Wenham Lake, Beverly, Mass.
Beverly Public Library

Massachusetts is a paradise for sailors, boaters, rowers and paddlers of all kinds. While Massachusetts is one of the smallest states in the union, measuring just 190 miles from West to East, it boasts a coastline approximately 1,500 miles in length. Additionally, Massachusetts has over 3,000 lakes and ponds that are available for recreational use. Finally, there are 4,230 miles of rivers within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Yachting and sailing

Marina at Rocky Neck, Gloucester, Mass.
Sawyer Free Library, Gloucester, Mass.

Given its storied maritime history, it is no surprise that Massachusetts has long been a hotbed for sailing and yachting. The most famous yachting town is probably Marblehead, home to four clubs founded in the nineteenth century: the Eastern Yacht Club (1870), the Corinthian Yacht Club (1885), the Pleon Yacht Club (1887) and the Burgess Yacht Club (1894). When the Boston Yacht club relocated to Marblehead in 1902 it partnered with the Burgess Yacht Club to initiate the famous “Race Week,” which established Marblehead as the “Yachting Capital of America” and continues today.

Annisquam Yacht Club, Gloucester, Mass.
Sawyer Free Library, Gloucester, Mass.

In addition to Marblehead, yacht clubs thrive in Gloucester, Danvers, Boston, Quincy, Plymouth, Hyannis, and dozens of other cities and towns along the Massachusetts coastline. Of course, one does not have to be a member of such a club in order to sail. There are thousand of sailors with boats at marinas and moorings all along the coast. Smaller sailboats abound on lakes and ponds and kids can learn to sail for free as part of the Community Boating program on the Charles River in Boston.

Lake Quannapowitt and lakeside, Wakefield, Mass. Beebe Memorial Library Yachting on Lake Quannapowitt, Wakefield, Mass. Beebe Memorial Library

Untitled Poem These balmy days I sail for sport The Qwannapowitt sea, Viewing old Reading on the port, Fair Wakefield on the lee. The Island Grove in sunset light Looms beautiful and fair ; The fire pines rear their stems of might, Like turrets in the air. Blow on free breeze, and bend the mast; Fill strong the snowy sail; The rudder-bands are sure and fast, We court the northern gale. Bear up, strong keel ! the eagle’s wing Flashes through glittering spray; The golden stars in beauty swing Above the watery way. — J.H.C.

A little trivia

• Walden Pond is the deepest pond in Massachusetts measuring 102 feet. Henry David Thoreau first measured its depth in 1846 and a report in 1995 by the Dept. of Conservation and Recreation verified this measurement.
• Assawompsett Pond is the largest naturally formed body of water in Massachusetts at 2,656 acres.

Beacon Park boat landing, Lake Webster, Mass.
Chester C. Corbin Public Library, Webster, Mass.
• Chargoggagoggmanchauggauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg (Lake Webster) is the longest name of any lake in Massachusetts. It is translated as, “You fish on your side, I’ll fish on my side and nobody will fish in the middle.”

Boating and fishing

Boats at Lake Quannapowitt, Wakefield, Mass.
Beebe Memorial Library

With over 3,000 ponds and lakes, canoeists, rowers, fishermen and power boaters have an array of options for practicing their crafts. Walden Pond may be the best known body of freshwater in Massachusetts. Its wooded location and easy access from urban and suburban communities makes it very popular for swimmers and fishermen. Of course, Henry David Thoreau has assured it place in American history and literature and, thus, in the imagination of the public at large.

Speed boat regatta, Lake Quannapowitt, Wakefield, Mass., 1929
Beebe Memorial Library

North of Boston, too, there are multitudes of lakes and ponds, not all of which are available for recreation. Some of the best known are, Wenham Lake, Chebacco Lake (Essex/Hamilton), Flax Pond (Lynn), Lake Quannapowitt (Wakefield), Pleasant Pond (Wenham), Sluice Pond (Lynn), Breed’s Pond (Lynn) and Putnamville Reservoir (Danvers).

The area’s rivers are available for all forms of aquatic recreation. These include the Merrimack River, the Ipswich River, Essex River, Annisquam River, Mill River, Parker River, and the Saugus River.

Boating on the USMC pond, Beverly, Mass.
Beverly Public Library

Boating has never been limited to rural areas, of course. Residents have always taken advantage of recreational opportunities on local lakes and ponds which, while often small, still provide plenty of enjoyment. The recently reinvigorated “Shoe” Pond in Beverly, on the site of the former United Shoe Machinery Corporation land (now the Cummings Center) was a popular venue for boaters in small craft.

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