Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts · Vineyard & Nantucket Sound · 41°27.7′N 70°37.7′W · VHF Ch 09
Lake Tashmoo is Vineyard Haven's quiet back door — a nearly landlocked pond just west of the main harbor that trades a shallow, fiddly entrance for all-round protection and calm.
The catch is the bar: the entrance channel carries only about six feet and shifts, so it's a spot for shoal-draft boats and careful timing near high water. Once inside, anchor in 7–9 ft of mud with shelter from every direction — this is the place to run to when a northerly makes Vineyard Haven untenable. There's a dinghy landing and a walk or bike into Tisbury.
Small, shallow, and serene — check your draft against the entrance before you commit, and enjoy the flattest night on the north shore.
Hazards & cautions. The entrance channel across the bar carries only about 6 ft and shoals — a genuine constraint for deeper-draft boats; sound your way in and favor higher water. Inside, room is limited.
No cruiser reports yet. If you've anchored here, be the first — your note helps the next boat in.
Augusto ratings and editorial are our own synthesis of public-domain sources and cruiser reports. Always verify against current charts and local knowledge before you rely on them.