One of the great pleasures of visiting an island is exploring its edges, and this is particularly true on Martha's Vineyard with its four natural harbors, each with its unique history, character and appeal.

Edgartown Harbor, Martha's Vineyard
Edgartown, the site of the first English settlement on Martha's Vineyard, was once called Great Harbour, and in many ways the name still fits. Follow Main Street all the way downtown and you'll find the Edgartown Yacht Club, whose summer regattas draw classic racing sailboats from all along the East Coast.

In July and August, the launch from the Edgartown docks is busy serving all manner of craft, from world-cruising motor yachts to classic 12-meter America's Cup champions. Walking north from the Yacht Club, you'll soon come to the town's Memorial Wharf, a favorite viewing platform which overlooks the path of the Chappaquiddick ferry service. Beneath the platform you'll find children fishing for scup on most summer afternoons, and jigging for squid on summer nights.

Behind Memorial Wharf, beside the 'On-Time" ferry line serving Chappaquiddick, is the historic Old Sculpin Gallery, once the workshop of Manuel Swartz Roberts, who built scores of working catboats by hand. Many of his sturdy creations are brought together each summer in the tradition of the Edgartown Catboat Regatta.

Walk further on North Water Street, and you'll see elegant white houses which still recall the great era of Edgartown's wealth as a 19th-century whaling port. A path near the historic Harbor View Hotel leads out to the Edgartown Lighthouse and its expanse of public beach.
 

Vineyard Haven Harbor, Martha's Vineyard
Vineyard Haven Harbor, once known as Holmes Hole, was one of the busiest ports on the East Coasts during the great age of commercial sailing. Now, the harbor happily retains much of its working character.

Along the Vineyard Haven Harbor you'll find the fuel tanks of the R.M. Packer Co. Nearby is the famous Gannon & Benjamin Boatyard, one of the nation's premier builders of classic wooden sailboats.
 
Vineyard Haven is the bustling main port of entry for the ferries of the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority. But the harbor is also home to one of the finest fleets of classic wooden sailing vessels anywhere. Towering over them all are the Shenandoah and Alabama, tall-ship schooner that sail charter trips for the Coastwise Packet Company, flying the silhouette of the famous Black Dog.

The harbormaster's office overlooking the inner harbor sits at the bottom of the sloping Owen Park, whose bandstand is the site of free concerts by the Vineyard Haven Town Band on alternating Sundays all summer.

Oak Bluffs Harbor, Martha's Vineyard
The reputation of Oak Bluffs as a party town extends right into the harbor. You'll find sailboats in Oak Bluffs, but they're heavily outnumbered by motorboats whose families make reservations early each year for berths along the concrete bulkhead that lines the inner harbor. Each evening the hibachis are working overtime, the coolers are filled with beer and the sense of festivity among the boating community is an extension of the lively nightlife scene on nearby Circuit Avenue.

The town-run Oak Bluffs marina offers 80 slips, 45 moorings and accommodations for yachts up to 105 feet in length. It's busiest on the week of two great Oak Bluffs celebrations: Illumination Night and the Oak Bluff's Fireworks, both in mid-August.
When you visit Oak Bluffs Harbor, be sure to wander east along the boardwalk, which bustles each summer with shops and restaurants.
 

 Menemsha Harbor, Martha's Vineyard
 Menemsha Harbor, located in Chilmark, is amongst the most photographed and painted sites on Martha's Vineyard. A study in contrasts, ocean-going yachts are tied up next to sturdy fishing vessels covered with working gear. Antique and gift shops mingle with fishing shacks, and at the Menemsha Texaco, you can find everything from souvenirs to equipment for your next lobstering trip.

On clear summer evenings visitors flock to Menemsha Harbor and Menemsha beach with a picnic dinner to watch the sunset over the ocean, a rare opportunity for us on the East coast. If you bring a fishing rod, you might also want to try your luck from one of the Island's favorite angling spots, the jetty that protects the harbor entrance.

So there you have it - four unique harbors, four different but equally wonderful Martha's Vineyard experiences. You don't need your own sailboat - just good walking shoes and perhaps a camera - to discover that the beauty of Martha's Vineyard is richest at the water's edge.

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