat over to Chappaquiddick. The best access to the kite area is by boat; land and over-sand vehicle access needs the right permit and an open beach.

Cost level

high

Staying

Stay in Edgartown, on Chappaquiddick, in Oak Bluffs or anywhere else on Martha's Vineyard. Cape Poge itself has no shops, no restaurants and no public bathrooms.

No-wind days

Walks in Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge, the lighthouse tour, fishing, kayaking and canoeing, the beaches, Edgartown, Chappaquiddick and the rest of Martha's Vineyard.

Photos

Cape poge bay ttor
Arwcheek (talk), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

Is Cape Poge Bay suitable for beginners?

No, this record marks beginners as unsuitable because access is small, low-tide constrained, closure-prone, and best reached by boat.

How do I access Cape Poge Bay?

Boat access is preferred; land access to Cape Pogue Gut is only available at low tide, and driving requires a Trustees beach permit and may be blocked by bird-nesting closures.

Are there rules for kiting at Cape Poge Bay?

As of 2026, launching from the windmill-house parcel is prohibited, kiting is limited to a small designated area, and riders must stay at least 150 feet from shellfishers and aquaculture gear.

What is the water like at Cape Poge Bay?

The bay is a roughly circular, protected refuge bay about 2 miles across with flat-water potential, though it can be shallow near the inlet at low tide and over-head deep through much of the center.

Last updated: August 2026