Summer reservations in Oak Bluffs and Edgartown harbors have exploded to record levels.
Online reservations opened Feb. 1 in Oak Bluffs and March 1 in Edgartown. Harbor masters in both towns told the Gazette this week they have been inundated.
“It’s the busiest booking season that I can remember,” Oak Bluffs harbor master Todd Alexander said.
In Edgartown, people started snapping up reservations as soon as they opened, harbor master Charlie Blair said.
“In the first hour we took over 1,000 reservations,” Mr. Blair said.
Vineyard Haven does not take advance reservations, harbor master John Crocker said. Online reservations in Menemsha Harbor open May 1.
In Oak Bluffs this year Mr. Alexander raised the rate by a dollar per foot to tie up a boat, but that hasn’t deterred anyone, he said. He said he had processed around 1,100 reservations since opening day, more than what he saw at the end of April last year. The harbor took roughly 700 reservations on opening day alone, nearly double the number seen in recent years.
“I’ve been doing it . . . for over 20 years and it’s never filled up this fast,” Mr. Alexander said.
He said every weekend in July and August is sold out, and weekdays are filling up fast.
“It’s just starting to spread beyond the weekends now,” Mr. Alexander said. “In the past, it would take up into June . . . before we got to this level.”
In Edgartown, the Fourth July weekend sold out almost instantly, Mr. Blair said.
“Less than five minutes,” he said.
Mr. Blair said he noticed an uptick during the end of June, which usually takes longer to fill up. He attributed that to the Edgartown Yacht Club moving up its annual race weekend.
“That move by the yacht club to have their big races in June is just tremendous for us,” Mr. Blair said. “By moving to June it’s made it much easier for the visitors because we have moorings available. We’re looking for a big weekend there.”
While reservations foretell a strong season, a humming harbor in Edgartown will depend on completion of the ongoing multi-million dollar reconstruction project at Memorial Wharf, Mr. Blair said.
“Memorial Wharf is the biggest deal that’s going on in the harbor. We have our fingers crossed that we’re going to be up and running here by Memorial Day,” he said.
Mr. Alexander said he suspects the strong bookings are partly pent-up demand.
“It must be the pandemic sort of being over and people dying to get out,” he said.
Mr. Blair concurred, and said there is palpable anticipation too in the business community this year.
“[Businesses are] hungry . . . it’s all connected, because people want to have a great time once they get here,” Mr. Blair said. “The whole ball game is going to change.”
He concluded:
“I think we’re going to get overrun with people, [but] I’m looking forward to it. What the heck. Business as normal, that’d be nice, and all the problems that come with it.”
