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Monomoy Island - A Day Trip for Boaters on Cape Cod

James Ahern

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Health care investment broker James (Jim) Ahern is a managing partner and the head of capital markets at Laidlaw & Company. When he’s not working at Laidlaw, James Ahern enjoys boating off of Cape Cod, the hook-shaped peninsula jutting from the Massachusetts coast.

With over 100 miles of shoreline, Cape Cod offers recreational boaters a wealth of places to go on a day trip. One such destination is Monomoy, an eight-mile-long, uninhabited island located south of Chatham between Nantucket Sound and the Atlantic Ocean.

Monomoy is accessible only by boat. Due to erosion, the island is constantly changing and sometimes separates into two distinct islands, depending on the time of year. There is a wildlife refuge on Monomoy Island, which is part of the National Seashore. It offers visitors a unique opportunity to explore and seek out wildlife such as water birds, deer, coyotes, horseshoe crabs, and seals in its clear waters and on the shallow sand flats. Nature enthusiasts enjoy hiking on the island’s trails or using a kayak to navigate the island’s many flats and channels.

The historic Monomoy lighthouse, built in 1823, recently underwent renovations and is only accessible during favorable weather. With very few permanent dwellings on Monomoy, the National Refuge uses the lighthouse keeper’s cottage as a headquarters.